Looking for short-term research positions

[lkjpoi]

I'm looking for short-term (less than one year) positions to fill my gap year. Can anyone recommend websites that have listings or tell me general methods of seeking out opportunities? I have applied to a couple of fellowships but I haven't been able to find very many that are open to non-doctoral students. I'm imagining there are openings like internships, research assistant positions, library jobs, and perhaps more substantial research project stuff available for postgrad students, but I'm struggling to find them. If it's relevant, my field is medieval and early modern European history. I can maybe do early modern art history too.

P.S. Thanks to everyone who has replied to my recent posts. It's helpful to hear of other students' experiences. 

[ashiepoo72]

You might want to look for internships at museums if you're comfortable with art history. I don't know where you live, but a friend applied for internships at several small museums and the Smithsonian. As to short-term RA positions, you should consult with your BA professors or department admin. If you don't live near your BA institution anymore, I'd go to the local university and talk to the history department admin or whoever coordinates stuff for the division of social sciences and humanities and ask what opportunities they know of in the area.

[remenis]

I work in medieval history as well. In general, most of the formal, well-advertised, year-long research positions are only available to people who have already completed a graduate degree. Remember that many of PhD graduates in medieval history do not find jobs as professors and seek out these sort of positions, so unless a job or fellowship specifies that it is for someone holding a BA only, they're going to be pretty hard to obtain.

 

In my experience, the best way to find a research assistant position as a postgrad is to email people who work on something related to your interests and ask if they need a research assistant. In my last year of undergrad I sent out emails to nearby professors whose work I had read but who I had never met explaining my interests and asking if they needed a research assistant - one happened to be looking for a new researcher and was able to pay me (part time - I did have to get a second part time job as well). My advice would be to email assistant professors, because they are highly motivated to get research done (in time for tenure review) but do not have their own graduate students (professors who are advising students will almost always have those students as their research assistants if they need one).