IR graduate- any advice appreciated

petethebrick

I've just finished up a masters in International Relations and will graduate with either a 1.1 or high 2.1. My undergrad is in Computer Science. Don't ask....!
I've applied for a research assistant post at a university but am getting stressed about what I'll do if I fail to get that. I'm hoping the research assitant job will be a good stepping stone to positions in the future.
I'm applying online to the graduate programs of companies such as Accenture etc but am wondering if I should use a recruitment agency. I'm good with books but hopeless at this whole job hunting thing! If anyone has any ideas or suggestions about jobs you think I could be suited to please throw them out there!
Also, I know it's a big ask, but would there be anyone willing to have a quick look at my CV who is experienced with them. I've put a lot of work into it but am worried it might not be up to scratch for a lot of these big companies.
Thanks so much!

damnyanks

Get people to look at your CV for sure.

As for what you could do - well what are you interested in ? I'm not going to tell you what you should do with your time. (Well I would but lets pretend I wont)

Cadet?

First off- I'm jealous! I really wanna do an IR Masters, but it'll be a few years before I can afford it. Do you mind me asking where you did it? In Ireland? UK?

-If you're going to get a good result maybe you'd be interested in further study? There are loads of really good IR+Political Science Dept's here and in the UK and they all offer funded PHD programs....or you could apply to the IRCHSS.

-All the big NGO's and intergovernmentals look for people with IR related masters- I know that the UN won't even consider you for a position unless you have one.

-Another thing you could look at is law- either here or in the UK. I think there is a lot of overlap in the two disciplines and most large practices have an EU section which mite appeal to you.

-Once again, if you'd think about moving to the UK or even Brussels there'd be plenty of opportunities to work in public affairs consultancy, political think tanks etc. There doesn't seem to be anywhere near the same amount of similar opportunities in Ireland for some reason.

-For the time being why not apply for an internship with an intergovernmental or an NGO. I know the European Parliament runs a paid internship program and I'm pretty sure the Commission does as well.

-The civil service is always another option, although the EO, AO and Junior Diplomat competitions are now over be sure to keep an eye on the Public Appointments Service website. Obviously working in Foreign Affairs or Defence has obvious overlaps with your Masters but indeed most Departments would as they al have to deal with EU compliance etc.

Congratulations on the great results by the way!

petethebrick

Thanks for the advice. I have thought about a lot of the options you have mentioned but I'm primarily interested in earning money for the next two years to pay off the debts I incurred in completing the course. Maybe I would have been better off saving more for it beforehand like you're planning too! It was an expensive year...

On the other hand I'm happy to have it done and under my belt.
I did the course at DCU and would highly recommend it especially if you're coming from an unrelated undergraduate area. I hope to do a Phd eventually but want to start that debt free as although phd scholarships are substantial I dont think it would be feasible to be paying off a loan at the same time. For the same reason I can't really consider a lot of the internships of the sort you mention yet.
Thanks again.