Unpaid UN intern resigns after living in a tent to make ends meet

An unpaid intern at the United Nations has resigned from his job following revelations he lived in a tent because he could not afford Geneva's high rent.

New Zealander David Hyde next to his tent and backpack. Source: Reuters

David Hyde slept in a tent in Geneva for the chance to work as an intern for the United Nations.

The New Zealander had been spending his nights in a tent mounted on a patch of grass near Lake Geneva after starting his internship. Hyde said he had been turned down from intern placements in the past when he admitted to not having sufficient resources to finance himself.

"After graduating, I began to apply for jobs, but all I could really find was internships," he said. "And in every interview, the same questions always came up towards the end: 'Can you afford to fully fund yourself for the duration of this internship?'

"When I answered this with an honest 'No', my application was declined." 

The 22-year-old has a degree in international relations and spent a semester at French university Sciences Po in Paris before arriving in Geneva.

"When I applied for this role with the UN, I did not fully disclose my true financial situation," he explained. "I said I had enough to support myself when really I didn't. And I got the job."

Hyde said he knew what he was signing up for.

"The UN was clear about their internship policy from the start," he said. "No wage or stipend, no transport help, no food allowance, no health assistance.

"I understood this and in that regard I have to take responsibility for accepting the internship in the first place."

Hyde said the system of unpaid internships was unfair and that interns all over the world need to come together and push for the recognition of their value and equal rights they deserve.

"As the declaration of human rights states so clearly: Everyone, without discrimination has the right to equal pay for equal work. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration. I hope to see the United Nations become a role model for all on the issue of internships in the future."

Speaking at a news conference United Nations spokesperson Ahmad Fawsi said a UN General Assembly resolution prevented interns from getting paid.

"We are not allowed to, even if we want to," he said. "And believe me, we want to."

Mr Fawsi said the UN would welcome a change to the resolution.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Stéphane Dujarric, conceded that unpaid internships do limit the career opportunities of those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

"It's too bad in a way, because I think it does limit the opportunity to those who are able to pay their own way and house themselves. Unless the General Assembly changes those rules, there is no change in sight.

"What's important is that any internship be used as a learning opportunity for the intern and not be used as, you know, as free labour or as a substitute for work done by staff."

Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve, which broke the story, said Mr Hyde has received an outpouring of accomodation offers.

A Facebook page has now been set up calling for the UN to pay its interns. The page has more than 1000 “likes’.

- with Reuters