Get Hired This Festive Season 2025: 20 Hot Jobs and Internships Including Paid Roles and a $5,000 Scholarship

The holidays usually mean cocoa, slow mornings, and way too many group chats asking whether you’ve finished your shopping. This year, the festive season also brings a different kind of gift: a curated list of 20 timely job and internship opportunities across international development, climate, tech, education, public service, and academia. Some positions are full-time, some are short-term internships, and one includes a $5,000 CAD scholarship — enough to pay a semester’s books or buy a decent secondhand laptop.

These roles come from reputable organizations — think UN agencies, global NGOs, multinationals, and leading universities — with deadlines clustered between late December and late January 2026. If you’re ready to make a move (first job, career pivot, or a resume-building internship), this list is a practical starting point. Below I break down what to expect, who fits each role, how to prepare, and a sensible timeline so you can apply without melting down on submission day.

This article translates the raw openings into strategy: how to decide which roles to chase, what concrete documents you’ll need, and how to present yourself so hiring managers actually remember you. Read this once, then pick two roles and put a plan in motion.

At a Glance

What This Opportunity Offers

This collection isn’t a random job board dump. It’s a concentrated set of roles that share three practical benefits: real-world experience, organizational credibility, and targeted professional development. If you land one, you’ll likely get work that contributes to visible projects (education programs, climate communication, gender policy, tech co-ops) and a manager who expects tangible outcomes.

Paid internships such as the Smithsonian SERC Environmental Education Internship and the NYCEDC Summer Internship provide structured programs with timelines, learning objectives, and exposure to public-facing projects. For students and recent grads, these offer more than a line on a CV — they’re supervised work with mentorship, sometimes travel or fieldwork, and an expectation you’ll produce shareable outputs like lesson plans, communications pieces, or prototype code.

Mid-level to senior roles — Program & Partnerships Lead (Calabar), Coordinator GBV, Senior Advisor SOGIESC, Research Officer — provide leadership, program oversight, and strategy-building. These positions are where you go if you want to manage teams, lead proposals, or be the go-to person for program delivery in a region or thematic area.

Consultancies and specialist roles (Gender Consultancy for UNAIDS, Safeguards and Gender Expert at Conservation International) are project-based and often pay well. They require demonstrated expertise and the ability to hit the ground running. Expect tight deliverable schedules and high accountability.

Finally, there are hybrid opportunities that mix learning and reward: the RBC Borealis Technical Co-op and the Canada Life DevOps internship combine workplace contribution with skills training, and the Canada Life opportunity also offers a $5,000 CAD scholarship — a useful bonus if you’re in grad school.

Who Should Apply

This set of roles suits different career stages, but here’s how to match your profile to opportunity types:

Early-career and students: If you’re finishing a bachelor’s or master’s degree or you graduated within the last two years, aim for the internships and co-op programs — Smithsonian SERC, NYCEDC, RBC Borealis, Canada Life + Lime Connect. These programs accept people with strong academic performance, basic practical skills (communication, data literacy, classroom management for education roles), and the curiosity to learn quickly. You’ll be assessed on potential and adaptability rather than decades of experience.

Career pivoters and mid-level professionals: Roles like Programs & Partnerships Lead, Content Officer, and Coordinator GBV want people who can manage projects and relationships. If your background is in program management, education, public health, or communications, you can pivot by emphasizing transferable achievements: managed a budget, grew a program audience, trained staff, or developed monitoring frameworks.

Specialists and consultants: If you have a published portfolio in gender policy, safeguards, climate education, or GBV programming, apply for the consultancies and senior advisory roles. These roles expect subject-matter expertise, strong writing for technical audiences, and the ability to produce deliverables under a scope of work.

Volunteers and advocacy-minded applicants: The ONE Youth Ambassadors Programme and Children’s Commissioner Ambassador Programme tilt toward advocacy, policy engagement, and public campaigning. Ideal applicants are young (often 18–35 for ONE), articulate, and have some grassroots or volunteer experience.

Practical example: A recent MPhil in Environmental Education with two summers of field teaching and an article in a local education journal should apply to the Smithsonian internship and the SERC program; the same candidate could also consider content or communications roles if they can show storytelling and curriculum design.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application

1. Tailor two versions of your CV and one targeted cover letter. Most applicants submit a generic CV and a one-size-fits-all cover letter. Instead, craft a “program management” CV and a “technical/specialist” CV. Match the skills and keywords in the job description to the top third of your CV, so reviewers see relevance in the first 10 seconds.

2. Show measurable outcomes, not responsibilities. Don’t write “managed outreach.” Write “managed outreach that increased event attendance from 50 to 180 in 6 months” or “designed a pilot curriculum used by 12 schools, improving test scores by X%.” Numbers stick.

3. For internships, include a short portfolio or a one-page project snapshot. Ten pages of academic writing will not help. Instead, provide quick evidence: a poster, a lesson plan, a GitHub repo, a communications piece with analytics. Make it easy to scan.

4. Mirror language from the ad — responsibly. If the posting emphasizes “community engagement,” make sure your application includes that phrase and an example. But don’t copy the job text verbatim; use it as a guide for phrasing.

5. Prepare two strong references and brief them. Recruiters contact referees. Tell your references which roles you’re applying to and remind them of the achievements you’d like them to highlight. A surprised reference gives generic quotes; a prepared one gives anecdotes.

6. Build a 30-60-90 day plan for senior or leadership roles. Hiring managers want to see you’ve thought past the offer. For roles like Programs & Partnerships Lead or Coordinator GBV, a one-page 30-60-90 plan shows you’re strategic and ready to deliver results immediately.

7. Follow submission instructions to the letter. Many applications get tossed for missing a required document or failing to use the online portal exactly as instructed. Double-check file formats, file size limits, and required naming conventions before you click submit.

8. If the role is remote or international, clarify logistics early. Include your current residency, willingness to relocate, and any visa or work authorization. If you need sponsorship, say so — many organizations won’t assume it.

9. Use a clean, ATS-friendly resume format. Many large organizations screen with applicant tracking systems. Avoid complex designs or headers the ATS can’t parse; use standard section headers and export to PDF.

Taken together: these actions shift you from “generic applicant” to “intentional candidate” — and selection panels notice intention.

Application Timeline (Realistic and Practical)

Deadlines span late December to late January. Treat the earliest December 27 deadlines as “now” — you should be submitting within days if you’re serious. Here’s a backward-working timeline if you want to apply to 3–4 roles:

• Day 0 (today): Choose the 2 most realistic roles you can complete strong applications for. Block time in your calendar.
• Days 1–3: Tailor CVs and write the first draft of two cover letters. Gather portfolio items and request references (give referees at least one week).
• Days 4–7: Polish, get external reads from a mentor or peer, refine 30-60-90-day plan if applicable. Start online portal registration.
• Days 8–10: Final proofread, export to PDF, check file formats. Submit at least 48 hours before the posted deadline to avoid last-minute portal issues.
• If deadlines fall in January, use December to prepare drafts and finalize in early January. But don’t procrastinate — the system may lock before midnight and you don’t want an internet outage story.

If you’re applying to consultancies that require proposals (UNAIDS RFP, Conservation International), start earlier: outline your methodology and deliverables two weeks before the posting deadline and build time for budgeting, CV alignment, and partner letters.

Required Materials (What to Prepare and How)

Across these postings you’ll commonly need:

• CV/resume (2 pages for early-career, 3–4 for senior positions)
• Targeted cover letter (one page max)
• Academic transcripts (for internships/co-ops)
• Reference contacts or recommendation letters (1–3 depending on role)
• Writing sample or portfolio (lesson plans, research summary, communications pieces, code repo)
• Certificates or proof of relevant training (safeguarding, first aid, language proficiency)
• For consultancies: a technical proposal, CVs for proposed team, and a budget

Preparation advice: draft a single “master” CV and then extract focused versions. For cover letters, lead with a one-sentence hook that matches the role’s primary mission (e.g., “As a program manager who scaled digital literacy programs to 20 schools, I will…”). Keep writing samples short — no reviewer wants to read a 15,000-word paper unless explicitly requested. Deliver concise, compelling evidence of work.

If an application asks for references, arrange them in advance and provide referees with the job description and your top three talking points.

What Makes an Application Stand Out

Reviewers are busy; they reward clarity, relevance, and proven impact. The truly memorable applications combine three elements:

1. Mission fit plus evidence. Explain why you care about the organization’s work and show proof: a measurable result, a lesson learned, or a short anecdote that shows values aligning with the hiring org.

2. Practical outputs. Use deliverables language. Instead of “supported data collection,” specify “designed and implemented a household survey of 600 respondents resulting in a dataset used to inform three county-level policy changes.”

3. Readability and polish. Use short paragraphs, clear headings, and one-line summaries for complex items. Hiring panels review many applications; you want them to leave with a clear impression of what you’ll do in month one.

For senior roles, stand out with strategy and systems thinking. Attach a brief addition: a one-page roadmap, potential KPIs, or a risk register that shows you can foresee and manage common implementation problems.

For entry roles, stand out by showing eagerness and capacity: learning goals, mentorship plans, and immediate contributions you can make (e.g., “I will run a community outreach schedule and improve enrollment by X”).

Common Mistakes to Avoid (And How to Fix Them)

1. Generic applications. Fix: tailor two sentences in your cover letter to the organization’s recent project or public report. That tells reviewers you did homework.

2. Overlong CVs with irrelevant content. Fix: cut to the top three achievements relevant to the role; put other experience below.

3. No measurable results. Fix: quantify outcomes wherever you can — percentages, numbers, timelines.

4. Missing files or incorrect formats. Fix: follow the instructions, checklist everything before uploading, and keep a screenshot of the submission confirmation.

5. Weak referees. Fix: choose referees who supervised your work and can provide concrete examples. Ask permission and brief them on the role.

6. Ignoring small logistics (availability, visa status). Fix: disclose this clearly in the cover letter or a brief note in the application form.

7. Waiting until the last hour. Fix: plan to submit at least 48 hours early.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I apply to more than one role in this list?
A: Yes. Be honest about availability and avoid applying to conflicting roles that require full-time presence in separate places unless you intend to accept only one. Tailor each application.

Q: Are the internships paid?
A: Some are paid (Smithsonian SERC, NYCEDC, Canada Life scholarship/internship), while others may be unpaid or provide modest stipends. Check each posting for compensation details.

Q: Is remote work possible?
A: Some roles are office-based (Calabar, Brussels), others may allow remote or hybrid arrangements. The posting will state location and flexibility.

Q: What if I need visa sponsorship?
A: Most organizations are explicit about whether they sponsor work visas. If a posting is silent, reach out to the HR contact listed or include your visa needs in your cover letter.

Q: How do consultancies differ from staff roles?
A: Consultancies are deliverables-based, often short-term, and paid per contract. Staff roles include benefits and longer-term employment.

Q: Will I get feedback if I’m not shortlisted?
A: Many large orgs do not provide detailed feedback for non-shortlisted applicants. Some smaller agencies may offer a brief reason if you ask politely after the closing date.

Q: How long before I hear back?
A: Timelines vary. Expect 2–8 weeks for internships and 3–12 weeks for senior or funded projects. If urgent, the posting may indicate expedited timelines.

Next Steps / How to Apply

Ready to act? Pick two roles: one stretch role that excites you and one realistic role you can submit a polished application for this week. Use the timeline and checklist above to prepare documents.

Ready to apply? Visit the official UNGM notice where this list is compiled and follow the links to each posting. Make sure you submit before the specific deadline listed for the role.

Apply now: https://www.ungm.org/Public/Notice/287111

If you want, tell me which two roles you’re eyeing and I’ll draft a targeted one-paragraph cover letter for each — short, punchy, and designed to make the recruiter read the rest.