How do I get a RA position at Osgoode?

[justsurviving]

Hi everyone! 

I was wondering if anyone can please let me know how I can find RA positions at Osgoode? I am currently a 1L and would love the opportunity to RA for a Professor this summer and I have a few interests in mind. However, I'm unsure if these are postings that go up? Or are we expected to reach out to the professors? 

If we do need to reach out on our own ... what do I include in my email? Should there be a research topic that I propose? Really confused about how all this works because I have never done any research work before. 

Also interested in external research opportunities as well! Can I find any? Where and How? 

Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much in advance! 

- a confused 1L lol. 

 

 

Edited March 1 by justsurviving

[atelieranicca]

Hey there! 

From what I remember, quite a few postings went up around the middle/end of April - then into May and even into the summer months. I emailed two professors informally around March or April to inquire if they were hiring a RA for the summer (both of whom I had a personal connection with or whose areas of research interest resonated with my own areas of interest) - it helped that I was taking a course with them in my 1L so they knew who I was , although that's certainly not necessary. Then, once Osgoode confirmed each professor's RA summer funding, they reached back out to students who had expressed interest and invited us to send in our applications. I was successful for both professors' respective selection processes, although I didn't end up RAing for either of them, so I'm more than happy to share my application materials if that's of help (just PM me!).

Alternatively, you can definitely go the route of cold e-mailing a professor - plenty of professors never put up a formal job post on MyCareer but are still hiring or on the lookout for a RA student, so cold emailing them is a great way to take initiative and demonstrate your interest. You can talk about your own prior experience (if any) or why their particular research areas of interest speak to you; any experience with writing or research (even if it's not RA-specific), essentially what you can bring to the table as a RA. If you're cold e-mailing, I would keep it succint - moreso expressing interest and attaching your CV for their review, rather than going on at length.

Happy to chat further about any of this or to share templates. Good luck! 

 

[OzLawStudent]

Are the postings going up on MyCareer?