UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTEERS

JORDAN

UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTEERS

Yujie Shen, Linacre College, MSc Sociology, Masters-level student, Remote working

Work Projects

I worked on a policy paper about

volunteerism and COVID-19 response in the

Arab region. With the support of my

supervisor and the host organisation, I was

responsible for developing the paper from

zero to one. The paper will contribute to the

health and socioeconomic policy of future emergencies.

Daily Life

It took me some time to get used to the Sunday to Thursday workweek of my host

organisation. I usually start work at 9 in the morning. Due to the time difference, I

sometimes check emails earlier so I would have a clear plan for the day ahead.

Lasting Impressions

I learned a lot from my internship and it was a very awarding experience. My internship

definitely confirms my ambition about working in international development and helped me

understand the skills I have and the value I can add to the sector.

What practical advice would you give to future interns?

Get as much internship experience as possible. Start doing internships early. Explore

different sectors and find the one that matches the most with you.

Final year undergraduate, BA Italian and Linguistics, Remote working

Work Projects

During my internship, I attended many meetings with the organization and took minutes, I

interviewed volunteers to write an articles for the UNV website under the title of 'volunteer

experience' to promote volunteerism in the

Arab States, and created a PowerPoint

Presentation to be used in the company's

quarterly meeting with heads in the

organization.

Daily Life

My days would usually start with a meeting

around 9 am BST (2 hours behind Amman where the main office is). I'd attend a meeting

and then write up any notes related to it. I would sometimes have an interview scheduled

with a volunteer, where I would have questions prepared in advance. These would last

around an hour. I would then write up my notes and send them to my supervisor. In the

next days, I would write up and article for it and have drafts back and forth with my supervisor/anyone who needed to approve the draft. This was mostly how my days looked.

Everything was quite flexible.

Lasting Impressions

I feel like it helped my application for my current job and also provided me with something

interesting to do in the summer, therefore, I am grateful for the opportunity that allowed

me to continue in the same field with a different organisation.

What practical advice would you give to future interns?

Make sure to speak to your supervisor from the first day about your expectation and be

specific.