FAO Fellows Programme

Benefits & funding

• FAO pays no remuneration to fellows.
• Medical coverage related to service-incurred illness or injury is provided, with FAO paying the full premium.
• Fellows arrange, at their own expense, medical insurance covering non-service-incurred conditions for the duration of the assignment.
• Fellows, or their sponsoring associations, are responsible for their own accommodation at the duty station.
• What the programme provides is the assignment itself: a placement inside an FAO office, working on a research proposal tied to FAO’s Strategic Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals.
• The official pages state no stipend, travel allowance or grant of any kind.

Eligibility

• Nationality: candidates must be nationals of FAO Members.
• Education: a completed graduate or post-graduate degree (Master’s or PhD), or current enrolment in a PhD programme. Candidates still studying for a Master’s degree are not eligible.
• Experience: at least two years of relevant working or research experience in one of the fields of the Organization.
• Languages: working knowledge of at least one FAO official language — English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or Russian. Knowledge of further languages is valued.
• Skills: the ability to adapt to an international, multicultural environment, good communication skills, and knowledge of basic computer programmes.
• Family relations: candidates whose family members (FAO defines these as brother, sister, mother or father) are employed by FAO under any type of contractual arrangement are not eligible.
• Age: no age limits.

Application process

1. 1
   Watch the FAO career portal for a Call for Expression of Interest for the Fellows Programme. FAO publishes no separate vacancy announcements for fellows, so this is the only entry point.
2. 2
   Check the two hard gates first: nationality of an FAO Member, and either a completed Master’s or PhD or current PhD enrolment.
3. 3
   Register on the career portal and complete the online application form.
4. 4
   Attach a research proposal setting out the assignment, its objectives, and how it connects to FAO’s Strategic Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals.
5. 5
   Submit before the closing date shown on that call.
6. 6
   Only candidates selected for an interview are contacted, and the contact comes from the hiring office responsible for the assignment.
7. 7
   Candidates who are not selected are not held on a roster, so a fresh application is needed at the next call.

Program timeline

1. FAO publishes a Call for Expression of Interest for the Fellows Programme on its career portal. The official pages set out no fixed annual calendar.

2. Each call carries its own closing date, shown on the call itself.

3. After the deadline

   applications are reviewed, and only candidates selected for an interview hear back.

4. Assignment start and end dates are time-bound and agreed with the hosting FAO office.

5. Candidates who are not selected reapply when the next call is published.