If you think students spend all their spare time avoiding studying, going out with their mates and having a good time then you'd be right. Well our student bloggers do anyway. While they assure us they don't slack on the study, they've got a lot to answer for when it comes to enjoying themselves while volunteering.

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Wednesday Aug 05, 2009

A month down the line

I have now completed a month of my internship. Doing an internship with an MP has its similarities and differences when compared with volunteering. It is similar to volunteering as it is unpaid and I only get my travel expenses refunded. On the other hand, I am acknowledged as working on behalf of Lynne whereas the volunteers are not.

Those considered to be volunteers in the constituency office are those who just come to help with elections in the form of canvassing, delivering post and stuffing envelopes. They do not have to attend a formal interview whereas I did which is very necessary for the casework internship as you need to meet specific requirements which include a good standard of letter writing, good telephone manner and an inquisitive mind. Finally, when you are an intern, you are given much more responsibility than a volunteer and can liaise with constituents, council members and ministers. You are the MP's voice whereas the volunteers are not.

The internship has got more challenging as I am now dealing with phone calls as well as letters. Resolving an issue then involves writing a letter to a minister, social services, police or to the council. The most challenging are the immigration cases. I find it very hard to listen to the stories of people whose application has been rejected or who have not received an answer about their immigration status for several years and so are stuck in some sort of unfortunate limbo. Unfortunately, when an application to remain in this country has been rejected, it then becomes a legal issue should a constituent wish to challenge a decision.

Posted by Rochelle ( 11:57 AM )
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