Wazua
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UN JOBS: Glamour or Myth
Rank: Member Joined: 12/2/2009 Posts: 161 Location: nairobi
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my sister works for a local bank. By Kenyan standards her pay is fairly good(actually higher than mine). for reasons best known to her she is unhappy and she wants a new job. she is convinced that a job with the United Nations is just what she needs.
Do you guys have any experience working with any of the UN agencies? Are these jobs glamorous or is it just a myth?
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 7/3/2007 Posts: 1,634
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@Redondo. I would advise your sister to stay in the private sector where she can chart her career with plenty of flexibility. The UN is a massive bureaucracy and despite the pay, many people working there are frustrated. Of course this is a generalization but I have spoken to enough former UN staff to know that it is not far from the truth.Job satisfaction is much more important than the pay. "The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth." (Niels Bohr)
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Rank: New-farer Joined: 12/9/2009 Posts: 23 Location: Nairobi
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True, the issue with these UN jobs and in general high paying NGO jobs is that the office politics is just too much. You wonder if its even worth it.
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Rank: Elder Joined: 9/15/2006 Posts: 3,901
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Heard all staff including locals and contractors are not subject to PAYE?!! 15-30% extra pay.
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Rank: Member Joined: 10/29/2009 Posts: 25
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@muganda- UN doesnt withold tax re employment income as it is not registered as such and it is outside the scope of taxation. I am not a tax guru but I believe if you are a Kenyan or a resident in Kenya for tax purposes, you will still need to complete your tax return and pay all applicable taxes.
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 6/8/2007 Posts: 675
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@mturi, I dont think you pay PAYE in UN. Its all tax free.... Unless someone who works there has different news for us. What I gathered from my friends @ USAID and @ UN is they didnt pay PAYE Form is temporary, class is permanent
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Rank: Elder Joined: 10/4/2006 Posts: 13,821 Location: Nairobi
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1) UN staff do not pay PAYE, they pay some thing called staff adjustment its normally 19%. People dont fill tax forms here. Expatriates are reimbursed for their VAT if they can prove. plus all those other duty free perks. 2) Most UN jobs are routine and boring esp. for General Service staff. I work in the UN and i regretted my move here. The money was not so good seeing as the private sector can give more and the job is a career killer. Basically once you are in the UN....you ain't going anywhere. 3) There is no glamour in the UN esp. for locally recruited staff. If you have an under graduate degree and above - work it out thea. if you don't...the UN is the place for you. All Mushrooms are edible! Some Mushroom are only edible ONCE!
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Rank: New-farer Joined: 12/7/2009 Posts: 30 Location: Nairobi, Kenya
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personally am working wit our national carrier and have always been intrigued by the cushy UN jobs and their numerous rides..is the office politics that unbearable since..lets face it..theres politics everywhere. .Success is Intentional.
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 11/2/2006 Posts: 1,206 Location: Nairobi
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Someone working at UNEP once told me that when getting into UN, the pay seems higher since its tax free.You will most likely get in on the G grade where I think the maximum you can earn is around 150k net ( I stand to be collected!)Past that comes the P ( I think for Professional) grade, where all the money is.Tricky thing is that to get a job on that grade you almost have to be an expat from outside the country with Phds and stuff. So me thinks.....if you have chances of making over 150k net on your current job,stay.If not....you may consider trying UN. Good luck with that though....it's all about relatives getting you a job there. Formally employed people often live their employers' dream & forget about their own.
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Rank: Elder Joined: 10/4/2006 Posts: 13,821 Location: Nairobi
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@redondo, tell your sister to make her choice well http://www.un.org/Depts/...s_allowances/salary.htm
see above the saloz. @marting, i guess you have never seen a GS staff before. All Mushrooms are edible! Some Mushroom are only edible ONCE!
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 6/8/2007 Posts: 675
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@masukuma, that staff adjustment, where does it go to? to kenya govt, to UN, or to? Form is temporary, class is permanent
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Rank: Elder Joined: 10/4/2006 Posts: 13,821 Location: Nairobi
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It goes to the UN, I think it represents a certain fraction of what Kenya should chip into the UN. But i am not sure. Staff assessment is a form of internal tax administered by the organizations. Staff assessment rates are derived from income tax rates applicable at the seven headquarters cities of the organizations in the common system (Geneva, London, Montreal, New York, Paris, Rome, and Vienna). All Mushrooms are edible! Some Mushroom are only edible ONCE!
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Rank: Elder Joined: 8/4/2008 Posts: 2,849 Location: Rupi
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There isn't as much glamour as people out there think. The working culture isn't good. You dont learn a thing. I hear some employers wont even hire you if you have only worked for the UN. Money is big if you are working as an international. Lord, thank you!
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Rank: Member Joined: 3/18/2008 Posts: 377
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@ Redondo It all depends on what your sister wants, her career progression etc. It also depends on whether she wants to work with UN as local staff in Nairobi or as an international staff member in other UN secretariats or in the field. All in all, the UN pays fairly well but again like in every other job- the pay is equitable to many other factors. Working in the field pays well depending on which station- the riskier it is the more juicer it gets. I know of colleagues who sacrificed to work for UN in Baghdad when nobody else wanted to hear the name Baghdad being mentioned- yes they risked their life and yes they made good money- upto $14k in one month. All in all it depends on where one wants to go career-wise. And says that jobs at UN are easy to come by? Kenya's quota in the UN is strained- its basically full- getting a slot as International is an uphill task. This are my personal views "You've never lived until you've almost died; for those who have fought for it, life has a flavour the protected will never know."
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 12/4/2009 Posts: 1,982 Location: matano manne
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Redodo,
I've been with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UNDPKO) for a yr now as a field expert in security sector reform for a country recovering from war (can't wait to come back home b4 xmas). I've made Several observations:
1. there no room for creaticity or innovation all rules are set to be followed and reports are preset in templates. you work like a robot.
2. Field work salary is big compared to office stations.
3. Mobility in the system is limited and dominated by jingoism which makes the work suck.
4. If you are not seconded by a gov't agency like myself, getting the job can be tricky with unproven allegations of "kitu kidogo".
Like Masukuma put it once your stuck there you ain't going nowhere. Unless you're in the security dept going to war zones just for the money.
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Rank: Member Joined: 3/18/2008 Posts: 377
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@ Rahatupu! Inbox me on luttah@yahoo.com, am also on my way home this weekend "You've never lived until you've almost died; for those who have fought for it, life has a flavour the protected will never know."
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Rank: Member Joined: 12/2/2009 Posts: 161 Location: nairobi
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thanks good people. it appears there is more to these UN jobs than meets the eye. your feedback has been very informative. it sounds though that the last has not been written on this thread. keep them (your posts)coming
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Rank: New-farer Joined: 12/9/2009 Posts: 5 Location: nairobi
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Enyewe im also one of those who thought that Un jobs were glamorous (before reading these posts) but im quite surprised, especially after seeing the link given by masukuma,those salaries.... ehhh
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Rank: New-farer Joined: 12/9/2009 Posts: 23 Location: Nairobi
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And here I was thinking if I landed those jobs.. Hey, are these terms similar to USAID, Canadian High Commission et al? Do you still pay that 19% tax of sorts?
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Rank: Elder Joined: 6/19/2008 Posts: 4,268
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I dont work for the UN but something similar. As majority have said if you are local,
1. career progression is a dream - may be a vision2060
2. True, initially, the pay is higher than in private sector, but it is harder to progress unlike the private sector.... so with time, someone who started lower and having worked for similar period of time will earn higher than you..... And generally, they are more generous with packages outside the salary unlike the private sector.
3. Bureaucracy, bureaucracy, bureaucracy, rules, rules, rules and policies, policies, polices....damn!!!!
4. you get reprimanded for creativity and initiative - i once got a final warning letter(even before an oral warning!!) for taking some initiative(and actually risking my life) after having reported the matter and offered to have the cost deducted from my salary for not having authorisation before doing it! (it wasnt put in my file so it was some sort of intimidation!)
5. I had not heard of that 19% deduction before this post.... so i bet it depends on where you working...
If you have a chance to progress career wise, look for something in the private sector.
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