Hi, I’d really appreciate insights from people who work at Bank of England or Civil Service.
I have offers for economics degree apprenticeships at both places – I need to make a decision by 18th which is my A level results day. I’m a first generation immigrant and don’t know anyone who can help. Salary is about 27k at GES Civil service while Bank of England offers 23k, commute/WFH policies are pretty similar. Any help is appreciated.
Update: thanks for the insights. Both the organisations offer full university fee payment and permanent position after successful completion. I am leaning towards Civil Service as of now.
6 comments
Both are good jobs. Civil service will have wider opportunities in the future as it’s a huge organisation, and once you’re off the apprenticeship scheme you’re able to apply to jobs in pretty much any department. But I know people who work in BoE and also enjoy it.
BoE if you definitely want to specialise and do deep economics/financial policy, civil service if you think you might want to generalise in future or do policy jobs that have an economic aspect but aren’t deep econ/financial work.
Traditional economics, as taught in almost every economics course across the globe, has over recent years been exposed by ecological economists as a completely fraudulent pseudo-science. By failing to take account of both energy, as an essential component of the productive process, and waste, as an inevitable product of all economies, mainstream economics has lead humanity down a blind alley.
In the years and decades to come the consequences of nearly 50 years of this bogus discipline will become painfully apparent as our ecology further degrades and our cheap and accessible fossil fuel energy diminishes exponentially.
Neo-liberal economics held sway following the rise of the ‘Chicago Boys’ who had studied under Milton Friedman and Walter Harberger at the University of Chicago during the 70s and 80s. In short, it was argued that unfettered markets and low taxation would permit the creation by the business class of wealth that would in time “trickle down” to the less wealthy members of society: the “rising tide would lift all boats” philosophy.
The entire neo-liberal ideology has since been exposed for what it always was, a mechanism for the wholesale wealth transfer from the working class to an elite few. And the current obscene wealth disparities have been the result.
So choose your course carefully. Following a traditional economics degree might well prove pointless in the years ahead as thermodynamic and mathematical realities begin to expose the hollowness of this discipline.
Degree apprenticeships are a thing? I wish I had known this before marching off into the hell of architectural study at 18..
I would go with BoE. Far better exits into the financial industry.
Not worked at either – but – is the post guaranteed until you get the degree, or can they make you redundant ……
The civil service is especially prone to the fad of government, and possible the BOE if it is taken over by the government.
What help do they provide with getting into the office, I assume central London?
Tough one, but both look good
I would choose civil service. Great opportunity.