Hi everyone,

I have been accepted to the LLM in IHL and IHRL at Geneva Academy but investing that amount of money (18,000k + 20,000k to live in Geneva for 10 months) is a dilemma especially because I am not sure about the outcome.

The programme is the best in the world for IHL but it seems if you already have professional experience like me (5 years of professional experience in IHL and human rights including UNHQ in New York, UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, UN peacekeeping mission in Congo), it won't add much to your profile in terms of marketability.

I do not hold a first level degree in Law (I studied international relations in the UK) but I have gained field experience in IHL/HR on the way. I want to do a postgraduate degree in law to be able to work as an investigator for organizations like TRIAL, CIVITAS MAXIMA, the ICJ, the ICC etc. which play a bigger role in the prosecution of war crimes/ representation of victims.

In the light of my professional experience, do you think doing this LLM would guarantee me to find in job in the field of IHL straight afterward ? I spoke with few alumni of the LLM and it seems that most of their class could only get internship/ traineeship after completing this degree...

In the light of everything I just explained, do you think it’s worth it to invest 40,000K in this LLM or do you think is my professional experience would be enough on its own for what I want to do (investigating cases of war crime/crime against humanity/genocide/ severe breach of IHL)? Do you think doing the LLM at Geneva Academy would really give me guarantees when it comes to jobs related to IHL?

Thanks a lot in advance for your response!