Hello :) I currently work as an Events Associate on the EA Global (EAG) team, a subset of the Events team. I joined in January 2023 (with no prior events experience). I’m incredibly excited for the team to expand, so I thought I might share a bit about my experience so far, for anyone who’s unsure whether to apply.
What I love about working on the team:
I think there’s an implicit motto of, “take the serious stuff seriously and otherwise have fun.” We use charitable funding to run events with the goal of helping others do good in the world, in alignment with effective altruism and its principles, and that’s something the team takes very seriously. But events are also fun!! My colleagues are low-ego, encouraging, supportive, relaxed, I genuinely adore spending time with them; the production room at an event is non-stop jokes. Amy (head of the team) usually brings her baby (Charley) and I get to hold him while monitoring Slack. During EAG, I might need to be on-site 14 hours a day, but the atmosphere is so nice that it doesn’t really feel like work.
I’m deeply motivated by how tangible the product is. You can see the result of your work so saliently before you, people are all around, often happy or excited and chatting, it’s energetic and lovely.
It can be difficult to find experienced mentors in EA — the team’s managers are experts in events, incredibly supportive, and very present / hands-on. At the same time, we’re still a smaller team, so everyone takes on significant responsibility and ownership. I’ve really thrived in this environment, developing skills rapidly.
What I find difficult:
There’s a “sprinty” nature to the work, the lead up to events are hectic. I expect this to improve with new hires. However, to some degree, this is probably unavoidable. Some tasks can’t be done beforehand, we have a lot of attendees to support, and the event’s timing is rigid, everything has to be ready. As a result, EA Global takes over most of my brain space in the few weeks before. It’s incredibly difficult not to constantly check Slack/email. At night I’m usually ticking through tasks in my head, there are tons of little things to track.
I live in the UK, I find it hard traveling to the US twice a year for EA Global (though it is also a huge privilege). Some roles on the team have more travel, there’s typically at least one additional US trip required per year for a company retreat. I struggle with insomnia; I’ve found that the jet lag throws me off for weeks or can trigger a full insomnia episode. I also find flying a bit scary. Flying with my team helps. I’m pretty sure my manager prefers to be alone on flights, but she lets me choose a seat next to her and yap for like 7 hours straight, which I really appreciate.
Hello :) I currently work as an Events Associate on the EA Global (EAG) team, a subset of the Events team. I joined in January 2023 (with no prior events experience). I’m incredibly excited for the team to expand, so I thought I might share a bit about my experience so far, for anyone who’s unsure whether to apply.
What I love about working on the team:
I think there’s an implicit motto of, “take the serious stuff seriously and otherwise have fun.” We use charitable funding to run events with the goal of helping others do good in the world, in alignment with effective altruism and its principles, and that’s something the team takes very seriously. But events are also fun!! My colleagues are low-ego, encouraging, supportive, relaxed, I genuinely adore spending time with them; the production room at an event is non-stop jokes. Amy (head of the team) usually brings her baby (Charley) and I get to hold him while monitoring Slack. During EAG, I might need to be on-site 14 hours a day, but the atmosphere is so nice that it doesn’t really feel like work.
I’m deeply motivated by how tangible the product is. You can see the result of your work so saliently before you, people are all around, often happy or excited and chatting, it’s energetic and lovely.
It can be difficult to find experienced mentors in EA — the team’s managers are experts in events, incredibly supportive, and very present / hands-on. At the same time, we’re still a smaller team, so everyone takes on significant responsibility and ownership. I’ve really thrived in this environment, developing skills rapidly.
What I find difficult:
There’s a “sprinty” nature to the work, the lead up to events are hectic. I expect this to improve with new hires. However, to some degree, this is probably unavoidable. Some tasks can’t be done beforehand, we have a lot of attendees to support, and the event’s timing is rigid, everything has to be ready. As a result, EA Global takes over most of my brain space in the few weeks before. It’s incredibly difficult not to constantly check Slack/email. At night I’m usually ticking through tasks in my head, there are tons of little things to track.
I live in the UK, I find it hard traveling to the US twice a year for EA Global (though it is also a huge privilege). Some roles on the team have more travel, there’s typically at least one additional US trip required per year for a company retreat. I struggle with insomnia; I’ve found that the jet lag throws me off for weeks or can trigger a full insomnia episode. I also find flying a bit scary. Flying with my team helps. I’m pretty sure my manager prefers to be alone on flights, but she lets me choose a seat next to her and yap for like 7 hours straight, which I really appreciate.