Jobs that use Politics (Year 11)

Politics opens doors well beyond Parliament - to the civil service, diplomacy, defence and intelligence, journalism and research, and a range of advocacy and policy roles. This lesson plan will help you to show Year 11 students how to weigh careers and plan their next steps.

This lesson is designed to be delivered in 30 minutes as a teacher-led classroom activity.

Politics isn't taught at GCSE, so this lesson is best hosted in a History, English, or Religious Studies class - the subjects most likely to attract students drawn to Politics. The lesson assumes no Politics subject expertise from the host teacher.

This activity supports the following frameworks:

  • Gatsby Benchmark 4

This activity is suitable for Year 11 and features careers linked to the following subjects:

  • Politics

This is one of three lesson plans designed for Year 11 teachers introducing students to Politics:

These lesson plans will help you show students how Politics connects to their future careers - whether or not they go on to study it at A-Level.

We recommend using this lesson plan at the very beginning of Year 11. Politics isn't a GCSE, so most students arrive in Year 11 with little sense of where it can take them. The earlier they have a concrete picture of the careers Politics opens up, the better the post-16 decisions they'll make later in the year.

Learning objectives

  • Students will understand that Politics leads into a wide range of careers.
  • Students will be able to evaluate specific jobs that use Politics.
  • Students will name a job that interests them and describe a next step towards it.

Before the lesson

  • You will need a computer connected to the internet and a classroom screen.
  • Open the Jobs that use Politics page and have it ready on the screen.
  • Review the list of jobs that use Politics. Pick 3 jobs to explore in more depth:
    • One job inside government or Parliament.
    • One job outside government or Parliament.
    • One job reached through an apprenticeship rather than a degree.
  • View the detailed career page for those jobs so that you know what's there before the class starts.

During the lesson

1. What do you already know? (5 minutes)

  • Ask the class to suggest jobs that use Politics and briefly explain how.
  • Write the suggestions on the board. Note how many are outside government.

2. Looking at jobs in depth (15 minutes)

  • Bring up the Jobs that use Politics page on the classroom screen.
  • For each of the jobs you picked, open the full career page and discuss with the class:
    • What does the job involve day-to-day?
    • How does the job use Politics skills?
    • What other subjects or skills are important?
    • What routes lead into the job - degree, apprenticeship, or direct entry?
  • Spend more time on one page if students are engaged, rather than rushing through all three.

3. Making it personal (10 minutes)

  • Ask students to pick one job from today's lesson that they could see themselves doing.
  • Go round the class, asking each student to name the job and answer:
    • What is it about the job that appeals to you most?
    • What would you need to do or find out next to move towards it?
  • Close by reminding students that knowing what you don't want is just as useful as knowing what you do want. Both help you make better post-16 choices.

After the lesson