What it does: The World Bank Philippines provides expert knowledge and funding assistance for development projects in the country.
Best known for: being part of an international development institution owned by over 185 countries
Staff stats: more than 100 employees in the Philippines
Financials: US$7.3 billion in approved funding for East and Pacific in fiscal 2020
The good bits: Fresh grads can work for the World Bank Philippines through several programs. These include the Junior Professional Associates Program and the Young Professionals Program.
The not-so-good bits: The World Bank Philippines doesn’t offer a lot of entry-level direct employment opportunities for fresh grads.
The World Bank Philippines started in 1945 as a development partner, especially for economic recovery post-World War II. More than 75 years later, the financial institution has been instrumental in development projects for:
The World Bank Philippines expanded its initiatives in the 2000s by supporting peace missions and social protection. These projects include the Mindanao Trust Fund and the Social Welfare and Development Reform Project.
As of 2021, the World Bank Philippines has approved more than US$1 billion in loans to the national government. The financial assistance aims to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
The World Bank Philippines describes its workplace culture as diverse and multicultural. Fresh grads should be adept at dealing with the nuances of a global organization. For example, new hires (whether contractors or staff) are bound to collaborate with different nationalities.
The biggest challenge for them, however, would be the prospect of performing on par with their peers. As the institution only hires high-calibre employees, this can exert undue pressure for new hires to deliver excellent work.
The World Bank Philippines’ Mindanao Trust Fund has promoted socio-economic recovery in the region across nearly 580 communities. Almost 600,000 Filipinos have benefited from clean water, better roads, farming and fishing equipment, and post-harvest facilities.
Another project is the Social Welfare and Development Reform Project, which supports the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
Also known as 4Ps, the program has improved the lives of more than 4 million families in the country. For example, the conditional cash transfer program has provided 4P beneficiaries with financial support for education and livelihood.
The World Bank Philippines’ employment standards may intimidate fresh grads. Qualified individuals, however, should see the recruitment policy as a benchmark for attracting only the best candidates.
The institution seems to prefer experienced professionals for entry-level jobs. Fresh grads would then have a higher chance of joining the organization through graduate programs and internships
The World Bank Philippines recruits fresh grads based on meritocracy. The institution’s recruitment policy primarily focuses on hiring candidates ‘of the highest calibre.’
In other words, fresh grads must acquire as many relevant skills as possible to stand out among their peers. These skills include proficiency in English and another working language of the institution (eg Arabic, Spanish).
In general, candidates may go through up to four recruitment rounds:
Fresh grads should visit the World Bank Philippines’ careers site to create an account. An online application takes at least 15 minutes. If applicants need more time, they should complete it within two hours.
Otherwise, the site will disconnect them due to inactivity. Once ‘Long List’ appears on their application status, it means that they are among several candidates being considered for the job. The ‘Short List’ notification means that someone is a potential candidate for an interview.
Applicants will see a ‘Not Selected’ status if they weren’t considered for the Long List, Short List, or interview rounds.
The World Bank Philippines will also not consider applicants who have Category I Relatives working at the organization:
The institution said that it may take a few weeks or several months to complete the selection process.
Interns at the World Bank Philippines earn an hourly salary, although the estimated rates are unknown. Contractors like JPAs may earn above-average salaries.
For instance, a contract-based research analyst’s monthly salary ranges from Php87,000 to Php93,000. Fresh grads must remember that their actual salaries will depend on their academic achievements and skills.
In terms of benefits, the World Bank Philippines may offer insurance coverage (eg accident, health, life) for JPAs. Paid-leave benefits comprise 26 days of leave and 15 days of sick leave per year.
The World Bank Philippines doesn’t have plenty of direct entry-level job opportunities for fresh grads, but there are several programs. These include the Bank Internship Program (BIP) and Junior Professional Associates (JPA) Program.
The program seeks individuals with an undergraduate degree, and they should be pursuing a master's degree or PhD. The World Bank Philippines offers internships twice every year (May to September, November to March).
Interns join the Operations (Front Line) team or Corporate Support department. Operations interns work in the fields of agriculture, economics, engineering, finance, human development, social sciences, and other related fields.
Corporate support roles comprise account accounting, communications, human resources management, information technology (IT), and treasury.
JPAs at the World Bank Philippines should be 28 years old or younger. While fluency in English is a must, fresh grads will stand out if they are also fluent in Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish.
More importantly, someone who ranked on top of their graduating class with excellent academic records will be the best fit for the program. The institution hires qualified graduates on a two-year Extended Term Consultant contract.
During this period, JPAs use their quantitative and qualitative analytical skills to work in corporate and operational functions. These include accounting, agriculture, communications, economics, finance, infrastructure, IT, and legal fields.