Center for Strategic and International Studies Reviews

Former Employee – worked at Center for Strategic and International Studies as an intern for less than a year

Pros – - Lots of interesting events held at CSIS with important statesmen and figures. You will have the opportunity to meet many renowned figures while
- John Hamre is a really awesome guy who acknowledges the work of his interns.
- Relatively little "grunt work" is assigned to you. While you might have to stuff namecards for a big event, this is not too common. A much greater proportion of your time will be devoted to proper research. Usually you will be finding and packaging information (scholarly articles, publications, etc) for projects requested by government agencies and large businesses.
- Going to Congressional Committee hearings to take notes and write summaries can be interesting, sometimes you will get a laugh seeing the utterly idiotic questions asked by members on these committees.

Cons – - Some of the work you do might not feel very useful. I felt that a few internal documents I wrote had no real audience and were just work done for the sake of work.
- Internship is unpaid.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Center for Strategic and International Studies as an intern for less than a year

Pros – Non-partisan research center doing very interesting work; opportunity to conduct substantive research with real policy implications; excellent networking opportunity; lots of great events to attend

Cons – Internships seldom pay, and if they do it is not very well; wide variation in internship experience depending on the program or project you work for

Advice to Senior Management – Provide more formal networking events for interns, especially things taking place after work hours and outside the building

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Center for Strategic and International Studies as an intern for less than a year

Pros – Substantive research responsibilities, fantastic events and access to senior fellows

Cons – Unpaid internship with demanding hours

Advice to Senior Management – pay the interns

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Center for Strategic and International Studies as an intern for less than a year

Pros – The internship is heavily research-focused, with maybe 5-10% of administrative work. There are always lots of events going in in many different subject areas, so you can learn about a variety of issues and the program coordinators are usually pretty cool about letting you go to whatever events you want. There is a good intern development/internship program (AILA) that provides lunch once or twice a week.

Cons – The internship is unpaid, though they do give $60 a month in metro cards

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Center for Strategic and International Studies full-time for less than a year

Pros – Lots of research, event coordination & writing experience
Very friendly and engaging co-workers
Chance to attend conferences and meet speakers from a wide range of professional backgrounds

Cons – Internship is unpaid - but if you are an undergraduate or recent college grad looking for professional experience and a resume boost, this is one of the best places to be.

Advice to Senior Management – Encourage the interns from different departments to meet each other more!

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Center for Strategic and International Studies

Pros – #1 Security & International Affairs Think Tank

Cons – Salary disparities across programs throughout the Center

Current Employee – been working at Center for Strategic and International Studies full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Well-respected institution, high level of value-added

Cons – ad hoc business model, not much room for growth

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Center for Strategic and International Studies as an intern for less than a year

Pros – The scholars were incredible, and I loved my coworkers. There was also a wonderful program for young professionals to gain more skills.

Cons – All in all, it was a great experience, but my internship was unpaid (which can be difficult in DC) and I heard that Research Assistants make a relatively low wage. Furthermore, I thought about coming back to work as an RA, but unfortunately, though they tend to like their jobs straight out of school, there is not much opportunity for career growth.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Center for Strategic and International Studies as an intern for less than a year

Pros – Exposure to many different issues, people, topics and opportunities. They like hiring from within and the internship program is regarded are very prestigious. Interns are treated the same as employees and are given their own tasks and projects throughout their time there.

Cons – It can be very long hours and research-heavy. Expect to clock a solid amount of hours and be able to handle a deadline work environment

Advice to Senior Management – n/a

– I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Center for Strategic and International Studies full-time for more than a year

Pros – Brilliant research directors, fantastic network opportunities, and unparalleled exposure to the foreign affairs community.

Cons – Shortsighted management, lack of institutional support for projects and implementation, terrible salaries with little opportunity for advancement.

Advice to Senior Management – Provide a medium-term career track for mid level employees, take reviews seriously, and think about how to manage down as well as up.