NEW YORK

[Rottmair Sebastian]

Alright, here is the topic to discuss everything about New York. Please share information about:

a) Accommodation
b) How to get around
c) Network
d) UN specific topics around New York

Anything else that has a NY specific context – thanks so much!

[NadjaS]

There are so many events and locations in NY – it is very hard to give just “one” tip. But finding housing can be hard. Craigslist is an obvious starting point but you need to be careful with all the scams on there. I find that the UN intranet / UN housing desk is a good place to find some space.

You can always start on AriBnB to find a spot for the first couple of days.

[Rottmair Sebastian]

I think a general tip would be to check with the Permanent Mission of your country, too: In NY the missions are pretty active with everything from sports, to exhibitions, to political events, discussion rounds and sometimes even mentoring programmes. And then of course you have the informal events – for instance the restaurant of the German House in NY has the famous “Schnitzel Tag” on Wednesday where people meet for lunch.

[Belgian]

I just started working in NY so I can’t give too much advice yet.

But I concur with NadjaS regarding accommodation. Housing has been difficult. I was told to look in Craigslist for the best chance to maximize value in Brooklyn or, if lucky, Manhattan. While it’s true that you often find great deals, I’ve already encountered several scamming attempts. The best piece of advice that I can give to someone moving to NY is to request a one-on-one with the landlord and a personal tour of the place, as well as any legal paperwork beforehand. This is why it’s probably ideal to start out in temporary accommodation (like a hostel/hotel or an Air BnB) and request to look at your desired apartments in person before moving forward with formalities.

It’s also important to note that rent prices in NY are sky-high. You’ll most likely be downgrading in accommodation while paying the same amount of rent. Be prepared to share an apartment with roommates if you also value proximity (and even then, it’ll be difficult for you to find a place in Manhattan- Brooklyn is a stronger possibility).

Regards.

[Rottmair Sebastian]

Thanks a lot for sharing!

[Annia]

Cordial Greetings!

I’m currently under consideration for the YPP 2018 programme and we’re expecting the test scores to be tentatively announced in May of this year, but I’ve been hearing some rumours of some applicants already being contacted for interviews and even reference checking. I’m actually curious if any of you here know about this or can share any type of experience regarding that aspect (without revealing identity or sensitive information, of course). I was part of the written tests carried on the last quarter of 2017 and I did not retake the test like some folks did on february 8th, 2018.

• This reply was modified 6 years ago by Annia.

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