- Do You Want To Work In Politics? Full Chapter Extract From My Book Political Careers: Chapter 1
“No matter where you stand politically - even if you're unsure of what your political ideology is - it is important to take part in the process of shaping our government.”
Brad Henry - Former Democratic Governor of Oklahoma
Curiosity killed the cat, but knowledge brought it back. You are curious about getting a job in politics. Otherwise, I am unsure why you are reading this book. Buying this book has been an excellent investment as it will give you the knowledge to:
Help you get a job in politics.
Or put you off working in politics forever.
Either way, you either find the job of your dreams or save yourself wasted hours, days, weeks and possibly months pursuing a career path that was not for you, so it is a Win-Win whatever happens.
So, do you want to work in politics?
Do you really want to work in politics, or have you fallen in love with the idea of working in politics?
These are two very different things.
In this chapter, we are going to highlight the things that make working in politics awful. This will be a “Debbie Downer” chapter. A whinge-a-thon if you will.
However, you need to be honest with yourself. Being honest with yourself will be the best investment you can make at this point. It will lead to you taking the better path instead of the wrong path and save yourself from wasting time. That’s time that could have been spent playing Pokemon Go.
So now that I have your attention (unless you are playing Pokemon Go) let us begin.
Politics is hard work
Politics is hard work as a job. It's a tough job. Not as tough as a coal miner in Siberia during November, I grant you, but it is very much a tough and demanding sector to work in.
Hard work is the nature of the beast.
Politics can be a hard job to work for a whole host of reasons: From the long and weird hours, the way that it invades personal life and how it destroys your love of politics. It can also be hard, as it feels like there is no escape from the daily madness that is politics. Politics is not popular.
People will not like your career choice - politics is not accessible or popular at the moment.
Politicians are not popular presently, and their staff sometimes get it in the ear quite a lot for working with them. Politics has always been an unpopular profession in the UK. There is something about the way that as a country, we have always disliked our politicians.
This atmosphere can become a grind, and politics will never be able to please everyone.
Lack of free time
Working in politics, you will not have that much free time. It is an all-encompassing career. It will take up other large amounts of your time, especially if you're working for an MP in Westminster. What we are talking about is a lot of evening and weekend work, and on occasion, you will be burning candles at both ends.
If you work in politics, expect to be time-poor.
Working in politics ruins politics
Before working in politics, I used to be a bit of a political nerd and loved watching politics like other people watch football. I am also an Arsenal fan, so clearly I am a glutton for punishment.
Question Time, PMQS, Sunday Politics - I loved the lot and would watch loads of it. Politics seemed like the perfect career destination for me as a premiership footballer was off the table. Once I got involved, it took away the veneer. It changed its appeal.
I presume this phenomenon is like people who love wrestling. Then visit the wrestling training camp and find out just how fake it is. Sorry, not fake, scripted, totally scripted. That, of course, is a debate for another day, and another book.
Or as they say in Tennessee, "wrestling isn't fake, people are".
Politics can feel inescapable
Politics can be very stressful because you can't get away from it; there is no escape.
You can't read the paper without seeing it.
You can't read a magazine without mentioning it.
You can't turn on the radio without hearing about it.
You can’t watch television without the news popping up.
You certainly can not go on Facebook without seeing stuff about politics.
Even when you pop down the local corner shop for 20 Benson and Hedges and a pack of Frazzles, it is there in the headlines of papers as you walk in.
So switching off can be hard, which is stressful. The pay is okay, not lucrative.
The pay is not massive in politics. It has gotten better of late. However, if you are money-motivated, then Politics is not really for you.
In a lot of other professions, you will be able to earn more, with less stress, ambiguity, less work and more fun.
If you are highly financially motivated, politics will not be for you.
MPS can be the best or worst line managers
Now one of the fantastic things about working in politics is that an MP will be your boss, and this is quite exciting.
However, they can either be the best employers you've ever had, or the worst people you have ever come across.
This cuts across party lines. I have heard stories about numerous “bad bosses” in my time who work in politics from all shades and parts of the political spectrum. Some of them are rather surprising.
I was fortunate and had good bosses while working in politics. However, in general, the standard rules do not seem to apply in parliament like they do in typical workplaces. I think one of the best analogies is to think of an MP’s office as a small family business. Some family businesses have the best working conditions others are just awful places to work.
The Civil Service has more influence than you realise
This is not something that the press makes much hay about. If you want real influence on how policy is implemented and actioned, the Civil Service or Local Government might be better destinations for you.
The world is too complicated, and organisations are too big even for ministers to have detailed insight into the day-to-day running of policy programs. So, working for an MP can lead to work that is shallower than expected. Especially backbenchers.
Also, the work can feel at times it is more like cleaning up after the mess that the civil service or local town hall has created, as any seasoned caseworker can attest.
Politics - more ‘The Office’ than ‘The West Wing'
Politics always look so exciting on television. speeches, press junkets, walkabouts, debates, spin rooms and election night coverage.
Be in the ‘West Wing or the ‘Thick of It’ there is an air of excitement and getting things done and changing the world. It is a world full of non-stop excitement and intellectual engagement, and no day ever looks boring, dull or unimportant.
However, this is just not real life. Politics is, sadly, just like any other job. It will, after a while, get boring and rather dull. If you want to watch a program that is a great model for politics, watch The Office.
Even the world’s most exciting and thrilling job shall, in the end, become humdrum and run-of-the-mill. Politics is not immune to this phenomenon.
My theory is that politics is 95% The Office, 4% The Thick of It and 1% The West Wing.
So do you want to work in politics?
Has anything that I have written above put you off?
The time I spent working in politics was an interesting and exciting time. It was also the worst time I ever had, as well.
If you are willing to accept the above, working in politics brings a whole host of rewards.
Just do not expect it to be how the TV or your imagination thinks it to be.
Now that I have been a misery guts, let's get onto the show and start talking about how you can get a role in politics.
You can read Political Careers here.
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