On the afternoon of June 27, Professor Fu Penghui from the School of Interpreting and Translation Studies at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (DGUFS), gave a lecture at the CFLC on employment and internship opportunities at the United Nations. Prof. Fu introduced to the students the procedures for applying for jobs and internships at the UN.

Prof. Fu Penghui talks at CFLC

Prof. Fu is not only a “Yunshan senior professor” in the DGUFS School of Interpretation and Translation Studies, but also a registered UN translator and senior reviser. He has worked in the field of translation for nearly 39 years and has rich experience in translation and revision. From 1984 to 2017, Prof. Fu worked at the UN, serving as Chief of Verbatim Reporting Service (VRS) at the UN Department for General Assembly and Conference Management, translating and revising thousands of UN conference documents. He was also involved in UN translation and verbatim reporting examinations as an examiner.

In this talk at CFLC, Prof. Fu introduced to the students the various tests at the UN.

According to Prof. Fu, the UN organizes competitive examinations to recruit language professionals (editors, interpreters, translators, verbatim reporters and copy preparers/proofreaders/production editors) to fill posts in its language services. These are referred to as language competitive examinations or LCEs. LCEs are scheduled according to the needs of the Organization and are both career- and language-specific. The application process begins several months before the examination date, and the application period is only a few weeks. Those interested in applying should therefore check this website frequently (at least monthly) for announcements of LCEs in their language and professional specialization.

The Young Professionals Programme (YPP) is a recruitment initiative for talented, highly qualified professionals to start a career as an international civil servant with the United Nations Secretariat. It consists of an entrance examination and professional development programmes once successful candidates start their career with the UN.

The YPP examination is held once a year and is open to nationals of countries participating in the annual recruitment exercise. The list of participating countries is published annually and varies from year to year.

The Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) is the entry-level examination required for most General Service positions in the UN. It is administered at NY Headquarters for purposes of creating a roster of qualified General Service candidates.

The Global General Service Test (GGST) is a computer-based, proctored global test. The GGST assesses job-relevant abilities and core competencies of the long-listed applicants for GS positions, through work-relevant scenarios and tasks, in an efficient, effective and fair manner.

A student poses a question to Prof. Fu

Prof. Fu’s talk not only gave students a more comprehensive understanding of the work of the UN, but also enabled students to learn the specific procedures of applying for a job or internship at the UN.