That time when I wanted to go into politics

Work experience, and being open to new opportunities

Photo by Jordhan Madec on Unsplash

A Sunday in mid-July, 2007 - I am on a train down to London where I have been accepted onto a work experience program in the Houses of Parliament.

A couple of months prior, the tutor for my teacher training course had informed the group about an opportunity organised by the Parliamentary Education Service. They were looking for recent teaching graduates to shadow Members of Parliament where four days would be spend in central London, and one day would be spent in the MP’s constituency.

And when I say central London, we were staying in the student digs attached to the London School of Economics near Charing Cross. You cannot get much more central than that!

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I have so many takeaways from the experience; from touring some of the back areas of the Houses of Parliament where the public are not permitted, to sitting in the gallery during debates in both the House of Commons, and the House of Lords, and then being invited to 10 Downing Street, but was thwarted at the last second as I didn’t have the necessary security credentials.

There were plenty of other highlights too, like playing MP bingo (as you do when you’re a politics geek), and watching journalists grab MPs for soundbites like you see on TV. Plus, staying in central London was amazing. On one evening, I sat with some of the other graduates on the steps outside the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. We drank beer and watched the sun go down as the capital’s streets emptied.

Being so close to the beating heart of where many BIG decisions are discussed, and decided upon in the UK (not all decisions, I hasten to add with devolution), led me to briefly entertain the idea of whether I wanted to be part of it - could I work in politics, and perhaps even stand as an MP?

That idea was entertained for about two weeks as by then I was back home in my mid-sized Midlands city, and was about to start in my first teaching role.

I was back in the real-world.

Yet the scheme allowed me to live out a bit of a fantasy, where I peeked behind a curtain into a different life. And I have to be honest, there was something intoxicating about that other life too.

But seriously, what was I thinking? There was no way that I could be a politician! I didn’t have the necessary skills, charisma, talent, or educational background to work in politics - the thought was ridiculous.

Photo by Ming Jun Tan on Unsplash

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There is a whole lot to break down right there, especially when it comes to my thoughts about my own educational background and whether I felt equipped to go into politics. Back in 2007, I believed that only individuals who came from more prestigious (and probably wealthier) backgrounds than my own could make it in the world of politics, notably, I didn’t go to a private school, and while I went to a good university, I didn’t go to a top one.

For many people, it may look like not much has changed since then. Although the proportion of MPs who attended a state school has increased, those who attended private school is still triple that of the general population.

And I won’t even go into the broader issues of representation in other areas in the current UK government… as I would be here for a long time!

Having said all of that, the shadowing scheme left a lasting impression in many positive ways, including:

• It built up my confidence in talking to experienced (and some highly regarded and influential) individuals

• It provided fantastic networking opportunities. For some years afterwards, I remained in touch with the MP that I shadowed and she helped to arrange a number of school trips to the Houses of Parliament for students that I was teaching at the time

• It helped to reflect back what values I held, what I cared about, and what motivated me, and

• It demonstrated the importance of being open to new opportunities

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Certainly, the theme of being open to new opportunities is something that I keep returning to since leaving my permanent teaching job last year. Although at times it feels like I take a few steps forward, and then a few steps back. Here are two recent examples:

In terms of a few steps back…

A few weeks ago, I shared that I applied for a temporary teaching role, and have since found out that my application was unsuccessful.

But in terms of a few steps forward… and new opportunities

Back in November, I was approached to provide some informal feedback about a piece of teaching software. Fast forward and this has actually turned into a job opportunity, and so I have signed a contract to become an editor for the same company. It’s a very small freelance role, but it looks interesting, and it should be great experience.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and if you enjoyed it please consider hitting the like button, or even sharing it with a friend. These make it easier for other people to find this newsletter.

And I’d love to hear your thoughts - any work experience placements that have stuck with you? And do you think that work experience is something that we should continue to do throughout our lives? Let me know in the comments.

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Finally, with the UK General Election taking place in a couple of weeks time on July 4th (was that a deliberate decision for this to fall on the same day as Independence Day in the USA?), there may well be a new Prime Minister and government in the UK. And some exiting MPs may be looking for new work experiences of their own…