Careers
This page includes links to information on public interest and related international career opportunities. Suggest a correction or addition.
Websites for International Job Searches
- American Society of International Law (Career Development Resources)
- Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID)
Gender-related vacancies, often including human rights jobs. - DevNet Jobs
International development jobs & consulting opportunities - Foreign Policy Association
Weekly jobs newsletter. - Human Rights Blog
- Human Rights Job Board
- Human Rights Jobs
Some jobs open to all, others are for members only. - Human Rights Resource Center
Links to numerous job pages at NGOs and inter-governmental organizations. - Human Rights Tools
- Idealist.org
Comprehensive listing of public service positions, both legal and non-legal, in over 140 countries. This is an especially good site for post-graduate job listings. Searchable by subject matter, country, type of position, and other categories. - Microfinance Gateway
Job listings may be non-legal, but good for people interested in development or micro-finance. - Monitor
- One World
- Pambazuka News
Africa-focused. - Peacebuilding Portal
Created by the United Nations, a database of NGOs working searchable by region, country, theme and type of organization focusing on human security, peacebuilding & conflict. - PSLawNet
Can search organizations, jobs, fellowships and internships (paid and unpaid) throughout the world. Has better coverage of some countries than others. - ReliefWeb
Lots of field positions for mostly humanitarian and some human rights jobs. - UN Wire
Daily newsletter with news relevant to the United Nations and selected job listings. - U.S. State Department listing of employment opportunities in the UN and other Organizations
International Organizations
United Nations System
- International Court of Justice internship programme
- JPO Programs
JPO programs open junior professional positions with UN agencies to nationals of specified countries. Certain governments sponsor JPO positions for their nationals, and some sponsor positions for nationals of developing nations. - United Nations
Check under “Human Rights,” “Legal,” and “Humanitarian Affairs.”
For information on the competitive exams, now renamed the Young Professionals Programme, click here. - UN Development Programme
For information on UNDP Leadership Development Program, click here. - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Theoretically the High Commissioner’s vacancies are all listed on the UN site, but in reality there are often jobs here that are never posted to the main site. - UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Information on external vacancies and international professional roster. - UNICEF
- UN Office on Drugs and Crime
- UN Volunteers
- Internship Programme (New York, Geneva, United Nations University, and in many other offices)
- Note that field offices of different international agencies are increasingly creating their own websites that may have job information as well as more specific information on staff and activities, so it is a good idea to search for these sites as well. For example, UNHCR in Sri Lanka is www.unhcr.lk, UNIFEM’s office for East and Southeast Asia is www.unifem-eseasia.org, and the OSCE in Bosnia is www.oscebih.org
International Criminal Tribunals
- Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (Khmer Rouge Tribunal)
- International Criminal Court
Preference to citizens of States parties, so Americans beware! - International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
- International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
International Financial Institutions
- Asian Development Bank
Information on ADB’s internship programme is available here. - World Bank
Other International Organizations
Regional Organizations
NGOs
Selected International NGOs
- American Bar Association Rule of Law Programs
- ASrIA (Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia)
- Care
- Center for International Environmental Law
- Center for Reproductive Rights
- The Clinton Foundation
- Global Business Initiative
- Global Development Network (index of over 4,000 policy research centres)
- Global Rights
- Human Rights First
- Human Rights Watch
- Institute of Human Rights & Business
- International Center for Transitional Justice
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- International Crisis Group
- International Peace Institute
- International Rescue Committee
- Open Society Institute
- Oxfam International
- Results for Development (R4D)
- Save the Children
- South Asian NGOs (list maintained by Columbia University)
Singapore
- Access to Justice Asia
- Asian Business & Rule of Law initiative
- Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (Singapore Regional Office)
- Mercy Relief
- International Bridges to Justice
- Singapore International Foundation
- Singapore Red Cross Society
- UN Women Singapore Committee
- National Council of Social Service (NCSS)
- National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) listings
- List of NGOs on Findouter.com
- Positions available on Jobstreet.com
Australia
Cambodia
- Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association
- Documentation Center of Cambodia
- Center for Social Development (CSD), Cambodia
Funding International Public Interest Work
- Foundation Center
A wealth of information on funding agencies and foundations, including application details, program priorities and past funding. - United Nations Internship Programme
Country by country links of potential resources for interning at the UN. - Human Rights Funders Group
Information on foundations that support human rights group, and a searchable database. - Endeavour Awards
Australian Government programme to support study, research and professional development. - Public Service Jobs Directorate (PSJD)
Summer funding resources mainly targeed at U.S. students.
Opportunities at Specific Law Schools
Selected Fellowship Programs
- American Society of International Law (Fellowships, Internships)
- Arthur C. Helton Fellowships (ASIL)
- ASIL Fellowship and Research Opportunities (list)
- British Institute of International and Comparative Law
- Graduate Study Programme (United Nations Office at Geneva)
- Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law (HiiL)
- Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame
- Melbourne Law School seeking candidates for McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Newton International Fellowships
- NUS Centre for International Law
- One World Foundation
- Scholarship Positions
- Soros Foundation & Open Society Institute (grants, scholarships, fellowships)
- UN International Law Fellowship Programme (The Hague)
- World Economic Forum Global Leadership Fellows
- Yale World Fellows Program
Academic Positions
- National University of Singapore Faculty of Law (currently hiring)
- Academic Keys (worldwide job listings)
- Academic Careers Online (worldwide job listings)
- Legal Scholarship Network, SSRN (worldwide job listings)
- jobs.ac.uk (worldwide job listings)
- HigherEdJobs.com (worldwide job listings)
- Academic Jobs EU.com (EU job listings)
- AALS Faculty Recruitment Services (advice, links, FAQs, fee-based support)
- Chronicle of Higher Education (US and some other job listings; law positions here)
- PrawfsBlawg (advice, links)
- Brad Wendel, Cornell (advice, links, FAQs)
Further Reading
- International Public Interest Law, a handbook published by Yale Law School, available here.
