How to find an (Undergrad) research assistant position in europe?

Question

I am an undergraduate student in the Netherlands (and non-EU citizen). For some reason I feel research assistantships (at my level, or even once you graduate) are more common in the US than in Europe. Perhaps I am not familiar with the lingo here though.

I was wondering where to look for, or what should characterise an RA position in Europe and how to find one at my level.

So far, all I have been able to do is volunteer at a lab (doing grunt work and getting some crappy data to play around with in return). But nothing serious that involves me in one of the projects of the laboratory, gets me close to collaborating in a publication (even if my name is not in it), or resembles what I think the definition of RA should be (since I am not collaborating on any research).

I am looking for a bit of clarity on where and what I should be looking for. Thanks!

Answer 1

The Dutch term you are looking for is Studentassistent.

My experience in the Netherlands (some time ago and in the social sciences) is that these positions are fairly rare. Moreover they were rarely advertised. If someone had funding for such a position, a student was directly asked. At my current institution in Germany we have so much funding earmarked for "HiWis" we have trouble filling all the positions.

So I don't think it is a European thing; there are huge differences between countries and disciplines.

Answer 2

Such positions are likely to be extremely rare in The Netherlands (this possibly extends to a number of other European countries with similar bachelor-master structures).

As an undergraduate you are not expected to do much in terms of research. It is not unusual for the only research to be part of a bachelor's thesis, if that. This likely stems from there being no use in this from the perspective of Dutch higher education. You usually don't need research experience (never mind publications) to get into a masters program and it would be highly exceptional if you landed a PhD position without a masters degree.

Once in a masters' program (assuming it is research oriented) you will find more opportunities, though these may simply be research projects that are part of the program and not RA positions. If you do well in such a research project you should find your professor happy to work with you. And while at this level funded RA positions exist I don't believe they are common. And as @MaartenBuis mentions, a professor is likely to know who they want for such a position. Moreover, usually there will be plenty of students looking for a thesis topic that will work for free...

Answer 3

"what I think the definition of RA should be...."

It's possible you have a fundamental misunderstanding about research assistantships ("RAships"), at least as they are structured in the U.S. I hope others will post to describe what the definition of "RA" is in other parts of the world. Perhaps you could post some links if there's something you read on the internet that shaped your thinking about them.

I will describe what I know about the most common research positions for students in the U.S., for comparison purposes.

1. Here's my understanding of how RAships most typically work in the U.S. My understanding of an RA position is that it is offered to a grad student. Typically a professor with grant money would offer an RAship to a student he feels is very promising. Typically, the student accepting the RAship would move from a teaching assistanship (TAship) to the RAship, and this would take 20 hours of grading and office hour duties off his To Do list each week, enabling him to focus more intensively on his research. Most often, this type of RAship is offered when the student is a well-known quantity, for example after passing the basic (but substantial) PhD exams (which have different names at different institutions).

   However, sometimes a professor will offer an RAship to an entering first-year student.

   The RAship, similar to the TAship, comes with a stipend and a tuition deferral. Meaning, you get a bare bones salary, and you get to register for classes at a cost of $0. This is extremely important in the U.S.

   My impression is that this tuition deferral is of much less importance (or relevance) in Europe.

   An RA might be assigned to do very specific tasks for the advisor, to a greater or lesser degree, but never more than 20 hours per week (averaged out over the semester). In any case, he will be expected to work hard on his own studies which are supposed to lead, eventually, if he's a beginner, or directly, if he is farther along, to a PhD thesis. He will be expected to reporting regularly on his progress. His advisor is supposed to be actively involved in mentoring and guidance throughout the research endeavor.

2. Separate from that, there are REUs in the U.S.: Research Experiences for Undergraduates. I see these taking place in the summer, but I'll let you read about them to see if they are actually only done in the summer or not.

   An REU, to be a successful experience for the student, needs to be carefully structured by the scientist mentor.

I imagine there are questions here at Academica SE about how to choose an advisor and how to choose a research project, that could be useful for you. My guess is that this is the important thing for you. (I am not sure that focusing on the financial aspects would be particularly helpful.)