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Luber: Hey everyone – are you interested in Immigration Law careers? What about International
Refugee law? That’s what we’re looking at today on JD Careers Out There – where
we get you career advice from fellow lawyers and non-practicing lawyers – to help you
achieve success and happiness in your career. We leave it to law school to teach you how
to think, read and write like a lawyer. We’re here to help you enjoy your career – and
a big part of that is finding a path that excites you – and you’ll see that today’s
guest has found a path that really excites her.
I’m Marc Luber – and today we’re talking to Kim Trinh. She’s a United Nations Volunteer
who’s been placed with the UNHCR, which is the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees. She’s stationed in Pretoria, South Africa, where she does the work of an Associate
Protection Officer, meeting with refugees and determining whether they qualify for refugee
protection with the UNHCR. I asked her to tell us all about her exciting path and she
starts by explaining the UN Volunteer program. Take a look:
Kim Trinh: It’s actually a really competitive program. They actually seek - the UN Volunteer
Program seeks out people with a master’s degree at least and then people with higher
work experience. It’s actually interesting because you actually apply through UNV but
then they place you. And so, when I applied or put my profile on UNV, they contacted me
within five days and then I was interviewed for this position and I received it. They
select three finalists for a post and then the office here, the field office, decides
who they want to choose out of the three. But it’s not as if I’m not getting paid.
I get a stipend and also it actually leads to better positions in UNHCR if that’s the
career path I want to take. UNVs are typically hired on after a few years to be part of the
roster to be permanent staff at UNHCR, as well as is looked highly upon in the refugee
law, the refugee NGO sectors and people working under refugee status determination as well.
Luber: OK. So immigration law and refugee status work, that’s your passion, that’s
what you’ve always focused on?
Kim Trinh: I have. I started out in law school working actually for Department of Homeland
Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. So I did have - that was my beginning of immigration
law. I actually did asylum law for the government and refugee law is exactly like US immigration
law, except it’s just a different legal definition. Every country has the right to
determine who can enter their country and based on national laws, that is loosely based
on the UN convention definition of a refugee, they determine who can be an asylum seeker
in their country. Actually, South Africa does that here as well. I only do refugee status
determination for those that have been denied by the South African government or have not
yet been seen as a refugee by the government, so that the UNHCR can move on forward with
their application for a possible resettlement at their country. So yeah, my work has always
been in immigration and refugee law.
I didn’t go to law school to make a lot of money. I mean, I still have to pay off
my loans, but I think it reminds me of why I went to law school to begin with: is to
do the advocacy, to actually provide legal assistance to people who are in need of it
and not have to do billable hours and seeing the reward of your assistance to your client:
the applicants. I really love my job. I couldn’t imagine doing this when I was in law school,
but I hear a lot of stories of lawyers miserable in their job, working so much, and I don’t
feel that way at all. I actually like working. I’ve never been more happy in a position
that I have. I might not make a lot of money but the non-profit world, after you stay for
a little while, it’s not as low-paying of a salary as people might assume it is overseas.
Luber: Are you inspired by Kim’s path like I am? If you’re interested in having a similar
path or learning more about immigration law, working as a UN volunteer or for the UNHCR,
you can watch the full interview with Kim at JDCareersOutThere.com. Kim tells all about
what it’s like to be a UN volunteer and work with the UNHCR. She talks about doing
refugee work, what it’s like to live and work overseas, and shares some different directions
where you can take this legal background.
You can take a shortcut to the site by going to JDCOT.com. If you’re already at the site,
you can scroll down to the full version – be sure to become a member so you can watch the
full interview and get access to lots more exclusive content filled with great advice.
Thanks again for watching everyone – I’m Marc Luber and look forward to seeing you
again soon. Take care.