Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

H (no hardship)

Family

Internship

2025-03-26

January 26, 2025

The UNHCR Office for Switzerland and Liechtenstein acts as a country office for Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The Office works closely with the Swiss authorities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), refugees and other relevant actors in Switzerland and Liechtenstein for the protection of forcibly displaced and stateless persons. We also seek to support governments to find durable solutions for refugees.

The Office is recruiting a Legal/Protection Intern for a 6-month period, on full-time basis.

Main Responsibilities
• Support in individual cases management and answer questions from asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons.
• Conduct legal and factual research and collect information on a wide range of protection topics.
• Analyse the situation of asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
• Support the drafting of reports, briefing notes and background papers on matters relevant to UNHCR protection activities in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
• Provide ad hoc support in organizing trainings and workshops.
• Translate documents and correspondence.
• Perform other tasks as required.

Selection Criteria
In order to be considered eligible for an internship, the following criteria must be fulfilled:
• Be a recent graduate or current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by IAU/UNESCO.
• Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field of law, political science or related studies and a particular interest in refugee protection and human rights.
• Not have exhausted the maximum cumulative internship period with UNHCR, including any prior internships (8 months for full-time and 12 months for part-time).
• Practical experience in / good knowledge of the Swiss asylum system and international refugee law.
• Excellent knowledge of English, as well as both German AND French (minimum B2 level).
• Research experience and strong drafting skills.

What makes this position attractive
Our interns are part of a small but dynamic team and benefit from individual supervision. They are involved in day to day tasks, but are also entrusted with specific longer and shorter term projects. It is important for us that interns benefit from the given tasks and learn more about UNHCR’s mandate and activities. There is also the possibility of partial home-office arrangements.

Allowance
Interns who do not receive financial support from an outside party receive an allowance to partially help to cover the cost of food, local transportation and living expenses. They are expected to make their own arrangements for travel, visa, accommodation and living expenses during the internship period. Please be aware that this internship does not carry any expectation or entitlement to employment with UNHCR at the conclusion of the internship or at any time thereafter.

We welcome applications from candidates with a refugee or stateless background.

The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, nationality, origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing or training).

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

French

,

English

,

German

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Other information

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance

Home-Based

No

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements