Tony Baldry MP - Conservative MP for Banbury

Within the Conservative Party there was a time when being President of the Oxford Union, being a barrister, or working within Conservative Central Office made you pretty certain to be a future Tory MP. I tick two of those boxes; I am not alone. Two Michaels, Portillo at the Conservative Research Department and Howard at the Queen's Council, are examples of this and take your pick of Oxford Union Presidents reincarnated as MPs.

However, most of this is now really only true of politicians who entered Parliament in the 1980s. New routes to Parliament are now systematic of the change in the making of public policy itself. Opportunities with MPs are now widespread. I was an aide to Margaret Thatcher immediately after I left University; first when she was a Shadow Cabinet member and then, of course, in her private office when she became Leader of the Opposition. I was one of only a handful of parliamentary researchers in the 1970s. Otherwise one had to look to the CCO for opportunities. Now the restructuring of MPs office allowances after the 2001 General Election means around £60,000 can be invested on support staff. Almost all MPs now employ either a researcher or a secretary or a caseworker, or both.

Parliament and government now works very closely with charities and non-governmental organizations. I am Chairman of the Select Committee on International Development and on a weekly basis I receive representations from the political units of such originations, such as Oxfam and Christian Aid. Charities are now fundamental to the formulation of public policy. Opportunities to work in the political units of such charities are endless.

Likewise the number of ginger groups with which to be involved is widespread in all political parties. When I first entered politics, there was the Young Conservatives and there it pretty well stopped. Now Tory HQ publishes a booklet like the Yellow Pages on affiliated originations. Only recently Compass, organisation something like Peter Mandelson's Progress think-tank, was calling on people to join its expanding workforce.

So there are a plethora of openings, but what makes you a good candidate?

I suspect after a couple of years of student politics its then worth experience Westminster. Some universities offer courses that are almost a fast-track. The University of Hull, for example, has been running British Politics and Legislative Studies for over ten years, whereby one year of the four-year degree is spent working as a researcher for an MP. Leeds University has a similar course and anyone at a London University should consider spending some of their week working for an MP. By way of example, my researcher undertook a year's unpaid placement with a Member of Parliament as part of his Hull University degree.

I suggest one of the best routes is to work in the political party of your choice, perhaps in the policy or research department, where you will have the opportunity to meet a number of people and a number if MPs, more so than if you worked for just one MP. It will also give you an opportunity to learn the complexity of parliamentary procedure and public policy which will be vital to demonstrate to any prospective employer within Westminster.

I also recommend that you get active as possible with as many ginger groups as possible, such as the Bow Group and Tory Reform Group, as well as Conservative Future. The Fabian Society is one of the Labour Party's counterparts and if you want to be a Lib Dem, try the Liberty Network. That will help demonstrate to the MP your clear sense of commitment and the willingness to work above and beyond the usual call of duty in a job; something which Westminster dictates.

I worked for Margaret Thatcher in my early 20s. I would stress that to get work experience within Westminster should mean doing more than a week. Many interns who do just a few days in Westminster get little more than something to put on their CV but nothing particularly worthwhile apart from a comprehensive knowledge of the filing cabinet! I think therefore on balance that you may not get as much out of the experience if you only do a week or so; and alternatively if you're looking for a permanent position then I imagine it would be equally as frustrating not to do more than basic administration for no pay. That would be unfortunate as being a researcher in Westminster is more challenging: having to get to grips with any public policy in a short amount of time; getting your MPs message across to a variety of media; and knowing one region of the country extremely well.