Graduated with a coursework-based master’s degree in 2022 (studied politics/international relations, same as undergraduate), no publication, no RA/TA experiences, only participated in some student research projects, with a one-year gap and two years of irrelevant work experience. Now I want to transfer from industry to academia (I used to be a management consultant, but I don’t like the job and have no plan to stay in industry), and try to start from a junior position like RA, to get to know more about the academia/if I like it and gain more experience before I apply for a PhD.
My educational background is ok, with UG from a decent university in the UK and PG from a prestigious university in Asia, most specifically SEA, where my research interests are. I am from Asia and most likely will do my PhD there (e.g. Hong Kong, Japan, Australia). I don’t have any connection in academia. I have sent about 30 cold emails to professors in the area from different universities and different countries, and only got about 5 replies saying there is no slot/funding. My main concerns are:
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Is there any more efficient way to find potential prof/lab which is recruiting or has funding? The only way I can think about is to go to the university career website to look for opportunities, or click into the specific department site to see if there is someone’s research areas match mine and cold email him/her, which I did before.
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What is the chance that foreign universities sponsor visa for junior-rank employee like RA, which means it is possible to get a research assistant position in other countries?
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How can I know more about the research opportunities in my area, and how can I connect with people from academia (like LinkedIn?). I tried to find search job on both regular/academic jobboard/website, but lack of success.
Anyway, I appreciate any suggestion and will stay humble.