Last year the GES recruited over 120 assistant economists
for permanent jobs and this year we are looking for even more.
GES jobs are stimulating and challenging, and will give you
the chance to apply your technical knowledge and skills to
real problems.
What would I do?
As a government economist you could work in areas like
macroeconomic modelling, competition policy, international
financial issues, labour market trends, taxation, housing
benefits, local government finance, public health and criminal
justice, to name but a few. There are also research
opportunities, where you'll be in close contact with
universities and researchers. For details on the work of
government economists in each department visit our section What
do government economists do?
What about training and promotion?
Our economists are a most valuable resource and our
opportunities for training and promotion reflect this. As a
new assistant economist you would join a fast-stream
development programme designed to and develop your economic,
managerial and communication skills, and to prepare you for
early promotion to more senior jobs. In your first few years
you can expect to move jobs every year or so and after your
first two years you can widen your experience by moving to
another government department. Promotion is based on merit.
The first promotion is to economic adviser and generally
happens between three and four years after joining. As an
economic adviser you will be recognised as a fully trained
professional economist. You'll have access to further training
to maintain and broaden your skills and to develop you for
further promotion.
What qualifications do I need?
To join the GES as an assistant economist you must have, or
expect to get in 2008, a first or upper second-class honours
degree in economics, or a postgraduate degree in economics.
Joint or mixed degrees are fine provided the major element of
the degree is in economics. You will also need strong personal
qualities. You must be keen to get to the root of problems, be
a good team player with well-developed personal and social
skills, and able to put together complex arguments and explain
them convincingly to senior managers.
Allocation to a GES Department?
The allocation process can seem less transparent than other
parts of the recruitment process, so we hope this explanation
of how the allocation process works is helpful. Much depends
on the very simple factor of when you can start work.
It is worth noting that the only time you are placed in a
department is your first posting in the GES. After that it is
up to you and your manager how often you move about and which
department you apply to move to. It is also worth remembering
that starting your career in a department which is not your
first choice can be very rewarding, particularly in terms of
broadening your experience and furthering your career.
We always look at candidate’s preferences on the
application form. However, over 50% of applicants put HM
Treasury, Department for International Development or the
Diplomatic Service as their first choice. These three
departments do not make up 50% of the jobs on offer so if you
put one of these as your first choice you are less likely to
be placed there. It is worth checking the “What do
government economists do” section of this website for more
details of individual departments. This includes details such
as starting salary, which should help inform your decision.
They also give further details on additional requirements a
department may have. For example, you must be a British
citizen to work for the Diplomatic Service and you must have a
Masters in Economics for DfID.
If you choose departments other than HMT.DfID, DS in your
top three choices we are much more likely to be able to assign
you to one of your preferred departments There are some
smaller departments which rarely get mentioned by applicants
so you may be offered a department that you have not chosen.
If you are allocated to a department which is not a choice we
urge you to visit the department to talk to the economists
about the work before making your decision.
How much would I earn?
Salaries vary between departments and the starting pay can
be found on individual entries on What
do government economists do?, but the average starting
salary in London is about £25,000 for someone with a first
degree. More is available to reflect relevant experience or
qualifications.
Nationality
Applicants for GES posts must be UK Nationals, Commonwealth
citizens or European Economic Area nationals with an
unrestricted right to reside in the UK
On the application form you will be asked about your
nationality at birth, whether you have ever possessed any
other nationality or citizenship, whether you are subject to
immigration control and whether there are any restrictions on
your continued residence or employment in the UK.
To join the Diplomatic Service, you must be a British
citizen and been resident in the UK for at least two of the
previous 10 years, at least one of which must have been a
consecutive twelve month period. Furthermore, to enable the
appropriate security checks to be carried out, you must have
resided for at least three consecutive years in one country.
Diplomatic Service
This option is only available via the 1st round (closed on
31 October 2007). You can also opt to join the Diplomatic
Service as an economist. As well as having the requisite
skills for the GES you will need to demonstrate that you can,
with appropriate training and experience, learn how to build
networks of key contacts, which form the core of diplomatic
work.
Equal opportunities
At the GES we welcome applications from anyone with the
necessary qualifications, regardless of sex, marital status,
race, colour, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability,
or, in Northern Ireland, community background. There are no
age limits, but employing departments will expect several
years' service before normal retirement at age 60.
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