Member of Parliament (MP)
Be the voice of your community in debates about laws and issues. Make new laws to improve people's lives and help solve individual problems.
Also known as: politician, Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP)
About the job
What it's like
You would campaign to persuade people in a community to vote for you to be their representative. Once elected, you’d speak for them in debates about new laws and national and international issues.
You’d try to persuade other politicians to make laws to improve people’s lives. You’d try to help individual constituents with problems and issues.
There are different parliaments you could stand for:
The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh
The House of Commons - part of the United Kingdom parliament – at Westminster in London
You’d speak in parliament and in public to put forward your constituency's interests and your own political beliefs. If you are elected as a member of a political party, you’d explain and defend its policies.
You would:
Attend sessions in parliament
Debate issues and raise questions in parliament
Vote on new laws and policies
Sit on committees and attend meetings and conferences
Hold surgeries and advice sessions in your constituency
Take up constituents’ issues and concerns
Study reports and research on relevant issues
Make speeches
Give interviews to the media
Campaign for your political party
With experience, you could hold a position of extra responsibility, such as being a government minister, Scottish cabinet secretary or party spokesperson.
Hours
Your working hours, Monday to Friday, could be very long when in parliament. Core hours in the House of Commons are until 10pm on some evenings, and parliamentary debates sometimes continue into the night.
Environment
Parliament regularly breaks for recess and has a long summer break, so you would usually spend more time in your constituency at these times. You would have office bases at parliament and also in your constituency.
Travel
Many MPs choose to live in London during the week when parliament is sitting, and travel to their constituency one day a week or at weekends. You may also spend a lot of time travelling around the UK and possibly overseas.
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- analysing
- taking responsibility
- negotiating
- making decisions
- ethical
- attention to detail
- empathising
- problem solving
- verbal communication
- networking
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Economics
English
Modern Studies
Philosophy
Politics
Religious Moral and Philosophical Studies - RMPS
There are no set qualifications to enter this role. However, you'd need excellent communication skills and an understanding of the issues that matter to your constituents.
Many people stand to become an MP after careers in law, business, journalism, or trade union work. Others rise through the ranks of their chosen political party as local councillors, researchers or caseworkers.
Entry is very competitive and you'd need to be nominated by your party to stand in an election. You could also stand as an independent candidate. You'd then need to be elected by the area you represent.
Before being selected to stand for election you would normally need long experience of working for a political party, either paid or unpaid.
You may have been a local councillor or political researcher.
To be at least 18 years old
To be eligible to vote in elections for the parliament you are standing for
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