My work experience with Bobby Dean
by Florence Smith
My week at Bobby Dean MP’s office was hugely informative and I loved learning about the different roles needed to fulfil an MP’s duty to their constituents.
For me, casework was extremely interesting, as I previously was unaware how significant this task was and how many employees were needed to keep up with it. From housing issues to policy questions, I practised responding to constituents and taking necessary action to ensure their needs are met. While I initially struggled with the tone of the emails, examples and help from the team allowed me to develop the correct writing style to ensure my responses were heartfelt and appropriate. I loved how engaged the team was in providing exceptional community support. It stood out to me that Bobby personally oversaw every case, despite his busy schedule, which showed me how demanding his role was.
Bobby’s schedule was outlined to me in a session with his Admin lead, and I got to make a valuable contribution by researching groups, events and meetings for Bobby to attend while Parliament is in recess. This allowed me to consider my own priorities in politics, as well as Bobby’s interests, to evaluate how best his time could be used to be a visible member of the community and connect with constituents. I found it difficult to narrow down my options, showing how important decision making was when trying to manage such a wide scope of opportunities.
One of my days was spent in Parliament, where I enjoyed a tour of Westminster and was lucky enough to watch an Urgent Questions for the Department of Energy from the House of Commons Gallery. While the topic was complicated, I appreciated discovering more about Parliamentary procedure and watching MPs in action. When walking around Parliament, I saw many MPs that I knew, such as Ed Davey, which was very exciting.
During my day at Parliament, I particularly enjoyed drafting my own Private Members Bill, after learning about the different ways laws can be introduced into the House. My bill focused on the sentencing of Sexual Offences, following the Sentencing Act 2026, which allowed reduced sentences due to prison overcrowding. By making this bill, I learnt what is important in bill-writing, specifically evidenced reasoning for the bill’s necessity; I gained valuable research experience, using websites such as Hansard to learn how other MPs have approached the subject. I worked with my peer, who was also a work experience student, on this task, which was exciting because we had to balance our different interests and choose a topic that worked for both of us. The opportunity to work in a team was valuable as it enabled me to engage with ideas I had not thought of and helped me forge a strong friendship. Through a conversation with the team’s Parliamentary Researcher, I began
developing counter-arguments to the bill, encouraging me to see both sides of the debate to strengthen my own position. I found this to be an incredibly useful skill which will help me with both my studies and my future career in politics.
I also was given the opportunity to talk to Bobby and ask about his journey into becoming an MP, which was useful because I learnt how he first started working for NGOs and focused more on global issues. This helped me to think about what steps I can take in the future to develop my own political career and gave me greater reassurance that I can change between sectors throughout.
Media, particularly social media, is one of the core ways I have engaged with politics prior to this work experience, so it was fascinating to learn how Bobby’s social media is run. I watched a Treasury Select Committee Meeting in which Bobby asked questions about tax evasion and Phoenix companies. This not only broadened my economic understanding, but it also presented me with the opportunity to write a press release and short-form video script. Creating media challenged me to think about what engages the public, whilst keeping the focus on being informative and professional. Detailed feedback from the team allowed me to adapt my writing to suit the formal press and informal social media styles.
Overall, my week gave me valuable experiences but also the opportunity to talk to members of Bobby Dean’s team about their role and career. The various tasks set were purposely designed to develop skills and challenge me, and I was grateful for the attentive feedback and support I was offered throughout. My confidence and understanding of politics has vastly improved, as I now know how I can engage and participate with the political system. I feel incredibly lucky to have had this opportunity, and will use the skills and knowledge I have learnt throughout my life.
