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The Russian-speaking diplomat spoke incognito about her experience of moving to the United States. Photo depositphotos.com

A Russian-speaking diplomat incognito told ForumDaily about her experience of moving to the United States and how the diplomatic statute interferes with renting housing.

Living in the USA has become for me rather a consequence than a cause or even a purpose of life. And if everything started as a temporary phenomenon, now, after about nine years, I remember the saying:

"Nothing is more permanent than temporary."

Since 2007, I have been living in New York, where I arrived on a United Nations (UN) work visa. The United Nations Diplomatic Visa was issued on the basis that I was selected to be an assistant in one of the departments of the Secretariat. I remember receiving an email from New York City from a Human Resources representative on August 29th: “Congratulations on your position…see you back at work October 1st.” I immediately answered in the affirmative and began collecting documentation and medical certificates for obtaining a visa.

From receiving the signed contract to the interview at the Embassy, ​​no more than two weeks passed. The interview was short and went without much delay, since I had all the necessary documents on hand, and the UN itself sent a special letter directly to the Embassy, ​​confirming my status and the duration of the contract - 3 months with the possibility of extension with satisfactory work and the availability of funds from the host me of the department.

With a three-month visa in hand, a return ticket and three suitcases of autumn and winter things, I flew to a country that was very distant and alien to me. Far away, both in distance and culturally. But since it was the headquarters of my dream organization, I knew that I would not miss this chance, and the fear of the unknown would not become an obstacle. After all, you don’t want to regret it for the rest of your life, right? And I can always go home.

Until now, many years later, I am very grateful to local friends - a married couple from Puerto Rico, who met me at the airport and sheltered me for the first time until I found an apartment for myself.

Since my work contract began on October 1, I did not have enough time and knowledge to quickly figure out where and how to look for housing, what it costs, what a social security number is, why you need to open a credit card and have some permanent or temporary address of residence in the United States. At work, new employees were not provided with any assistance in moving to New York. These were supposed to be personal problems that you solve yourself and do not cause headaches to your superiors. All they helped me with on the spot was documentation for opening an account with the UN Credit Union bank, to which my salary was transferred.

The salary, after subtracting the required amount for food, travel, telephone and other minimum line expenses, allowed you to rent either a small apartment outside of Manhattan Island, or a room somewhere in the city, in the area where Columbia University students live (Harlem). With that in mind, I took to the internet and methodically wrote letters in response to apartment listings using the craigslist page. It is noteworthy that even today, with much more advanced housing search resources, this service is still very popular among users, as it collects data on the supply and demand of a wide variety of goods and services in all cities and states of the United States.

The first weeks of attempts to see the apartments were unsuccessful. All brokers, namely they, as a rule, put up apartments for sale or rent, refused and shrugged their hands in helplessness. “Do you only have a contract for 3 months (apartments are usually rented for a year)? No social security number (meaning a foreign tourist with no long-term prospect of staying in the US)? What is your credit history? How "no credit history"!? Without it, we cannot process you, because we do not know about your solvency! What kind of visa are you on here - diplomatic? Does that mean you won't be held accountable? Do you have a local trustee who will vouch for you in case of early departure from the apartment (after three months, based on the logic of the contract) and who will pay your annual rent?

By the way, the status of a “UN employee-diplomat” and a diplomatic visa to the United States not only did not come in handy for me, but only exacerbated the difficult situation with finding housing.

Americans, for various reasons, believe that the UN is a structure of dependents and freeloaders who need to be dissolved, since the organization is inefficient and only spends their money from taxes paid to the state. In addition, in their opinion, the status of a diplomat implies only privileges and immunity, while there are no obligations to the US authorities and law. In the event of any offense, they cannot be called to account, and they will calmly “fly away” home without paying utility bills or rent, leaving the owner of the apartment with nothing. When I, naive, said where I work, a couple of brokers simply interrupted the conversation in mid-sentence. Over time, I no longer mentioned the words “diplomatic visa” unnecessarily.

I remember another funny case of calling brokers in the Brighton Beach area of ​​Brooklyn, where Russian-speaking immigrants live who left the post-Soviet republics or Israel in the 1970-90s. The first words of the broker were in polite English, the conversation began with standard questions about the contract and status in America. Realizing that I was also speaking Russian, the interlocutor switched to Russian, changing his businesslike tone to: “in short, give us $2,000, and we will try to persuade the community at home so that your documents are not so carefully examined.” I did not want to give away my savings for nothing, without a guarantee of a positive response, so I ended the conversation on this “corrupt” note.

After six weeks of non-stop searching for housing (on weekends and late evenings), working days (ten hours at work and three hours on the road from home to office and back), I despaired of finding anything. But I did not want to sit on the neck of my friends, although they morally supported me and never hinted that it was time to move out.

As a result, I settled on the option of living in the suburbs of Manhattan, in a four-room apartment, furnished rooms in which were rented out on a monthly basis. The cost - as I understand it now - was very high ($ 700 per month). I had to share the kitchen and bathroom with three other tenants. Was I delighted with the "Obshchakovsky" living in a small room without windows, where it was cold all the time (without central heating), but only with a portable electric heater? Of course not, but in the absence of alternatives, and for this option, I was grateful to fate.

Already a year and a half later, when the market conditions changed due to the financial crisis of 2008-09, having issued a temporary social security number and a couple of credit cards (and thanks to them my credit history somehow began to appear), I began to look more solvent in in the eyes of brokers and still found a studio in Manhattan. By that time, I already knew how to bargain and bring down the price, and also spoke more perfect English.

My first experience in the country was unforgettable and very rewarding.

I think it was a very good test of survival - in a country where you are an outsider, whose accent language you do not always understand and feel like just an unwanted immigrant.

This country and its harsh conditions harden you, making you stronger and more experienced. I do not know how long my short-term contracts with the UN will be extended, and, accordingly, how long my notorious “diplomatic visa” will be. But I know one thing - after America, I'm no longer afraid to be in any corner of the world.

Considered below step-by-step instructions on how to get a job at the UN help you get the job of your dreams.

UN is an organization in which many nations cooperate closely and issues of primary importance are resolved. The United Nations (UN) is a huge employer and offers a great career opportunity.

Consider a technique that will let you understand how to stand in the UN:

1. First you need to carefully review the website of this organization (un.org). In this way, you will be able to understand about the diverse areas in which this organization operates. Subsequently, identify in which particular area you would like to work the most, and which one suits you. Conduct a detailed study of the organization itself and its structure. Choose for yourself the area in which you would be most effective.

2. Decide for yourself in which category you would like to work. All careers in this structure are divided into several stages, each of which provides its own requirements for specialists and their level of education and preparedness. Each stage is divided into several position levels, which provide requirements for the experience and seniority of the employee. Consider your experience, existing skills, level of education and you can easily figure out the area that suits you.

3. It is very important to make sure that you have the required set of skills and knowledge for your future profession. Each vacancy imposes a number of requirements on the employee for further effective work. Review the mandatory requirements and analyze them against your options before applying. List of some mandatory requirements:

Proficiency in French and English languages.
Having a required bachelor's degree.
Mandatory work experience in the field for which the future employee is applying.

How to get a job at the UN, applying

1. Employment at the UN begins with the submission of a relevant application. To get started, check out the website of the organization with free vacancies.

2. Next, you need to create a mandatory account “ My UN". You will need to provide all your details during registration, which will be true.

3. After you have successfully registered, we create a questionnaire and an electronic resume, which will indicate your previous work experience, skills, education, and so on.

4. Select the position you would like to apply for. Make sure that you are able to meet all the requirements of the vacancy, or prepare a constructive answer why you should be considered as a candidate, or do not apply at all. The UN website indicates that you have the right to apply for any vacancy that interests you, while in unlimited quantities. However, your authority can be undermined if you begin to respond to those proposals that you do not match.

5. Apply for the vacancy of interest, following the requirements of the proposed instructions on the website. You will be prompted to send the latest version to the employer "RNR", as well as any other information that is needed for this vacancy.

6. Wait for an invitation to come to an interview. The employer will contact only those applicants who have been selected, and this may take some time. You will be required to periodically check the status of your application using the "Application History" section found in your profile account.

Submission of an application for participation in the program (selection) of young specialists

1. Make sure you are eligible to participate in this program. This program is designed for young, talented professionals with little or no work experience.

Applicants who are eligible to participate in the program undergo an oral and written examination, as a result of which experts decide whether the candidate can enter the UN registry. Those people who managed to get into the register, as certain vacancies appear, are selected for vacant positions.

To participate in the program, you need:

Meet the age requirement (not older than 32 years);
Have at least a bachelor's degree in a designated program;
Be a citizen of the country where this program is held;
Be fluent in French and English.

2. Through "My UN" create an account. During registration, you need to specify your email address, full name, date of birth, password and login. When registration is over, you need to create a PHP - a confidential electronic resume of the applicant.

3. Pass the oral exam. This is an interview with a commission that will determine whether you have the skills and abilities that are required to work in your chosen specialty at the UN.

4. Get approval from the Central Board of Examiners. Provided that the interview is successful, you will receive approval from the examination board, your candidacy will be placed on the YPP roster. As soon as there is a vacancy in your specialty, the management will offer you this position.

Step-by-step instructions on how to get a job at the UN includes several stages, each one needs to be approached thoughtfully and responsibly, act on the way to your dream, and luck will surely smile at you.

On the one hand, it is not difficult, on the other hand, a lot depends not on you. First of all, the number of places (quotas for people) from each country is limited. It is also best that you match the required vacancy at the UN. Most often, the UN mission requires doctors, teachers, social workers, volunteers, lawyers, administrative staff and even experts in the economy (if we are talking about humanitarian missions).

The requirements for volunteers and interns are much less. For a lawyer or even a translator, you will need a master's degree and work experience. In addition, you need to know 2-3 languages ​​from the official languages ​​of the UN. For example, Russian + English (required as the language of international cooperation). Plus, you need the language of the region in which you are transferred.

Interns are usually students, both local and foreign. This is unpaid work, often not full-time. In time, it can last six months. After the "internship" you can not immediately apply for vacancies, you need to wait at least a year. These are the rules adopted by the UN. A service contract with long-term consultants is also possible. Usually these are contracts for 6-12 months, possibly with renewal. This is a project, not a permanent job. Another employment option: a short contract is concluded with local consultants for 3-6 months for piece work.

Another large group are international employees. Usually these are professional employees with an annually renewed contract. The wages here are naturally higher, since they live in a foreign country. If there is a family, then the payment increases slightly.

In addition, there are international consultants. A contract with them can be concluded for a certain number of days. The requirements for candidates are very high and, of course, they receive an appropriate salary.

If we are talking about UN peacekeeping operations, then personnel are recruited from professional military or reserve officers of the UN member countries.

To apply, you need to download Form P-11 from the official website. It is a simple questionnaire that you fill out and send by e-mail. Then a commission of 3-5 people reviews it anonymously and makes a decision. This is followed by an interview with the candidate. You can see in advance where the UN missions are located and answer in the language of the country where you want to go.

Your active work as a student or your active civic activity are valued. For example, election observer, student parliament, participation in UN models, donation, volunteering.

Plus, yes, you're right, mission specific. It's one thing if it's a humanitarian mission to help children, then teachers and pediatricians are needed. It's another matter if the recovery after disasters, then engineers, builders, designers and the same volunteers are needed.

And again, if you are a volunteer or temporary employee, then you are taken on some kind of mission, if you are a permanent employee, then your versatility and the ability to help in different places are appreciated, for example, if you are a doctor.

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Last academic year, MSLU created a pilot group of the strongest 5th year students of the Faculty of Translation, who, under the guidance of the head of the English Department I.M. Shokina took part in the preparation program for the UN exams in simultaneous translation. Oleg Lovkov, a graduate of the MSLU Faculty of Translation, spoke about his internship at the United Nations, the role of the Russian language as the official language of the UN, and employment prospects for graduates of our university.

- Oleg, tell us, what are the requirements for candidates who want to get an internship at the UN?

Firstly, knowledge of at least two foreign languages ​​that are official languages ​​of the United Nations. I speak English and French. Secondly, openness and communication skills are important selection criteria.

What department did you train in?

I did an internship in the Verbatim Recording Service. At all meetings, transcripts are kept, they are transferred to the English service and translated into English, and then sent to other languages. My responsibilities included translating wall reports from English into Russian.

- In your service men or women predominated?

The UN is trying to maintain a gender balance in all services, as this organization gives equal rights to both women and men.

- Did you have to acquire additional knowledge and skills that you did not receive at the university?

During the internship, I got the specifics of translating sten reports. I'm not sure what specifically teaches this somewhere specifically. The speeches of the speakers are quite complex both in terminology and in the construction of sentences. Sentences can be very long, but they cannot be broken up: when translating, the same structure must be maintained. Sometimes I struggled for thirty minutes over one sentence, but there is a lot of text, and I need to have time to translate everything. In addition, it is necessary to protect the honor of the university! I felt this responsibility. The first text I translated was literally full of corrections. Then we analyzed it with the head of the Russian section, after which, already taking into account previous mistakes, I translated the rest of the texts much better. But the first pancake is lumpy, I think everyone is like that. It must be taken into account that when translating excerpts from the Charter or the UN Resolution, one cannot change a word: everything is very strict. The rest of the knowledge and skills acquired at our university was enough for me.

- Describe the everyday life of an intern.

The working day lasts eight hours with a break for lunch. The schedule is flexible: you can come at nine o'clock, and at eleven, the main thing is to fulfill the norm. At first, I was advised to pay attention to quality, not quantity. In addition, interns do not have a strict norm, but it is desirable to do as much as possible, work quickly and efficiently, as this is a real chance to prove themselves. Employees have a norm of five texts in two days. By the end of the internship, I reached this standard.

All interns have a curator who notified us by e-mail about activities and events. In the first few weeks, we were shown how different services work. We went to meetings of the General Assembly of the Security Council, visited the simultaneous translation service, the UN library, watched how it works. The library has its own terminological base, which has been compiled for several years. Now everything is being digitized and entered into the UN database. And in the evenings, jazz evenings were arranged: ordinary employees gathered a musical group and invited interns to perform as well.

Of course, there were weekends and free time after work. I visited America for the first time, for me it was a culture shock. There is definitely something to see in New York. The city is very unusual, life in it boils day and night. I think it's my atmosphere.

One of the main goals of the United Nations is the development of friendly relations between countries and peoples...

The UN has a very friendly staff. Whoever I meet, everyone is ready to help and answer questions. In fact, this is a clear example of intercultural communication, which is taught at MSLU. I saw different nations in the UN. There were also indigenous peoples who walked in loincloths. Employees, of course, are advised to follow the dress code. But a strict dress code is followed in the building of the UN Secretariat and in the General Assembly. And where the translation service is located, there are no hard and fast rules.

A translator is a specialist not only in the field of linguistics, but also a connoisseur of different cultures, a person who is well versed in the political and economic spheres. In a word, this is an erudite person ...

Yes, definitely. The specifics of working at the UN implies knowledge of the geopolitical situation in the world, professional orientation in all important topics. If you need to clarify the features of a country, for example, Cuba, then you should go up to the Spanish section and get an answer to your question from the Cubans working there. Any UN staff member can be contacted for assistance. I never felt that I was inferior in rank: I was treated as an equal member of the team.

- How would you characterize the profession of an interpreter? Who is the translator?

A translator is a person who is able to masterfully connect two cultures so that the fact of translation is invisible.

If we talk about Russian, which is the official language of the UN, what does this status of mother tongue mean for our country and for you personally?

The Russian language is in great demand and is on an equal footing with other official UN languages. There is a lot of work in Russian because the meetings are held mainly in English, French and Spanish, and everything must be translated. But this is even good, since sitting back is boring.

- Have you ever felt a specific attitude towards Russia or towards Russians?

No, people don't judge Russia because they're on the news. Everyone has already understood that you need to get to know a person personally and have your own opinion about everything. There was no prejudice.

Yes, being where all world events are unfolding, attending meetings and translating serious texts of the Security Council, of course, you feel your involvement. Working at the UN and seeing with my own eyes what I used to see only on TV is very cool.

- This is a big step for a future career. What range of opportunities opens up after an internship at the UN?

I would like to try my hand at simultaneous translation. Perhaps I will teach at our university. But now I was offered to do another internship at UN television. They have excellent large studios, but there are no Russian specialists yet. I have already completed and sent the form. If everything works out, then this year I will once again go for an internship at the UN.

- What would you wish our students and graduates? How to achieve the same results that you have achieved?

In the UN, first of all, a good knowledge of the native language is valued. You must be fluent in your language, be able to speak beautifully, read books, and, of course, learn foreign languages. Everything that our university gives must be absorbed, because in the end everything will come in handy at the most unexpected moment. During the two months of the internship, I took advantage of many of the knowledge that MSLU gave me.

Interview prepared by Natalia Bukina

Vladislav Satisfied, a former intern at the Department of Political Affairs for Central and Central Asia at the United Nations Office in New York, told how one can complete an internship without knowing the language, meet the minister during lunch, and why it is impossible to get a job at the UN.

Why the UN?

There was no desire to get specifically to the UN, there was an interest just to go on an internship abroad. At that time, it was a huge adventure, since I never studied English in depth and, accordingly, knew the language very poorly (approx. Vlad's profile language is German). When I arrived in the US, I had several pages of text written by my girlfriend with me:
what I had to say at customs to get me into the country.

What was the procedure for applying for an internship?

It was necessary to fill out a questionnaire, write a motivation letter and provide confirmation from the university department that we have English in the teaching load. I filled out the questionnaire somewhere in September and already before the new year I received a confirmation letter that I was accepted for an internship, a list of necessary documents for applying for a visa was also attached to the letter.

How did you manage to overcome the language barrier?

I was lucky, the head of the department, like my curator Brian, knew Russian. I can’t imagine how I would have done my internship if there weren’t people there who don’t understand Russian or are unable to say something in it. Otherwise, all my communication with them would be reduced to communication by email.

What were your responsibilities?

My job was pretty simple. I needed to track the events that took place in Central and Central Asia via the Internet. For this work, they were specifically looking for an intern from Russia, since in Central and Central Asia you can find more information in Russian than in English.

Describe the everyday life of a UN intern.

My working day began formally at 9 am, but here is the story: everyone was usually late for 20-30 minutes, that is, if you come at 9:30, then no one tells you anything, if you come at 10 am, they can make you remark, but later to come is already “not comme il faut”. I arrived at 9:30, in fact, like most of the department's employees. I had a general job, monitoring sites, collecting information on various policies, on the situation with water in a given region, that is, local questions on a specific place: what is happening in this region, who controls what, what moods, etc. Some collection of information. In addition, there were some questions related to private assignments. For example, one day an online meeting was organized between representatives of the central, Geneva and Kyrgyz offices, I had to make a report of this meeting. This was one of the most difficult tasks for me, because when 5-6 people speak a lot and very quickly, it is difficult to understand and take notes at the same time. I asked the curator if I could use a voice recorder and they told me that it was not possible, as this was classified information. However, I understood that without a voice recorder I would fail the task, so I hid the recorder in my shirt pocket and already at home transcribed the recording, which I deleted immediately after compiling the report and so far I have not told anyone what we were talking about then.
I was not particularly loaded for two reasons. The first is my low level of language, and the second is the high level of secrecy. The information that I collected is not secret, however, a further report to the management with certain conclusions drawn on the basis of the information I collected was marked “secret”.
Once a week, on Thursdays, we had a "week meeting" analogous to the Russian "letuchki". We talked about what the department is doing, what data is needed, what was done in a week. Thursday is a very convenient day, because if something needs to be completed this week, then there is still Friday.

What interesting things happened during off-duty hours?

At lunchtime, you can go to the "brown rally". The idea of ​​a “brown rally” is simple: in one of the conference halls of the UN building, employees gather for lunch, and at the same time they listen to speakers, ask questions, discuss, i.e. combine the pleasant with the useful. In fact, this is another “working meeting”, only you can also eat at it. Moreover, high-level people speak at these meetings, for example, once I listened to a speech by a deputy minister, and another time by an ambassador. What was strange to me was how a person can eat their own burger and ask the minister about the report at the same time. I can hardly imagine how I would eat during the speech of the dean at my faculty, or how the chairman of the committee of the city government at a meeting in Smolny would tell something to chewing people.

Were there any special events for interns?

I was the only trainee in my department. As a rule, there was one trainee in each department, but if the department is large, then two trainees worked. During my internship, 300 interns worked at the UN Headquarters in New York. We were given orientation lectures in the first days, where we were told about safety and other aspects of the work of interns.
Interns were given special cards to enter the UN building. The same cards provided the right to free admission to various cultural institutions, such as museums.

How realistic is it to get a job at the UN after an internship?

There is practically no chance. In order to officially get a job at the UN, you must work "in the fields." These are UN missions in developing countries, lasting 2-3 years, which are also very difficult to get into without practical skills. After that, you get in line for a vacant position. In addition, the number of languages ​​​​that you know is of great importance - the more, the better. If you are still hired, then first you go through a long trial period, after the trial period they conclude a contract with you for one, then for two years, and so on. To reach the rank of department head, you must have worked in the organization for at least 15 years, excluding work in the fields.
The second option is when you have worked somewhere else, you are a valuable specialist and you are invited to the UN. So, some former diplomats of the post-Soviet space ended up working in this organization.
Third option. I still think there are other workarounds. We had one of the orientation lectures, led by a young man of 24 years old. He held a position that, due to age and formal requirements, he could not hold, but nevertheless, he worked at the UN.

Did the internship help with finding a job in Russia?

Employers are usually interested in practical work experience. I was almost never asked about an internship during employment. In general, an internship abroad usually tells the employer that the applicant speaks a foreign language at a level sufficient for communication. Although in my case, at that moment, this statement was controversial.