Lee F.
About me
| Lee F. | |
| Social Policy and Social Work | |
| Public Services Management | |
| Taught Postgraduate | |
| 2008 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Policy Researcher | |
| Citizens Advice | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Charity and voluntary sector | |
| Large business (250+ employees) | |
| 2014 |
More about Lee
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A day in the life of a Policy Researcher in the United Kingdom
Policy Research in the voluntary sector
My career goals when I graduated
I was already working in a civil service policy role in DWP but I wanted to get my teeth into something new. I began applying for promotion and was quickly successful.
My career history
I worked my way through the ranks in the Civil Service - I had a target grade in mind - when I got there I decided it wasn't for me.
I took myself away to run a gift shop by the sea while I worked out what else I wanted to do.
I'd already done some work in the third sector and this seemed like a natural next step so here I am.
What has helped my career to progress
Talking to people - with honesty, passion and credibility. I'm naturally quite shy but building the skills I needed to build & maintain positive relationships with diverse stakeholders has always stood me in good stead ... more so than any other key skill.
How my studies have helped my career
I'd already got years of practical experience under my belt but lacked the paperwork to show the value of that to potential employers ... my degree cemented & crystalised that experience on paper.
What surprised me about my career so far
How diverse it has been ... I've run pubs & shops. I've opened charity shops. I've hired & fired people. Work has taken me to Iraq; Cyprus; Germany; Poland; Belgium; France; Gibraltar and throughout the UK. Expect anything; let nothing surprise you and go where things lead you.
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I'd like to branch out deeper into the third sector ... campaigning looks appealing.
My advice to students considering work
Work ... get some work under your belt as soon as possible. Graduates with little or no work experience can be really hard to hire. But do not lie ... a dishonest CV is easily seen through - trust me I've seen through many.
My advice about working in my industry
Don't expect policy work in the voluntary sector to make you wealthy - it probably won't. But expect it to be challenging and rewarding ... it will be.
Look for paid internships too they are a great way in.
Contacting me
I'm happy to talk about setting up your own business; working in the voluntary; private and public sectors. And recruitment ... I've done loads and I'm a strange beast who enjoys it ... feel free to get in touch
What I do
I work for Citizens Advice researching people's lived experiences of policies and use the insight gained to influence Ministers and decision-makers to improve things
Skills I use and how I developed them
I spent many years as a policy adviser to DWP and thought I wanted to apply my academic and civil service to a voluntary sector role. So I took a job where I can use qualitative and quantitative research techniques to get a in-depth perspective of what it means to live the consequences of social policies. I then reflect that to Government to lobby for change.
What I like most
Feeling that my work enables our organisation to be a window through which policy makers may view the world.
What I like least
As a passionate qual researcher the desk-based quant stuff taxes my brain
What surprised me most
The constraints that still exist ... when on the "inside" it looked as though those on the "outside" were so much freer ... now I know that was just a "grass is greener" illusion.
Next steps...
If you like the look of Lee’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Lee a message to find out more about their career journey. If you feel you would benefit from more in-depth conversations, ask Lee to be your mentor.