EDIP participant Review

The internship was fantastic, It gave me an unrivalled experience into a sector that I previously did not know much about. I had only know what I heard on the news, but the EDIP allowed me to see how each department fit in to the wider government. I was very lucky to shadow a Fast Streamer in the Home Office, which, although it had not been my first choice of department, had become a real possibility for a future career. My shadowing was tailored to my interests, including a trip to Paris as I speak French, to visit the Juxtaposed Border Controls at Paris Gare du Nord. I spoke to many different employees with many different backgrounds, and

I spoke to many different employees with many different backgrounds during the EDIP, and I felt that they had a real interest in wanting to talk to me. They were interested to hear about my educational background and my motivations for applying to the Internship. On numerous occasions these employees asked me if there was anything that I wanted to know or see that I didn't/hadn't already. My Fast Streamer in particular was fantastic - she catered the shadowing to my interests after she had taken the time to learn what my career goals were. Although on an internship for people from low socio-economic backgrounds, I never felt that I was there out of pity, but because of my talent, and on merit. I was fortunate enough to be able to sit in on a meeting, and the other people there took the time to brief us and explain points that we did not understand.

I received much guidance and support from a range of people, including the EDIP organisers, my Fast Streamer, and from other employees I met. I was offered further development opportunities, and given much guidance about the different career paths available to me during and after the Fast Stream. If my Fast Streamer could only give me guidance based on her experience, she sought out other to share their insights and experiences too.

The information I received from the EDIP will be invaluable in helping me decide whether a career in the Civil Service is right for me. The week also helped me to decide that I wanted to apply for a place on the summer internship. I gained confidence from meeting a wide range of people, including many in high positions that would have made me feel intimidated in the past. I have learnt that many people like this are only human, and that it is possible to have a relationship with them.

The week was structured very well, with activities more or less always running to timetable. There was rather a lot of 'networking' opportunities with other people on the EDIP where I sometimes felt unsure of what to do, as we were left to our own devices, but overall, all events happened when they were supposed to, and our time was filled up. The opening and closing receptions were a nice touch, as they allowed us to be eased into the internship and have some reflective time respectively.

The atmosphere in the insight was friendly and supportive, both during the formal and informal aspects of the programme. I made many good friends on the EDIP despite the short timescale, and I also formed good working relationships with a number of Civil Service employees. The internship was fascinating and the atmosphere among participants was one of eagerness, eagerness to learn and gain all the insight that was available to us.

I was given the opportunity to shadow an employee, and this was personalised to further my development. I also got the chance to practice an assessment centre activity, which was both fun and informative, and I felt that my team working abilities and ability to construct an argument improved much.

The only limiting thing was that I was only based in one department, although I appreciate that in one week visiting all the government departments would have been impossible. However, generally, the understanding I gained about day to day activities was great and honest. I saw that not every day is glamorous government work, but often about keeping projects and policies ticking over. I was able to sit in on a meeting and follow up from this, seeing every step of what goes in to making a project work. I saw a range of different departments within the Home Office and I was able to get a view of the department overall also.

I was able to understand the value of the civil service's 'impartial' reputation. Previously I had not given much thought to this, but the fluidity of operations in the face of changing political parties with different policies was made clear to me. All employees continued their work no matter what the circumstances, and were passionate about them. They were completely committed to their work and genuinely interested in trying to help the general public.

The content was invaluable. Without the internship I would never have had such a wide insight into the Civil Service as a whole, and as such my decision about whether I wanted a career there would have been much less informed. I now feel confident that I can commit to a career in the Civil Service, knowing the positives and negatives of working in this public sector. I am still uncertain which area I would like to go into however, as my week was focused on the Home Office.

Travel expenses were reimbursed providing we had spent £10 in total, as well as a general accommodation allowance that enabled us to be close to Whitehall/Westminster, as this was where most activities would be taking place. The reimbursement process was a little confusing at first, as it was not clear whether we had to spent £10 of our own money every day before we could be reimbursed or whether it was in total for the whole week, This was resolved with a couple of emails. The internship organisers were also accommodating of my disability and I was allowed to stay an extra night in London.

There were lots of networking opportunities, but these were mainly with other participants on the programme. I was slightly disappointed that we were not able to network with more senior civil servants on the programme, although during my shadowing I did get to meet people in higher positions. The closing reception did give us more of a chance to talk to Fast Streamers, and there was time for questions to guest speakers like Permanent Secretaries.

The networking opportunities felt a little unorganised at the opening reception as we were all a little unsure what we were meant to do and how long we were supposed to be waiting until the next session started. There were no planned social events aside from the opening and closing ceremony, but there was plenty of opportunity to be sociable with fellow participants and other Fast Streamers. It was a very friendly programme where networking naturally occurred.

There did not seem to be any activities that were endorsed by the company, as far as I was aware, although I discovered Fast Streamers are encouraged to conduct fundraising events for a charity of their choice as part of their development. Of course individual departments/officers also participate in social events together, and in particular Fast Streamers are encouraged to create a strong bond to help each other through the at time difficult work life.

I would have no hesitations in recommending the EDIP to a friend who wanted to know more about any kind of public sector work, as I believe it would be beneficial for anyone to see the inner workings of the way our country's government functions. Insight weeks are in general very helpful, not only to see whether the sector interests you, but also to gain that experience of being in the work environment. The EDIP helped contribute to my personal and professional development, and I am still enjoying the benefits of the connections I made on it.