Teresa has today backed the Speaker’s Parliamentary Placements scheme, and urged local people with an interest in politics to apply for the chance to work in Parliament.
The Speaker’s Parliamentary Placements scheme is a cross-party scheme which aims to tackle the problem of unpaid internships in politics by creating a number of paid positions working with MPs in Parliament. Each successful applicant will get the opportunity to spend four days a week working in the Parliamentary office of an MP, with the fifth day being spent in a variety of roles across the House of Commons to develop an understanding of how Parliament works.
The scheme was launched in 2011, and the first ten participants are coming to the conclusion of their nine months in Parliament.
Teresa said:
“I recently took on an intern and paid them the London Living Wage, but sadly unpaid interns are still prevalent in Parliament. The Speaker’s Parliamentary Scheme is another important avenue by which people who want to experience working in Parliament can do so, whilst being paid a fair wage. This year’s scheme should be even better than the last, given the successful applicants will also be able to work in department across the House of Commons.
“I encourage anyone in Erith and Thamesmead who is passionate about politics to apply to the Speaker’s scheme by visiting the Social Mobility Foundation’s website at http://www.socialmobility.org.uk/.”
