Public Sector & Defence

Do you fancy working in the public sector? Unfortunately, working for the government isn’t all martinis, sublimely sexy women and crisp suits; however, it won’t necessarily entail being bogged down by endless stacks of paperwork either. Politicians aren’t all Bullingdon Club members; you don’t have to be toffee-nosed to develop a career in politics.

The public and defence sectors have a huge range of career opportunities. The influence of people who work in the public sector is everywhere (not in a horror movie kind of way; there aren’t public sector employees hiding in the walls. At least, we don’t think there are!). Careers can be pursued with a broad range of public sector organisations, including: central government offices, such as the Department for Work and Pensions (sorry to crush your Harry Potter fantasies but there’s no Department for the Misuse of Magical Creatures), local government authorities like Kent County Council, the NHS and a range of executive agencies.

An astonishing 498,000 civil servants are currently employed in the UK. Civil service employees help the government to manage and administrate public services. The most popular (and competitive) entry-route into the civil service for graduates is through the Civil Service Fast Stream programme. Don’t worry, you won’t have to be based in London if you want to work in the public sector; three-quarters of civil servants work outside the big smoke. The workforce delivers public services all across the UK. A plethora of careers are available: from project managers and research analysts, to administrative staff and coastguards.

You could get involved on a local level. Working in local government means you’ll be responsible for local services, such as recycling, traffic control and community centres. It’ll place you at the heart of the community. Another huge employer in this sector is the NHS.  The largest employer in Europe, it requires people for a variety of roles, including administrative, I.T. and medical staff, such as doctors and nurses.

You don’t have to be an admin whiz to work in the public sector. Many careers in the public sector are a million miles away from your typical nine-to-five office job. Requiring specialist technical and physical training, careers with the armed forces, police force or emergency services can be some of the most exciting, dangerous and hands-on jobs in the world.

So if you want to work in the public sector, you need to really start thinking about what area you want to be involved in.