CAREERS IN POLITICS Careers Advisory Service University of Kent at Canterbury The slides from this talk are at

WHAT CAREERS ARE THERE IN POLITICS? Civil Service? MP??? Spin doctor?? Er … ???

KENT GRADUATES WORKING IN POLITICS A diplomat working on British/EU legislative issues in Brussels Assistant Democratic Services Officer, District Council Director of Policy & Communications Westminster City Council GMB National Officer Assistant Director (partnerships) Surrey County Council Organisational development officer, Manchester City Council Scottish Executive Development Department

WHAT ELSE DO POLITICS GRADUATES DO? Oil trader Film Editor Freight Operations Manager Librarian Personnel Director Solicitor Housing Officer Marketing Manager Hotel Manager Public Relations Executive Bookseller Prison Governor Crime Analyst Potter Journalist

Why do employers recruit graduates? Demonstrated ability to learn Academically able Self-motivated Good all-rounders Maturity Achievers Personal transferable skills and perhaps - knowledge of their subject

WHAT SKILLS HAVE YOU GAINED ON YOUR COURSE? Communication skills Gathering, investigating and assessing info Organising material in a logical way Condensing facts, ideas and arguments Understanding of current affairs and issues

TYPES OF WORK INVOLVING POLITICS Usually involve one or (often) more of the following: Administration Research Communication and persuasion

TYPES OF WORK INVOLVING POLITICS Administrative Civil Service:- Fast Stream; Mainstream House of Commons/Lords Clerk Local Government administrator Political party organiser

TYPES OF WORK INVOLVING POLITICS Research Civil Service research posts House of Commons Library Clerk Academic teaching and research MP’s researcher Party research departments Trades unions Think-tanks

TYPES OF WORK INVOLVING POLITICS Communication and persuasion Civil Service: Government Communication Network Political party agent Lobbyist Journalist

OTHER TYPES OF WORK THAT MAY INVOLVE POLITICS Event organising Publishing Market research Web design IT support Charities/pressure groups

THE CIVIL SERVICE FAST STREAM The Work: Assisting senior civil servants and Ministers to formulate and implement policy Researching issues Drafting memos and reports Preparing replies to Parliamentary questions Providing administrative support to working parties and committees

HOUSE OF COMMONS/LORDS CLERKS The Work:  Giving advice on the practice and procedure of the House to Members, Chairs of Committees and the Speaker  Taking divisions  Servicing Select Committees: organising their enquiries; travel with the Committee in the UK and abroad; helping prepare draft reports

FAST-STREAM ENTRY Entry requirements: UK national 2.2 minimum (most entrants have 2.1) in any subject Application and selection procedure: Closing date early November 2009 for entry in Sept 2010 Applicants work through self-assessment exercises before they can access the online form Online application and more tests In-tray exercise at test centre Fast-Stream Assessment Centre Full details at

OTHER CIVIL SERVICE POSTS Junior Managers (a.k.a. Executive Officers) Involved chiefly with applying policy in practice Middle-management role Opportunities to move into Fast Stream Departments and agencies recruit individually - vacancies on sites such as and the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION “ ngdp” graduate programme Training schemes run by individual local authorities (including KCC) Many graduates enter local government at more junior grades to gain a foothold Councils recruit individually, generally through local press/their own websites

POLITICAL PARTY ORGANISER Chiefly responsible for administration, PR and fundraising Membership of the party and previous voluntary experience usually required

RESEARCH POSTS Civil Service Research Posts –only arise occasionally; may need PG degree House of Commons Library Clerks … –are not librarians! –They provide an information and research service to MPs –Provide instant answers and prepare briefings Academic research –combined with university teaching/admin –need higher degree

RESEARCH POSTS Political researchers Work for:  Individual MPs/MEPs etc  Party research departments (where they exist!)  Trades unions  Think-tanks  Political consultancies

RESEARCH POSTS Political researchers: The Work Involves:  Writing briefings, speeches,etc  Dealing with the public; press; other politicians; lobbyists  Drafting policy  Monitoring the media “You need to be able to do a bit of everything … the atmosphere in the office is very fast-moving. One minute I’ll be taking a call from a national BBC journalist, the next talking to a single mother who needs help sorting out her benefits.”

RESEARCH POSTS Political research - getting in and getting on Often a first step to careers in other areas, e.g. lobbying or party agent ….. but few researchers become MPs Make speculative applications and gain work experience (usually voluntary) Poor pay and limited career structure Need a thick skin!

INFORMATION/COMMUNICATION Includes:  Public Affairs; Lobbying; Public Relations Employers include:  Specialised political consultancies  Public relations agencies  Businesses  Voluntary organisations  Government Communications Network

INFORMATION/COMMUNICATION The Work: Maintaining an awareness, and a positive image, of your client to the public or to decision-makers and people of influence through:  Monitoring the press, Hansard, etc  Writing reports, press releases and briefings  Organising events and conferences  Handling enquiries from clients, the media, etc  “Relationship management”

INFORMATION/COMMUNICATION “My role is quite mixed. Part of my work involves formulating the charity’s public policy positions in response to government initiatives, so I write a lot of consultation responses, submissions to government and briefings for senior staff. I am also involved with making sure the charity's messages are in line with the latest research and views of people with suffering from the health condition our charity focuses on. This means that I carry out opinion research - including large-scale surveys and focus groups - and analyse the responses. I also work on particular projects that have policy implications” Policy and information officer for a health charity

INFORMATION/COMMUNICATION Getting in and getting on Voluntary work and voluntary organisations are the best source of early experience Make speculative applications Postgraduate degree can be helpful

 Many jobs combine two or more of these elements  Common factor is a knowledge of/interest in politics  Most of them recruit from any degree subject.. .. although an interest in and enthusiasm for politics will help But what else do they have in common? TYPES OF WORK INVOLVING POLITICS

All will need good COMMUNICATION SKILLS - putting over information verbally or in writing - ANALYTICAL SKILLS - the ability to research and assess information from a variety of sources - DECISION MAKING SKILLS - weighing up evidence and arguments - PEOPLE SKILLS - especially the ability to persuade, negotiate with and listen to other people. You will need to be able to use your own INITIATIVE, to be well ORGANISED, to PLAN your work and meet deadlines or work under pressure These are skills which are equally valuable in a wide variety of other careers

MAKING DECISIONS “Choosing a Career” booklet and web pages Prospects Planner program “I Want to Work in Politics” Look at job adverts and job descriptions Talk to people about their work and how they got their jobs

SHOULD I CONSIDER POSTGRADUATE STUDY? Important if you want a career in political research or communication … Essential if you want a teaching career (in schools or universities) May be necessary (or useful) to enter some careers such as law, psychology, human resources, journalism, information work It is possible to study Politics at postgraduate level with an undergraduate degree in another (related) subject

FINDING OUT MORE: POSTGRADUATE STUDY Use directories and websites such as: Prospectuses for all UK universities in Careers Library Careers Advisory Service website Apply ideally in first term of final year No UCAS system – apply direct

THE END - of this talk, but not of your career planning! Use the Careers Advisory Service for advice and Information We are open 9am - 5pm, Monday – Friday throughout the year