A politician works to represent people and make decisions about laws, budgets, and public services. In the UK, politicians can work at local councils, regional assemblies, or as Members of Parliament in Westminster. The role involves listening to communities, debating issues, planning policies, and communicating with the public. It can require long hours, public speaking, teamwork, and a strong commitment to public service. Gaining experience through volunteering, internships, or joining a political party can help someone start a career in politics.
Politicians in the UK can earn a wide range of salaries depending on role. MPs receive a basic salary of around 84,144 pounds per year, with potential additional allowances for committees and responsibilities.
There are thousands of local councillors and MPs across the UK, with career paths often starting from community involvement, local party activity, or public service roles.
No fixed degree is required to become a local councillor or MP, but many applicants have degrees and relevant experience in law, economics, public administration, or social sciences.
Work with community members to help run a town or village council, decide on local services and plan improvements.
Study and write reports on ideas for laws and public services to help politicians make informed decisions.
Explain government plans to the public and help organisations communicate with local authorities and MPs.
Learn about roles such as local councillor, MP or regional assembly member and how they help communities.
Research local councillors and MPs, read news about local issues, and watch friendly debates to see how decisions are made. Talk to a teacher or careers adviser about what skills are useful, such as public speaking, listening, and teamwork.
Practice speaking clearly, listening to others, and working with people with different views.
Join a school club or youth council to gain experience in meeting management, note taking, and making compromises. Consider volunteering for community projects to see teamwork in action.
Understand how laws are created, how elections work, and what the government does.
Read age-appropriate books or articles about Parliament, councils, and democracy. Watch debates or educational programmes that explain governance, budgets, and policy development.
Participate in local campaigns, school councils, or charity events to understand community needs.
Volunteer with a local charity, attend council meetings as an observer, and practise presenting ideas to a group. Build a small network of mentors who can offer advice.
Focus on subjects like politics, history, geography, and civics to build a solid base.
Take part in debates, model parliament clubs, or student government to gain experience in argumentation and policy thinking. Develop research and summarising skills.
Lead a project or club and practise public speaking and persuading others ethically.
Prepare short presentations, run meetings, and learn how to listen to different viewpoints. Reflect on how to build consensus and respect diverse opinions.
Look for internships, summer programmes, or volunteering roles related to public service or politics.
Apply to youth parliament schemes, council internships, or non profit roles to gain real world experience and to build a relevant CV.
Follow current affairs and policy topics to stay informed and develop opinions backed by research.
Read reliable sources, attend local talks, and discuss policy ideas with mentors. Learn how to evaluate sources and present evidence-based arguments.
Set goals to run for a student council, local youth forum, or participate in a political club.
Build a simple plan with milestones: lead a project, deliver a speech, join a campaign team, and seek feedback from peers and mentors. Start small and grow your involvement.
Researches and recommends solutions for government and organisations to improve policies on topics like health, education, and the environment.
Works within a council to deliver services, manage budgets, and implement local policies under the direction of elected councillors.
Plans and runs political campaigns, communicates with voters, and helps promote candidates and causes.
Explore relevant apprenticeships that can help you kickstart your career in Politician. Apprenticeships offer hands-on experience and training while earning a wage.
Both roles involve public service and operate within a parliamentary framework. They require similar skills in policy development, debate, public accountability and constituency representation, making MP the closest formal career title to Politician.
You can get into this job by being elected by voters in the constituency you wish to represent.
Most people show their commitment through campaigning and volunteering for their party.
You could also:
Contact your local councillors or your student office to ask about opportunities to volunteer with them.
To become an MP, you have to be elected in a byelection or general election. You can stand for election as a member of a political party or as an independent candidate.
Each political party has its own selection procedure. Usually, you'll need to get the support of your party's nominating officer before you can become a candidate.
During an election, you'll be expected to campaign in public and online, attend meetings, make speeches and talk to the local media. You'll find it helpful to have some experience in one or more of these areas.
You'll need a good understanding of local and national issues, and keep up to date with current affairs.
The Houses of Parliament offer the following schemes to get involved:
Find more information about parliamentary work placements and apprenticeship programmes.
You can get more advice about becoming an MP from UK Parliament.
You can also find information about working for an MP from Working for an MP (W4MP).
Explore other careers or use our AI to discover personalised paths based on your interests.
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