Parliamentary Intern Review

I throughly enjoyed working at the House of Commons! You are at the heart of politics and Parliamentary law making. You get to meet some high profile political figures and are constantly busy, no matter what day it is. No day is the same, and you feel apart of something special. Just being there gives you a sense of purpose.

My colleagues were amazing, you’re in an office with around 1-3 other people depending on how much staff your Member employs. This also depends on the promotions that your member has (example, if they’re a minister as well as a member of Parliament). Staff are very friendly towards one another and often will help each other out.

This is where it can become a little tricky. Working for a member of parliament doesn’t necessarily mean you will have a manager or a supervisor as there are different roles that can be handed out. Essentially your manager would be the member of Parliament. In which case, you hardly see them because they are working extremely hard and aren’t around.

Extremely busy. There is always something you can be getting on with. Whether that’s researching, contacting constituents or contacting members of parliament or Parliamentary debates. The building is massive too, so if you are running from one end to the other to give information and paperwork to your member then it’s a long busy day. Some days it’s office busy, other days you’re not off your feet with interviews, tours and meetings.

Responsibility kind of comes with the job. You’re responsible with contacting constituents, press, charities and corporations to ensure you have the correct research and how you can help others. You’re also given the responsibility to not tell anyone anything that is deemed confidential as you often sign an NDA. Not only that, you’re often given the responsibility to update social media, which is the face of the MP.

I developed a massive amount of skills. You learn how to interact and communicate with high profile figures, corporations, charities, the public and of course your colleagues. You learn how to connect with others in that circle, which definitely builds your confidence. IT skills, CMS software knowledge, Research skills and event planning in some cases. You definitely learn a lot from the whole experience.

Every day is different. Some days you can be the only one in the office which can be lightly dull, but if your busy you don’t feel that. Other days can be extremely fun, discussing politics, being busy and being around great people. The best days however are when every one has something to do, you’re not bored, your busy but still chatting to your coworkers.

The whole set up of the Internship can be different for everyone as each member of parliament has their own way of doing things. Mine was very well set up, I was given a range of different tasks which built up my skills massively and I got to be involved in a different world. My member of parliament also got me invited to events and let me explore Parliament a little more to build my knowledge.

Personal development is a thing that is very well conducted at Parliament. You’re happily pushed into doing things that you definitely wouldn’t normally do. You meet great people, get to do public speaking, and be involved in the research that could potentially change the law in the future. Nothing better than feeling as though you are doing something good and developing your personal brand and your skills.

Future employment aspects of working in Parliament are extremely higher if you have some work experience there in the first place. Without it I’d find it hard to believe you could walk straight into it, unless you knew someone that worked there already of course. The organization often advertises jobs on their website and there are many different job roles.

As I said before you generally just work with the people that are in your office. So sometimes you’ll be by yourself which doesn’t shout great social scene. However there are bars, pubs and canteens in house which you can always go to and socialise. Not only that, you are sometimes invited to staff events which of course involves socialisation, drinks, food and fun.

The cost of living in Westminster can be extremely high. Starbucks is more expensive, the tea is is more expensive and the bars are not cheap. However the in house bars and canteens can be cheap if you order the right stuff. Especially at breakfast time. So I would suggest socializing ln the canteen with your own food or plane prepared to spend £6 on lunch everyday.