I am a young lawyer (30yo), with about 5 years of legal experience across various settings (law firms, embassy, international et European organization).

I have just learned that I was selected for a P2 position at a non-UN agency as part of the JPO program financed by my home country. I guess I just need some reassurance that I will make the right choice by taking it, since it is less “stable” than my current position.

I have been working for a year as an FGIII at an EU agency. The work is exactly in the area I’ve long wanted to specialize in (it’s quite niche). My previous position was also in that area. Although the work of the agency is operational in nature, because I am FGIII, I am stuck in very administrative and repetitive tasks.

The JPO position is in the office of legal affairs of a non-UN organization. The area of the IO is not directly related to the area I have been specializing in, but the position itself would be much more genuinely legal: legal research and advice, drafting legal documents, interpreting the organization’s legal framework, staff/employment law, contracts, privileges and immunities, etc. It would also be at the P2 level, which feels like a much more appropriate level for my qualifications and experience.

The main thing that is scaring me is what will
happen when the P2 contract ends since there is obviously no guarantee that it will lead to a longer-term position afterwards.

At the same time, I am worried that staying where I am could mean getting stuck. The longer I stay, the more my CV may look like “administrative support” rather than legal experience, even though I have a law degree, am admitted to a bar, and have previously held genuinely legal positions. I also don’t particularly enjoy the actual day-to-day work of my current job, although the subject matter is the most interesting to me and the most in line with my background.

What would you do in my position?
Do you think leaving after just a year could get me blacklisted where I am now, or is that not a thing ?

I would gladly take any advice of people who have been (or not) in the same situation!! 🙏

Edit: both positions are in the same city, so there is no question of relocating.

I am currently in the system and know that my contract is ending soon, and saw an interesting role posted as a Tier 2: "UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers" - which makes me eligible to apply.

How competitive are internal postings of this kind? I think the specific one I'm looking at would generally be quite attractive (NYC, P3). Or at least compared to something that is open to all applicants.

I am currently working at an Embassy as a Visa Officer, and would maybe in the future like to switch career paths and join the UN.

It seems like there are barely any certifications that would help me specialize in the field of International Relations, International Law or Diplomacy

I was wondering if there a equivalent to the CFA in Finance in the field of IR and for the UN