From teaching to internal communications – my journey as a GCS apprentice
Before joining the Government Communication Service (GCS) Apprenticeship programme, I had been a Sociology teacher at a college. Due to some life changes, I decided to uproot and move back home to the North East. I had no idea what I wanted to do. I enjoyed teaching but I didn’t love it; I wanted something new. I’d always wanted to work for the Civil Service but could never pin down an area I wanted to work in. That’s when I came across the GCS Apprenticeship. After six years in the education sector, changing careers was a big step. But it was the best decision I have ever made.
The application process was easy, the interview was relaxed and friendly, and it gave me a chance to dive into an area I’m passionate about, while looking at it through the lens of communications. My advice is don’t rush your application – take the time to fill it out. Use the STAR method in your responses to clearly address the behaviours you’ve been asked to demonstrate. It gives you a chance to shine. Be honest, be aspirational.
Starting the apprenticeship programme, I had no idea what to expect. I was excited, slightly nervous, and keen to see where this experience would take me. I joined the Internal Campaigns team in HMRC and immediately fitted in. After a few days, I knew I’d made the right decision to join the GCS Apprenticeship and have loved my time over the past three months.
While my day-to-day role involves editing and publishing content for the HMRC intranet, I’ve also taken on larger projects. I’ve commissioned visuals for One Big Thing (an annual initiative for all civil servants to take action on a cross-government change priority), promoted it across our channels and developed strategic communication plans using the GCS OASIS framework. A highlight has been leading the internal campaign for HMRC’s 20th anniversary – a really exciting and informative experience.
My advice would be to seize every opportunity you can – it really makes a difference and gives you a wealth of valuable knowledge and experience to help on your communications journey. Seek out opportunities and use your off-the-job learning hours to get involved in side-projects or events that can help you develop, such as volunteering to support hybrid events, run conferences, or even do a video shoot for some comms content.
If you’re considering applying, do it – you have nothing to lose!