It was just today at 10am that I arrived in Gatwick airport following what can only be described as a once-in-a-lifetime experience learning about the work of The United Nations first-hand from those that do it - one that I aim to share with you today in hope of informing and inspiring anybody interested in the organisation to apply for it themselves! As with the majority of my posts at this moment in time, it's a long 'un - so grab yourself a cup of tea, coffee, whatever floats your boat and let me tell you about what I've been up to this past week, I hope you enjoy this and find it helpful!
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A P P L I C A T I O N & T H E B A S I C S
If you've read some of my latest posts, you may have seen me mention how my overly paranoid Year 11 self was looking for anything and everything to do during Year 12 that would both boost my knowledge of the field that I wanted to go into as well as my UCAS university application: this is how I stumbled upon this work experience programme, both on The Student Room and by YouTuber Eve Bennett's mention of it.
Admittedly, I was a little wary when I stumbled across my-work-experience.com where it was advertised - but was reassured of its legitimacy having contacted various people I found that had went on it as well as Bob himself, who runs the programme. Upon contacting Bob, I received an application form which included general details such as my name, school, address - but also had room to include information about any work experience I had had, extra-curricular activities I partook in, my main strengths and interests and why I have applied/what I would gain from it. If you would like to see my application form (and potentially a few other successful forms), please don't hesitate to get in touch with me on Instagram and I'll direct you to it - my username is @gabijabarkute! You will also need to obtain a reference from your school. Furthermore, don't hesitate to contact Bob if you have any queries/concerns - he's absolutely great and initially put me in touch with others that had been on the trip, as well being very accommodating and helpful following some difficulties I had in my application!
Some important key details to mention: there tends to be 2 trips that take place every year, one towards the end of August and one towards the end of October. As a point of reference, I applied for the study visit in November last year - but I'm aware that people have already started to apply for next year's programme, so if it is something that you're interested in I wouldn't hesitate! The trip itself costs £405, with a deposit of £100 to be paid on application (returned fully if unsuccessful), but that does not factor in flights, evening meals and other expenditures. If you do happen to get a place, please book your flights as soon as possible - at least with EasyJet, anyway, my dad and I ended up paying triple the amount seen before thinking we could get a better deal a month before the trip! As well as paying for flights, I saved an additional £200 as Switzerland is very expensive (this worked out to roughly 238 CHF) - as a point of reference, 20 chicken nuggets in McDonald's works out to roughly £13. Lunch is eaten in the various organisations' cafeterias and prices are reasonable (the most I spent on a full meal itself, minus a drink, was 12,90 CHF - around £10), but evening meals can become expensive depending on where you go - although my friends and I saved a lot of money by going to the nearby Lidl and using the hostel's cooking facilities to make some simple pasta! The drinking age for beer, wine and cider is 16 in Switzerland - but again, drinks can also become very expensive depending on where you go (wine tends to be around the 4,50 CHF mark - but expect prices like 12,50 CHF for a cocktail, you can always go to a corner shop if you want to keep your costs down and have something in one of the many parks!).
Speaking of accommodation, everybody on the trip stays at the Geneva Hostel - of course, don't come expecting a five-star hotel, but you're not going to spend all that much time there and the facilities were ample for what was needed! Be aware that while the hostel has irons and hairdryers you can use, you will have to put down a deposit that you can get back upon checking out - but don't rush to do this, there's one hairdryer that you can use in the bathrooms, and normal EU adaptors work in the wall plugs! Breakfast was free of charge and surprisingly very good, expect to see your usual continental options. In terms of duration, the visit lasts 5 days.
What is particularly great is that on arriving to the youth hostel, you're presented with a card which means that you get free public transport throughout Geneva - whether that be on the bus, the tram or even the ferry! That being said, it's not a particularly vast city and it's pretty easy to navigate around - especially because the hostel is in such a convenient location, just by the lake and not too far from the centre of the action!
Admittedly, I was a little wary when I stumbled across my-work-experience.com where it was advertised - but was reassured of its legitimacy having contacted various people I found that had went on it as well as Bob himself, who runs the programme. Upon contacting Bob, I received an application form which included general details such as my name, school, address - but also had room to include information about any work experience I had had, extra-curricular activities I partook in, my main strengths and interests and why I have applied/what I would gain from it. If you would like to see my application form (and potentially a few other successful forms), please don't hesitate to get in touch with me on Instagram and I'll direct you to it - my username is @gabijabarkute! You will also need to obtain a reference from your school. Furthermore, don't hesitate to contact Bob if you have any queries/concerns - he's absolutely great and initially put me in touch with others that had been on the trip, as well being very accommodating and helpful following some difficulties I had in my application!
Some important key details to mention: there tends to be 2 trips that take place every year, one towards the end of August and one towards the end of October. As a point of reference, I applied for the study visit in November last year - but I'm aware that people have already started to apply for next year's programme, so if it is something that you're interested in I wouldn't hesitate! The trip itself costs £405, with a deposit of £100 to be paid on application (returned fully if unsuccessful), but that does not factor in flights, evening meals and other expenditures. If you do happen to get a place, please book your flights as soon as possible - at least with EasyJet, anyway, my dad and I ended up paying triple the amount seen before thinking we could get a better deal a month before the trip! As well as paying for flights, I saved an additional £200 as Switzerland is very expensive (this worked out to roughly 238 CHF) - as a point of reference, 20 chicken nuggets in McDonald's works out to roughly £13. Lunch is eaten in the various organisations' cafeterias and prices are reasonable (the most I spent on a full meal itself, minus a drink, was 12,90 CHF - around £10), but evening meals can become expensive depending on where you go - although my friends and I saved a lot of money by going to the nearby Lidl and using the hostel's cooking facilities to make some simple pasta! The drinking age for beer, wine and cider is 16 in Switzerland - but again, drinks can also become very expensive depending on where you go (wine tends to be around the 4,50 CHF mark - but expect prices like 12,50 CHF for a cocktail, you can always go to a corner shop if you want to keep your costs down and have something in one of the many parks!).
Speaking of accommodation, everybody on the trip stays at the Geneva Hostel - of course, don't come expecting a five-star hotel, but you're not going to spend all that much time there and the facilities were ample for what was needed! Be aware that while the hostel has irons and hairdryers you can use, you will have to put down a deposit that you can get back upon checking out - but don't rush to do this, there's one hairdryer that you can use in the bathrooms, and normal EU adaptors work in the wall plugs! Breakfast was free of charge and surprisingly very good, expect to see your usual continental options. In terms of duration, the visit lasts 5 days.
What is particularly great is that on arriving to the youth hostel, you're presented with a card which means that you get free public transport throughout Geneva - whether that be on the bus, the tram or even the ferry! That being said, it's not a particularly vast city and it's pretty easy to navigate around - especially because the hostel is in such a convenient location, just by the lake and not too far from the centre of the action!
E X P E R I E N C E
We were encouraged to arrive late afternoon on Sunday 25 August, but seeing as my dad and I had left our flights last-minute (and following a short delay), I only arrived at the hostel at 12:30 in the morning on Monday! The programme began with a briefing in the hostel before we went for a tour of the Palais des Nations, the European headquarters of The United Nations and former property of The League of Nations (see the slideshow at the end of the post for photos).
Following the tour and lunch at an organisation's cafeteria, we received talks from two organisations: The United Nations High Commission for Refugees and The International Telecommunications Union. The number of speakers would vary from day to day: there were three on Tuesday (The World Meteorological Organisation, UNICEF and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights), two on Wednesday (UNAIDS and The International Labour Organisation) and four on Thursday (UN Environment, UN Population Fund, UN Development Programme - with a bit about the history of the Environment House itself and what it does). All presentations were roughly an hour in length and presented by those working in the organisation, sometimes with interns too. The style varied from speaker to speaker: some were more interactive and others more information-heavy, some focused more on what the organisation does and its structure while others took an approach to focus predominantly on a specific issue - but they were all very engaging and there was plenty of room for discussion! My two personal favourites had to be the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as well as UNAids; admittedly, I didn't expect to like the latter as much as I did because my background isn't scientific, but the discussion lead to some incredibly interesting topics such as human rights and ethics that I hadn't particularly associated with the matter before. As for human rights, let's just say that the realisation that the principle dates back to the beginnings of time - and that it is an ideal which underlies every aspect of modern society - was one that truly opened my eyes!
Going to and from the talks, we were free to pick up a vast amount of free resources from the organisations - some of which would cost a lot if you were to get it in a bookshop too. Some of the printed resources that I picked up included the UNHCR Global Report 2018, a UNAIDS publication about HIV prevention among adolescent girls and young women, a small booklet about the work of the Human Rights Council and one with 170 daily actions we could complete to help fulfil the organisation's Sustainable Development Goals! A lot is available online too, and this is just the bare minimum. All you language students out there have a great advantage because foreign language resources rarely run out, as opposed to English ones - most often seen are French and Spanish, although I did come across the odd Russian resource too!
After the talks had finished, there was free time to unleash the tourist inside of you - and quite a bit of it too! I won't lie and pretend that I got much sleep this week purely because I was so keen to discover absolutely anything and everything, but I have to say... there's a lot to see and do - whether that be swimming in Lake Geneva to exploring the old town, or even going up with Bob in a cable car and crossing the Swiss-French border by foot (a crazy experience, to say the least)! This time was unsupervised, but we were advised to stay in groups in at least three for safety reasons - and, of course, be sensible with how we used this time.
Going to and from the talks, we were free to pick up a vast amount of free resources from the organisations - some of which would cost a lot if you were to get it in a bookshop too. Some of the printed resources that I picked up included the UNHCR Global Report 2018, a UNAIDS publication about HIV prevention among adolescent girls and young women, a small booklet about the work of the Human Rights Council and one with 170 daily actions we could complete to help fulfil the organisation's Sustainable Development Goals! A lot is available online too, and this is just the bare minimum. All you language students out there have a great advantage because foreign language resources rarely run out, as opposed to English ones - most often seen are French and Spanish, although I did come across the odd Russian resource too!
After the talks had finished, there was free time to unleash the tourist inside of you - and quite a bit of it too! I won't lie and pretend that I got much sleep this week purely because I was so keen to discover absolutely anything and everything, but I have to say... there's a lot to see and do - whether that be swimming in Lake Geneva to exploring the old town, or even going up with Bob in a cable car and crossing the Swiss-French border by foot (a crazy experience, to say the least)! This time was unsupervised, but we were advised to stay in groups in at least three for safety reasons - and, of course, be sensible with how we used this time.
T O P T I P S F O R A P P L Y I N G
Whether it be for this study visit specifically or indeed any application you make, relevance is one of - if not the - most important things to keep in mind. It is all fair and well mentioning how you're a part of the netball team, or how you help tutor younger pupils at your school - but how does that make you a good applicant and, most importantly, a good applicant for a study visit to the UN? What I did which I found greatly beneficial is to spend some time thinking about all the activities you do or the key skills you have and then eliminate accordingly so you are left with only those that are most relevant and those that give you the most optimal skills. In my application form, I decided to split each aspect down into two or three bullet points - it is better to fully explain two or three activities/skills than to simply list four or five, for example.
As generic as it sounds, staying true to yourself is vital: write what you want to write about, and not what you think somebody will want to read. Those of you who know me in person will know that languages hold a dear place in my heart, and if you read my application form you'll see that I really don't shy away from that very fact! Sure, I've mentioned an online course and a documentary which shows a broad range of interests which relate to the works of the organisation - but I've not gone off on a poorly informed tangent about politics because it's simply not representative of me and who I am! Speaking of documentaries, I was rather apprehensive about putting in the fact that I'd watched BBC's "Stacey Dooley Investigates: Fashion's Dirty Secrets" because I didn't know if it was educational enough - but it's these sort of 'different' activities that make you stand out and help to show your personality!
Finally, time matters: places for the visit fill up quickly - so there's no use faffing around for half a decade trying to think about how you can better word a sentence, just get your application sent off! That being said, don't feel the need to completely rush it either - make sure you've put it through a proof-reader and ensure that you've been concise yet comprehensive, prove yourself to be an irresistible candidate!
As generic as it sounds, staying true to yourself is vital: write what you want to write about, and not what you think somebody will want to read. Those of you who know me in person will know that languages hold a dear place in my heart, and if you read my application form you'll see that I really don't shy away from that very fact! Sure, I've mentioned an online course and a documentary which shows a broad range of interests which relate to the works of the organisation - but I've not gone off on a poorly informed tangent about politics because it's simply not representative of me and who I am! Speaking of documentaries, I was rather apprehensive about putting in the fact that I'd watched BBC's "Stacey Dooley Investigates: Fashion's Dirty Secrets" because I didn't know if it was educational enough - but it's these sort of 'different' activities that make you stand out and help to show your personality!
Finally, time matters: places for the visit fill up quickly - so there's no use faffing around for half a decade trying to think about how you can better word a sentence, just get your application sent off! That being said, don't feel the need to completely rush it either - make sure you've put it through a proof-reader and ensure that you've been concise yet comprehensive, prove yourself to be an irresistible candidate!
T O P T I P S F O R S U C C E S S F U L A P P L I C A N T S
If you've gotten a place for the study visit, I think what I have to say first and foremost is congratulations and start getting excited now - because it isn't just me that can affirm that the study visit has been one of the best weeks in my life! As exciting as it is, however, you have to lay down the base for this week first - and by that, I mean please do some research on the organisation before going. Personally, I tried to get some base information about the organisation by reading this guide as well as looking on a couple of websites, before looking into the organisations themselves (most of their websites were rather comprehensive for some base knowledge!). I've also heard that Jussi M. Hanhimäki's The United Nations: A Very Short Introduction was a good place to begin for a general overview, as the name would suggest. It may be good idea to write down a few questions if you have any that come to mind prior to the trip.
I would also suggest browsing forums on The Student Room and, if there isn't one already, create one so that you can get to know some of the people going on your trip - I found it to be incredibly reassuring when it came closer to time! Don't worry about meeting new people, going on this trip means that you already have a common interest - just start getting to know people with the basic questions and you'll soon find your group, though that being said... don't be afraid to speak to anyone and everyone, meeting new people is one of the best parts of the trip!
Be sure to bring something that you can take notes with - I just brought my iPad for convenience's sake, but there's nothing wrong with a small notepad and pen!
No matter how silly you think they may be, do not hesitate to ask questions - think about it, you're never going to have a chance to do this one-on-one again, so why not make the very most of it?
Pack lightly, and I mean it! Firstly, Geneva tends to be rather hot this time of the year - well, if you're going on the August trip anyway - so aim to pack light clothes that both don't weigh a lot and don't take up much space. I only had cabin luggage, but if it wasn't for my dad coming with me for the first two days and taking some resources back with him, I wouldn't have been able to fit everything due to the sheer amount offered on the trip - if you can get both hold and cabin luggage, I really would recommend it (also, EasyJet really isn't joking when they say you can only take one bag with you on the flight)!
I would also suggest browsing forums on The Student Room and, if there isn't one already, create one so that you can get to know some of the people going on your trip - I found it to be incredibly reassuring when it came closer to time! Don't worry about meeting new people, going on this trip means that you already have a common interest - just start getting to know people with the basic questions and you'll soon find your group, though that being said... don't be afraid to speak to anyone and everyone, meeting new people is one of the best parts of the trip!
Be sure to bring something that you can take notes with - I just brought my iPad for convenience's sake, but there's nothing wrong with a small notepad and pen!
No matter how silly you think they may be, do not hesitate to ask questions - think about it, you're never going to have a chance to do this one-on-one again, so why not make the very most of it?
Pack lightly, and I mean it! Firstly, Geneva tends to be rather hot this time of the year - well, if you're going on the August trip anyway - so aim to pack light clothes that both don't weigh a lot and don't take up much space. I only had cabin luggage, but if it wasn't for my dad coming with me for the first two days and taking some resources back with him, I wouldn't have been able to fit everything due to the sheer amount offered on the trip - if you can get both hold and cabin luggage, I really would recommend it (also, EasyJet really isn't joking when they say you can only take one bag with you on the flight)!
All in all, if what I've mentioned in this post is something that's been floating your boat, I honestly could not recommend applying enough - no matter whether it's science or languages that really interest you, there really was something for everybody and it was truly a humbling, once in a lifetime experience to see the work of The United Nations! I have also come out with some brilliant friends that I hope I'll stay in contact with and a brilliant experience of having to be self-sufficient in another country. Again, if you have any doubts, do not hesitate to get in contact with me - and I can always put you in contact with others that went if you want another opinion!
