Arranged by the Clerk of Tynwald’s Office, the Tynwald Parliamentary Internship provides an opportunity to gain invaluable training and experience in a wide range of parliamentary functions, procedures and services. Internships are an effective way to gain the experience many employers require and develop transferable skills to use throughout future career paths. As an organisation, the Clerk of Tynwald’s Office has also benefitted from the experience of 20 young people coming through the internship programme each with their own skillset and hopes for the future. Having just passed this special anniversary we are pleased to share the success of some of our previous interns from the past ten years.

The Tynwald internship began life back in 2014 with Amelia Quinn, who has now gone on to have a successful career as a senior advocate for M&P Legal. Head of the Private Client department, and working within the litigation and employment teams, Amelia is also Commissioner for Oaths and a Notary Public, as well as a qualified Data Protection Practitioner.
Amelia says of her experience as an intern:
‘As an intern at the Clerk of Tynwald’s Office I learnt first-hand so much about legislation, how it is made etc., and I was lucky enough to co-author some committee reports.  My knowledge of the formation of Isle of Man legislation has been undeniably useful in my role as an advocate and whilst working as an intern I was able to hone my public speaking and drafting skills all whilst gaining office experience in a friendly and encouraging environment.’

Nicola Evans, echoed this message:

‘My internship at the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald significantly shaped my career. After completing my degree in Politics, it helped clarify the type of work I truly enjoyed. The diverse range of tasks I tackled during my year as an intern equipped me with valuable skills and practical experience that I then applied in a policy role within a representative body, based in Edinburgh.
After that, I joined the Isle of Man Government’s Department for Enterprise, where I have spent the past seven years. As Head of Enterprise Support, I continue to draw on the skills I developed at the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald, which have been instrumental in my professional growth.’

Law has been the choice for many of our interns with Inge Perry, Cameron Byrne, Aiza Khan and Theodora Karezi all choosing to following a career path in law.

Our 2021 Tynwald intern, Aiza Khan, is a trainee advocate also with M&P Legal, and cites her time as intern as an important starting point:
‘My time as a parliamentary intern was invaluable in leading me towards my current role as a trainee advocate in law. What better way to enter the legal world than by working where the law is created? Sitting through numerous parliamentary sittings and getting behind the scenes of how new legislation is passed has greatly come into use in my current role when analysing current Bills from a legal standpoint. Being an intern also provided me the opportunity to work in a friendly and collaborative environment where I developed various transferable skills, many of which I use to this day. I thoroughly enjoyed my time as an intern, and I believe it was a great way to kickstart my career journey into law.’

Parliament and government, both on and off-island, offer a wide choice of career options for those wanting to work in the civil service.
Ben Awkal works in local government as a Scrutiny Manager in Lewisham Council and Emma Gaines is a Policy Development Officer in the Isle of Man Government Cabinet Office. Anna Hardman is a Business Development Officer in the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture of the Isle of Man Government, and James Holmes is a Records and Archive Officer in the Department for Enterprise. Ieisha Howard, our last intern, completed her internship before moving to a policy development role in Isle of Man Government.

Two of our former interns successfully applied for positions in the House of Lords; after completing an MA in International Relations, Kieran Skehan took up an Executive Officer position in the Clerk of the Parliaments’ Office, and Sam Kenny continued her career working as a Clerk in the House of Lords.

Sam Bowers, who finished his internship in 2022 after coming straight from a History and Politics degree, applied for an internal position in the Clerk of Tynwald’s Office as a Researcher. Fast-forward to the present day and he is now the Council of Ministers’ Administration Manager, coordinating the delivery of the secretariat's functions to the highest-level decision-making body within the Isle of Man Government. Sam said:
‘I can confidently say that without the internship I would not be in this position. The internship provided me with unique exposure to politicians and senior civil servants, and the guidance offered by the Clerks is second to none. Furthermore, having to work independently and with significant responsibility for some important pieces of parliamentary work, I was given the best possible chance in making the next step in my career. I could not recommend the internship in the Clerk of Tynwald's Office highly enough and I will be forever indebted to the Office for supporting me in my current role.’

Our latest intern, Emma Sutton, began her internship in October 2024 after graduating from the University of Warwick with a BA (Hons) in Politics and Sociology. Emma goes into the New Year eager to continue building on the opportunities she has already taken on and hopes to continue to build her confidence in a workplace environment.

She will be sharing her experiences online here: https://tynwald.org.im/parliamentary-intern

Jonathan King, the Clerk of Tynwald, said: ‘I am immensely proud of the intern scheme, which has been a success in so many ways. I am delighted that so many former Tynwald interns have enjoyed the experience and have been able to use it to springboard their career in so many different directions. I am equally proud of the permanent staff of the Clerk of Tynwald’s Office who have made this happen. We have always sought to make everyone feel welcome. More than that, the whole team has given its time and talents to ensure the interns have had interesting and rewarding work to do, and have been empowered to do it.

I would like to thank all my colleagues and to wish all interns, past and present, the best of success with their current and future careers.’

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