United Nations compensation follows the common system, and it is more structured than private-sector pay. What you earn depends on your category, your grade and step, and crucially the duty station where you are based.
The salary scales
Professional and higher category staff are paid on a global base salary scale set by the International Civil Service Commission, the same scale worldwide for a given grade and step. General Service and National staff are paid on local salary scales that reflect the best prevailing conditions of employment in each country, so their pay is benchmarked locally rather than globally.
Post adjustment: why the same grade pays differently
On top of the base salary, Professional staff receive a post adjustment that reflects the cost of living and exchange rate at their duty station. This is why the same P-3 grade results in different net pay in, say, Geneva versus Nairobi. When you compare offers, compare the total for the specific duty station, not just the grade.
Allowances and benefits
Staff appointments usually come with a benefits package that can include:
- Dependency allowances for a spouse and children.
- A rental subsidy and an education grant towards children’s schooling.
- Health insurance and membership of the UN pension fund (UNJSPF).
- Home leave travel, and mobility and hardship allowances for difficult or frequently changing duty stations.
Consultants and contractors
Individual consultants and contractors are paid a fee for their deliverables and generally do not receive the staff benefits package, pension or allowances. The headline fee therefore is not directly comparable to a staff salary of a similar level.
Tax
International staff salaries are generally subject to an internal "staff assessment" rather than national income tax, though arrangements differ by nationality, and citizens of some countries have specific obligations. Treat your own tax position as a question for a qualified adviser rather than assuming a rule applies to you.
Where to check exact figures
Salary scales and post adjustment multipliers are published by the International Civil Service Commission and updated regularly. Because the numbers change, always check the current scales for the grade and duty station you care about rather than relying on a figure you saw some time ago.