Finding Predoc/RA Positions

Posted byRiccardo Di CatoPosted inAdviceTags:, , ,

Are you a soon-to be graduate wondering what to do next? Are you looking for pre-doctoral opportunities but don’t even know where to start? I’ve compiled a list of resources that I used, as well as several that I wish I had known about when I was a fresh graduate looking to get started. Hope you find it helpful!

P.S. This list is by no means comprehensive. If you happen to know other resources our future peers could find helpful feel free to drop them down in the comments!

PREDOC & RA POSTINGS

Websites with many postings
  • NBER posts non-NBER RA positions here
    • NBER also advertises other positions directly here   
  • Professors and others tag relevant RA postings on Twitter @econ_RA page (in this regard, Twitter is far more used than Linkedin)
  • J-PAL Careers (some RA positions directly at JPAL do not provide visa sponsorship, but other postings do)
  • IPA Research Positions
Organized pre-doctoral research programs with set hiring cycle for
multiple RAs every year
  • Stanford (SIEPR program, a variety of topics)
  • Chicago (EPIC program, Energy Policy Center)
  • Harvard EPod – look for EPoD Research Fellow postings here
  • Harvard Opportunity Insights (2 years commitment) updates posted here
  • Yale predoc program
  • Princeton cross-department university program
  • Harvard Scholars (no visa sponsorships, US citizens and permanent residents only)
Other Sources to check
  • Brown, Princeton often have a lot of positions that are not always posted on the above-mentioned websites, you can check them directly in their career portals
  • The World Bank has research postings that don’t seem to come up on Twitter or NBER, so you can check their careers under research & quantitative analysis job family or their careers portal (where there are also interesting programs such as the Young Professional Program
  • The European Central Bank often published vacancies and traineeships for students and graduates

DEVELOPMENT/FIELD WORK

  • Surely check J-PAL, IPA, and Twitter (follow Professors with shared interests)
  • Check out this page from LSE website for careers international organizations
  • Check out this page from LSE for careers in international development
  • A very prestigious alternative to RA positions is  this opportunity at the Overseas Development Institute where postgraduate economists (PhD not required) can work in developing country public sectors as local civil servants on two-year contracts
  • Bocconi University, through LEAP, posts vacancies here
  • Finally, definitely follow Chris Blattman at chrisblattman.com and check out all the amazing content on development (and more)

OTHER RESOURCES

For everyone
For Europeans/Italians

MY FINAL ADVICE TO YOU

  • Dream big: apply to all the best places and apply to many of them (be ready to be rejected)
  • Use Twitter! The economics community is very active, do not underestimate it. Follow Professors who do research that interests you
  • Ask your advisors, many times professors look for RAs without necessarily posting online
  • If you want to do field work, learn a second language (other than English), improve your software skills (Python preferred, if not Stata, R, QGIS), find ways to add managerial/leadership experiences to your CV
  • Check your university’s website and look for former students’ RA placement: this usually creates a work history network that might benefit you
  • Check your university’s website and look for former students who are now Professors: they may be more willing to help you out (and maybe hire you if you are lucky)
  • Finally, if you are brave enough, you could reach out to professors directly. Sometimes you are just the best fit for them (but ask your advisors first)

Did I miss something? Feel free to let me know in the comments below!

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