How to Be a Civil Servant

by Martin Stanley

In How to be a Civil Servant, Martin Stanley - formerly a senior official in the Cabinet Office and now Chief Executive of the Postal Services Commission - provides comprehensive advice on how to deploy professional skills, handle Ministers, work on policy papers and oral presentations, prepare Parliamentary business, and a wide range of other duties.
For new recruits to the Civil Service - and for many already working within it - this book will be essential reading.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

146 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

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Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a bit of a niche one

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

It would be much stronger if it focused on policy-specific civil service advice: how to develop credible policy, work with ministers and special advisers, navigate submissions and clearances, etc.

Sadly, it is heavily diluted with dull, generic, and sometimes outdated management and productivity advice.

[Cyrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflecting back on the book, I thought it gave a good big picture view of how the civil service works, but the chapter on the European Union felt like reading a textbook.

It's a good book for new starters.

[Alex Rendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful and entertaining overview of what being a civil servant is all about.

[Samuel Hare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some useful tips, but mostly picked up after a couple of years in the civil service and some very outdated references (think the civil service pre-emails!)

[Chloé · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

So I read this as I was interested in seeing what civil servants do and how they do it and I am considering pursuing a career in the civil service in the future. I found this to be very informative and interesting. It was great to learn about the structure of departments and the ethics of civil servants.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this and I learned a lot from it, I recommend this if you are interested in politics. I hope to read more political books in the future.

[Aparna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide to the UK Civil Service. This is relatively quick to read, and provides a useful introduction to working with ministers, policy making, project planning and civil service culture. I’d recommend it to any new-starter in the Civil Service.