The Young Professionals Program in World Bank
The Young Professionals Program in World Bank
The Young Professionals Program is a starting point for an exciting career in the World Bank. The Program is designed to attract outstanding young and motivated individuals from around the world, who have demonstrated a commitment to development, supported by academic success, professional achievement and potential for leadership. The Program recruits through a highly selective and competitive process and then facilitates their rapid integration into the World Bank’s business and culture.
What is programme?
The Young Professionals Program is a starting point for an exciting career in the World Bank. It is a unique opportunity for young people with a passion for international development, who have the potential to become future leaders of our institution.
The Young Professionals Program is designed for highly qualified and motivated young people skilled in areas relevant to the World Bank’s operations such as economics, finance, education, public health, social sciences, engineering, urban planning, and natural resource management. In order to be competitive for this highly selective Program you must have demonstrated a commitment to development, supported by academic success, professional achievement, and potential for leadership. We value diversity in our work place, and encourage qualified men and women, including those with disabilities, with diverse professional, academic, and cultural backgrounds, to apply to the Young Professionals Program.
If you are selected to join the World Bank as a Young Professional, your assignment will be enriched through on-the-job learning, specialized training, and mentoring. It is an opportunity to experience development and gain exposure to the World Bank’s operations and policies like no other!
Eligibility for this Programme
The following are minimum qualifications you need to be considered for the Young Professionals Program, although candidates selected tend to exceed these requirements. Please note that no exceptions can be made for these requirements.
Be 32 years of age or younger when entering the YP Program in September 2009 (born on or after September 30, 1976, for this selection year)
Have obtained a Master’s degree or equivalent at the time of submitting your application
Be fluent in English
Specialize in a field relevant to the World Bank’s operations such as economics, finance, education, public health, social sciences, engineering, urban planning, and natural resource management
Have significant relevant professional experience or continued academic study at the doctoral level
In order for you to be competitive for the limited number of positions, a combination of the following credentials is highly desirable:
Display a commitment and passion for international development
Possess outstanding academic credentials
Have solid professional expertise and experience
Exhibit excellent client engagement and team leadership skills suitable for working in an international organization
Have international development country experience
Have working knowledge of additional languages relevant to the World Bank’s work
Be flexible and have the ability to work in different areas of the institution
Be willing to better understand poverty issues by having your work focus on the lowest income countries
Be motivated to relocate and undertake country assignments
How to Apply for this programme?
Every year during the period of May 1 to July 15, applicants are asked to submit their applications for the Young Professionals Program on-line.
Once you decide to apply, please make sure that you meet the minimum qualifications before completing your application to the Young Professionals Program. In order to ensure a complete review of your candidacy, you may want to read the following guidelines.
Application Guidelines:
Please make sure that you answer all questions completely.
Note that you must answer all questions marked by *, as they are required fields. The application will not be accepted if these fields are not completed.
Provide the most current contact information. This information should be valid for a period of one year. In case your contact information changes during the selection process, please email us the updated data.
Ensure that you have correctly spelled your e-mail address, since this will be our main way of communicating with you regarding your candidacy.
Remember to enter your complete phone number (country code + city code + number). After you answer all the questions, you MUST attach your detailed curriculum vitae (CV) or resume in English to be accepted.
Please note that the attached CV SHOULD BE in Microsoft Word (doc) format. Please DO NOT password protect your CV.
Bear in mind that ONLY your first application will be considered for the Program. Also, once you submit your application, you will not be able to make any further changes/update.
Selection mode
Young Professionals are chosen through an intensive and rigorous selection process. Competition is keen as we receive 8,000 – 10,000 applications each year for a limited number of positions, and most of the candidates exceed the minimum criteria.
What does thi programme offer?
Those selected to the Program spend 24 months as Young Professionals before they are confirmed into a regular position in the World Bank.
Professional Experience
Training Opportunities
Mentoring, Coaching & Support
Compensation & Benefits
Professional Experience
Initial Assignment: Young Professionals will take a two-year initial assignment which may/may not span over more than one unit in the World Bank, where they gain valuable on-the-job experience. They are a member of a team, where they are expected to make significant contributions towards the unit’s work program while they gain a broad overview of the World Bank’s policies and work.
International Travel: Young Professionals generally participate in several trips to developing countries during their assignment, which is an important aspect of our work. These trips present opportunities to experience first hand the challenges of development and also familiarize Young Professionals with the World Bank’s clients.
Training Opportunities
Young Professionals Orientation: Young Professionals participate in a specially designed orientation where they become familiar with the operations of the World Bank so that they can integrate into their work teams smoothly and efficiently.
Individual Training Opportunities: Young Professionals have the opportunity to participate in a multitude of training activities organized within the institution as well as seminars offered outside the World Bank.
Young Professional Discussions: A series of discussions are organized for Young Professionals around the procedures, policies, and business culture of the World Bank. Topics cover subjects such as “Integrating into World Bank Teams”, “The World Bank’s Business Directions” and “Performance and Feedback”.
Mentoring, Coaching & Support
Peer Mentors: Young Professionals are assigned a peer mentor from the previous year’s group, based on their professional interests and cultural background. Peer mentors can be valuable in helping new recruits better understand the expectations and challenges of the Program.
Young Professionals Program Office: The Office is dedicated to recruiting and helping integrate Young Professionals into the World Bank. It is led by an a Program Manager (a former Young Professional) who coordinates various activities designed to support Young Professionals, including mentoring them, helping formulate career strategies, and representing them with institutional management. The office is a one-stop-shop for Young Professionals looking for support and guidance.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary: As entry-level professional in the World Bank, each Young Professional receives an internationally competitive salary based on their education and professional experience.
Health, Life, Accident and Other Insurance Programs: Young Professionals and their family including domestic partners may choose from three comprehensive medical/dental benefit plans available, with no preexisting condition exclusions if enrollment is within 31 days of entry-on-duty. The World Bank also provides basic life and accident insurance to all staff at no cost, and staff can also elect optional life and accident insurance plans. The World Bank also provides disability and Worker’s Compensation coverage to staff at no cost.
Pension Plan: The World Bank sponsors a comprehensive pension plan for all staff. Both staff and the World Bank make a contribution towards a pension which is utilized upon retirement.
Paid Leave: New staff receive 26 days of annual leave and 15 days of sick leave per year, accrued daily.
Relocation Benefits on Appointment: These benefits are only applicable to staff who are not residents of the Greater Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area at the time of appointment.
Relocation Travel: The World Bank will bear the cost of one-way transportation of staff and immediate dependent family from the staff member’s residence.
Relocation Shipment: You may choose to have the World Bank handle your shipping arrangements, or you may elect the Optional Shipment Grant.
Relocation Grant: A one-time grant is included in the first paycheck to cover the cost of relocation.
Mobility Premium: A financial benefit is provided for a fixed period of time to cover expenses associated with being an expatriate staff member, based on family size and nationality. This benefit is not available for United States citizens and U.S. permanent residents who are based in Washington DC.
Tax Allowance: U.S. staff receive an additional quarterly payment to cover the U.S., state and local income tax liabilities on their World Bank income. Expatriates and U.S. permanent residents do not incur U.S. income tax liability and are thus not eligible for this benefit.
Financial Assistance: The World Bank Group offers several financial assistance program, including a two-year interest-free settling-in loan to those who relocate upon appointment.
Who are eligible for this programme?
Young Professionals are recruited from throughout the World, and they represent various academic and professional backgrounds. Young Professionals are hired based on the business needs of the World Bank, with the profile to be “Integrators” and the potential to become future leaders of the institution.
The aim of the Program is to identify candidates with “T-Shaped” skills, where an individual has not only expertise in the form of technical depth but professional breadth including the ability to “see the bigger picture” as well as the client engagement and team skills that is essential to our work.
More specifically, we assess candidates for Client Orientation, Professional Expertise, and Team Leadership skills, and ensure that they view development as being holistic and have the ability to work in a multi-sectoral manner. Since its inceptions in 1963, the Program has recruited over 1,000 people from nearly 90 different countries, who now range from new recruits to vice presidents in the World Bank.
I have read through the requirements of the YPP and i am interested in it only that , i was born in August 1977.Can i still apply?