No such thing as a typical working day - 27 July 2011
It is probably fair to say that there is no such thing as a typical working day anywhere, let alone in a place where activity is determined by the tides of political will as it is in Westminster. One thing I’ve been asked repeatedly (both by new or prospective Fast Streamers, but also by my friends and family) and answered with varying degrees of obfuscation is what on earth I get up to on a day to day basis. Not entirely without reason, I think they ...Read More
Life at the Centre.... - 20 May 2011
Saying that one joins ‘the Civil Service’ upon entering the Fast Stream is somewhat of a misnomer, as it implies that the organisation is a single body performing much the same function across not only Whitehall but across the country. This is simply not the case, as the roles performed by Civil Servants are hugely varied, ranging from the policy advisor type role many Fast Streamers including myself perform to Prison Officers to operational ...Read More
Preparing for the Fast Stream Assessment Centre - 21 January 2011
The New Year is an ideal time for a bit of personal reflection. If you applied to join the Fast Stream and you’ve passed the early stages of the process, then you’re probably engaging in a bit of reflection on the somewhat frightening prospect of the Fast Stream Assessment Centre (affectionately known as FSAC). Before you start to panic, however, I strongly recommend that you pause and consider how well you’ve done so far. Many candidates will already ...Read More
First time for everything - 07 December 2010
For some Fast Streamers, joining the Civil Service is the latest stage of a career that began elsewhere; they have worked in all manner of other sectors before deciding that Whitehall was really where they would like to be. For the rest of us, fresh out of university, the Fast Stream is the starting place of our working lives (beyond paper rounds and stints in stacking shelves!). Bright eyed and bushy tailed, we are adjusting not only to the world of ...Read More
Work and Study - 28 October 2010
I applied to join the Fast Stream whilst I was starting my Master’s in autumn 2008. I’d decided whilst studying for my undergraduate degree in International Relations that I’d really like to join the Civil Service and work in foreign policy if I could. The Fast Stream seemed like the ideal way to achieve this, so I kick started my application as soon as the window opened in September. It’s a long process, true, but don’t let that put you off (and ...Read More