The General Service category (G or L) groups mainly clerks, secretaries, technicians and manual workers. UNESCO recruits only persons living at the duty station of the posts falling in this category (local recruitment).

For instance, appointment to posts at Headquarters can only be offered to persons already resident in the Paris area. In January 2001, 299 general service staff members worked in field offices compared to 842 at Headquarters.

Candidates for G posts must have a good general education, followed by the necessary vocational training and at least two years of professional experience. Excellent French or English is generally required, with a good knowledge of the other language, and sometimes even Arabic, Russian, Chinese or Spanish. (It should be emphasized that candidates to secretarial posts who cannot type in English and French cannot be employed.)

In the recruitment of secretarial posts, candidates are required to pass tests.

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