Last month I was delighted to welcome Salisbury sixth form student Nancy Hawthorn to Parliament for work experience. At the end of her week Nancy wrote about her experience and what it was like to work in my Westminster office. If you are a student in Salisbury and keen to get a taste of the world of politics then please do contact my office.
During October I was fortunate enough to be offered work experience at the Houses of Parliament with John Glen, my school’s local MP. An exciting but intriguing opportunity, I had little idea of the nature of my work experience until the morning I arrived. It resulted in being one of the most brilliant 4 days I have ever had, allowing me to gain an incredible insight into how government operates inside Parliament, and how John Glen is a busy yet kind, devoted and diligent MP.
The list of opportunities and things that I was able to experience during my 4 days is impressive and extensive. After meeting John’s researcher, Gregor, I was given a comprehensive tour of Parliament - House of Commons, House of Lords and the lavish ‘robing room’ for the queen. The highlight of each day was perhaps visiting the House of Commons public gallery to watch the debates - the PM’s announcement on the European Council Monday, the announcement for the third runway at Heathrow Tuesday and (I was lucky enough to acquire tickets to) PMQ’s on Wednesday. Considering I hope to study politics at university, the opportunity to watch the Commons debates for an hour or so daily was second to none. On top of this, I was able to attend other meetings by myself such as the New City Agenda meeting on Cultural Change in the FCA, PRA, and Bank of England, and the Treasury Select Committee on tax credits and the actions of Concentrix, which were complicated but fascinating.
Aside from attending meetings and watching debates there was plenty opportunity to get involved and hands on in the office. As I witnessed the whirlwind of events, meetings, emails and organisation, my admiration for John and his work only grew. I was assigned a research project on how John’s presence on social media could be improved – a task which I enjoyed thoroughly, especially as it was a chance to give help that could be genuinely utilised by John and his team. I was also able to help in the research process behind replying to constituent’s emails, what sounds like a mundane task which I in fact found quite stimulating. Though I spent a lot of my time with John’s team in the office, what I found particularly admirable was John’s care for his team and his care for me and the quality of my time in Westminster despite his profoundly busy schedule.
The amount of learning that I have come away with from this 4-day period is immense. From political discussion over lunch break to flicking through the Cabinet Manual to writing up notes from financial report meetings to watching the Speaker’s procession - the sheer quantity of experiences was astounding. One thing that becomes clear is that within politics, there are so many opportunities and paths you can pursue and therefore it really is a career that you can make your own. Conversations with John Glen’s researcher, Gregor, his Chief of Staff, Stuart and John himself were equally intriguing and helped me to develop a greater understanding of the political climate in Westminster and how the political system is organised.
I would recommend a week in Westminster with John Glen to anyone as a truly eye opening and fascinating experience. There was not a moment of boredom or idleness, whether in the Commons or in the office every aspect of my time in Westminster was both engaging and exciting. Even just striding through the corridors wearing an unimpressive visitor's lanyard made me feel important and elegant somehow. I’m not sure that the novelty of being in that working environment would ever wear off - it certainly didn’t for me.