Field work in Tamil Nadu

Short-term consultancy (Tamil Nadu, India)

Field work supervisors, translators and interviewers for survey of leather shoe factory workers

Introduction and consultancy description

Tarana Chauhan, Ph.D. candidate, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University is seeking consultants fluent in Tamil and English for a research project funded by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies at Cornell University. The project aims to study the financial and personal well-being of factory employees in leather shoe manufacturing firms in Tamil Nadu. The following positions are available. Interested candidates can apply for more than one position.

Job title: Field supervisor / Enumerator/ Translator

Time period and location

For translators: Part-time (~20 hours per week) for 2 weeks (8^th-21^st August 2022), work will be carried out remotely.

For field supervisors and interviewers: Full time (~40 hours per week), fixed term contract for 8 weeks in September-November 2022 in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu. Applicant must be available to move to Vellore on short notice. Selected applicants will be required to attend training in person Chennai in September 2022. Final dates of training and data collection will be shared at the time of hiring.

Report to: Tarana Chauhan, Principal Investigator (PI)

Qualifications

Required

· Be at least 18 years of age

· Strong English and Tamil language skills (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Understanding)

· The individual must be a good communicator – face-to-face, over the telephone/virtually, and using written media.

· Minimum completed bachelor's degree in English or Tamil medium with good grades.

· Have access to a phone with reliable internet connectivity

· Demonstrated proficiency in computer applications such as Zoom, Google applications, word processing, spreadsheets, email, and internet utilization.

· Highly organized, attentive to deadlines, detail-oriented, and able to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously with minimal supervision.

· Demonstrated ability to be a self-starter and fast learner; resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges

· Must never have been convicted of any offense

· Must be able and willing to work in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu for a fixed period of time.

Preferred

· Proven experience and skills in qualitative research work. Training in data collection and/or research methods is an added advantage

· Experience in using electronic data capture platforms e.g. Open Data Kit (ODK).

Job description/ key responsibilities

Translator

· Translate focus group discussion script and close-ended, multiple response interview schedules from English to Tamil and Tamil to English

Interviewer

· Conduct focus group discussions, open-ended interviews with selected study respondents and transcribe responses

· Facilitate interviews with selected study respondents and conduct within survey exercises

· Enumerate retail stores in study area and interview retail store owners recruited for study

· Complete scheduled activities each day and communicate the number of interviews scheduled and completed each day to field supervisor and PI. Fill in tracking sheets daily.

· Follow the study and ethical protocols

· Include notes taken during interview in the data entered

· Review data entry of peers as part of data quality checks

· Maintain regular communication with the PI and field supervisor to report any observations and problems

· Any other tasks as may be assigned by the PI

Field supervisor

· Coordinate with factory managers for sample selection of workers and setting up focus group discussion and interviews with selected workers

· Creating daily schedules for interviewers and arranging transportation and other logistics for data collection each day

· Responding to concerns in data collection in real time

· Coordinating with PI for daily updates and decisions regarding non-response and attrition

· Supervising data entry and transcription

· Conducting spot checks and other data quality assessments

· Supporting interviewers in any way required for data collection

· Ensuring ethical protocols of the study are followed by interviewers

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general work of a field supervisor, enumerator or translator. They are not an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities.

To apply

Please submit an updated CV and a cover letter to PI at tc678@cornell.edu on or by 5^th August 2022 11:59 pm IST. Kindly indicate “Tamil Nadu pilot study – [job title]” as the email subject. You are welcome to apply for more than one position. Please mention it in the first line of your email. Separate emails would not be required. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview virtually (via Google Meet or Zoom).

Compensation

Consultancy fees will be paid in accordance with experience and education. They will cover salary and living expenses.