Thursday, May 24, 2012

Jobs at SAIS Bologna

Graduate school is an investment -- of time, energy and money. Many students need to work a job to make ends meet financially.

There are jobs on and off campus in Bologna. We discuss some of the possibilities below. But first a brief word of caution.

While we know how important it is for many students to hold down a part-time job, it must not jeopardize your academic success.

We recommend that students limit time on a job to about 10 hours a week. Students who work more than that can have trouble keeping up with course work. Remember SAIS has a demanding curriculum that requires solid time-management skills. In addition to classes and homework, there are seminars, career planning and, why not, one's social life.

So what kind of employment opportunities are there at SAIS Bologna?

THE BOLOGNA INSTITUTE FOR POLICY RESEARCH (BIPR)
BIPR employs five student research assistants and three photographers each semester.

Research assistants attend the seminar series and conduct video interviews with guest speakers. They  manage the “BIPR Research Brown Bag” series at which adjunct faculty discuss their research interests with students.

Photographers capture the seminar series and Institute events such as faculty-author book presentations held at Feltrinelli International book store. You may remember our posts on book presentations by Prof. Gilbert and Prof. Harper.

LIBRARY
The library hires students to work 8-10 hours a week. Some 4 students are hired for pre-term. Before the start of the academic year in late September, there is a second round of hiring to find around ten students to work during the academic year.

FRONT DESK
Raffaella Besola will be one of the first people you meet when you arrive. Every year she hires 4  students to work at the reception. Students normally work 6-8 hours a week.

CCSDD
The Center for Constitutional Studies and Democratic Development (CCSDD) hires around 10-15 research assistants. Jobs will be advertized in the summer or at the start of the academic year.

RESEARCH, TEACHING ASSISTANTS
Some professors hire students as research or teaching assistants. To qualify for these jobs, you need to have a background in the subject taught by the professor.

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES
Some offices will hire students to lend them a hand during the year. The number of students and the working hours vary from office to office. Students are hired to work with the IT office, Career Services, Communications and possibly others.

OFF CAMPUS
Some students find jobs off campus, often teaching their native language. Some have worked as au pair. Obviously the range of jobs off-campus is larger for those who speak Italian. On a student visa, one can work up to 20 hours a week or 1,040 hours in a year.

I can hear your next question: How do I apply for on-campus jobs?

Some jobs, such as openings at BIPR, are advertized through SAISWorks, the database and research tool used by the Career Services Offices on all three SAIS campuses.

Please pay attention to the welcome email from Career Services over the summer. It will include information about programming and an invitation to craft a resume or CV in the SAIS format before you come to SAIS. That can be helpful if you are interested in an on-campus job as some applications will require this format.

Other jobs, such as those in the library and at the reception, are announced via email in the summer.

The bottom line: If you want a part-time job, keep an eye on your email. There will be opportunities, but you have to seize them.

Amina Abdiuahab

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