Local government officer
Local government officers put council policies into practice and provide local public services.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
The work you'll do will depend on the department that you work in and your level of responsibility.
As a local government officer, you could:
- manage and evaluate projects
- keep records, write reports and prepare briefing papers
- answer enquiries over the phone, online, in writing or in person
- present information at meetings
- supervise administrative work and manage clerical staff
- prepare and manage contracts
- deal with other agencies
- manage budgets and funding
Working environment
You could work in an office.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could:
- move to different local authority departments
- progress into management
- work for other public sector organisations, like the NHS
- work in areas like the voluntary sector
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- administration skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- business management skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- the ability to use your initiative
- the ability to organise your time and workload
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- applying directly
- a graduate training scheme
You may need to do a degree or a job-specific qualification, depending on the department you want to work in.
Subjects include:
- town planning
- urban design
- historic building conservation
- housing
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
More Information
You could do a college course in a subject like business and administration before applying directly for this role.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
More Information
You could apply to do an apprenticeship. The exact apprenticeship will depend on your duties.
Examples include:
- Business Administrator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
- Public Service Operational Delivery Officer Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
These usually take between a year and a year and a half to complete.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
More Information
You could start in local government as an administrative assistant, providing support to council departments.
You could then work your way up to more senior positions through training and promotion on the job. Experience in office work would be useful.
You can apply for jobs directly if you've got the right skills and experience. Some local authorities may ask for a minimum of 4 GCSEs, A levels, or equivalent qualifications, depending on the vacancy.
For certain jobs, you may need a degree or specific professional qualification in an area like town planning or public policy.
Experience of working in customer service and using common computer packages like Word and Excel, are also valued by employers, and could help your career prospects.
You may be able to join a local authority's Local Government Graduate Programme if you've got a second class degree or higher. Most subjects are acceptable.
You could also get into this job through an internship.
Further information
You'll find details about careers in local government through the Local Government Association.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.