Work for an MP

[NotABeliever]

What's it like to work for an MP as a caseworker or policy support officer? It would be a pay cut but my current job is at risk and there really isn't much at all going in my field at the moment.

I'm clued up on politics and have worked in the legal field as a caseworker for many years.

Grateful for any advice

It depends who you work for tbh and if you have a not very nice mp there's not quite the same safe haven as there is with an organisation. I've had both good and bad experiences. Also, don't be surprised not to get the job because you can have a lot of experience and still not get it.

I'm well aware there's going to be competition and I may not get it!
My question was around the day to day work.
Is it dealing with people's problems or is there more to it? Is it usually part of a team or work on your initiative?

It depends on the mp, area and the team they have.

Do you know your local area and what type of problems there is?

It might be tonnes of different things - every MP runs things differently.

It might be casework -helping constituents sort out housing/ immigration / care / school / whatever issues.

It might be policy work, helping them work on particular topics that they’re interested in.

It might be fairly straightforward admin / diary work.

The management style is totally in the gift of the MP, there is no standard. If you get on with them, that’s 90% of the battle. But quite a lot of the new intake probably have no experience managing people which will make things… interesting.

I used to work with caseworkers and agree with all of the above. Each MP operates slightly differently so it is a case of who you get. The day to day work will be a real variety of dealing with different cases which need the involvement of an MP - anything from immigration issues to faulty traffic lights - and you can make a difference. There will be teams of other caseworkers both within the local area and nationally and there is cooperation and coordination. Some caseworkers report feeling a bit isolated from Westminster but there are efforts to change this.

One obvious thing to point out is the lack of job security. You are only employed by that MP as long as they are so if they lose their seat for any reason you have to start all over again. It’s obvious when you think about it but there are many many people who don’t realise. Having said that it’s great experience for other roles as long as it lasts! Good luck.

I work for an mp, it's brutal, my caseload is around 400 atm, I have complex cases coming out of my ears, dealing with abuse, threats and being screamed at daily by constituents and I'm now ill due to it. I've been doing this role for 20 years and every year since 2016 is more brutal than the last. Some parts are hugely enjoyable but the whole political atmosphere and landscape is awful in this country and you need a thick skin to cope. Good luck x