I did it for 10 years now retrained in healthcare.
So I live in one of the Home Counties and worked for a local authority, then another. I dealt with planning applications (ie. Someone wants to build an extent soon, you essentially say yes/ no).
So 1 small application for an extension would involve visiting the site, then consulting with relevant people which would change depending on the location, nature and complexity of application e.g neighbours, highways, archaeology), then making a decision, or, if needed preparing a report for planning committee (councilllors) and presenting it to them to make a decision.
In a local authority you can also deal with writing and preparing the local plan (policy) which I always thought seemed a bit more clever but longer and more drawn out.
You could also work for county level dealing with roads, minerals and waste planning and their policies. Or some people go straight into private sector- I imagine preparing planning applications to be submitted to local authorities.
I worked with a really nice team and they paid for my post graduate training and supported me through being chartered. They were good with flexible working (in that- here’s you’re caseload deal with it whenever and however) and had great core hours of 10-4.
I left because I returned part time after children and I found it incredibly difficult managing the caseloads. It was a lot of dealing with builders, architects, private sector who exoected you to pick up the phone/ emails whenever on your NWDs because that’s what they did. It was all about the 8 or 13 week deadlines (although they had introduced flexibility on that but then you used that and your caseload just grew). You’re also dealing with a lot of aggrieved people who don’t want x,y,z built for x,Y, zreason. You are also really constrained in what you are allowed to
influence- so you go into it thinking you will be able to influence design of buildings and development. In reality you have a heavy caseload and don’t have time, and the bar is set pretty low in terms of quality of development etc in a lot of cases unfortnately.
where I worked used to take on work experience people . May be worth an email or a phone call to your local authority/ private sector place? Also planning portal website is really user friendly for info about planning. And university pages about the course.
Hope that makes sense. Please let me know if you have any questions 🙂