ddbm135

It is in certain contexts. I have no kids or any big recurring bills. But, consultancies are generally never any longer than one year. Most are less than 6 months. They cannot be extended for more than 2 years in total duration. So, job security is precarious. You rarely know if your branch will have funding to extend your contract because budgets change annually. You also aren't entitled to any benefits like health insurance, retirement, etc. Finally, branches aren't required to advertise consultant jobs which are less than 6 months. So, if you read between the lines here, consultant contracts are typically reserved for people the chiefs and directors know such as in my case where I interned with them and they brought me back as a consultant. However, you cannot be considered for a paid job until after 6 months of the end of your internship. This is a whole other story.

Tl;Dr Yes, but is not really good for long-term employment, especially in a city as expensive as NYC

$5,000/month tax-exempt

Former intern, current consultant here. Don't misunderstand me, the UN is tremendously mismanaged. But, I think what everyone needs to bear in mind is that it is a bureaucracy consisting of 193 other bureaucracies. If you are American or familiar with American politics, consider how ineffective the US government (Congress) has been. Consider that that is just one (albeit large) government. Now multiply that by 193 and keep in mind some of the key players absolutely hate each other. It is a complex system.

I was present at an ECOSOC retreat that you attended back in November at the Greentree Foundation. I simply wanted to thank you for your thoughts and inputs. It is always refreshing in those contexts to hear people speak practically without the jargon. Speaking colloquially, you're the man!

Former intern at UN HQ (DESA) in NY in 2011, now a consultant with them. PM me and I can direct you to some things I posted on various websites which explains UN internships.