World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) - Internship roster

The WIPO Internship Program supports WIPO's mission to promote innovation and creativity for the economic, social and cultural development of all countries through a balanced and effective international intellectual property system, enabling interns to learn about the core values and initiatives of WIPO.

Education

• Individuals pursuing or having obtained a university degree;
• For individuals pursuing a first-level university degree, candidates must be in their third or fourth year of study and/or in a program that requires the completion of an internship as part of the degree requirements;
• Graduates will be eligible to apply for an internship no more than two years after completion of their most recent university degree or postgraduate studies.

Skills

• Proficient computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other relevant IT programs/applications).
• Good analytical skills.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of English.
• For most internships, excellent drafting skills in English are required.
• Knowledge of any of the following WIPO working languages would be an advantage: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.  

Categories, Duration and Stipend

Category I:

• Individuals pursuing a first-level university degree who are in their third or fourth year of study and/or need to complete an internship as part of their degree requirements; or    
• Individuals who have obtained their first-level university degree less than two years from the date of the internship application; or    
• Individuals pursuing an advanced university degree who have neither completed the coursework nor the final thesis.

The length of Category I internships shall be between three to six months. 
Interns in Category I shall receive a monthly stipend of 1,570 Swiss francs including local transportation allowance effective as of January 1, 2020. The above is applicable to all interns assigned to WIPO Headquarters in Geneva. 

Category II:

• Individuals pursuing their advanced university degree who have completed their coursework but not the final thesis; or   
• Individuals who have obtained their most recent advanced university degree less than two years from the date of the internship application.    
• Individuals who obtained an advanced university degree more than two years ago, and are currently enrolled in subsequent post-graduate studies.    

The length of Category II internships shall be between three and twelve months. This category of interns shall receive a monthly stipend of 2,070 Swiss francs including local transportation allowance effective as of January 1, 2020. The above is applicable to all interns assigned to WIPO Headquarters in Geneva.   

This Roster notice applies also to all WIPO external offices (i.e., offices outside Geneva) which are responsible for engaging interns locally. For interns assigned to a WIPO external office, the amount of the stipend shall be determined taking into account local conditions and shall be paid in local currency.

*Interns must meet all expenses for travel and subsistence and are responsible for arranging travel, visas and/or accommodation. Interns who are nationals of developing or Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and who are residing in their home country at the time of recruitment may be eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses (roundtrip) up to a maximum of 1,500 Swiss francs.

An internship shall not be interpreted as a commitment to future employment with WIPO. Any employment with WIPO after an internship shall be subject to the applicable recruitment and selection procedures. Interns shall be considered as external candidates for any fixed-term vacancy for which they apply and fully meet the qualification and experience requirements.