Hello,
I’m a student at the University of Nottingham and I am doing a comparison of how Congressional staff operate compared to staff who work in Whitehall.
What is it like to work in Congress? How is your office structured? What is the pay scale like?
I work in Congress and there’s a lot going on. We have two bodies, the Senate (which is modeled on the House of Lords but it’s way more powerful) and the House of Representatives (which is based on the House of Commons).
Each Congressman (which is like an MP) has their own staff and they run their office like a small business where they make most of the decisions. The payscale varies, but entry-level positions pay around £35,000, mid-level positions pay around £75,000, and the highest-paid staff (called Chief of Staff) make around £150,000.
£35,000, straight out of uni? You don’t even need a Master’s?
Correct. That’s what a Staff Assistant makes, which is the lowest role available and is typically staffed by people after their undergraduate degree.
And £75,000 after how many YOE?
It varies depending on the person, but typically 5-8.
Seriously? How can people that young be making £75,000?
That’s considered low by American standards…
Not just low, that’s like starvation wages in DC if you have a family.
Here is how our office is structured
Staff Assistant - entry-level, takes calls and organized mail
Legislative Correspondent - writes constituent letters
Legislative Aide - junior policy person
Legislative Assistant - mid-level policy person
Senior Policy Advisor - senior policy person (might also be a Legislative Assistant tho)
Legislative Director - head policy person
Chief of Staff - person who runs the whole office