A career in security policy - advice needed

[Rex Brynen]

Look around for internships in London, I know IISS does them and you can't beat them for networking - especially across the Atlantic.

Ditto Chatham House.

[jenniferro10]

Glad to hear the support for graduate education, as we in the US have become anti-intellectual lately (a shame).

I have found, much as schmedlap highlighted, that rich dummies keep getting richer, and it is all about the network. Since I am unaware of your social/economic background, I offer this advice from a normal lower/middle class girl:
1. Does the UK have a Peace Corps equivalent? I've heard there's a six month/1 year-type thing, but I am talking at least two years...As the first person on either side of my family to go to college, Peace Corps really helped me build that network of influential people I wouldn't have had otherwise. Many of my fellow volunteers were former mayors, ex-pro ballplayers, PhDs, etc. We all help each other because we've been through a lot together. Professionally, this has paid off for many of us.
2. and how does military service work there? Excuse my ignorance on this- is it possible to become an officer? I think the military would provide a similar network for someone who wasn't "born into" one.
3. A plus of the law school route in the US, which may not be the case in UK: many schools have loan options that will be forgiven (or at least substantially reduced) based on public service. This includes both NGOs and government work. As you choose programs, ask about this and factor it in your decisions.

[TT]

RVM, I come more than a bit late to this, as you have already received a heap of good advice. So, I would only add that there are more beltway bandits (errr, policy shops) around DC than it is possible to count. Many do consulting (contract) work for the gov’t (ie, RAND is probably one of the biggest) while others (CNAS, Brookings, etc. come immediately to mind) just work independent policy positions. A fair number of these have internships which if you are successful in getting can be door into the DC policy world – a significant majority of paying jobs in these shops are only discoverable through the DC networks. So worth checking around these many places to see what is available.
The one caveat is that, while I am sure there are internships for people with just a BA, my experience is that most people I have run across with a permanent salaried position have at least an MA (if they are salaried employees) or extensive policy world experience (ie civ gov’t or military),while many have a PhD.