Working for a Think Tank

[onebuck]

So I've applied to research assistant positions at several major think tanks (think CFR, Brookings, AEI, etc.)

Obviously the pay is not so great at these places (from what I've seen around 35k to 40k max) and also doesn't help that generally they're based in cities with high cost of living.

With that said, how beneficial is an RA position at a major think tank generally for one's career in International Affairs?

[abraxas]

Are you already in grad school, or are you planning on it? If you already have an advanced degree, like an MA, then you'd be more competitive for those positions. The catch-22 of work experience before the MA makes those positions attractive to a lot of BA holders, so there's intense competition (I'm probably competing with you right now...) Also, many of these positions require MAs regardless, which makes them even harder to get.

As far as career advancement, you do make a lot of connections that are valuable. Even Program Assistants can have valuable contacts. Also, some of the more prestigious ones offer tuition assistance, I've heard. But Brookings, CFR, and CSIS are all insanely competitive, even for lowly positions. And be wary of applying to ideological think tanks if you don't share their ideology (I.e., if you're a liberal democrat, AEI might not be the best fit. Even if they hire you, the work atmosphere might prove challenging).

[onebuck]

Are you already in grad school, or are you planning on it? If you already have an advanced degree, like an MA, then you'd be more competitive for those positions. The catch-22 of work experience before the MA makes those positions attractive to a lot of BA holders, so there's intense competition (I'm probably competing with you right now...) Also, many of these positions require MAs regardless, which makes them even harder to get.

As far as career advancement, you do make a lot of connections that are valuable. Even Program Assistants can have valuable contacts. Also, some of the more prestigious ones offer tuition assistance, I've heard. But Brookings, CFR, and CSIS are all insanely competitive, even for lowly positions. And be wary of applying to ideological think tanks if you don't share their ideology (I.e., if you're a liberal democrat, AEI might not be the best fit. Even if they hire you, the work atmosphere might prove challenging).

Planning on it.

I've had several years of work experience working at one of the larger financial companies in the US.

Catch-22 is totally right though, these RA positions would definitely be helpful in getting into a top graduate school, which in turn would make you that much more competitive for these same kind of jobs (albeit maybe at a higher level) in the future.

Any idea how many RAs generally work at these think tanks?

[abraxas]

No idea how many are employed. I've been doing a little research and going through the staff pages at Brookings and CFR websites, looking at the RA positions. You could figure out how many there are, what the background of an average RA is, etc.