Local student reflects on work experience with Bournemouth West MP Jessica Toale

By Samuel Morgan, Year 12 student

I chose to do my work experience with my local Bournemouth West MP because it sounded like an incredible opportunity for so many reasons. Being able to understand and see how an MP’s office functions from day to day, what kind of work they have to do, how they have a tangible effect on the local community and how they support Jessica while she’s in Parliament was an opportunity I could not pass up on. 

My week had a busy schedule and was well organised to ensure there was never a moment where I had nothing to do. I worked with all the different member of Jessica’s team during the week and even got to visit her in parliament on one day.

While in the office, I worked with Jessica’s caseworkers, seeing how they help our local citizens on a more local level, as well as working with her communications team who help Jessica connect with and relate information to her constituents. They are incredibly committed to providing help and are determined to give every constituent the best possible service they can provide. 

Parliamentary business 

I saw how Jessica’s schedule is organised and just quite how busy she is. The team also gave me a project to work on for any moments where I had no other work to do which made for a well-planned week where I was never bored. I researched and wrote up a report on the Assisted Dying Bill to help inform Jessica on the proposed Amendments to it. Getting to see my own work have any kind of impact on legislation was something I never thought what happen. 

During my week, I was able to visit Jessica in Parliament, which included a personal tour of the houses themselves which are truly fascinating. I watched in on question time on the Government's plans for energy security and net zero which taught me a lot about the future for our country’s energy resources. Just getting a feel for how parliament runs, and all the traditions and culture within the building was surreal. 

Constituency visits 

Finally, I shadowed Jessica on the Friday when she returned to the constituency to see how she builds relations with the community. This involved going to a round table with local business owners at Barclays Bank, which was a great chance to meet some incredible people from the local area. We also visited a local primary school and got a feel for how they operate and the areas they struggle with, and ways Jess could help them, both at local and governmental level.  

Overall, my experience was truly inspiring. I met so many hard working and passionate people and discovered just how determined Jessica and her team are to tackle issues in our local area and make the UK a better place in its entirety. I was able to develop my social skills and my ability to interact with people I’ve only just met and deepened my knowledge on the political landscape of the UK. It was a great experience which filled me with hope and taught me so much.