Pros
I feel really lucky to have found a professional home at IDinsight. To me, the organization offers a unique combination of rigorous, meaningful work and high professional standards. My favorite parts of the job: - Genuine commitment to impact. I'm constantly surprised and impressed by the emphasis put on improving the world, over and above things like getting good publicity or a more lucrative contract. - Opportunities for skill development. This can be easy to lose sight of during a project crunch when all you're doing is writing a report or cleaning data, but in the time I've been at IDinsight I've learned so much. I've gotten to build on existing skills, like writing and using Stata for data analysis; and add many new ones, like public speaking, client management, people management, large-scale data collection, SurveyCTO, etc. When and if I move on to another job, I know I'm much better prepared than I was when I started. - Amazing colleagues. When I catch up with old classmates I often hear about how much they miss the intellectual stimulation of being at university and getting to engage in high-level debates about politics, ethics, and how to make the world a better place. I actually _don't_ miss that, because IDinsighters are an incredible group of people! I think that's partly due to (self) selection, and partly due to opportunities the organization creates to encourage interesting exchanges and build relationships. We often take time out of busy days to hear from a guest speaker or discuss an interesting new paper. Most importantly, people are kind and hardworking. Although people come in with a range of opinions and experiences, there's a common thread of sincerity and dedication that I really value. I know I could message just about anyone in the organization with a question or request and they'd take time out of their day to help out. - The range of opportunities available to IDinsighters at all levels and positions. I've personally benefitted from being trusted with a lot of responsibility early on, and also just enjoy being part of an organization that provides those opportunities to others: from an Associate presenting evaluation results to a high-level government official, to Field Managers running trainings on SurveyCTO for incoming Managers & Directors, to Economists spending weeks on location with a project to pitch in. At the rate we're growing, there are also lots of exciting (albeit sometimes unpredictable) opportunities for professional growth. I know a number of people who have carved out fulfilling roles for themselves by matching their own skills and interests to a newly identified organizational need. - The clients! I know that might sound trite but I'm completely sincere. By and large, we do a great job of selecting inspiring, impactful organizations to work with. I feel incredibly fortunate knowing that if I do my job well, I can help our clients better serve poor and marginalized communities.
Cons
From my perspective, the biggest potential downsides of working here are: - High levels of independence can sometimes feel like a lack of support. IDinsight has taken positive steps to mitigate that (for example, every employee has an 'advisor' who's senior to them and a 'buddy' who's a peer, in addition to their direct supervisor; there are regular 'team health checks' and other opportunities to give upward feedback), but I know it can be tough at times for people who are in remote offices or have a supervisor who's based elsewhere. That level of independence and responsibility is exciting for some people and stressful for others, and I think it's wise to be thoughtful about which camp you might fall in before taking a job here. - A lot depends on your project. Managers and Directors are more likely to work on multiple projects, but Associates generally work on just one project at a time and may be on a single project for their first 1-2 years with IDinsight. On the one hand, this staffing model allows Associates to develop expertise on that project and engage in a deeper way with the sector and client. The pace of most IDinsight projects also means that over the course of two years most Associates will get exposure to all project phases (client development, evaluation design, fieldwork, analysis, report writing, etc, not necessarily in that order). On the other hand, this means there's some luck involved in whether and when you get to work on a particular sector/client type/methodology. If you're at the beginning of your career and already have very specific goals (e.g. you're passionate about health and only want to work on that type of project; or you already know you're applying to econ PhDs and absolutely must work on an RCT in your first six months) then I'd recommend looking for a job with a narrower focus.
