Government Communication Service Internship Candidate Information Pack

1. Government Communication Service Internship Candidate Information Pack

2. What is the Government Communication Service? Chances are, government communicators are behind many of the news stories you have read, retweeted or talked about today. The Government Communication Service (GCS) is the professional body for UK Civil Service communications professionals. When you join the GCS you will quickly find that no two days – or hours – are ever the same. That’s because we’re a proactive and innovative team of diverse communications professionals who thrive on supporting the government across a huge spectrum of issues that affect public life. From promoting international trade to getting girls more interested in engineering, an internship in government communications will give you the opportunity to begin a challenging and fulfilling career. You will contribute to exciting new ideas and real issues that affect real people. Find out more at:https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/

3. The 2019 GCS Internship Are you looking for a unique internship that will develop your skills and prepare you for a career in the communications profession? • Lasting 6-12 weeks, the Government Communication Service (GCS) internship is aimed at students from diverse backgrounds at university level or completing a degree equivalent qualification. • You will have the opportunity to work in a wide range of communications disciplines, delivering cutting edge work for government. • You could find yourself: • working on national media campaigns; • creating innovative content for social media; • working in a busy media office; and • working on a major staff engagement programme and with Ministers and senior officials.

4. Background 100% of 2017interns said the internship was very good or excellent, and would recommend it to another student. The GCS Internship programme was awarded Highly Commended and a 2017 Intern won Best Intern at the PR Internships Awards 2018. In 2015/16 the GCS launched the communications specific diversity internship and the internship is now in its fourth year. In 2018 we had over 45 interns joining 20 departments and agencies. The GCS have increased the number of interns from 13 interns in 2016 to 45 in 2018. As part of the GCS commitment Diversity and Inclusion, the GCS Internship supports a culture of better representation, better representing the communities which we serve. Interns tour of Parliament

5. Internship Outline • Duration: 6-12 weeks, with a possibility to extend depending on departments • Salary: £350 per week • Location: London, with some placement opportunities available in Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool and Nottingham. • Recruitment process: Application form, CV and Diversity monitoring form, and telephone interview • Support when you start: a departmental buddy, a GCS Internship mentor and a line manager What’s included? GCS provides a framework for the internship including: • GCS Insight day • Access to GCS communications training • Competency and careers workshop • Social and networking events • Shadowing opportunities across your department • Fast Stream mentors • Interns group project

6. What the GCS interns have to say Interns believed the GCS Internship made them well positioned to apply for the GCS Fast Stream programme. 90% of interns said the internship provided them with a better understanding of their career goals. “Communication, time management, networking and excel skills were a definite highlight! It will help me with my studies and certainly contributed to my worldview perception. I now understand the importance of communications departments and the key role they play!” 85% of 2018 interns rated their overall experience on the GCS Internship excellent or good. 100% of interns would recommend the GCS Internship to another student. Source: GCS intern survey, 2018

7. Internship Case Studies “I have thoroughly enjoyed my summer in the GCS internship programme and have gained invaluable communication experience. My perception on what it would be like to work in the Civil Service has completely changed, as I found it to be a friendly and inclusive environment which encourages creativity. My time here has also given me a supportive network of connections within the GCS who I feel would be more than happy to help me with future career opportunities once I graduate.” Nicole Perretta, Cabinet Office On the GCS Diversity Internship scheme I have been working on the THINK! Road Safety Campaign in the Department for Transport. Looking back I have learnt an immense amount.I have worked on my own projects as well as in a team, to deliver engaging campaigns for young male drivers, and educational resources for teachers, children and Road Safety Professionals. My days have been a mixture of working with our creative and media agencies, developing engaging content for our communication channels and building the THINK! website. There has even been days I have spent on production sets! I cannot stress how much I’d recommend applying for the GCS scheme, there is so much that you will learn and the opportunities it opens up are invaluable! Rayanne Ellis, Department for Transport

8. Internship Case Studies “Having known for years that I wished to pursue a career in politics, yet being unsure as to exactly what options were available to me, the GCS internship provided direction andopportunity. It was a process of professional and personal development in which my knowledge of contemporary politics was vastly expanded. However, this was all second to the enjoyment of working in the heart of London, surrounded by those at the forefront of governing our country.” Hamza King, Department for Health and Social care "The internship has provided me with an invaluable insight into government communications and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the Civil Service or a career in communications. It has been really eye-opening to see the range of roles available and has confirmed my aspirations to pursue a career with the Civil Service. I've had the opportunity to contribute to award-winning government campaigns, have discussions with senior directors and even take the lead on press enquiries. It's so rewarding to see the impact your work has and I've enjoyed every second of it!" Zeynab Alwi, Medicines & Healthcare products regulatory agency

9. What the line managers have to say “Our intern has quickly settled as a key member of our team; she has been conscientious, dedicated and shown real enthusiasm in her work. Her internship project presentation was excellent, demonstrating a clear understanding of OASIS and an ability to deliver to a very high standard - we were very impressed indeed.” Alec Medaney, Senior Communications Manager, Cabinet Office “I personally saw a real growth of confidence and ambition, and was delighted to hear some have now joined the Civil Service. All of the interns brought a fantastic level of passion and enthusiasm to their work and were able to complete a range of different projects, complementing the skills and experience of existing staff. From interns owning research projects to generating campaign content, and large scale event to bespoke workshop support, I can highly recommend the programme and the candidates involved.” Nathan Paterson, Line manager at Department for International Trade

10. What happens after the Internship? 40% of our interns have gone on to secure full time roles within the GCS. Some have also secured part time roles with us as they complete their degree, whilst the rest have returned to university. We will support interns through shadowing opportunities and mentoring during the internship. We keep in contact with our internship alumni to alert them of upcoming opportunities. Following your internship, you can apply to: GCS Assistant Information Officer (AIO) and Information Officer (IO) recruitment campaigns Government Communications Fast Stream Entry level communications roles across government Further roles available on the GCS Careers Page

11. Am I eligible to apply? You must meet the nationality requirement and the right to work in the UK requirement: Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals. In addition, you must have the right to work in the United Kingdom, and you must satisfy the diversity requirement. You must be a British citizen to work in some of the placements, particularly those related to security and intelligence. Please note your placement and start date is dependant upon successful completion of security clearance. Further information on the nationality requirement is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules You must be in your final 2 years at university, a recent graduate or have completed a degree equivalent qualification in a communications related subject (NVQ level 6) Candidates must be from at least one of the following backgrounds: Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Socially or economically disadvantaged Consider yourself to have a disability Care leaver We assess social and economic background using questions based mainly on family background. Candidates from these BAME backgrounds can apply: Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, Chinese or any other Asian background. African, Caribbean or any other black background.White and Asian, white and black African, white and black Caribbean or any other mixed ethnic background.Other - Arab. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you believe this applies to you, please contact gcs-internship@cabinetoffice.gov.uk and fill out the application forms as requested. Providing you meet the minimum application criteria, we can guarantee you a telephone interview. Please do let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments for this in your email. Visit https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/careers/internships/for more details.

12. How to apply Application window: Open 6 February- 6 March Telephone interviews: March Job offers/ department matches: March-April Pre appointment checks: April onwards Internship begins: June onwards* *start date based on successful completion of security clearance

13. FAQ’s Am I eligible to apply? Please refer to the eligibility criteria set out in the candidate information pack and the application form. You are eligible to apply for the GCS Internship if you satisfy the nationality requirement and the right to work requirement. Nationality requirement: Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules You must be a British citizen to work in some of the placements, particularly those related to security and intelligence. In addition to the nationality requirement, you must have the right to work in the United Kingdom, and you must satisfy the diversity requirement (see ‘How to apply’). Please note your placement and start date is dependant upon successful completion of security clearance. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you believe this applies to you, please contact gcs-internship@cabinetoffice.gov.uk and fill out the application forms as requested. Providing you meet the minimum application criteria, we can guarantee you a telephone interview. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments for this in your email. Can I apply if I have recently graduated? Yes. The internship programme is aimed at current students or recent graduates (graduated in 2018). Can I apply if I haven’t attended university? Yes. The internship is open to students who have recently completed a degree equivalent (NVQ level 6). The Government Communication Service also offers a Level 4 PR and Communications apprenticeship for non-graduates. How long will my security clearance take to be processed? Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee a specific timeframe as this depends on the type of clearance required for your department. We recommend you complete your details for security clearance as soon as you receive the relevant documents. These need to be filled out accurately and as soon as possible, as any issues with the data you input will delay your job offer being confirmed. How long before I know if I’ve been successful? We have tried to make the recruitment process as simple and short as possible. We expect to hold telephone interviews with candidates in late March and notify successful candidates in April. Due to the high volume of applications we are unable to provide feedback at the initial application sift.

14. FAQ’s Can I choose where I will work? No. Placements will be assigned to successful candidates based on the availability of roles, location, security clearance required and feedback from hiring managers. We will not be asking for candidate preferences as placements may be subject to change depending on business need. Does the internship lead to a permanent job? The internship does not guarantee you a permanent job, however the scheme aims to give you the skills and experience you need to apply for a communications role in the Civil Service, and support you with careers advice and coaching to help you progress. You’ll have the option to include your CV in a reserve list, which we will send out to departments to help fill vacancies.We also have various routes you can apply through following your internship including the Fast Stream and annual centralised recruitment campaigns, as well as exciting vacancies across departments. I have a disability, what reasonable adjustments can I expect? If you require reasonable adjustments to allow you to complete the recruitment process, you’ll be given the opportunity to indicate and discuss this when you apply. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you believe this applies to you, please contact gcs-internship@cabinetoffice.gov.uk What are the stages of the application process? You will need to submit your CV, application form and diversity monitoring form. Please note your application will not be accepting without all supporting documents. If you pass the initial sift, you will be invited to participate in a telephone interview. The telephone interview will test for suitability to the role and will likely be with a hiring manager. If you reach the required standard we’ll offer you a provisional place, which will be confirmed upon completion of your security clearance. Further details on the criteria are set out on the website.What type of person are we looking for? We are looking for capable and motivated young people who are interested in a career in communications and passionate about working with important issues. Successful candidates will demonstrate good communications skills, an ability to identify target audiences, select appropriate communications tools, evaluate the impact and effectiveness of communications efforts and work effectively both independently and as part of a team. Does the GCS Internship have a ‘fast pass’ to the Fast Stream? No. The GCS Internship does not provide a fast pass to the Fast Stream. The GCS Internship is aimed at students interested in a career in communications and is separate to the Civil Service Summer Diversity Internship Programme (SDIP). We use a streamlined recruitment and selection process so we can encourage a wider pool of candidates to apply.

15. Visit https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/careers/internships/ Applications for the 2019 intake will close 6 March "I'm really proud of our GCS interns. We have had fifty talented individuals working across the GCS this summer bringing fresh ideas, enthusiasm and hard work to their projects. I look forward to seeing more great work from them in the future." Alex Aiken, Executive Director of Government Communication Join us

16. Visit https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/careers/internships/ Applications for the 2019 intake will close 6 March Good luck!