Priya. Assistant Government Economist

Priya is a twenty-three-year-old Assistant Government Economist from Greenford. She has been working in the civil service for two years.

How did you get into your field? What inspired you?

‘I wanted a job that involved economics but I was also interested in social science, research and problem solving. I looked up careers which combine them all and found government economist roles. I applied for a summer internship in my second year at uni in another government department and really enjoyed it so then decided to apply for a permanent job.’

What did you study at University and did this help you get into your field?

‘I studied maths, economics and geography at A-level. I then did an undergraduate economics degree and a masters degree in public policy. These subjects definitely helped me get into my field, usually a background in economics is needed to get into most economics related jobs.’

Do you recommend any particular studies, courses or degrees for your field?

‘An undergraduate degree in economics is essential and try to take a few econometric modules (employers love the technical skills). I would also encourage a masters to help give you an edge on other applicants.’

What does an average day look like in your role?

‘An average day in my role is really varied. I currently have a long standing piece of work which involves creating analytical reports to reflect on government programmes that have been implemented to improve social mobility. On top of this I also do many other things; a lot of which are corporate roles. For example I help run learning and development sessions with some of my colleagues where we ask people in our team to prepare half an hour teach-in sessions to present to everyone else to help share knowledge. I also line-manage an economist apprentice which is a great opportunity to develop management skills.’

What is the best part of your role?

‘Everything! I enjoy the work, it’s analytical but also lets me be creative and find solutions to issues in the education system. The people are great and my team is very supportive and very social.’

What is the worst part of your role?

‘The commute into London is tiring. There are also times where ad hoc requests come in and require analysis to be done urgently which can be a little stressful - but this doesn’t happen very often.’

How important is work/life balance to you and how much spare time do you have?

‘It is really important to me, I think I have enough spare time and my work-life balance is really good. We have flexi-time as well which means if there are busy periods we are always encouraged to take extra time off after to recover.’

Do you have any hobbies?

‘I go to the gym and enjoy running.’

Do you have any advice for people looking to start a career in the same field?

‘My advice would be to go for it! Prepare really well for the assessment centres, they are tough but definitely worth investing time into. Also networking is really important in the government as it’s always good to get to know people in other departments.’

Have you ever experienced any uncertainties about your career? If so what did you do to overcome them?

‘Definitely! I initially had very little idea about what jobs were out there but overcame this by applying for summer internships. They helped me realise what kind of jobs I liked and didn’t like. I think if you’re really unsure my advice would be to just apply for an internship or temp job in anything and if you hate it, at least you realise you don’t want to pursue it!’

Who is your biggest female inspiration and why?

‘I have many but one would be Melinda Gates. I think she does so much to help others and works hard to try and tackle so many huge issues that the world faces.’