Is it possible to ask about RA positions after being rejected by the same lab for a PhD? I am currently looking at PhD programmes (mainly in the US) and have been advised to email potential PIs before I put in an application. I am afraid my profile isn't very competitive and my back up plan is to go get more research experience if I get rejected by all the programmes I apply to. In the case that occurs, would it be acceptable/is it normal to email the same PIs I wanted to work with to ask about research assistant positions? And if I re apply in the following year, is it acceptable to email the same PIs asking about their work since the PIs I have short listed and people I really really want to work with!
I hope I haven't rambled on too much!
EDIT: So is RA positions are given to grad students, how do I get more research experience to strengthen my application for grad school after I have graduated from my degree with a masters? (I'm international and so would need some financial support and visa sponsorship and can't &quot;volunteer&quot;)
Thanks!
You can ask for employment, but the title and work would probably be different from that of an RA. And the opportunity for authorship of papers might not be available.
In some fields, labs are very large, usually grant funded. There may be more need for lab assistants than can be fulfilled by graduate students. Someone has to watch that the kettle doesn't boil and bubble too much over night.
Holding such a position could possibly lead to interactions that open additional possibilities. But you would be an ordinary employee, subject to rules and protections for employees.
For an extreme example, I doubt that everyone working on projects at CERN is a student or professor. On the other hand, some at least, of these people wind up on long long authorship lists when experiments succeed.