Work for Hansard
Become an essential part of democracy and bring the words of Parliament to the people.
What you'll be doing
We record what Members of Parliament say in the House of Commons. Our reporters are there for everything. You'll get to watch debates on topics like women wearing high heels to work, and even sit in on landmark legislation like the Same Sex Marriage Act.
You'll also get to experience high-profile inquiries on subjects like tackling childhood obesity (championed by Jamie Oliver) and debates about online petitions such as denying President Trump a state visit to the UK.
If you're interested in being a Parliamentary reporter, there are a few things you'll need to be able to do.
You'll need a love of words
You'll have experience working with words, the ability to understand complex arguments, and an eye (and an ear) for detail. You'll also be able to turn the spoken word into clear, grammatically correct written English.
We're looking for people with the right skills, not just the right education. Our reporters come from a wide range of backgrounds and degrees, from careers as translators, transcribers, communication specialists, writers and editors, to industries such as teaching, lecturing, research, the law, charities and even retail.
What all Parliamentary Reporters share is the ability to think on their feet and make difficult decisions under pressure.
“My time at Hansard so far has been the best 18 months of my working life. I get to work with words every day, my colleagues are the most intelligent and warmest people I could hope to meet, and I spend all my time learning about interesting political debates from the debates that I report.”
Charlie, Parliamentary Reporter
You can read more from Charlie about life as a Hansard reporter at this blog post.
Get paid to study
In your first nine months you work towards a Diploma in Parliamentary Reporting with City University, London. You start by studying towards the Diploma and then you'll get on the job training, working in a team of reporters to put your learning into practice.
“The course is fully immersive, not only giving you the skills, knowledge and training necessary to do the job, but exposing you to different aspects of the Parliamentary process pretty much from day one.”
Ed, Parliamentary Reporter
Join the Hansard team
Once you've finished your training, you'll join the team in your new role as Parliamentary Reporter. You'll have the chance to work with House Reporters in the Press Gallery of the House of Commons and report from the Chamber.
Our team also includes:
- Sub-Editors, who check and publish the work of the Reporters.
- Managing Editors, who help run Hansard and deal with queries from MPs.
- A Deputy Editor and Editor who oversee all of Hansard's work.
“We learn from each other. Everyone brings something different to the party. No one can know everything, but, more often than not, someone will have the answer.”
Will, Parliamentary Reporter
Interested?
Find out more about working in Hansard in our recruitment brochure or the text only version of the brochure.
You can also watch a video about what Hansard does.
Email Hansard at hansardrecruitment@parliament.uk and we'll get in touch when we're recruiting for our next training programme.