How to Get an Internship in Syria

Getting an internship in the States can be a drawn-out process. Prospective interners want interns' cover letters, transcripts, resumes, writing samples, interviews. All this for work in which one is usually not even paid. At a place like the UN, pretty much forget it as an undergraduate (at least I had to).

In Syria, this is a less formal process. If willing to work for free, the intern market is just about wide open. Getting an internship consists of walking into an office and saying you would like to work. UNHCR (High Commission for Refugees i.e. works with the Iraqis) is from what I hear, desperate for interns. They have an office in Kafer Sousse. You have to fight your way in past the refugees and just press your CV into someone's hands.

I decided to do something more useful for my Arabic than watching soaps, so I sent in a CV and cover letter a week ago to the UNDP (Development Program), and heard nothing. Yesterday I printed out copies of my CV, put on a nice shirt, got on a servees and asked the guy next to me if he knew where the "UN offices in West Villas Mezzeh" are. He did, so I landed in front of the UNDP, asked the guard if he knew who I could talk to about "volunteer work" (after several days of asking around, I have found no translation for internship). He took me to a woman who took my resume, told me she would forward it on. Hearing me speak Arabic to the Syrian dude next to her, she said that would be helpful. Outside again, I asked the guard if he knew where the UNFPA (population) and the UNIFEM offices were ?

Just then another dude walked up. UNIFEM? I work there! I'm the driver for the director. So we went up to the office, the director didn't even read my CV, just chatted with me for a few minutes about what I do here in Syria, if I like it, what I studied in college, and then said "Welcome!". So now I have an internship at UNIFEM, the United Nations Development Fund for Women.