Permanent staff

I have a small team of permanent staff in my parliamentary office in Westminster and my constituency office in Gants Hill. They provide professional support for my work as Ilford North’s MP for things like research, diary management, correspondence and casework support to help local residents.

Any vacancies that arise are advertised on w4mp.org. Every post is paid more than the London Living Wage. Pay, terms and conditions are in line with IPSA guidelines.

Internships

I do not believe that people should work for free and so I do not offer unpaid internships. Occasional paid internships are advertised, subject to available funding, paid at least the London Living Wage. Look out for those opportunities on w4mp.org.

University placements

Subject to available office space, I am happy to receive university students on a placement in my office where this forms part of their programme of study on a recognised course with clear learning outcomes. These are normally funded by the Student Loans Company and I top this up by paying for travel costs and lunch expenses to help the student loan stretch a bit further. If you are not sure whether you might be eligible, do feel free to contact my office and we can help you find out.

Work experience

Whenever possible, I am happy to give students in key stage 4 or key stage 5 (i.e. studying for GCSEs, A-levels or similar course) a short period of work experience – usually of one to two weeks. To be eligible, you need to live in Ilford North. For more information, feel free to contact my office. We normally provide travel expenses and lunch.

Volunteering

There are many opportunities to help out my office and the local Labour Party. People tend to donate their time helping with things like stuffing envelopes, data entry, proof reading, design, ringing party members and local voters. We work around your availability and skill set and offer copious supplies of tea, coffee, biscuits and thank yous in return.

Equal Opportunities

As an employer, I value diversity in my team and I encourage applications from people from a wide range of backgrounds. I am particularly keen to ensure that any work experience, internships or university placements I offer are taken up by people from backgrounds under-represented in politics, particularly those from working class families.