WIPO Internship Programme

WIPO pays its interns between 1,645 and 2,170 Swiss francs a month and takes applications through a rolling internship roster instead of a fixed deadline. For students and recent graduates who want real work experience inside a United Nations agency in Geneva, this programme deserves your attention.

WIPO stands for the World Intellectual Property Organization. It is a UN specialized agency for patents, copyright and trademarks. Its headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland, where most internships are based.

Detail	Information
Programme	WIPO Internship Programme
Organisation	World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Location	Geneva, Switzerland (headquarters)
Duration	2 to 12 months (undergraduate category: 2 to 6 months)
Monthly stipend	CHF 1,645 (Category I) / CHF 2,170 (Category II)
Deadline	None — rolling internship roster
Working language	English and/or French

Are you the right fit?

WIPO looks for students and recent graduates in many fields, not only law: international relations, political science, economics, statistics, information technology, technical cooperation, project management, administration, translation, marketing and communications.

You qualify under Category I if you hold a bachelor’s degree obtained within the last two years, if you are in the third or fourth year of your bachelor’s, or a master’s student who has not finished coursework or the thesis. Category I internships last 2 to 6 months.

You qualify under Category II if you hold a master’s degree obtained within the last two years, if you are a graduate student who finished coursework but not the thesis, or if you completed one master’s and are pursuing another. Category II internships last 2 to 12 months. Both categories require professional knowledge of English and/or French, written and spoken.

Who should not apply: former WIPO interns cannot apply again in either category — though they may apply to other professional positions at WIPO. There is no age limit, and experience at another UN organisation does not disqualify you. If you are comparing UN paths, our coverage of the FAO Internship Programme in Africa is a useful contrast.

The money side, explained honestly

Geneva is one of the most expensive cities in the world. WIPO pays Category I interns 1,645 Swiss francs per month and Category II interns 2,170 Swiss francs per month. The official page says the stipend is meant to contribute towards lodging, board and local transportation — it is a contribution, not full living costs, so budget carefully around it.

Round-trip travel up to 1,500 Swiss francs is reimbursed only for interns who are nationals of developing, least developed or transitioning countries and live in their home country at the time of recruitment. Do not count on this unless you meet both conditions.

WIPO pays the full premium for comprehensive medical and professional accident insurance for every intern, and assists with Swiss visa formalities when needed. Interns get 10 official holidays per year and 2.5 days of annual leave for each month worked.

How the rolling roster actually works

WIPO sets no fixed deadline for the internship roster. Applications are shared with the relevant departments on a rolling basis whenever a need appears. The roster is generic — not linked to any particular position, just a pool that WIPO draws from.

Once submitted, your application stays in WIPO’s recruitment system for one year, and a new roster is advertised every year. Departments review applications as needs arise, so the smartest approach is simple: apply early, keep your profile updated, and wait.

How to apply, step by step

1. Check the Internship Roster page on the official WIPO site.
2. Create a profile. Register on WIPO’s online recruitment system and fill in every relevant section — only what you enter is used to assess you. State your preferred area of work clearly.
3. Submit your application with a detailed profile, your answers to the job questionnaire and a letter of motivation.
4. Wait to be contacted. Your application is registered and saved for one year.
5. Interview or test. Suitable candidates may be invited to a 30- to 45-minute online interview or test, assessed against WIPO’s organisational competencies.
6. Offer. If selected, you receive an email with the decision, confirm acceptance and a tentative start date, then receive an official internship contract.

One warning: the motivation letter carries real weight. With no deadline-driven competition, your letter is what makes a hiring manager pull your file from the roster — explain which field you fit and why WIPO’s work interests you, in plain words. To see how other employers assess candidates, compare the BlackRock Summer Internship and Google Software Engineering Intern programmes.

Why this internship stands out

Many UN internships are unpaid. WIPO pays a real monthly stipend, covers full medical and accident insurance, and can reimburse travel for applicants from developing countries — a rare combination that makes this one of the more accessible UN programmes for candidates without savings.

The range of fields is also unusually wide. Most people associate WIPO with intellectual property law, yet the programme welcomes economists, statisticians, IT specialists, translators and communications professionals too. If your background is not legal, check the fields list before ruling yourself out.

Frequently asked questions