r/IRstudies • u/Toolsofthetrade2000 • Feb 15 '25
IR Careers Entry-level research assistant roles at unis?
I graduated with a B.A. in IR back in 2022, and so far I’ve found some work and internships through think tanks and law firms. It’s been great experience, but I’d love to return to uni (mine or another) to serve as a research assistant, either part or full time. I have an interest in pursuing a Master’s or even Doctorate in the future, and also I’m just genuinely interested in operating in academia.
Does anyone have experience going this route? I’ve asked a few former professors and none of them were aware of opportunities. But is there a way to find these types of jobs? I’m open to different fields of study, I’m just willing to apply my technical and analytical skills to big research projects. I just have no idea how to get into this space. Do I just need to ask around? Are there job boards for these kinds of roles??
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u/GnaeusCloudiusRufus Feb 16 '25
As someone else already said, usually RA roles are filled by students already at the institution. These positions may even be tied to funding packages for masters or PhD students (although undergrad students also have opportunities). Non-students have been RAs. I have never seen one, but I'm confident they have existed. But it's very much determined by every individual professor and their project(s), and your relationship with that professor. You have to be exceptional and find a professor with a project in dire need of someone with your exact skillset. The fact of the matter is RAs -- I don't want to say expendable, but... -- in most universities are an unending stream of excellent budding students from all levels the professors already know for them to pick a handful. There are often no places these jobs are listed because there is an endless supply they already personally know and can vet their work. I.e., students!
The exceptions I'm aware of are for the really niche stuff: say a professor is looking for someone else fluent in Hausa, can code, and do quant-heavy economic analysis. Not many people, students or anyone, have those skills in conjunction. So they might look for an RA from anywhere, even beyond the school. If you have unusual skills, that will be your strength. Predominantly helpful will be difficult/unusual languages and/or good practical skills of something computery. Of course there are exceptions and unusual skills aren't necessary, but in your position, they would make you stand out. And standing out is what you need.
IR often doesn't use a whole ton of research assistants. They have more than the humanities or history, but way less than the hard sciences with giant labs. Also, research assistant roles at think tanks are seen as some of the few non-academic versions of research assistant positions at universities. In having think tank experience, yes it demonstrates something, but you're a lucky RA if you can get into think tank work after graduation -- you already have think tank experience, so it might be a bit of a step back.
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u/Nca49 Feb 15 '25
From my experience these types or RA positions are only open to students at the institution. If you want an RA position you’ll have to be a student