Job Description
HOUSE OF COMMONS
House of Commons The House of Commons is a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system.
Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day to day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community.
Staff Benefits In addition to your salary, we offer an attractive range of benefits including:
- Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%.
- Access to training and development.
- Flexible working.
- Interest free season ticket loan and bicycle loan.
Introduction We're a team of readers, writers and listeners doing something a little out of the ordinary. From across the UK and beyond, we're united by our love of language: the chaos of conversation, the structure of the written word, and that intriguing in-between space where the two collide.
What's the role? We're the Official Report (you might also hear people call us Hansard), and we create the written record of everything MPs say in the House of Commons. We make history-literally. And now we're looking for six new Parliamentary Reporters to join our team.
What You'll Be Doing As a Parliamentary Reporter, you'll listen to debates on legislation and e-petitions, witness expert testimonies in Select Committees, and hear MPs discuss topics that shape the country-from climate change to AI, mental health to music festivals. Your job is to record it all in written form, but this isn't a simple transcription role. We create substantially verbatim reports-not word for word-which means using your judgment to translate the spoken word into clear written English.
Don't worry if you're not a politics expert-yet. We'll give you all the training you need, with on-the-job learning accredited by City St George's, University of London. By the time you're done, you'll know your way around Parliament like a pro.
Want to know more about the job? Take a look at our blog, commonshansard.blog.parliament.uk, for insights into the application process and what it's like to work with us.
We'll also be holding
two online forums while applications are open, where you can find out more about the Parliamentary Reporter role and ask any questions to current Hansard staff. They'll be on Microsoft Teams - you don't need to have a Teams account to join - and will be at 7.30 pm on Monday 10 March and 11 am on Wednesday 12 March. Email and we'll send you a link for your choice of the two forums.
What makes a great fit? Honestly? You. Whether you've used our website for research in the past or you've never given Parliament a second thought, as long as you meet the criteria, you're inquisitive and keen to learn, we want to hear from you. There's no limit on the subjects up for scrutiny in Parliament, so as a team we need to cover as many areas of knowledge as we can-everyone has something to bring to our table.
As part of our ongoing evolution, we aim to create a space that attracts talent from every background, and especially from communities that have historically been under-represented in our team. That is essential for us to be the best we can. We are reporting the most diverse Parliament ever, but it's only by reflecting that diversity in our staff-linguistically and culturally-that we can continue to do our job to the sky-high standards for which we're famous.
This is more than a job-it's a front-row seat to the conversations that shape our society. If you're curious, thoughtful, and ready to turn talk into text, we'd love you to apply.
Join us and help bring Parliament to the page.
Skills And Experience To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:
- The ability to understand complex arguments and report them clearly, and to develop a good understanding of politics and Parliament.
- Strong English language skills, including excellent spelling and an understanding of sentence structure and grammar.
- The ability to work quickly, independently and flexibly when under pressure, and to meet defined deadlines.
Next Steps And Additional Information - Application Form - If you would like to apply for this role, please submit an application providing evidence against criteria 2,4 & 5 in the Job Description.
- Alongside the application form, you will need to complete and submit the attached Proofreading Test. This should be uploaded alongside your application via the recruitment portal.
- Additionally candidates who pass the application and initial proofreading test can expect a further transcription test during the week commencing 31 March, followed by online interviews in the week commencing 7 April.
More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description.
Job Tags
Flexible hours,