Internships at World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.
Specifications
- Host Country: Switzerland
- Job Type: Internships
- Eligible Countries: All Countries
- Duration: Up to 10 months
- Remuneration: From CHF 60 – CHF 90 daily
Internship Types
There are three internship programmes at the WTO.
- WTO Internship Programme
- China’s LDCs, Accessions and General Internship Programme
- WTO Support Programme for Doctoral Studies
1. The WTO Internship Programme:
This is open to post-graduate students from all WTO members and countries or customs territories engaged in accession negotiations. Internships include opportunities in other specialist areas, such as finance, human resources, language services, IT and communications. The division to which the intern is assigned determines the precise nature of the work to be undertaken.
Benefits
- Maximum of 6 month internship opportunity.
- Interns receive a daily allowance of CHF 60 (including week-ends and official holidays falling within the selected period). Travel expenses to and from Geneva cannot be paid by the WTO, and such travel is not covered by the Organization’s insurance.
- Medical health insurance coverage is mandatory in Switzerland, and interns are responsible for organizing their own health insurance prior to commencing their internship at the WTO.
Eligibility
A candidate must:
- be a national of a WTO member state or a country or customs territory engaged in accession negotiations
- have completed his/her undergraduate studies in a relevant discipline and have completed at least one year of his/her postgraduate studies
- be at least 21 years old and a maximum of 30 years old during the internship.
Deadline: Not Specified
2. The China LDC, Accessions and General Internship Programme
This is sponsored by the Government of China and aims to help recent graduates and young professionals from least-developed countries (LDCs) and developing countries gain work experience at the WTO. The Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) and the Accessions Division, in close coordination with the Human Resources Division, manage the implementation of the programme.
Benefits
- Up to 10 months internship opportunity.
- Daily allowance of CHF 90 (including weekends and official holidays that occur within the selected periods).
- Travel expenses (economy class air fare) to and from Geneva.
- Medical health insurance coverage is mandatory in Switzerland, and interns are responsible for organizing their own health insurance prior to commencing their internship at the WTO. In this respect, interns receive an extra CHF100 per month to subsidize their health insurance premium payments for the duration of their internship.
Eligibility
A candidate must:
- be a national of a least-developed country (LDC) or developing WTO member or an observer engaged in accession negotiations
- have completed his/her undergraduate studies in a relevant discipline (e.g. economics, law, political science, international relations), and have completed at least one year of his/her postgraduate studies
- be no older than 30
Deadline: There is no opening or closing date for applications, except for the applications to the China General Internship Programme which would be accepted between 1 January and 15 March 2024.
3. The WTO Support Programme for Doctoral Studies
The WTO Support Programme for Doctoral Studies (also known as the PhD Internship Programme) aims to support the development of academic expertise on WTO issues in developing countries. The WTO Secretariat invites doctoral students from developing countries to conduct research at the WTO and provides them with mentoring/advice in close collaboration with the students’ academic supervisors.
Benefits
- From three to six months Internship opportunity
- Daily allowance of CHF 60 (including weekends and official holidays falling within the selected period).
- Travel expenses (economy class air fare) to and from Geneva is covered by the WTO.
- Medical health insurance coverage is mandatory in Switzerland, and interns are responsible for organizing their own health insurance prior to commencing their internship at the WTO.
Eligibility
A candidate must:
- be a national of a WTO member state or a country or customs territory engaged in accession negotiations
- be a national of a least-developed country (LDC) or a developing country
- undertake a PhD or equivalent in economics, law, international relations or in a closely related WTO discipline
- be in the final stage of his/her PhD and therefore at the writing-up stage (75% minimum completion) of the thesis
- work in one of the three official languages of the WTO, i.e. English, French and Spanish.
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