Intern Review

The insight programme was an excellent opportunity given that it gave me the chance to ask as many questions as I wanted, whereby all of my questions were answered with great detail. Being able to shadow current Civil Servants was also fantastic, since we were able to see their day-to-day jobs, and thus genuinely get an insight into the Civil Service.

I felt extremely valued during my time with the Civil Servants. I spent the vast majority of my time at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and was welcomed with a smile everywhere I was taken. My hosts took great care of me in the sense that all of the events were organised well, and thoroughly prepared. Other staff within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office also spent a lot of their time to help us better understand the work they undertake.

We received some guidance in terms of the application and selection processes for the Civil Service Fast Stream. However, the guidance we received was often extremely repetitive, and most of what was told to us can also be found online on the Civil Service website. Perhaps it would have been better if we had been given support regarding how to stand out from other candidates when applying in future years.

During this insight week, we were often told to focus on the activities we complete outside of university as much as our academic studies. This will therefore assist me in the sense that I am now aware of the importance of volunteering, taking part in events and working to name some but a few. I will not only focus on my academic studies, but also personal development too, since this will help my application for the Civil Service Fast Stream.

The insight week was extremely well organised. We were sent several emails prior to the insight week itself, outlining the events and structure of the week. During the insight itself, we received personalised timetables, as well as timetables for each day and specific events. Our hosts also welcomed us promptly, hence the very good structure of the week.

The general atmosphere of this insight week was really friendly. All of the other participants were of similar backgrounds to myself, and this meant that we could comfortably share our experiences with each other and empathise. The coordinators of the insight week and the guest speakers were also very supportive and encouraging, thus their wise words also created a bright, positive atmosphere.

Given that the insight week only lasted for one week, the Civil Service did not invest in any of the participants. Instead, it was an opportunity for us to gain more information and see if we are interested in a career in this sector. Thus it would not have been useful or appropriate for the Civil Service to invest in us, since we are still unsure of the paths we want to take ourselves.

Thanks to the work shadowing, the insight week gave me a unique opportunity to decide whether or not I would be interested for apply for the Fast Stream and subsequently work for the Civil Service. Without this insight week, it would not have been possible for me to decide if this job position would suit me. The reason for this is because it is not possible to find information by any other source regarding the working environment, thus the insight week was invaluable.

I have learnt that the Civil Service is impartial and works for the benefits of the present government. The Civil Service have shown that they respect all of their staff regardless of their background, age, gender and social status. This further encourages me to apple to the Fast Stream as I now know that I would be treated with respect and also not discriminated against.

Most of the day either consisted of networking or shadowing a current Fast Streamer. Since Fast Streamers completed their day-to-day tasks, shadowing them was an excellent opportunity because we could envisage ourselves in the same situations if we were to apply in coming years too. Therefore, the fact that I enjoyed showing the Fast Steamers goes to show that I would love to work for the Civil Service in the future.

I was reimbursed expenses but only after I had spent £10 myself. I believe that it would have been more practical for both the participants and the organisers of the insight week if all of our costs were reimbursed. We (the participants) were not made aware of why we would not be reimbursed the entire amount of our spendings.

There were opportunities of networking amongst other insight week participants. This was a very good opportunity given that being of similar age and background, we had many qualities in common. This meant that interacting and starting a conversation was relatively easy, and in the future I am sure that the networking opportunities will come in handy when applying to the Civil Service.

The networking opportunities were excellent as a lot of time was devoted to them. This meant that we could have thorough conversations with one another. There was also a networking sessions informing us of now to successfully network and make the most out of it. This made us realise the importance of networking even more. There were no social events however.

We were not given much information about activities that employees can get involved in outside of the Civil Service. The only things that we were told was that employees were encouraged to do a lot of charity work, and also volunteering work. The Civil Service insists on giving back to the community, hence why they encourage employees to get involved with other communities in the UK and abroad.

I would definitely recommend this insight week to a friend. Without this opportunity, I would not have been able to find out such a vast amount of information regarding the Civil Service. I probably would not have considered even applying in the years to come given that I would not have information regarding the work done by Civil Servants.