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Internship on Labour Law and Access to Labour Justice

 

Grade: Internship 

Publication date: 07 April 2025
Application deadline (midnight Geneva time): 30 April 2025

Vacancy no.: INTERNROSTER/2025/1/LABOURLAW 

 

Job ID: 12825 

Department: GOVERNANCE 
Organization Unit: LABOURLAW 
Location: Geneva, Switzerland  
Duration of contract: 3 to 6 months (starting on the 1st or the 15th of a given month)

 

You are applying to the ILO generic internship roster, which is published twice per year. The roster will be made available to all departments and field offices, which will then select and directly contact suitable candidates. Due to the high volume of applications, the ILO does not inform candidates about the status of their application. 

 

 

The ILO Internship Programme provides an opportunity for you to:

 

  1. Increase your understanding of relevant issues at the international level by involving you directly in the work of the Office and the application of ILO principles, programmes and strategies.
  2. Gain practical experience with the ILO directly related to your field of study.

 

Please note that you:

 

  • Are requested to apply to a maximum of three internship profiles, otherwise you will be automatically disqualified.
  • Must upload a cover letter. Your CV or resumé uploaded as attachments are not accepted.
  • Are able to withdraw your application at any time via the Jobs Applied section of your profile.
  • May not be contacted for the duration that this roster is active. Should this be the case, we encourage you to reapply if you are still eligible and available.
  • Should not expect employment at the end of the internship.
  • Must apply before the deadline. Late applications will not be considered.

 

The ILO values diversity:

 

We welcome applications from qualified candidates, including from persons with disabilities and those from non- or under- represented member States. 

If needed, reasonable accommodation will be provided to candidates with disabilities in the recruitment phase as well as during the internship to promote equality of opportunities. If you are unable to complete your online application form due to a disability, please send an email to internship@ilo.org.

If you are a national of a non- or under-represented member State, who is pursuing or has completed their studies in their home country, you may be eligible to have your travel costs covered by the ILO to Geneva, Switzerland.

 

IMPORTANT:

 

You can only apply for an internship if you:

 

  1. Have no close relative serving in the ILO (mother, father, brother, sister).
  2. Have not already undertaken an internship at the ILO.
  3. Are enrolled in a Master’s or a Doctorate Programme, or have completed such a programme in the year preceding the application.
  4. Have a working (both oral and written) knowledge of English. This is mandatory.
     

 

 

Department(s)

The overall mandate of the Labour Law Reform and Access to Labour Justice Team (LABOURLAW) within the Social Dialogue, Labour Relations and Governance of Work Branch (LABGOV) of the Governance and Tripartism Department (GOVERNANCE) is to promote social justice by providing support to governments and social partners to establish the rule of law and good governance in the field of labour and employment. 

 

LABOURLAW’s mission is to provide integrated, proactive policy advice on what labour law and dispute prevention and resolution systems can do, drawing on evidence from countries. LABOURLAW develops advice on labour laws and on the strengthening of access to labour justice based on international labour standards and comparative practices. 

 

To this end, LABOURLAW: 

  • Promotes and supports the development of evidence-based labour law policy that can serve as a basis for effective labour market regulation, through tripartite consultative processes; 
  • Assists member States to assess, establish or strengthen judicial and non-judicial labour dispute prevention resolution mechanisms, so that both individual and collective labour disputes are dealt with efficiently, effectively and equitably; and
  • Develops a targeted programme capacity-building activities, research and publication in collaboration with external networks including academia, labour dispute prevention and resolution institutions, and labour court judges.

 

GOVERNANCE also includes the Occupational Safety and Health and Working Environment (OSHE), the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FUNDAMENTALS) and Better Work (BETTERWORK). 

 

LABOURLAW closely collaborates with the ITC/ILO International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin.

Learning areas

As an intern in LABOURLAW, you will participate in developing ILO advice to its constituents (governments, employers and workers) on labour law and access to labour justice, based on international labour standards and comparative practices. You will also contribute to research that supports delivery of high quality advisory services in these areas.

 

You would be gaining experience in working with specialists in the following tasks: 

  1. Contribute to data collection and comparative analyses on labour laws, labour relations, and labour justice systems of member States;
  2. Assist the Unit with the provision of technical advice to constituents on matters pertaining to labour law reform processes and access to labour justice;
  3. Contribute to research on labour dispute prevention and resolution systems and participate in publishing the results of the research;
  4. Contribute to updating the EPLex database and to the production of publications in related areas;
  5. Contributing to the finalization of documents, including verifying references and proofreading;
  6. Perform other relevant duties as assigned.

 

Interns should expect to devote 10% to 20% of their time to administrative tasks.

Education

 A graduate (second) degree in law. A specialization in labour law would be a strong advantage, as would education in another social science.

The candidate must be enrolled at least in a Master's degree programme or must have completed such a programme no longer than 1 year ago.

Experience

Demonstrated experience in conducting comparative legal research, preferably in the field of labour law or access to labour justice. Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods would be an advantage, as would experience in developing and maintaining a synthetic database. Ability to use standard MS Office products (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

Languages

Full working competency in English and knowledge of at least one of the ILO’s working languages (French, Spanish) or another would be an advantage.

Competencies

Applicants should be able to adapt to an international, multicultural and multilingual environment, have good communication skills, and be able to work in teams.

 

How to apply:

 

1. Search for an internship profile via the page on ILO Jobs 

2. Select the internship profile you would like to apply for, and create a profile on ILO Jobs 

3. Complete your candidate profile and apply to the internship profile

4. Be sure to attach a cover letter in the last section of the application, as applications without a cover letter will not be considered and you cannot attach a cover letter after the deadline. 

 

Selection process:

 

Following a first screening by the Human Resources Development Department (HRD), hiring departments will short-list applicants. You will be directly contacted should an internship opportunity match your profile. If you have not been contacted by any department within six months after your application, you can consider that you have not been selected by any department for this roster. If still eligible, you may apply to the next roster. 

 

If shortlisted, you may be contacted by the hiring department for a written test and/or interview. The ILO may use communication technologies such as Skype, Video or teleconference, e-mail, etc for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

 

Stipend/Financial compensations:

 

As an intern in Geneva, you will receive a stipend of 2450 CHF per month from the ILO, unless you receive funding through another institution (for example your university or a foundation). If you receive partial funding, ILO will cover the difference to ensure you receive 2450 CHF per month. Your travel to Geneva will be at your own expense. In addition to the amounts referred above, each intern shall receive the amount of CHF45 per month, or the equivalent amount in the currency in which the monthly stipend is paid, which is a contribution from the Office towards the cost of medical insurance to cover the period of the internship.

 

Qualified candidates from non- and under- represented countries may be eligible for a special fund that provides financial assistance for round-trip airfare (economy class) in addition to the stipend.

 

Insurance:

 

Please note that the ILO does not take responsibility for any costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during the internship. You will be responsible for your own insurance coverage for illness and accidents for the duration of the internship at the duty station (whether Geneva or the field).

 

Fraud warning:

 

The ILO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process whether at the application, interview, processing or training stage. Messages originating from a non ILO e-mail account - @ilo.org - should be disregarded. In addition, the ILO does not require or need to know any information relating to the bank account details of applicants.

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