Purpose of the Programme
The FAO Internship Programme is designed to bring fresh, motivated talent into FAO’s work – to supplement academic study with practical experience, and simultaneously inject into the organisation those new perspectives, innovative ideas and recent research tools that students and recent graduates can offer.
By participating, you’ll get a closer view of how FAO works, how global food and agriculture systems are managed, and how the United Nations system contributes to the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The internship is a two-way street: you provide energy, ideas and academic grounding; FAO gives you exposure, learning and network.
Eligibility – Who Can Apply?
Before applying, check that you match the following eligibility criteria (this is a summary of what FAO expects; always check the specific vacancy announcement for full details):
- Nationality: You must be a national of one of FAO’s Member States.
- Education: At time of application you should either be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree programme (recognised, bona fide educational institution) or you should be a recent graduate.
- Age: Candidates are generally expected to be between 21 and 30 years old when the internship starts (i.e., internship must start before your 31st birthday).
- Language: You must have a working knowledge of at least one of FAO’s official languages (English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian). Having a second official language is an asset.
- Skills & environment: You should be able to adapt to an international, multicultural environment; communicate well; and have basic computer skills.
- Residency / visa: You must have, or be able to obtain, appropriate residence or immigration status in the country of assignment before beginning the internship.
- Family relation: If you have a close family member (mother, father, sister, brother) employed by FAO under any type of contract, you are not eligible.
- Previous internship: If you have already done an internship assignment with FAO, you typically cannot apply again for another one.
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Benefits & What You’ll Get Out of It
While each internship may vary somewhat, here are the common benefits and opportunities you should expect:
- Duration between 3 and 11 months (internships shorter than 3 months generally aren’t offered).
- A monthly stipend for interns who are not sponsored by another institution; often up to a certain maximum (for example around USD 700 equivalent) depending on the location and currency.
- Medical coverage for costs incurred as part of the assignment (though you may still need to handle non-work-related medical insurance or living expenses).
- Real working assignment: you’ll be given a Terms of Reference (TOR) by the FAO unit you join, and you’ll perform tasks aligned with that unit’s work.
- Professional experience: You’ll work within FAO’s mandate (food, agriculture, nutrition, sustainable development, rural communities) and gain exposure to UN style operations, networks and global thinking.
- Global networking: You’ll be in an international environment, meeting people from many countries, cultures, disciplines — this can enrich your CV, your worldview, and your future career prospects.
Fields of Study / Areas of Work
The internship covers a broad range of areas — basically anything that aligns with FAO’s mission of promoting sustainable, inclusive, resilient agri-food systems. Some typical fields include:
- Agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food production systems
- Food security, nutrition, rural development
- Agricultural economics, policy, market analysis
- Land and water management, climate resilience in agriculture
- Digital innovation, data and technology in agri-food systems
- Gender equality, youth empowerment, rural youth action
- Communications, outreach, capacity-building, project management
So whether your background is in environmental science, economics, agronomy, development studies, policy, data science, or even communications with a focus on agriculture – you may find a suitable unit.
Deadline & Application Process
Deadlines
Deadlines vary depending on the specific “Call for Expression of Interest” (COI) or vacancy announcement. For example:
- One announcement for FAO Headquarters (HQ) in Rome had a closure date of 25 August 2025, 21:59 PM (for job code 2500041).
- Other regional calls (Africa, Asia/Pacific, Latin America/Caribbean) show deadlines like 31 December 2025 for some offices.
So you’ll want to check the specific vacancy code you’re interested in and apply before the closing date. Missing the deadline means you’ll likely have to wait for the next call.
Application steps
- Go to the Official FAO careers portal and create your candidate profile (if you don’t already have one).
- Upload required documents: motivation letter, evidence of enrolment or university attendance (or degree certificate if recent graduate), language certificates (if applicable), academic transcript or summary.
- In your profile, indicate your academic qualifications, languages, work experience (if any) and upload your motivation letter stating why you want the internship, which unit you’re interested in, how you fit FAO’s goals.
- Choose the specific vacancy (call) that you wish to apply to and submit through the portal.
- Once submitted, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further steps. Unsuccessful candidates may reapply in future calls.
- If selected, you’ll be assigned a unit, supervisor, provided TOR, and you’ll need to prepare for relocation (if applicable) and ensure your residence/immigration status is sorted out before starting.
Why This Opportunity Is Worth Considering
- You gain international organisation experience: Working at FAO, especially in the headquarters in Rome, means you’ll be contributing to global scale policy, research or operational work.
- You gain real skills and exposure: Long gone are the days of meaningless internships. At FAO you’ll have meaningful tasks, work with real professionals, maybe even influence outcomes.
- You build a global network: Cross-cultural, cross-discipline, potentially working with people from dozens of countries. That’s a huge plus for your future career.
- You align with major global challenges: If you’re passionate about food security, sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, or rural livelihoods, this programme allows you to engage in practice, not just theory.
- It’s a resume-booster: Having an internship at FAO adds significant weight to your CV – especially if you intend to work in international development, agriculture, policy, or the UN/multilateral sector.
Final Thoughts
If you’re ready to step out of your comfort zone, engage in work that goes beyond “just another internship”, and want to grow into a global professional working in food and agriculture, the FAO Internship Programme is highly worth your consideration. Yes, competition will be tough. Yes, you’ll need to meet all the criteria and submit a strong application. But the reward — exposure, learning, network, experience and the sense of contributing to a global mission — is considerable.
So, if you’ve ever imagined yourself being part of a global effort to ensure food for all, empower rural communities, fight agricultural inequality or support sustainable development, here’s the moment. Take that step, gather your documents, craft your motivation letter, and apply. You never know which door this might open for your future.
Warm wishes and good luck with your application — you’ve got this!
Official programme website: https://jobs.fao.org/careersection/fao_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=2502231&tz=GMT%2B05%3A00&tzname=Asia%2FKarachi