UNICEF reviews

At the same time, it is a gigantic bureaucracy, so get ready for office politics, power games, etc.--not to mention all manner of cross-cultural barriers to grapple with. Of course this stuff can be invigorating, but also stifling.

No work-life balance: in fact, not having a personal life is rewarded, celebrated. Promotions seem to be more politically-related - your connections matter more than your capacity; no merit in working hard if you're not ready to play some heavy politics. Leadership often rules by fear and intimidation. Huge, inefficient bureaucracy. 30-year-old policies and systems in place; implementation is poor and admin staff do little to support program staff and managers to ease processes and unlock bottlenecks. Frequent tensions between national and international staff members. When senior talent is recruited from outside, little effort is made to ease transition into the organization, leading many to leave after a short period with the organization.