Plymouth gets a poor deal from Government and Luke’s job as Plymouth Sutton and Devonport’s MP is to stand up for our city and region to get a fairer share. To do that he has to rely on his superb team for support. Unlike some other MPs, Luke believes that MPs should recruit their staff openly and not employ family members.

Luke will always advertise any vacancy on this page, his social media pages, and w4mp

 

Care Leaver’s Internship

Applications for this financial year are now closed and will reopen in April 2024.

The Luke Pollard Care Leavers Internship Scheme is a flagship scheme which gives care leavers the chance to benefit from a 2 week paid internship in the office of a busy Member of Parliament.

Luke was  first elected as the Labour and Co-operative MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport in June 2017. Since then he has spoken launched multiple campaigns around issues that affect people in Plymouth from transport to education, tower block cladding to the environment. As well as being an active local MP, Luke is the Shadow Armed Forces Minister.

Latest data shows that 41% of care leavers aged 19-21 are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), compared to 12% of all young people in that age range. To help to address this and to make sure that Care Leavers in Plymouth have the same opportunities as other young people, my Internship scheme will provide participants with the opportunity to develop and enhance their skills and hopefully be the launch pad for a successful career.

The placement will be based in my constituency office in Plymouth City Centre working Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:00, with the opportunity to travel to Westminster to work in the House of Commons for a two day placement.

 

Benefits for the Young Person on the scheme:

  • An opportunity to develop work-based skills, increase professional confidence, test abilities, and make progress.
  • A launch-pad for a successful working life and career going forward.
  • An opportunity to accumulate evidence of skills, competences, and take advantage of opportunities available.
  • Opportunity for young people to gain independence.
  • Improve self-worth and confidence in general.
  • Help to reach potential.

Who can apply?

The scheme is open to young people who are:

  • aged 18-30
    • entitled to a leaving care package. To qualify for leaving care support, you must have been in care for a minimum of 13 weeks, some of which must have been after your 16th birthday’. Those who are invited to interview will be asked to provide a reference who can confirm their care leaver status. This could be their personal adviser, a member of their local authority or a named contact in their supporting organisation.
    • Upon appointment you will be required to comply with the Baseline Personnel Security Standard, undertaken by the Members’ Staff Verification Office (MSVO). See Members’ Staff Verification Office (MSVO) page for further info.

There is no requirement for specific qualifications for this role.

Salary

The real living wage: https://www.livingwage.org.uk/what-real-living-wage

What is the role?

You will provide administrative support to my casework and parliamentary team, helping them to achieve their objectives.

Tasks will vary from day to day, but you will cover all aspects of working in a busy MP’s office. This includes speaking to constituents about their issues, preparing social media content, accompanying Luke on any visits, and travelling to Westminster for an overnight stay- expenses will be covered.

You’ll be working within a supportive team structure, under the direction of the senior caseworker. You may also hold individual responsibility for pieces of work within a programme or project

Good communication and organisational skills will be used in your everyday work. You may be asked to take your own initiative with minimal supervision, knowing when to seek help. You may take ownership of a specific project: identifying priorities, resolving issues and must be able to operate with tact and diplomacy to secure the most effective outcome.

How to apply

You will prepare a personal statement telling us how you have demonstrated the following skills (500 words max):

  • Using computer packages. E.g., Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
    • Communicating with people. Speaking to them over the telephone, face to face   and using written communication.
    •Showcasing good organisational skills.
    •Ability to prioritise workloads.

You could think about occasions when you have previously demonstrated these skills. This might be at work or somewhere like work experience, volunteering or in connection with a hobby. Do not assume we will know or understand the situation you were facing; you need to make sure it is clear how your example meets these skills.

We will provide you with feedback on your application and interview.

Interview Guidance

If you are successful at the application stage, you will be invited to an interview. The purpose of the interview is to assess your suitability for the role. It will usually last about 30 minutes.

Interview Questions

We will ask questions to give you the opportunity to talk us through occasions when you have used some of these skills and to assess your experience.

"I am always looking for exceptional people who are keen to learn more about politics and how Plymouth can get a fairer deal. That could be you!" Luke Pollard MP
Luke Pollard MP

Testimonies for #TeamLuke Alumni

Matthew Smith interned in Luke’s office in February- April 2018. He said:

“I’m from Plymouth, I went to Devonport High School for Boys and I worked in Luke’s Westminster office in February and March 2018. My time in Westminster was absolutely invaluable to me and gave a great insight into a weird and wonderful world that can often feel distant from ‘normal’ people’s everyday lives. The team are fantastic, both in Westminster and Plymouth, and I was made to feel like an important member of the team – not just an intern – right from the start.

 

No two days are the same, and you can go from drafting letters, to running through Parliament to get to the BBC for an interview in a matter of moments! My time with Luke and his team has set me up perfectly to start my politics degree later this year, but most importantly it was great fun, and an experience that I will never forget.”

Freddie Cook interned for Luke in May 2018. She said:

“I applied to work in Luke’s office as I wanted my first experience in Parliament to be with an MP who was bringing something new to the table, and I wasn’t disappointed!

 

I applied for the job through w4mp and spent 8 amazing weeks learning and was constantly challenged. Particular highlights include working on research for the Shadow DEFRA team and working on Luke’s many local campaigns in Plymouth. I absolutely loved the amount of responsibility I had and saw my confidence grow from day one. There was always so much going on that I could involved with, whether it be attending events with Luke or drafting his monthly newsletter, and I really enjoyed the broad scope of the role.

 

My time in Luke’s office was invaluable and has helped me to stay in Parliament – straight after the internship I started working for another MP as a Parliamentary Researcher and I really do have my time in Luke’s office to thank for that.”

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