Victoria J.
About me
| Victoria J. | |
| History | |
| History | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Halifax | |
| 2008 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Assistant Private Secretary | |
| Department for Education | |
| United Kingdom | |
| 2009 | |
| £21000 | |
| £25500 |
Like this profile?
Add this profile to your favourites so you can return to it later from your account.
A day in the life of a Assistant Private Secretary in the United Kingdom
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I hope to get promoted next year and continue to work in private office.
My advice to students considering work
Apply for jobs early and don't just look for graduate schemes. It's easier to apply for other jobs once you've got a foot in the door.
What I do
I work in Private Office in the Permanent Secretary's office. I manage the Permanent Secretary's correspondence, researching issues raised, drafting replies, etc. I work as Board secretariat - preparing papers for Board meetings, taking minutes, etc. I prepare financial accounts for the Permanent Secretary to sign off and act as the contact for some policy areas. These areas are currently the Education Bill and early years policy.
Skills I use and how I developed them
I previously worked for Ofsted and in the Department for Work and Pensions correspondence team.
Degree skills:
Written skills are very important - policy submissions to the Permanent Secretary must weigh up both sides of an argument and then recommend an action.
Extracurricular skills:
I gained office experience by working part-time at university.
What I like most
Attending high profile meetings across Whitehall and being personally acquainted with top decision makers.
What I like least
The administrative side can become dull.
What would I change? Nothing - this is my third job in the Civil Service since graduating and I love the variety of roles available.
Next steps...
If you like the look of Victoria’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Victoria a message to find out more about their career journey.