Contract entitlement profiles

CA — Continuing Appointment. The complete shape. Everything open, nothing expiring. Package density 100% of the full staff package.

• Pension & retirement: full — Full UNJSPF participant — well past the six-month participation threshold.
• Leave: full — 2.5 annual-leave days a month, plus home leave, sick and parental leave.
• Health & risk cover: full — Medical insurance, Appendix D and malicious-acts cover; after-service health insurance in reach at retirement.
• Family entitlements: full — Full dependency allowance and education grant.
• Relocation & mobility: full — Assignment grant, relocation shipment and the mobility incentive all apply.
• Job security: full — No expiry date — but still terminable for post abolition, performance, health or misconduct.
• Legal recourse: full — Full staff-member access to the UN Dispute and Appeals Tribunals.
• Career progression: full — Never advertised: reached only from a fixed-term appointment, through a capped review exercise. Staff recruited by competitive examination are the exception — the Staff Rules grant it after two years.

FTA — Fixed-Term Appointment. Nearly full, with one dent: it expires, and no length of service creates a right to renewal. Package density 96% of the full staff package.

• Pension & retirement: full — Full UNJSPF participant — the appointment is six months or more.
• Leave: full — 2.5 annual-leave days a month, plus home leave, sick and parental leave.
• Health & risk cover: full — Medical insurance, Appendix D and malicious-acts cover; after-service health insurance possible after ten years.
• Family entitlements: full — Full dependency allowance and education grant.
• Relocation & mobility: full — Assignment grant, relocation shipment and the mobility incentive all apply.
• Job security: strong — Carries no expectancy, legal or otherwise, of renewal or conversion, irrespective of the length of service.
• Legal recourse: full — Full staff-member access to the Tribunals — including challenges to non-renewal.
• Career progression: full — The only track that accrues toward a continuing appointment — eligible after five years, on a capped review; after two years for staff recruited by competitive examination.

TA — Temporary Appointment. Identical pay, collapsed shape. The security and career spokes sit at zero. Package density 46% of the full staff package.

• Pension & retirement: limited — Participation attaches to an appointment of six months or more — or to six months of service completed without a break of more than 30 days, which is how an extended short TA reaches the Fund.
• Leave: limited — 1.5 annual-leave days a month (capped at 18) and 2 sick days a month; 16-week parental leave after six months — but no home leave.
• Health & risk cover: full — Same medical, Appendix D and malicious-acts cover as any staff member.
• Family entitlements: limited — Dependency allowance applies, but no education grant on a temporary appointment.
• Relocation & mobility: strong — Staff-only travel both ways, a DSA-portion settling-in grant and a 100 kg / $1,500 shipment — but no full removal, repatriation grant or mobility incentive.
• Job security: none — Granted for under one year, renewable by up to one further year for field surge only. The least secure staff contract.
• Legal recourse: full — Still a staff member: full access to the UN Dispute Tribunal.
• Career progression: none — Cannot be converted. Does not count toward a continuing appointment — and breaks continuity between two FTAs.

IPSA — UNDP Personnel Service Agreement (international). The most generous affiliate modality — and still not a staff contract. Its national twin is the NPSA, paid on the local scale. Package density 38% of the full staff package.

• Pension & retirement: limited — No UNJSPF. A revision of the IPSA policy added a pension contribution for regular holders; the national NPSA instead pays 8.33% of remuneration in lieu of pension and social security.
• Leave: strong — 2.5 annual and 2 sick days a month; 16 weeks paid parental for the birth parent.
• Health & risk cover: strong — Mandatory medical, self-arranged against a fixed UNDP subsidy; malicious-acts cover at hazard duty stations.
• Family entitlements: none — No dependency allowance and no dependant medical subsidy — the remuneration is all-inclusive.
• Relocation & mobility: limited — UNDP books economy travel to post and back — but no shipment, relocation or settling-in grant.
• Job security: limited — Issued up to twelve months at a time, renewed yearly against project funding; no expectancy of renewal.
• Legal recourse: limited — As affiliate personnel, disputes go to arbitration, not the UN Dispute Tribunal.
• Career progression: limited — Affiliate personnel, not staff — no staff continuity, though eligible for direct hire later.

IICA — UNOPS International Individual Contractor. Often used to host personnel for other agencies — the contracting party is not always the agency being joined. Package density 33% of the full staff package.

• Pension & retirement: limited — No UNJSPF. The Provident Fund is voluntary for IICA (no UNOPS match); its local twin, the LICA, is auto-enrolled at 7.5% with UNOPS adding 15%.
• Leave: strong — 2.5 annual and 2 certified sick days a month; up to 26 weeks paid parental leave.
• Health & risk cover: limited — UNOPS provides no medical plan to international ICA holders — cover is self-arranged; malicious-acts cover only at hazard stations.
• Family entitlements: none — The fee is all-inclusive — no dependency or family allowances.
• Relocation & mobility: limited — No relocation or installation at UNOPS expense, beyond authorized official duty travel.
• Job security: limited — Project-funded: it ends when the project funding ends, with no expectancy of renewal.
• Legal recourse: limited — Amicable settlement, then UNCITRAL arbitration — not the UN Dispute Tribunal.
• Career progression: limited — Independent-contractor status — a UN engagement, but no staff continuity.

UNV — UN Volunteer. Service, not a junior staff job — and a broader family of roles than most realize. Package density 42% of the full staff package.

• Pension & retirement: none — None, and not in the UNJSPF. The Volunteer Living Allowance is not a salary.
• Leave: strong — 2.5 days a month (no cash-out); 16 weeks maternity, 10 days paternity.
• Health & risk cover: strong — UNV medical cover through Cigna, plus life, disability and malicious-acts insurance.
• Family entitlements: limited — A with-family / without-family split: a Family Allowance is added to the living allowance.
• Relocation & mobility: strong — Pre-departure and settling-in grants, flights both ways, plus a monthly resettlement allowance and a separate exit lump sum.
• Job security: limited — Assignment-based, no expectancy of renewal or staff conversion; four years of service maximum.
• Legal recourse: limited — Ombudsman, then review by the UNV Coordinator, then arbitration — not the UN Dispute Tribunal.
• Career progression: limited — International or national — Community, Associate, Specialist or Expert, plus online volunteering; a common entry route that accrues nothing on its own.

IC — Consultant / Individual Contractor. A fee for focused, deliverable work, and a flexibility no staff contract offers. WHO, PAHO and WFP run it as the SSA; FAO as the PSA. Package density 8% of the full staff package.

• Pension & retirement: none — None — a consultant is not a staff member and joins no fund.
• Leave: none — No leave entitlement: the fee is for the services, and nothing accrues.
• Health & risk cover: limited — Cover is self-arranged; the UN provides none, bar Appendix-D-equivalent injury compensation.
• Family entitlements: none — No dependency or family allowances of any kind.
• Relocation & mobility: none — No relocation — only subsistence and duty travel when officially authorized.
• Job security: none — Fee for service, no employment — capped at 24 months in any 36.
• Legal recourse: limited — No Tribunal access: disputes go to UNCITRAL conciliation, then arbitration.
• Career progression: none — Consecutive consultancies build no continuity or internal-candidate standing — but there is no mandatory retirement age, so assignments can continue long after staff must retire.

NPSA — UNDP Personnel Service Agreement (national). The IPSA’s national twin, and the single most advertised non-staff level in the system. Locally recruited, paid on the local scale. Package density 33% of the full staff package.

• Pension & retirement: limited — No UNJSPF. UNDP pays 8.33% of remuneration in lieu of pension and social security, for the holder to arrange their own.
• Leave: strong — 2.5 annual and 2 sick days a month; 16 weeks paid parental leave for the birth parent.
• Health & risk cover: strong — Mandatory medical cover, self-arranged against a fixed UNDP subsidy.
• Family entitlements: none — None — the remuneration is all-inclusive, with no dependency allowance or dependant subsidy.
• Relocation & mobility: none — Locally recruited by definition: no relocation, no settling-in, no travel to post.
• Job security: limited — Issued up to twelve months at a time against project funding, with no expectancy of renewal.
• Legal recourse: limited — Affiliate personnel — disputes go to arbitration, not the UN Dispute Tribunal.
• Career progression: limited — Levels NPSA-1 to NPSA-11 run from entry support to senior national professional; the ladder is real, but none of it accrues toward a staff appointment.

LICA — UNOPS Local Individual Contractor. The IICA’s local counterpart — and the better-covered of the two, because the Provident Fund is automatic here. Package density 38% of the full staff package.

• Pension & retirement: strong — No UNJSPF, but the UNOPS Provident Fund is automatic: the holder contributes 7.5% and UNOPS adds 15% — the strongest retirement provision of any affiliate modality here.
• Leave: strong — 2.5 annual and 2 certified sick days a month; up to 26 weeks paid parental leave.
• Health & risk cover: strong — UNOPS medical cover is offered to local ICA holders, unlike the international IICA where it is self-arranged.
• Family entitlements: none — The fee is all-inclusive — no dependency or family allowances.
• Relocation & mobility: none — Locally recruited: no relocation or installation at UNOPS expense.
• Job security: limited — Project-funded, ending with the project; fixed-term or retainer, with no expectancy of renewal.
• Legal recourse: limited — Amicable settlement, then UNCITRAL arbitration — not the UN Dispute Tribunal.
• Career progression: limited — A Support track (LICA-1 to LICA-7) and a Specialist track (LICA-8 upward); movement between them is a new selection, not a promotion.

SC — Service Contract. The field workhorse — WFP, UNESCO and UNDP country offices run much of their local operation on it. Package density 33% of the full staff package.

• Pension & retirement: limited — No UNJSPF. The remuneration is set inclusive of social benefits, or a payment in lieu of them.
• Leave: strong — Annual and sick leave accrue monthly, on the pattern of the other affiliate modalities.
• Health & risk cover: strong — Medical cover is included in, or funded by, the inclusive remuneration rather than the staff plans.
• Family entitlements: none — None — the rate is all-inclusive, with no dependency allowance.
• Relocation & mobility: none — A local instrument: the holder is recruited where the work is, with no relocation entitlement.
• Job security: limited — Tied to the service being contracted and its funding; renewable, with no expectancy.
• Legal recourse: limited — Not a staff member — no Tribunal access; disputes follow the contract’s own settlement clause.
• Career progression: limited — Levels SC-1 to SC-11 group into five service bands, SB-1 to SB-5, from mechanical operations to substantive innovation. A recognised local ladder that accrues nothing toward staff status.

I-1 — Internship. Not a job and not paid as one. The UN Secretariat grades it I-1 — a level with no salary scale behind it. Package density 4% of the full staff package.

• Pension & retirement: none — None. An internship is not an appointment and joins no fund.
• Leave: limited — Limited: typically 2.5 days a month, at the discretion of the receiving office.
• Health & risk cover: none — The intern must hold their own medical cover for the whole internship, and prove it — the UN provides none and accepts no responsibility for illness or injury.
• Family entitlements: none — None of any kind.
• Relocation & mobility: none — Travel, visa and living costs are the intern’s own, or their sponsor’s. Where a stipend exists it is a contribution to living costs, not a salary.
• Job security: none — Fixed and short — commonly two to six months, and it ends on the stated date.
• Legal recourse: none — No Tribunal access; an intern is neither staff nor an affiliate contractor.
• Career progression: none — A recognised entry route, but interns are barred from applying for posts for a set period after the internship ends, and it accrues no standing as an internal candidate.

WBG — World Bank Group appointment. A full staff package, on an entirely separate system — and the figures are net of tax, so they do not compare with UN ones as directly as they look. Package density 92% of the full staff package.

• Pension & retirement: full — Not the UNJSPF — the Bank runs its own Staff Retirement Plan, with a defined-benefit component and a matched savings component.
• Leave: full — Full staff annual, sick and parental leave under the Bank’s own Staff Rules.
• Health & risk cover: full — The Bank’s own medical, life and accident plans, with retiree cover reachable on long service.
• Family entitlements: full — Dependency and education benefits apply, on the Bank’s own terms rather than the ICSC’s.
• Relocation & mobility: full — Relocation, shipment and settling-in support for internationally recruited staff; locally recruited country-office staff are hired where the work is.
• Job security: strong — Both open-ended and term appointments exist. A term appointment expires on its date, and renewal is not an expectancy.
• Legal recourse: strong — A full internal justice system ending at the World Bank Administrative Tribunal — real recourse, but entirely separate from the UN Dispute and Appeals Tribunals.
• Career progression: full — A published ladder from GA to GK with its own Young Professionals Program; service here accrues nothing toward a UN appointment, and vice versa.

UNDP Personnel Service Agreement (international) — levels

• IPSA-8 — tracks the P-2 scale grade. Entry international professional.
• IPSA-9 — tracks the P-2 scale grade. International professional with delivery ownership.
• IPSA-10 — tracks the P-3 scale grade. Mid-level specialist — the most advertised IPSA level.
• IPSA-11 — tracks the P-4 scale grade. Senior specialist or team lead.
• IPSA-12 — tracks the P-5 scale grade. Principal adviser / programme lead.

UNDP Personnel Service Agreement (national) — levels

• NPSA-1 — tracks the GS-1 scale grade. Entry support — routine manual or service tasks.
• NPSA-2 — tracks the GS-1 scale grade. Support with limited discretion.
• NPSA-3 — tracks the GS-2 scale grade. Established clerical or driving duties.
• NPSA-4 — tracks the GS-3 scale grade. Assistant work under close supervision.
• NPSA-5 — tracks the GS-4 scale grade. Assistant applying set procedures.
• NPSA-6 — tracks the GS-5 scale grade. Senior assistant; some judgement within rules.
• NPSA-7 — tracks the GS-6 scale grade. Specialised assistant or team lead.
• NPSA-8 — tracks the GS-7 scale grade. Associate / analyst — the top of the support family.
• NPSA-9 — tracks the NO-A scale grade. National Officer entry — substantive professional work.
• NPSA-10 — tracks the NO-B scale grade. Experienced national professional; the most advertised level.
• NPSA-11 — tracks the NO-C scale grade. Senior national professional, often heading a portfolio.

UNOPS International Individual Contractor — levels

• IICA-1 — tracks the P-2 scale grade. International expert or adviser; university degree normally required.
• IICA-2 — tracks the P-3 scale grade. Experienced international specialist — the most advertised IICA level.
• IICA-3 — tracks the P-4 scale grade. Senior specialist leading a workstream.
• IICA-4 — tracks the P-5 scale grade. Principal / programme-level adviser.
• IICA-5 — tracks the D-1 scale grade. Director-equivalent engagement.

UNOPS Local Individual Contractor — levels

• LICA-1 — tracks the GS-1 scale grade. Local support; secondary education normally required.
• LICA-2 — tracks the GS-2 scale grade. Local support with routine responsibility.
• LICA-3 — tracks the GS-3 scale grade. Established local support role.
• LICA-4 — tracks the GS-4 scale grade. Local assistant applying set procedures.
• LICA-5 — tracks the GS-5 scale grade. Senior local assistant.
• LICA-6 — tracks the GS-6 scale grade. Specialised local assistant or supervisor.
• LICA-7 — tracks the GS-7 scale grade. Top of the local support track.
• LICA-8 — tracks the NO-A scale grade. Local Specialist — bachelor’s degree normally required.
• LICA-9 — tracks the NO-B scale grade. Local Specialist with portfolio ownership.
• LICA-10 — tracks the NO-C scale grade. Senior local specialist / adviser.
• LICA-11 — tracks the NO-D scale grade. Principal local specialist.

Service Contract — levels

• SC-1 (SB-1) — tracks the GS-1 scale grade. Mechanical operations.
• SC-2 (SB-1) — tracks the GS-1 scale grade. Mechanical operations.
• SC-3 (SB-2) — tracks the GS-2 scale grade. Procedural — set routines, close supervision.
• SC-4 (SB-2) — tracks the GS-3 scale grade. Procedural with some independence.
• SC-5 (SB-3) — tracks the GS-4 scale grade. Interpretative — judgement within established rules.
• SC-6 (SB-3) — tracks the GS-5 scale grade. Interpretative; the most advertised SC level.
• SC-7 (SB-3) — tracks the GS-6 scale grade. Senior interpretative / supervisory.
• SC-8 (SB-4) — tracks the GS-7 scale grade. Basic conceptual comprehension.
• SC-9 (SB-4) — tracks the NO-A scale grade. Analytical — substantive professional work.
• SC-10 (SB-5) — tracks the NO-B scale grade. Substantive innovation.
• SC-11 (SB-5) — tracks the NO-C scale grade. Substantive innovation at the senior end.

UN Volunteer — levels

• International Expert. 140% of the Specialist rate. Minimum 7 years’ experience.
• International Specialist. The reference rate. Minimum 3 years’ experience.
• International Associate. 80% of the Specialist rate. Minimum 1 month’s experience.
• National Expert. 140% of the national Specialist rate.
• National Specialist. The national reference rate — the duty station’s GS-2.
• National Associate. 80% of the national Specialist rate.
• National Community. 40% of the national Specialist rate. No prior experience required.
• Online. Online Volunteering is unpaid — no living allowance, no lump sums.

Internship — levels

• I-1. The UN Secretariat’s internship level — used by UN, UNEP, OHCHR and the regional commissions. A level, not a pay grade: it carries no salary scale.

World Bank Group appointment — levels

• GA. Office / team assistant — entry support.
• GB. Team assistant with established responsibility.
• GC. Program assistant.
• GD. Senior program assistant.
• GE. Analyst — the first professional-track grade.
• GF. Professional — mid-career specialist; one of the two most advertised grades.
• GG. Senior professional — the most advertised grade of all.
• GH. Manager or lead professional.
• GI. Director / senior adviser. Headquarters grade.
• GJ. Senior management. Headquarters grade.
• GK. Senior management, most restricted tier. Headquarters grade.