During the three years I spent working at FIFA, I received many requests from people wanting to know how to join. The purpose of this article is to give these people a better understanding of what is needed to join this football institution.
You like football? Well, guess what, millions of people too and they also apply for jobs at FIFA. FIFA, like any company, is searching for skilled employees. Being a football fan is not a skill! Or, at least, it won’t differentiate your application from the others FIFA received. And, be aware that not all FIFA employees like football. They are there to perform a task and they perform in marketing, event management, HR, finance, project management, etc… like in any other company. You need to have a pertinent experience in your area.
You also have to take into account that FIFA works for football associations all over the world. You speak English? Well, it is a good start but not enough to work worldwide. Languages are key at FIFA: apart from English, being able to work in French, Spanish or German is an advantage. FIFA headquarters are located in Zürich, Switzerland and it is a Swiss-German speaking place, so having a good basis in German would help your everyday life once there.
You’re afraid of traveling by plane? Well, at FIFA, you can expect some business trips and not always the shortest ones as football is not only played in Switzerland or Europe but also in the Pacific islands, Latin America, Asia, Africa, etc…
You’ve got the skills mentioned above? Fine. Now you can improve your application by having some knowledge of football events. You can help at your local football club, being involved in football tournaments, volunteer at international events, etc… You may get in touch with your national/regional football association to see how you can get involved in the game. It would definitely be appreciated by FIFA recruiters and you can also meet people who would be able to recommend you one day. Football is a small world!
Please note that FIFA is an organization with more than 500 employees, so it means that they don’t publish new job offers every day. It is like the medium-size company in your local area, excepted that people already in place at FIFA are often happy to be there and won’t easily leave for a better salary next door. So, patience is required. Usually, more offers are published just after the Men’s World Cup, as some people leave after having worked four years to prepare this event.
FIFA job offers are published here: http://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/home-of-fifa/careers/index.html
If you cannot wait for the good offer to join FIFA, you can also apply to the football confederations, national football associations, domestic professional football clubs, sport agencies, etc… There are plenty of other ways to work in the football industry.
I hope it helps! Best luck with your applications!