Student Hiring FAQs

Note: On this page, we refer to “RAs.” Unless we specify otherwise, this includes both graduate research assistants and undergraduate student assistants.

Outcomes of Working at CERSE

Q: What will I get out of working at CERSE?
A: CERSE RAs gain valuable knowledge, skills, and abilities conducting applied research and program evaluation in collaboration with consultants and external organizations. RAs also build relationships with educational equity partners. Those considering “alt-academic” or “non-academic” jobs may find the experience particularly useful, but a CERSE RAship can also provide valuable research opportunities for students seeking an academic career. Many former RAs, including those in tenure-track academic positions, have suggested their experience at CERSE helped them obtain and/or succeed in subsequent opportunities.

Q: How does working at CERSE differ from more traditional research roles at UW?
A: Research roles can look very different across units at UW. There are a few ways CERSE positions might stand out:

• Publications: CERSE publishes some academic research, but our written project deliverables are more often reports that we submit to our collaborators. The possibility of engaging in publication production will depend upon the project(s) that the RA is working on.
• Hours: CERSE typically expects graduate student RAs to work about 20 hours of work each week and a total of 220 hours per quarter (in alignment with the ASE union contract). Undergraduate student assistants typically work a consistent number of hours (typically 10-15/week) that they agree upon with their supervisor. Some RAs have suggested the workload is more stable than in other positions that may sometimes expect more than 20 hours of weekly work leading up to a deadline.
• External Accountability: CERSE works with external collaborators for evaluation projects and is accountable to these colleagues for all projects it works on.

Eligibility

Q: What are non-negotiable eligibility requirements for CERSE RA positions?
A: CERSE RAs must be UW students.

Q: What are the course enrollment requirements for working at CERSE and can RAs
continue after they graduate?
A: For graduate RAs in stipended positions, students must be enrolled for at least 10 credits during the academic year. Typically, the summer positions are hourly and do not cover tuition. Therefore there are no enrollment requirements in the summer. We can hire new RAs to start in the summer term even if they are not enrolled during the summer, if they are continuing at UW the following autumn. Continuing RAs can remain employed at CERSE for up to one quarter after they graduate, if there is project funding.

Q: Does CERSE hire RAs from all UW units?
A: Students from all UW units are eligible to work with CERSE. However, because we are grant-funded, sometimes our budgets do not allow us to hire students from fee-based programs.

Selection Criteria

Q: What knowledge do you prioritize for hiring CERSE RAs?
A: CERSE RAs come from many disciplines and bring various types of knowledge with them to their positions. Most RAs have some background in social science research methods. Knowledge of one or more STEM disciplines, or other topics related to the projects the RA will work on, can provide helpful context for working with STEM professionals and students, but is not required. Knowledge about the fields of education and especially program evaluation are useful.

Q: What technical skills do you need to work as a CERSE RA?
A: Most graduate RAs bring some research experience with them into the position. The specific technical skills that are most helpful for a given position depend on the demands of the projects the RA will work on. CERSE RAs often conduct observations, interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Common analytic techniques include coding and evaluating qualitative information and creating descriptive charts from survey data. We currently use Dedoose, Excel, and statistical software packages (e.g., SPSS, Stata, or R) most frequently.

Q: Are there any other selection criteria you prioritize?
A: A commitment to equity, inclusion, diversity, and justice is essential and applicants should be able to explain what this means to them. Being able to apply an equity lens to research is crucial for our work.

Working at CERSE

Q: Do RAs get paid on an hourly or salary basis?
A: During the academic year, most graduate RAs work a 50% FTE salary position, which comes with the usual benefits that you can find in your RA/TA union contract. Occasionally we offer hourly positions during the academic year for graduate RAs. Undergraduate student assistants work on an hourly basis, which is also the case for graduate RAs during the summer. RAs working hourly are required to keep up-to-date by adding their hours to Workday for each pay period for approval.

Q: What is the one-quarter trial period and how does it work?
A: CERSE initially hires RAs for one quarter. If both the RA and CERSE agree and project funding is available, positions may extend into subsequent quarters.

Q: How long do RAs stay at CERSE?
A: This depends on a variety of factors, but many RAs stay at CERSE for multiple quarters or years. Sometimes we hire for positions that have continuous funding beyond the first quarter and other times we only have funding for a single quarter. However, additional funding sometimes becomes available and/or positions open up, which can allow RAs to stay longer than originally planned.

Q: What does a day in a CERSE RA position look like?
A: This really depends! Each project requires different things during different times of the year. A project may be focused on preparing data collection instruments, coordinating data collection, collecting data, processing and analyzing data, and synthesizing and reporting results. A project may have multiple forms of data collection on different schedules, so RAs may be working on multiple aspects of this work in the same day or week. Some RAs work on multiple projects which can add more variety to the work.

Q: What kind of flexibility is there in RAs’ schedules?
A: There is typically a lot of flexibility in terms of when CERSE RAs put in their hours. We expect RAs to be available at some point during Pacific Time business hours (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm) for weekly meetings with supervisor(s) and regular all-staff meetings. Additionally, we ask RAs to find time during these hours for meetings with external collaborators and data collection, as necessary. Outside of this, RAs can usually work whenever is convenient for them.

Q: What are the requirements for RAs to track their hours?
A: RAs are required to track their hours to ensure that they work the contracted 220 hours per quarter. Supervisors generally do not ask to see this documentation, and we generally treat it as a mechanism for protecting RAs’ time. (If work is not getting done within the expected time, we will have a conversation about how to address that moving forward.)

Q: Do CERSE RAs work on-site at UW or remotely?
A: CERSE provides space on-site for all RAs to work if they are local and desire this space. However, there are no current requirements to work in-person. Most of CERSE’s activities are feasible online (e.g., Zoom meetings, fielding online surveys) and some CERSE RAs spend part or all of their RA positions working from outside of Washington.

Q: How much collaboration really happens at CERSE?
A: Project work tends to be fairly collaborative between RAs and their supervisor(s). Core staff are happy to provide whatever guidelines and training are necessary for RAs to complete their work, and they review all RA work closely and provide feedback. We usually set up weekly meetings between each RA and supervisor to make sure that communication is ongoing and supervisors are generally available during business hours to answer any questions via Slack and email. Few projects have funding for multiple RAs to collaborate on a specific project.

Q: What opportunities exist for community building at CERSE?
A: We hold twice-monthly all-staff meetings online via Zoom. We also host ad hoc co-working sessions and an occasional meal via Zoom. RAs may decide to work on-site to overlap with other RAs and/or coordinate their own meetups. In addition, we use Slack to share information, problem solve, and facilitate communicate. We regularly revisit what we are doing to build community and iterate on our activities.

Q: What accountability mechanisms exist to ensure an inclusive work environment at
CERSE?
A: We are evaluators and understand there is always room for improvement (and we are eager to continue growing)! CERSE recently began fielding an annual survey for all staff who have worked at CERSE in the last calendar year to anonymously share feedback on inclusion in our center. We also try to keep two-way communication and feedback openly flowing between RAs and supervisors and set aside at least annual meetings to formally discuss how things are going. We also set aside one all-staff meeting per month for LOVE meetings (“Living Our Values for Equity”), which is a space for mutual accountability for living our equity values and discussing relevant topics. Finally, we conduct exit interviews with all outgoing staff, who share their feedback with a core staff member of their choosing.