1 - Day in the Life of a Graduate Intern working in a Geographical Team

When I get in, the first thing I do is check my outlook calendar. After seeing that I dont have
any immediate meetings to attend, I continue with an ongoing task that I started working on
two days ago: a reply to a letter from a member of the public, who has written to the FCO
about the conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) and what the UK and others are
doing to help civilians affected by the fighting. To inform my draft, I have been consulting
previous replies to similar questions and checking for new information from the desks
leading on CAR and on UN peacekeeping, as well as checking with colleagues in DFID
about humanitarian aid. I then send my draft to my line manager for comments.
After everyone races to get coffee, there is a team meeting at 11am. This is everyones
opportunity to update the team on what they have been working on in the past week, and the
progress theyve made. I let the team know that Ive been helping a couple of different team
members with their work in the past week: on Monday, I was researching guest list minibiographies for an event that will be hosted by the Cabinet Office next month, and yesterday
I was taking the note for a cross-Whitehall meeting.
Before I meet up with a group of fellow graduate interns for lunch in St James Park, I amend
my letter draft according to my line managers comments. When I get back from lunch, I had
planned to type up and distribute the note from the cross-Whitehall meeting yesterday;
however, I have to re-prioritise my day. A Minister needs briefing on recent territorial
disputes for his overseas trip in two days time, and the Cabinet Office have requested to
hold their upcoming event in the main FCO building in one of the Fine Rooms. Both of these
tasks have been handed to my line manager, so I sit down with her to discuss how to
balance these requests. The Ministers briefing is urgent, but I havent had any experience
in Ministerial briefing yet. We agree that I will provide the research on the territorial disputes,
and she will draft the briefing; I will then take over as the first point of contact with the
Cabinet Office. My line manager adds that she will work with me on the next briefing request
we receive, so that I have an opportunity to experience the process myself.
For the next hour, I go through all the regular internal filing areas for the Ministers briefing,
and gradually pull out the most relevant information. I also consult the FCOs Research
Analysts, who are experts in their fields just to be sure Ive covered all the important points.
Once Ive sent this information to my line manager, I telephone her Cabinet Office contact to
introduce myself and inform their team that I will be their lead contact. I take note of the
requirements they need for their event, and then start planning the logistics for the event,
such as narrowing down catering options, room bookings and the security team in the
building. This wont all be finished today Ill need confirmation from all of these teams, and
this may require a long wait.
Just after 4pm, I have a final check of my inbox. There is an email confirming my place on a
training course in Parliament next week, and a request for volunteers to come and help with
a large international conference in a few months time. I wont have time to fill in the forms to
register my interest today, however: my Arabic class at the Language Centre starts in ten
minutes and I need to give in my homework on time for once!

2 - Day in the Life of an Intern working in a Corporate Team

My day begins with a quick check of my calendar and emails, as I savour my first cup of
coffee. I have a busy day ahead, so I get started with a reply to a member of the public, who
has written to the FCO about our external recruitment process. I need to ensure that I am
familiar with FCO recruitment policy and the Civil Service Commissions Recruitment
Principles before I reply, so I have a read of the FCO Intranet site, which is an excellent
source of information. I send my draft reply to my manager for her approval.
My next task is to review plans for our scoping meeting for this autumns university
roadshow, which will reach out to future potential recruits at over 30 UK universities. Itll be
a great opportunity for me to take ownership of a project which will have a lasting impact on
the FCO. Itll also provide me with lots of opportunities to hone my communication and
presentation skills not that I lack confidence generally and also to work directly with the
Civil Service Fast Stream Team. I do however have to find out from our Resource
Management Unit how to manage the projects 30K budget to ensure I conform to FCO
accounting rules.
At 11:00 I have a meeting with a few of my fellow interns to arrange some learning and
development (L&D) on communication skills for this years cohort. The FCO has a wealth of
opportunities and resources available to support our developement, such as classroom
based learning in the new Diplomatic Academy, peer-to-peer learning groups and tonnes of
online Civil Service Learning courses and materials. There are also regular lunchtime
presentations on a fantastic range of subjects organised by teams across the FCO which
anyone is welcome to attend (with a packed lunch). I hope to delegate a fair amount of the
work to my fellow L&D committee volunteers.
After lunch, I have another check of my inbox and see that we have received a
Parliamentary Question (PQ). I let my manager know that we have a PQ and we have a
discussion on how to respond. The deadline is very tight, its usually within 24 hours, and I
have to re-prioritise my workload accordingly. I need some statistical data to support my
answer, so I ask one of my team members working in Milton Keynes to help collate it. Once
the draft has been approved by my Section Head, I send it to the Ministerial Support Unit
who will forward it to the relevant Minister for approval.
At 15:00 I attend a project meeting with colleagues from other parts of the office (Press
Office, Engagement and Communications and Diversity) and some external stakeholders. I
need to ensure that Im familiar with the key objectives and milestones of the project and the
expectations on what myself and my team need to deliver, in order that the project runs to
schedule and is a success. I recently attended a Civil Service Learning course about
running small projects, so this is a great opportunity to put some of my learning into action.
Towards the end of the day I have a final check of my inbox. There is an email about the
opportunity to volunteer to help with a large summit the FCO is hosting in a few months time
and Ill have to read up about that tomorrow.