My work experience with Bobby Dean 

by Saani Shah

I have really enjoyed this past week working at Bobby Dean’s office. I found the whole team very welcoming and have learnt a lot from each member of the team. I loved seeing how engaged everyone is with helping the community.

First, I also got to draft some ideas for events and organisations Bobby could speak to. Julie provided some useful feedback. I enjoyed being able to suggest organisations that I personally feel passionate about, such as the Sutton Women’s Trust, whilst also considering a variety of other organisations that align with Bobby’s main aims. Through this, I realised how much thought goes into planning an MP’s schedule, and I have become more appreciative of the behind the scenes work.

Working with Matt on Comms was very fascinating. I got to see how much thought goes into Social Media posts. I particularly liked working on the press release as I got to use some of my own creativity based on a treasury committee meeting. I had to consider what engages most with the public and the press, whilst remaining informative, which was slightly challenging.
Personally, my favourite part was actually the casework. I didn’t realise how complex it was, and how much thought went into each case. I learnt about the three types of casework: personal, policy and campaign casework. I practiced responding to constituents with personal casework queries in a variety of scenarios. In particular, Sarah highlighted some longer cases, as well as an ongoing one, which I found quite intriguing. She also explained how Bobby personally oversaw each case towards the end, which I found quite touching as it emphasised how much he values our constituency. In fact, I loved seeing how all the caseworkers are so engaged with helping the community, and I have gained a newfound respect after seeing how challenging their role is.

On the third day, I got the opportunity to go into Parliament. Julie and Abraham gave a lovely tour of Parliament; I loved seeing the House of Commons and House of Lords chamber in person. Abraham also shared his framework for how he responds to constituents, and answered questions about the challenges he has faced and the skills he has developed, which I enjoyed hearing! We also did a Kahoot at the end, which was quite fun!

I also got an opportunity to have a conversation with Bobby himself and asked some questions about the skills he has developed and if he has any advice for us. He shared his journey into politics and explained how his career developed in a slightly unpredictable way, and that it is normal to not stick to a ten-year life plan. This gave me reassurance for my own future career path, so it was lovely to hear.

Finally, Chante showed us policy and campaign casework. We also had a meaningful conversation with her about the social media ban and even prepared a presentation where we got to write about our personal views. We learnt how to balance our emails by being both polite and informative whilst also being realistic and direct.

Overall, this week has been very informative and I gained valuable experience working alongside all the different members of the team. I am grateful for all the feedback I have received and the skills I have developed! I will definitely take on board the skills I have learnt in my future endeavours and feel very lucky and grateful to have received this placement.