c0c0 Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I'm trying not to sweat it, but there is that sneaking fear of being unemployed. Tell me about it ! Argh I only got interviewed by IPA for one position and I bloody hope it works out because the only alternative I have is selling my soul and going off to work in investment banking (best offer I got in terms of interest and $)...Man that would be sad.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayflwers472 Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Haha yeah I turned down a regional Fed offer bc they had a deadline and I had a bunch of interviews with JPAL. I really want to do development over fed-type research, but if this doesn't work out I will be kicking myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeemug Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Yes, I am really anxious too. I am wondering if they have already started making offers? Anyone have any idea about this? Also, how many people do PI's interview for a given project and position, on average? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecommoner Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Tell me about it ! Argh I only got interviewed by IPA for one position and I bloody hope it works out because the only alternative I have is selling my soul and going off to work in investment banking (best offer I got in terms of interest and $)...Man that would be sad.... got 2 interviews before and during exam week in my uni.... :( had to wait loooooong enough to know one of the results (i.e. emailed them last week)... waited for nothing but rejection! :( well, i guess there are other options like mckinsey (?). Life goes on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peppypundit Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Ecommoner, sorry to hear that. But you mentioned 2 interviews right? So doesn't that mean you still have a chance for the second? By the looks of it, the HR managers don't consider it necessary to inform interviewed applicants about their status unless they email them themselves.:hmm: I hope everything turns out right for you. Cheers Abhishek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c0c0 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Well mckinsey sounds less evil than IB ah ah you could even probably get into development that way. a friend of mine did the ODI fellowship and is now working for mckinsey on tons of dev related projects... I think Illl wait until the end of the week and then send an email. It's just a little stressful because I have these two women from HR (in the IB) calling me everyday in the last week, twice today argh, to check whether I've decided to accept. apparently there are "lots of other candidates who are just as good as you and more motivated"..im sure thats true, I just want to get jpaaal/ipaaa Anyone here got an offer yet ?! I know one girl who has (for India) but she was totally super-over--uber-qualified so that doesnt count lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeemug Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Hi all, I just got an offer from J-PAL for a field position in India. I am really excited about it and am definitely taking it. Anyone else here who will be joining J-PAL in India this year? Also, if there is anyone who is currently working at J-PAL in India or has done so in the past, I would really appreciate any advice you might have. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubEffect Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Hey Coffeemug, Congrats on the offer! I have been a JPAL RA in India, so if you have any questions (I definitely had a lot), I'd be happy to answer them through PM. Good luck to everyone else, and don't think it's all over if you don't get an offer in the first round of hires: some people end up turning down their offers, which opens up more spots, and more offers get made. I'm not sure what stage the hiring process is at right now for most positions, but have friends who got offers as late as April in previous years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peppypundit Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 @ Coffemug, High five! See, what did I tell you about being patient with IFMR-CMF? Great going. So which evaluation are you handling? @TheSubEffect- It's great to know that there's a mentor and guide here who's been there, done that. Been here, done this- actually- since India (your JPAL work country) is home for me. I'd like to ask you a question about the chances of non-US (Indian) students applying for JPAL SA positions. Is it okay to send you a PM you at this point? Do let me know, and only then I'll pose my question. Cheers Abhishek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayflwers472 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I just got an offer from J-PAL in Africa! The PI's are somewhat uncertain about where/what project I'll be working on due to funding issues. Anyone who is still waiting- this could be a reason it is taking a while to hear back. I'm so excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peppypundit Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Hey everyone, After much heated discussion in March and February, this thread appears to have gone Arctic. I'd love to hear what's been up in the lastfour months. Coffeemug and Mayflowers472 said they got offers in India and Africa respectively. So for the two of you, have JPAL finally allotted you your projects? What about everyone else on the forum? c0c0? ecommoner? treddi? In my case, I got the IPA summer internship in India. After 3 rounds of phone interviews, I have my final meeting this weekend, face-to-face with my PIs, for a regular one-year RA position . There have been long delays between every interview stage. So I'd like to assure applicants that 2 weeks or a little above is the standard time they need to come to a decision (unless you're ridiculously qualified with a PhD or something). Looking forward to hearing from all of you (and who knows, maybe have some of you as colleagues) Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
an optimist Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 hi! i realize the thread pertained to applications last year but im hoping you guys can help the new applicants as well. can someone give me a brief profile, if possible, of the kind of RAs they expect? Is no experiance in field work or STATA going to affect my chances? appreciate the help! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnyNameDontCare Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 For those who got offers before, how is the pay look like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popolo2 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I second that. And what about day-to-day living as a field RA? Will I have any contacts overseas to help me find a place to live, where to buy food, etc? Also, did anyone else who applied read and/or mention Poor Economics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walras Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I don't have any inside info, but I applied previously and from what I remember of the application and the profiles of people who've gotten in from TM they don't expect field work, but they weigh research experience (especially knowledge of STATA), and language pretty highly. I had a very solid math background and some grad econ along with some RA experience and a little knowledge of STATA but I didn't even make it to the 1st round of interviews. I think it was my lack of language that killled me. In fact, from e-mails it looks like my app got farther into the FEDs then with JPAL. It's funny how large the supply is of people willing to live in the least developed corners of the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waxwings Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I don't have any inside info, but I applied previously and from what I remember of the application and the profiles of people who've gotten in from TM they don't expect field work, but they weigh research experience (especially knowledge of STATA), and language pretty highly. I had a very solid math background and some grad econ along with some RA experience and a little knowledge of STATA but I didn't even make it to the 1st round of interviews. I think it was my lack of language that killled me. In fact, from e-mails it looks like my app got farther into the FEDs then with JPAL. It's funny how large the supply is of people willing to live in the least developed corners of the world. Hmm, that's interesting. I don't work for JPAL or IPA but from what I can gather, it probably wasn't language unless you were targeting jobs with specific language requirements (Spanish in Latin American, French in Africa, etc.), since a lot of JPAL/IPA jobs are in Anglophone countries. But competition is still pretty fierce nowadays aside from that, as I'm sure others can testify as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayflwers472 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Hi guys, I've been a field RA for IPA/JPAL the last 8 months, and will try to give some insight. Experience living in a developing country is very important in the app process, and they are extremely hesitant to hire someone who hasn't lived in a developing country for at least a couple of months. It is my impression that field work is much more important than knowledge of Stata in general for field jobs, though it depends on the job/project. Sometimes they are looking for a field RA who is basically going to be a Stata monkey. In general, level of Stata required is much greater for US based RA jobs (though the Fed does seem to be willing to spend more time training), because that is literally the only thing you will be doing, while field RAs complete a broad range of tasks. This is not to say that being a Stata guru won't help you (definitely will) or that no Stata is required (probably best if you have some experience and know at least basic commands). Language will help you if you are fluent and applying specifically to jobs in a country that speaks that language, but otherwise doesn't matter. Research experience/grades/classes/recommendations are all important. In general it is just really competitive; I think they received over 1000 applications this cycle for maybe 60 jobs, not all of which are entry level. It is actually probably less competitive to apply off cycle (i.e. not for the batch that open up over the summer). If you make it to an interview, know the RCT manual on the JPAL website well, and read a couple of papers written by JPAL affiliates (particularly the one you are going to be interviewing with). Don't suck up to Poor Economics too much as the first person to interview you will probably be another RA, and they will find this annoying (so will PIs, probably). The pay for field positions sucks. If you account for how many hours we work, I'm making less than minimum wage. Lower cost of living helps, but stuff like flights home, savings, loan payments, new clothes, etc. is tough. I absolutely love the job and would take it again in a heartbeat, but there are a lot of things to consider, and it is not for everyone. If you are offered a job, current RAs (including me!) are happy to offer support and advice specific to the country, living or the job in general. I'm by no means an expert though, and please PM me if you have more specific questions. I got some really good advice from people on this site last year and want to pass on the favor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmf Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Mayflwers472, thank you for taking time to post such valuable and insightful information. Has anyone heard from the recruitment drive for 2012 yet? Do you know when we can expect to get responses/interviews? Would an applicants chances improve if he/she also applies for the specific positions as well as being part of the recruitment pool? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shamroxa Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I applied in this cycle, but have yet to hear back. I sent out emails to the few positions I was really interested in, I feel like it can't hurt to make sure you are on their radar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popolo2 Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Same here. Nothing yet. But after realizing how competitive it is, I'm not expecting to get a call back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayflwers472 Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 On timeline, don't worry if you haven't heard back yet. The deadline was Jan 31, and it takes them a few weeks to put together the database. I don't think PIs even have access until mid-Feb. I got my first call around this time last year I think, but I know they were contacting people for the first time for some jobs as late as May. Also, important people in the organization (e.g. Duflo, Banerjee) get first pick, so there is even more delay for some jobs. I wouldn't email PIs. They are very busy and depending on who it is, will likely be annoyed or not read it. I would suggest just sitting tight, but if you have a specific reason you really need to talk to them, think of emailing the people at JPAL jobs, who are actually the ones looking through apps in detail. I had a job offer in mid Feb from somewhere else and not much time to decide on it, so emailed the jpal jobs people who were very helpful in letting me know when I should expect to hear back for specific positions. Yeah, I would definitely apply for specific jobs if you are interested. They are a lot of jobs that aren't listed (the one I'm currently working in wasn't), but it is always good to show that you might be interested in a particular country/region/sector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jusray91 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Maybe I haven't read the website thoroughly enough, but is there any way I could grab a research position at JPAL as an undergrad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanzy112 Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Doubtful, if JPAL is anything like IPA. I work for IPA and I don't think IPA has any positions for undergrads besides internships. I do know of interns who come back as PAs after graduating from college though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bapa Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 If the continuation in this already long thread doesn't bore you all, I want to ask one question. I interviewed for JPAL some 12 days ago. And I am really anxious regarding the result. They told me it would take "a few weeks" before they would get back. But, I am loosing patience. So, I just wanted to ask if anybody heard back from the JPAL SA after interview, and if you did how long did it take to hear back? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c0c0 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 hey guys I got valuable advice from here last year too so should probably give back to the group in some way. Last year, I applied for the Jan deadline. Heard back from one IPA country office in Africa at the beginning of March then had an interview on skype a few days later and didn't hear anything from them until the end of the month. Right after the interview I sent a short email thanking the country director for taking the time to interview me, repeated how motivated I was and the usual "I look forward to hearing from you". No response for a week or so, sent another email, still no response. At the end of March (after waiting like 3 weeks) they finally told me that I hadn't made the cut for the interview with the PIs and that they had already hired someone else. Anyway, I was pretty distraught and didn't hear from any other projects. I reapplied to a few and then decided to focus on my coming exams instead. I graduated at the start of the summer, started working in an IB with the plan to start an MSc at LSE in the fall when I got an email from a CD at an another IPA office in Africa. I passed a Stata test, got an interview in person with the CD in London then interviewed with the PIs on the phone and got an offer mid August. Long story short: don't despair, even if it takes a while it can still work out. Also, getting an offer is a mixed blessing. It's not all rosy over here. Hot, dusty and exhausting a lot of the time ;-) Don't hesitate to PM me with any questions. Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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