‘How to be a SpAd: Some advice for new Special Advisers’

Ministers have wasted little time in putting their mark on their departments. The steady stream of announcements suggests that they are well on the way to getting to grips with their new roles. Many ministers are, however, missing vital elements of their teams: their Special Advisers (SpAds).  

Many SpAd roles are yet to be filled, but once appointed they will be thrown in the deep end, with even less support than their ministers. 

That’s why the Institute for Government has launched SpAdcast – a new, four-part podcast series which lifts the lid on what SpAds do and why they’re important. As we release more episodes in the coming weeks, we hope that the series will prove a valuable resource for the scores of new SpAds entering government. So what will they learn? 

First weeks 

The early weeks are intense. As one of our interviewees says, “nothing can prepare you”, because it’s a “veritable tsunami of data and information and policy.” New SpAds can also ready themselves for the lack of an induction. Think being “given a laptop, an email address and [your] pass” and “told to get on with it”, beginning what can be a 24/7 job. 

While this sounds daunting, it will hopefully be reassuring to hear that others have experienced the same thing and soon got to grips with it. The same goes for the often confusing processes in government – everyone is baffled at first. But our interviewees share useful tips on how to start each day, remain reactive while protecting time for key priorities, and avoid getting bogged down in detail. 

Relationships are everything 

No SpAd can be effective without a close relationship with their minister. You need to know them inside out if you’re to give the department confident steers on what they think, or what they’d want to do on something, without asking them. As one former SpAd tells us, “the department somehow has this sixth sense […] when suddenly you are your master’s voice”. 

This takes time, and there’s no shortcut – if you haven’t worked with your new boss before, there’s no substitute for spending as much time with them as possible. A SpAd needs to be sharing the “first conversation in the morning, last conversation at night”, and knowing their “favourite sandwich, collar size, shoe size…”. 

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The other crucial relationship for a SpAd is with the civil service – policy teams, your minister’s private office, and your own private office. The best private secretaries, we hear, have good “small-p” political minds – understanding how politics works while maintaining impartiality. The occasionally frustrating civil servants, on the other hand, are those who try to block things rather than explain potential pitfalls, or don’t appreciate the importance of Parliament in a minister’s life. 

Working across government 

New SpAds also soon realise that they can’t just keep their heads down in their department, because working in government requires constant communication with the ‘centre’. Our interviewees stressed the need to know “who in No10” a tricky request or surprising opinion has come from, while working with the Treasury means needing to prepare for ‘constant negotiations’. And because it’s a rare policy which sits comfortably in one department, SpAds need to make good use of the cross-government SpAd network (what form will ‘SpAd school’ take under this government?) and stay in touch with their colleagues. 

Moving on 

Finally, this series looks at what few new SpAds will be thinking about right now – how their careers will come to an end. We hear how reshuffles look from a SpAd’s perspective, and what it’s like to lose your job. We also hear what our interviewees are most proud of – from pension capital reform to action on zero hours contracts – and what they would do differently if they found themselves back in government.  

Perhaps most valuable of all, our cast of former SpAds share advice with their successors. 

Being a SpAd is a tough job. But there are lots of former SpAds who have been through it all and survived to share their experiences, the highs, and the occasional lows. Time may be in short supply for the new cohort just starting their jobs, but sharing the morning commute with our podcast – and hearing from some of their predecessors – might just help them on their way. 

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