The lowdown on what it’s really like. One woman talks about her work and life.

Name: Charlotte Morgan

Age: 27

Job title: Press Officer - Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

Top survival tip
Keep a sense of perspective. It’s good if work is an important part of your life, but not if it becomes your life!

The reaction
It really varies. If I tell people I’m a civil servant, they’re not really interested. If I tell them I’m a government press officer, they perk up a bit, and if I tell them I work for John Prescott’s department, they start giving me their views on transport policy, hoping I’ll pass them on!

People get very confused about the distinction between working for the government and working for the Labour party – I often have to explain that if there was a change of government tomorrow, I would remain in my present position.

The day-to-day
I try to communicate the government’s policies and achievements to the public, through newspapers, magazines, TV and radio. My last big project was working on the Ten Year Plan for Transport.

My workload depends on what’s in the news so I don’t have a typical day, although I spend a lot of time on the phone. I also answer journalists’ enquiries, write press releases and newspaper articles, arrange press conferences, briefings, interviews and ministerial events, accompany ministers on visits and to interviews, and give them advice on presentational issues. I also attend debates and committees at the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Favourite work gizmo
My hand-held tape recorder.

Getting started
I saw an advert for the Government Information and Communication Service (GICS) in the The Guardian and immediately thought this is the kind of thing I want to do. I applied, attended an assessment day, and once I’d passed that, I applied for and got a post at the DETR (Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions).

Getting used to the culture of the Civil Service was quite difficult at the start. Going out on visits with ministers where you’re trying to organise journalists, keeping an ear on what the minister is saying and fending off photographers is quite daunting, especially the first time you do it.

Typical path?
You have to apply to the GICS first (there’s no use sending in speculative letters or CVs - you have to go through an assessment day). Then you apply for a specific departmental job. The assessment boards are held quite regularly.

GICS officers nearly always have some work experience before joining the civil service. To join at Information Officer (IO) grade, you need two years’ relevant experience. I’d already been working for a few years mainly in publicity for book publishing companies. Lots of my colleagues used to be journalists, or worked in PR or advertising.

Skills and personality
You need good communication skills, to stay calm under pressure, the self-confidence to deal with very senior people, and it helps to be a bit bossy (I mean assertive of course). Having a keen interest in politics is also very helpful.

Freedom and control
The level of autonomy in my job varies a lot. This being the civil service, there are often a few layers of bureaucracy to go through before anything is approved or decided. However, if you’re at home on duty, talking to a journalist who needs an answer there and then, you’re much more independent.

The hours
My contracted hours are 41 per week (including an hour’s lunch break every day) but my actual hours vary week by week. I am on the duty rota, which means working from home for a night, or a weekend day. Duties usually come round about once a fortnight.

The cash
Salaries vary according to department. In the DETR press office, an Assistant Information Officer (AIO) would start on about £19,500, and an Information Officer (IO) on about £24,500.

I fall into the £20,000 to £35,000 salary range. I think my salary is fine, especially since I’m paid overtime. Job satisfaction is the most important thing for me, but I do know that if I worked in the private sector I’d be getting paid more.

Gender split
In my office there’s a pretty equal ratio of men to women. Also, the proportion of women applying to and joining the GICS is going up and up – at AIO level, women actually outnumber men.

The perks
We certainly don’t get expense account lunches. But for me, the sense of being involved in front-page news stories on a daily basis is great. We also get a great holiday allowance – 30 days plus a few extra days that we can take to add onto bank holidays.

The pits
Working from home on the duty rota can be quite tedious as it’s tiring and disrupts your week. Also, the unpredictability of the job means that your social life can suffer a bit – if a big story blows up, you can’t just swan off to the pub (much as you want to).

Coping with stress
I mainly turn to tea and chocolate biscuits.

Seeking inspiration
See previous answer.

Child-friendly job?
The civil service is very family-friendly as a rule – one of my colleagues, who was pregnant with her second child, left recently for a five-year career break. That’s a pretty flexible definition of maternity leave. It’s up to every woman to decide what’s best for her and her family. Nowadays, I think women may feel they’re letting down ‘the cause’ if they don’t return to work soon after having babies. Personally, if I was working and spending all of my salary on childcare I might wonder what the point was…but ask me again in ten years!

The future
I’d like to do the same sort of thing as now but be much more senior – Alistair Campbell, watch out!

The Verdict
This is the best job I’ve had yet.

What’s it like doing your job? If you want to share your day-to-day get in contact: Work&CareerChannel@email.ivillage.co.uk.