Working in Politics

Knowing about your MP is more important than the ‘old boys network’ for a job in politics. The cut and thrust of politics may seem an appealing world for those that have seen the many political TV dramas and films. But in reality working in the world of politics can be tough and demanding – and it can take years to reach the top or to a point where you feel that you have made a name for yourself.

Politics cuts across many areas – from your local council to your Member of Parliament. And the jobs are as varied as the areas they cover from dealing with constituents and members of the public to high ranking politicians and civil servants.

Most people believe that a career in politics is often the result of good contacts rather than skills and experience. But a recent survey from Electus Start, a political graduate careers service, claimed this was out-dated with employers now favouring political experience over the ‘old boys network’. Although all of the people surveyed believed that beginning a career in politics is difficult, it is certainly achievable. Employers are now demanding industry experience during the recruitment process for many of their graduate and entry-level positions.

The poll also revealed that all of the participants regarded their interest in government as a future occupation. In fact, 70% of students surveyed would consider standing for Parliament, suggesting that becoming a politician remains a popular career aspiration. Perhaps one of the first steps you have to make is to decide whether you want to work for an MP. Most MPs do not to have the time to train staff to do the range of jobs they may have available and  prefer to employ people who already know something about how their offices are run and what is required of their staff. Some people do gain employment in an MP’s office without any political work experience, but it’s very rare and usually only happens where there is a personal connection to the MP.

Some jobs still get filled by word of mouth without ever being advertised, often because someone already working for an MP moves on to another job at Westminster. The first thing you need to think about is that working for an MP is party political. MPs do receive applications from people who have either worked for an MP of a different party, or who say ‘I’m not party political, but in short, this is not going to get you a job in Parliament. Whilst party membership is not a pre-requisite, you should know which party you support and therefore only target MPs of that party. Bear in mind that once you have worked for an MP of a particular party, it will be very difficult to work for an MP of another party.

The next consideration is whether you want to work in the constituency office or Parliament. MPs typically employ secretaries and caseworkers in the constituency office and Parliamentary Assistants/Secretaries and Parliamentary Research Assistants in Parliament. The jobs are quite different and have different salaries.  Caseworkers typically help constituents with localised issues such as housing, immigration, benefits and social services. Parliamentary Assistants/Secretaries typically run the Westminster office, taking care of everything from running the diary, writing letters to managing staff. Parliamentary Research Assistants typically respond to political letters from constituents, write speeches, and research and write/orally present briefings. In addition, many researchers coordinate All Party Groups. The roles vary from MP to MP which is why it is difficult to be more specific about the duties of each different role.

Pay scales vary widely depending whether you are working in London or the provinces. They start at around £13,000 a year for local case workers up to £38,000 for senior secretaries in London.
Once you have decided where you want to work, and in what capacity, you need to think about how your CV will stand out from the hundreds of applications an MP will receive in response to a job advert.
Most research positions require you to have a degree although the classification is not hugely important and what really counts is what political work experience you have. More specifically, the key issue is whether you have ever worked, in a voluntary or paid capacity, for an MP.

The most successful applicants will have a few months of work experience for an MP. This may be in the form of voluntary work in the constituency office, for the local party, helping during an election campaign, or in Parliament. This may seem prohibitive to people who cannot afford to work for free, or for small amounts of remuneration, but it is the reality of gaining work for an MP. Prior to approaching an MP for work experience, you should be clear of how much time you can offer per week. Be realistic – it does not look good to commit yourself to, for example, three days, and then find you can only do one day per week. You should also think about whether you are offering to work for free, or if you need some remuneration.

MPs have limited staffing allowances and usually cannot afford to pay voluntary staff. However, keep an eye on the adverts for interns on W4MP as some are beginning to offer money. Once you have clarified what you can offer an MP, start writing to the MPs you are interested in working for. It is worth contacting your local MP first, unless they are not of the party you support. They will be more inclined to offer you a position if you have a real link with their constituency. If you are not sure which MPs you might want to work for, do some research on individual MPs at www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alms.cfm. Internships are regularly posted on W4MP so keep an eye on its Jobs page.

 
Keep your CV to the point and to no more than 2 pages. Emphasise points such as being involved with your student union, writing for the student newspaper and any debating societies. You will stand more of a chance of getting a job with an MP if you can provide a narrative of how you got to the point of wanting to work for an MP.  It may seem obvious, but if you are using the same letter to write to a number of MPs, make sure the MP you address it to is the same MP you write to in the greeting of the letter. In the concluding paragraph of your covering letter, try to give three reasons for why you want to work for the MP you are applying to – not generic points on why you want to work for an MP.

If you have worked for an MP in any capacity, make sure you put that early on in your CV and covering letter. It will focus the MP’s concentration on your application. It’s also worth remembering that many Politics and International Relations graduates are employed within the Civil Service, Health Service and various governmental departments. However, many are also employed within the private sector and hold positions within business and finance in particular.
 
In addition, a number of Politics and International Relations graduates are also keen on working for international organisations or within the voluntary sector.

Contacts:

Labour Party: www.labour.org.uk/jobs
Conservative Party: www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=involved.jobs.page
Liberal Democrats: www.libdems.org.uk/jobs.html
The House Magazine: The in-house magazine of Parliament. www.housemag.co.uk/default.htm

Other useful job search websites:

Adecco: www.adecco.co.uk/branch_info?id=245
Capita RAS Public Sector Resourcing: www.capitaresourcing.co.uk/ras/
UK Parliament Job Opportunities: www.parliament.uk/useful/job_opportunities.cfm
Civil Service Jobs portal: www.careers.civil-service.gov.uk/
Civil Service Fast Stream Development Programme: www.faststream.gov.uk/
Electus Start: www.workinpolitics.com/jobs/default.asp
Ellwood and Atfield:  www.ellwoodandatfield.com/
EuroBrussels: www.eurobrussels.com/
Jobsgopublic: www.jobsgopublic.com/
Jobs-Brussels: www.jobs-brussels.com/
Susan Hamilton Group:  www.susanhamilton.co.uk/
Working for an MP: www.w4mp