Getting into local authority work - entry level

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You will find local authority jobs published weekly in your local Jobcentre, and often in a list in your local library or school. Most authorities also have websites giving their current list of vacancies (most offer a separate list for teaching vacancies), or may advertise in industry-specific publications.

As with all job applications, the key is in reading the instructions you are given in the advertisement. If the advertisement says to 'write or e-mail for an application form', do not telephone. You will only irritate the staff at the other end and you have already proved that you are unable to follow simple instructions. Quite often you are asked to write in for an application form because the department concerned is not staffed well enough to take the flurry of telephone calls that come from a job advertisement.

A letter asking for an application form or application pack should simply state the name and reference number of the post and your name and address and should ask for a pack. It does not have to be a great creative work - but it should be neat, polite, legible and addressed to the correct part of the Council. Most Councils receive lorryloads of post each day - quite literally - and poorly-addressed letters will not reach their intended recipient.

If you are asked to telephone for an application form or pack, remember that you will often be speaking to a relatively junior member of staff - or to an answerphone that has been specially set up for the purpose of taking these calls. You may even be speaking to an outside recruitment or advertising agency who have been employed to take your calls. Have ready the reference number and name of the job, where it was advertised and when, and your contact details. Be prepared to spell out complex names or addresses, and be polite.