Job hunting in international relations - is it time to give up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A: So at the time i was following these things which was ten years ago little political risk firms were starting BA holders around $32k. The think tanks about the same. I had an MA (SAIS, Fletcher, KSG, that sort of thing) - and the debt to prove it - and was offered $39k at Control Risks here in DC which is one of the bigger players. I declined but know they filled the position with someone else a few days later.

B: Not sure. Probably a range from $50k to 100k with a lot around 75k. You are much better off in the federal government so most of these outfits lose young people to the feds.

lot of sais grads in 'country risk' desks for bulge bracket banks. those certainly pay a lot more (not IB or trader money) but very decent with interesting work and better hours than ib.

[Anonymous]

Think tank jobs for IR grads with MAs pay in the low/mid 40s. And we could fill every job a few hundred times over. I know people complain a lot about these salaries; however, the plus side is lots of leave time, opportunities for schmoozing, contacts and networking.

I hate to say it, but that (networking) is the key to getting a job in this field, and to progressing to the next job. The big schools have very well integrated networks in most big DC institutions and I find students seem to use these contacts to their advantage. Fwiw I have been watching over 2 decades plus as my classmates from a top tier IR school have progressed in their careers; they all seem to find well-paying, interesting positions and build meaningful and impressive careers. It's not obvious when you're just starting out, but somehow it seems to happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Think tank jobs for IR grads with MAs pay in the low/mid 40s. And we could fill every job a few hundred times over. I know people complain a lot about these salaries; however, the plus side is lots of leave time, opportunities for schmoozing, contacts and networking.

I hate to say it, but that (networking) is the key to getting a job in this field, and to progressing to the next job. The big schools have very well integrated networks in most big DC institutions and I find students seem to use these contacts to their advantage. Fwiw I have been watching over 2 decades plus as my classmates from a top tier IR school have progressed in their careers; they all seem to find well-paying, interesting positions and build meaningful and impressive careers. It's not obvious when you're just starting out, but somehow it seems to happen.

key phrase

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Think tank jobs for IR grads with MAs pay in the low/mid 40s. And we could fill every job a few hundred times over. I know people complain a lot about these salaries; however, the plus side is lots of leave time, opportunities for schmoozing, contacts and networking.

I hate to say it, but that (networking) is the key to getting a job in this field, and to progressing to the next job. The big schools have very well integrated networks in most big DC institutions and I find students seem to use these contacts to their advantage. Fwiw I have been watching over 2 decades plus as my classmates from a top tier IR school have progressed in their careers; they all seem to find well-paying, interesting positions and build meaningful and impressive careers. It's not obvious when you're just starting out, but somehow it seems to happen.

I think IR grads are aware of the pay and the grounded ones aren't as irked about the pay scale as much as you said the competitiveness for any job tangentially related to the field.