Indra Mangule

Name: Indra Mangule
Club 21 Employer: The Scottish Parliament
Degree Subject: Philosophy/Politics
Year of Graduation: 2011

In the beginning of the second semester of Junior Honours I took a moment to look at my CV and realized just how empty it looked, and that it contained barely any relevant work experience. This was quite a frustrating realisation, so I decided something should be done to change this.

Therefore, the Club 21 call for interns for The Scottish Parliament sounded very tempting. Filling in an application for an institution like The Scottish Parliament seemed to be a very ambitious and challenging thing for me to do and I am very happy I decided to go for it. I am also grateful to Club 21 for giving me this opportunity and being supportive, straightforward and approachable at all times. If it hadn’t been for Club 21, I really don’t think I would have tried to apply for this kind of position on my own.

My internship with Karen Gillon MSP has been an incredibly valuable and inspiring experience. I got to explore the everyday life of a MSP, attend meetings, surgeries and discussions. Apart from the daily tasks in the constituency office, I also undertook a research for a Parliament Bill, and attended meetings where the corresponding issues were discussed. It was educating, and exciting at the same time, to see how bills are drawn, discussed and approved. In addition to this, I got to work in the Parliament Building in Edinburgh, attend question rounds and discussions and assist Karen in her Parliamentary office.

I would definitely recommend an internship with The Scottish Parliament, not only to Politics students, but to anyone who is interested in the work of MSPs, The Scottish Parliament and government institutions. Club 21 will be there to help you along, so use the opportunity and go for it!