Planit : Job Profiles : Member of Parliament Public Services Administration

People of a constituency (a particular area) elect members of parliament to represent them in that parliament. Most members of parliament are members of a political party, but a few are independent.

The Work

There are 2 different parliaments. You could be a:

Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) – meeting in Edinburgh, during normal office hours
Member of Parliament (MP) – meeting in the House of Commons at Westminster in London, usually starting in the afternoon and continuing into the evening and night.

In any case, you could be:

taking part in debates and making speeches
asking questions in Parliament and voting on proposed new laws
meeting constituents to discuss their problems
answering letters and emails from constituents
speaking at public meetings and events in your constituency and elsewhere
giving interviews to newspapers, radio and television
campaigning locally and nationally for yourself and your party.

Pay

Current salaries for MPs are as follows:

MSP – £63,579 a year (as of 1 April 2019).
MP – £79,468 a year (as of 1 April 2019).

You would get an extra payment if you had a special responsibility, such as being a party 'whip'.

You also get payments for certain staff and office costs and expenses.

Conditions

You would work many additional hours, including evenings and weekends.
You have to travel a lot, at home and sometimes abroad.
You may have to live in London during the week.
You often work under pressure, and you may have to make difficult or unpopular decisions.
You have to do a lot of background reading and research.

Workforce Employment Status

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Getting In

You do not need to have formal qualifications, but many have a degree or a professional qualification.
Most members go into parliament after another career, often in law, economics, journalism or trade union work.
Entry is very competitive: local people must elect you.
If you want to represent a political party, the party nationally must approve you and the constituency party must select you before you stand for election.
Before being selected you would normally need long experience of working for the party, either paid or unpaid, and you may have been a local councillor or political researcher.
It helps to attend party conferences and events and to network with party staff members.
You must be at least 18 and eligible to vote in elections for the parliament you are trying to enter.

Workforce Education Levels (UK)

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Job Outlook Scotland

Employment

Unemployment

Percentage of workforce registered as unemployed (Scotland)

LMI data powered by EMSI UK

Job Outlook Scotland

Scotland

2021

1251

0.9 %

RISE

2026

1262

LMI data powered by EMSI UK

What Does it Take?

You should be:

well informed about current affairs
able to speak well in public
able to ‘think on your feet’
confident and ambitious
able to talk to people from all backgrounds
willing to stick by unpopular decisions
able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines
of smart appearance.

You should have:

strong political beliefs
a good memory for facts, figures, faces and names
an enquiring mind
negotiating and problem solving skills
a lot of stamina.

Training

Most parties run training courses on subjects such as election law and procedures, public speaking and personal presentation.

Getting On

With experience, you could move on to become a party 'whip' (ensuring that fellow members follow party policy) or a spokesperson on a particular subject.
If your party is in government you could become a junior minister or cabinet member.
You could lose your job at any election, but if you do, you will probably be able to use your contacts to find a related job, perhaps in the media or as a business consultant.

More Information

Each parliament deals with different issues. These are summarised below.

The Scottish Parliament passes laws on domestic matters including health, education, housing, transport, local government, justice, agriculture and fisheries, the environment and economic development.

The UK Parliament passes laws on matters such as defence, taxation, welfare benefits, energy and immigration, as well as domestic affairs for England and sometimes Wales. It also has responsibility for UK foreign policy.

Video

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Contacts

The following organisations may be able to provide further information.

House of Commons
Website: http://www.parliament.uk/
Twitter: @HouseofCommons
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UKHouseofCommons/

Scottish Conservatives
Tel: 0131 524 0030
Website: http://www.scottishconservatives.com
Twitter: @ScotTories
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottishConservatives

Scottish Green Party
Tel: 08700 772 207
Website: https://greens.scot
Twitter: @scotgp
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottishGreens

Scottish Labour Party
Tel: 0141 572 6900
E-mail: scotland@labour.org.uk
Website: http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/
Twitter: @scottishlabour
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottishLabourParty/

Scottish Liberal Democrats
Tel: 0131 337 2314
Website: http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/
Twitter: @scotlibdems
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScotLibDems/

Scottish National Party (SNP)
Tel: 0800 633 5432
E-mail: info@snp.org
Website: http://www.snp.org/
Twitter: @theSNP
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theSNP

Scottish Parliament
Tel: 0800 092 7500
Minicom / Textphone: 0800 092 7100
E-mail: info@parliament.scot
Website: http://www.parliament.scot
Twitter: @ScotParl
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scottishparliament

UK Independence Party (UKIP) Scotland
Website: http://www.ukip.scot
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UKIPInScotland/

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Planit

Member of Parliament

The Work

Pay

Conditions

Getting In

Job Outlook Scotland

Job Outlook Scotland

What Does it Take?

Training

Getting On

More Information

Video

Contacts

Career Area

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