Edward Davey MP - Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton

Getting involved in politics is much easier than you may think. A fairly obvious starting point is knowing your party affiliation. It's not an absolute requirement, but you are likely to be asked early on. You don't necessarily have to be a member of a party, but if you're ambivalent between the Conservatives and Labour, you unlikely to go very far.

The next stage is whether you want to get involved at the coalface of constituency politics, or at the shopfront of Parliament. Both is the ideal for success: it shows commitment and both complement each other. I would always prefer a Commons researcher who has canvassed and campaigned in elections, over someone who is equally good on paper, but has no grasp of the local end of politics.

Thereon in, the choices are wide. There are an increasing number of jobs within political parties, within the offices of individual politicians and within the near-party politics world of think tanks and pressure groups. The key question is, of course, finding out about vacancies.

The internet is the easiest way forward. Sites like Electus Start are excellent spring boards and an increasing number of MPs advertise there. Similar sites for MEPs, council groups, AMs, GLAMs and MSPs no doubt exist somewhere out there too.

Newspaper adverts sometimes appear- primarily in the newspapers and in-house publications of the political parties, e.g., Liberal Democrat News, but occasionally parties splash out on national ads or a local MP might just advertise in a local rag.

However, the best way of getting a job is being on the inside. And there are several strategies to break-in. The optimal way is to join the political party, go to meetings, attend Conferences and get to know people. The downside is that this takes time.

A quicker alternative is a letter to specific MPs etc, explaining that you so desperately want to work for them, - yes, volunteer for nothing- for a short period of at least one month, say over the summer recess or during a "gap" year. Target your constituency MP or a MP you feel you have some potential connection with- but don't be afraid to write to many MPs at once. Just don't make it obvious. By volunteering, you can soon get to meet other researchers, and understand the rhythm of politics, parties and individual politicians. Friday night drinks with other staff is a great source of gossip about where the full-time, paid jobs may be coming up over the next 3 months.

Other options involve targeting party officialdom- the HQ, linked think tanks, the Leader's office, the Chief Whip and so on. There's likely to be someone who collects and keeps CVs on file, for when colleagues are seeking staff.

The more homework you do on any application, the greater the chance of success. Though there are many more opportunities now, there is also a great deal of high quality competition.

Much less so than when I went through the process. I was a Lib Dem sympathiser, with no party political experience, when I answered a Guardian newspaper ad, 6 months after graduating. I somehow managed to persuade them to take me on- even without following any of the above strategies. So my final essential ingredient for anyone, for any job in politics: self-starting, initiative-taking enthusiasm. Good luck.