BY ASPASEA MCKENNA
Aspasea McKenna is a second-year international development student hoping to purse a career in designing evaluations for development interventions focused on human mobility.
The IDEV Summer Internship Series highlights the experiences of IDEV students participating in internships this past summer. Each year, IDEV students intern with various development organizations around the world. These internships are generously funded by SAIS donors, and offer valuable opportunities for students to gain real-world experience between their first and second years at SAIS.
Perspectives: Where did you intern this summer?
AM: I interned at The Asia Foundation (TAF) in Myanmar. While headquartered in San Francisco, TAF has offices throughout Asia that operate relatively autonomously. In Myanmar, TAF effectively operates as an international development think tank, producing research on governance, conflict, urban development, etc. that informs programming carried out throughout the country.
Perspectives: How did you find this internship, and what was the hiring process?
AM: I referenced the career services student intern evaluations report to identify organizations I had an interest in, and reached out to those alumni directly. One of these organizations was TAF Myanmar. The alumnus was incredibly helpful, he talked about his experience; pros and cons; gave me advice on the hiring process; and, finally, introduced me to the Country Director.
The hiring process was seamless: I had a conversation with the Country Director and Project Manager to settle on a terms of reference that intersected with their needs and my skill set, and I was on boarded from there. Note that TAF Myanmar, as I believe is the case with other TAF offices throughout Asia, does not advertise for internship positions. Rather, they select among the individuals that reach out to them directly.
Perspectives: What were your primary responsibilities? Describe the projects you worked on.
AM: I worked on the Myanmar Business Environment Index, a study to measure and compare local economic governance across states and regions. My role was focused on assessing data quality and reliability from the first round of data collection to make tweaks to the index design and data collection process in preparation for the second round of data collection. This also involved fieldwork, including conducting key informant interviews, observing various government offices, and piloting the redesigned data collection instruments. While I was there, the team was carrying out dissemination events across the country with key stakeholders so I had the benefit of traveling with them, and had the opportunity to meet with local officials, bureaucrats, and business delegations.
Perspectives: Was there previous coursework or work experience that you found especially useful during the internship or the application process?
AM: Practical Research Methods was helpful in the research design and fieldwork elements of this work, while Principles of Evaluations in Development Practice prepared me with the tools to assess and standardize indicators.
Perspectives: What were some of your key takeaways from this internship for your academic and professional interests?
AM: The professional opportunities I’ve sought out and the classes I’ve taken while at SAIS have all been geared towards a career in designing and implementing mixed-methods development evaluations. While this internship didn’t squarely hit the mark, the experience doing data analysis, indicator assessment, and fieldwork was invaluable and helped reaffirm my goals. What particularly interested me in my fieldwork was learning how local governments provide support to residents with job matching programs and training to target both supply and demand in the labor market. Though how effective these programs are is another matter.
Perspectives: What should future SAIS students interested in this internship know?
AM: Be clear with yourself and with the organization about what you want to accomplish with this experience. The TAF Myanmar office is full of smart, talented, and helpful people that want to see their interns succeed, but what you put into it is what you’ll get out of it. Set up informational interviews with staff members outside your team, and seek out ways you can contribute to other projects. Proficiency in GIS and other data analysis programs are in high-demand across all TAF Myanmar initiatives. If that’s an area that you’d like to get more experience in, or already have the skills for, you’ll find that a lot of opportunities open up.
PHOTO CREDIT: "Government office" by garycycles 3 is licensed under CC PDM 1.0.