U N I T E D N A T I O N S N A T I O N S U N I E S
2006 COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION
FOR ARABIC-LANGUAGE VERBATIM REPORTERS
NOTICE
1. A competitive examination for Arabic-language verbatim reporters will be held in New York, Geneva and in a number of Arab countries according to the number and location of qualified candidates convoked for the examination. The examination will be held, tentatively, on 31 October 2006.
2. The purpose of the examination is to establish a roster from which present and future vacancies for Arabic-language verbatim reporters at the United Nations Headquarters in New York will be filled.
3. Candidates who are successful in this examination and are selected for inclusion in the respective roster will be appointed to fill vacancies for Arabic-language verbatim reporter posts as they occur in the language service in New York. They are expected to serve a MINIMUM OF FIVE YEARS in language posts. Successful candidates should note that, in accordance with the needs of the Service, they may be called upon to work outside normal working hours, including weekends and holidays.
4. The examination is open to staff members of the United Nations Secretariat who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and to qualified external applicants. The deadline for applications is 31 August 2006.
5. Applicants applying for the examination must:
(a) Be 56 years of age or under by the deadline of submission of applications. This requirement is based on the Organization’s need to recruit staff for language posts who can serve for a reasonable period of time during which they will have the opportunity to progress through the Department’s career structure before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 62 years;
(b) Have Arabic as their main language ;
(c) Have a perfect command of Arabic and an excellent knowledge of English and one of the other official languages of the United Nations (Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
(d) As an exception, candidates who have 5 years experience in translation, editing or journalism, the requirement of an additional official language may be waived by the Board of Examiners. In such cases, the candidate would be required to translate a specialised text in part d of the examination (see paragraph 7 (d) below).
(e) Hold at least a three-year first-level degree from a university or institution of equivalent status or hold a university degree from a recognised school of translation.
(f) Complete the application form (which must be completed in English), and also attach a one page essay in Arabic (approximately 500 words) explaining why they wish to work as a verbatim reporter for the United Nations).
In addition, candidates are expected to have computer and Arabic word- processing skills.
Candidates are required to give a clear explanation on the application form for admission to the examination (P.11), of how they acquired their knowledge of the languages claimed. In addition, convoked candidates may be required to submit evidence of degrees, knowledge of languages and/or relevant experience prior to the interview. Please do not send any documents until you receive a request from the Board of Examiners.
6. All applications will be reviewed by the Board of Examiners. In instances where a large number of applications are received, the Board reserves the right to admit to the examination only the most qualified candidates based on a review of qualifications over and above the minimum criteria set out in paragraph 5 above. All applicants will be notified of the Board’s decision in respect of their application. THE BOARD'S DECISIONS ARE FINAL.
7. The written verbatim reporting examination, to be held, tentatively, on 31 October 2006 will consist of:
(a) Translation of a text from English into Arabic (one hour and a half). It should be noted that this paper is eliminatory. Only candidates who are successful in this paper will have their other papers marked;
(b) Editing of an Arabic text to ensure linguistic integrity, clarity and consistency of meaning (one hour);
(c) Editing of a text in Arabic to bring it into line with the original English text (one hour);
(d) Translation into Arabic of a text in an official language of the United Nations other than English (Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish), or of a specialized text from English into Arabic for those admitted in the case described in paragraph 5 d (one hour).
The use of a dictionary or any other reference material will not be permitted during the examination. Similarly, candidates may not use personal computers to prepare their papers. Cell phones and other electronic devices will not be permitted in the examination room.
9. On the basis of the results of this examination, the Board of Examiners will invite selected candidates for an interview. The Board will interview each candidate to assess their general knowledge, professional experience, knowledge of the United Nations and of current events, adaptability to the prevailing working conditions at the UN and, in particular, ability to work as a member of a team. Candidates may also be required to take some additional short tests at the time of the interview (including a computer skills test). The interview is an integral part of the examination. Therefore, candidates who are invited for an interview should NOT assume that they will automatically be offered an assignment.
10. Travel expenses to and from the place of the written examination will not be covered by the United Nations. However, travel expenses for the interview will be reimbursed by the United Nations.
11. On the basis of the overall results of the examination, the Board will recommend to the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management the names of candidates who qualify for inclusion in the roster. All candidates admitted to the examination will be informed in writing of the Board's final recommendations in respect of their candidature. The Board's recommendations are NOT subject to appeal. The Board DOES NOT release individual scores/results.
12. Successful candidates selected from the roster to fill vacancies are normally offered an initial two-year probationary appointment at the P-2 level. The P-2 level comprises 12 steps, each corresponding to an annual increment awarded if performance is satisfactory. Fully qualified candidates with several years of internally recognized professional experience in editing or translating/précis-writing may be recruited at the journeyman level (P-3). The period of probationary service under such an appointment shall normally be two years. In exceptional circumstances, it may be extended for not more than one additional year. At the end of the probationary period, the holder of a probationary appointment shall either be granted a permanent appointment or be separated from the service.
13. The base salary is subject to United Nations staff assessment, which operates like an income tax. The whole amount of the assessment is withheld at the source and salaries received are therefore net figures. In the event that a staff member's salary is subject to national income taxation as well as to staff assessment, the United Nations will, within certain limits, refund the amount of such income tax payable in respect of the United Nations salary. Staff members also receive a non-pensionable post adjustment varying with the cost of living at the duty station.
A staff member with no dependants at the P-2 level, step 1, in New York, at present receives $US 26,083.24 net per year as post adjustment. The table below shows the annual salaries, exclusive of post adjustment, for the P-2 and P-3 levels. These figures are subject to periodic review:
In United States dollars
Annual P-2 P-3
Salary
From To From To
Net D 43,655 56,238 52,654 70,557
Net S 40,947 52,447 49,149 65,594
D = Applicable to staff members with a dependent spouse or child.
S = Applicable to staff members with no dependent spouse or child.
14. In addition, staff members are entitled to the following benefits:
(a) Dependency benefits: at present $US 1,936 per year for each eligible child;
(b) Secondary dependency allowance; $US 693 per year for each eligible dependent parent;
(c) Participation in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund;
(d) Rental subsidy, if applicable.
15. Staff members who are assigned to a duty station which is not in their home country are also entitled to:
(a) Education grant up to $US 21,624.00 per scholastic year for each eligible dependent child;
(b) Home leave to their country of nationality every two years, with the travel expenses of the staff member and his or her spouse and eligible dependent children paid by the United Nations. A staff member will not be entitled to the first home leave until he or she has been granted a permanent appointment or an extension of probationary period.
(c) Assignment grant at the time of recruitment and repatriation grant upon separation, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Staff Rules and Regulations;
(d) Removal of household effects, depending on the duty station.
16 Copies of this notice and the application form for admission to the examination (P11) are available electronically from the following website (please note that the address is case sensitive):
http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/examin/exam.htm17. Candidates should submit their application form (P11) including the essay mentioned in paragraph 5, to the following address in New York, and make sure that the completed application is received no later than 31 August 2006.
2006 Competitive Examination for Arabic-language Verbatim reporters (should be written in the subject line of emails)
e-mail:
[email protected] or
Fax: (1-212) 963-3683
18. Candidates who do not submit a fully completed application, including the one-page essay in Arabic, will not be considered. Applications that are handwritten or received after the above deadline will not be considered either.
19. Candidates should submit their application once only. Only the first application received will be considered. It is not necessary to send multiple copies by email and fax. An acknowledgement of receipt of the application form, along with an application number assigned to each applicant, will be sent by email as soon as we have processed the form. Candidates should keep proof of submission of their application, for example a copy of the email including the date of submission. In the event that they do not receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 20 days, candidates should resubmit their application together with the proof of their first submission. Our preferred mode of communication is by e-mail; therefore, please remember to indicate your e-mail address when applying. Candidates should continue to use the email utilized in the initial application when communicating with the Examination and Tests Section.
20. Our fax lines may be very busy and hard to access on the last days before the deadline for submission of applications. Therefore applicants are also strongly encouraged to submit their application early to prevent problems with fax or email transmission. No extensions for submission will be given if applications cannot be sent by the deadline because of transmission problems.
Elmoiz Abunura
فيس بوك
تويتر
انستقرام
يوتيوب
بنتيريست