Placement report
Name: Alexandros Ragkavas
Student Number: S305870
Contents
INTRODUCTION………..………3-5
BASIC DUTIES...…...5-7
SPECIFIC DUTIES………...7-8
THE LIFE OF AN ADVISOR FOR MIGRATION POLICY…..………..8-13
INTRODUCTION
Before 6 months, I remember myself contemplating about the career framework that I was willing to be part of. I remember the infinite hours, which I spent in front of my computer screen notwithstanding that I have run out of time and I needed to catch up with the Master’s schedule. I needed to find quickly a placement. In the light of that, I had submitted a very large amount of applications that were not a tad of enlightening about what I ached to do as an intern. The diversification of the applied jobs astonished me as well. I even have applied for an assistant’s position in a law office. This is awkward for an International Relations student, but everyone who had gone through such a procedure would understand me.
failures such as wrong applications and big loss of your time. Meanwhile, you have to know that the market is not kind and compassionate. The market will not welcome with open arms its new member (aka. you), but it will make your life harder. Its duty is to assess and opt in favor of the best applicants. Second, you have to find what occupation will bring to your inner self happiness whilst you are working. When I began searching for jobs, I hadn’t perceived the importance of those two small, let alone miraculous, details. After two months of fruitless efforts, I got very disappointed and started thinking whether I would be able to find a placement or not. I cast doubts on my experience and skills and I used to fell completely incompetent. That was my fault. My anxiety led to all these negatively taut emotions and thoughts. And, suddenly, I stopped looking for jobs. I closed all the jobseeker tabs that were constantly open in my Google Chrome browser such as LinkedIn etc.
Moreover, I spent two weeks reflecting on what had gone wrong. I reviewed all the applications that I have submitted and also, I read again and again the motivational letters that were enveloped with my applications. Finally, I discovered the reason behind my failure to find a proper job. There was something greatly important missing. It was the passion and the avidity that you acquire when you are hired in your ideal job. I traced back my first steps in the market search. I was enthused with any available job that was popped up on my computer. But, I did not really want to work in any of those positions. I did not want to be a Government Relations assistant in South Virginia or an Intern of the Government sector of the Danish Refugee Council. My passion is lying on politics.
of partaking in the transformational process of the institutions to any extent that is possible (local, national or global level of governance). Therefore, I hastened to find a job in this domain. Of course, this is a very difficult accomplishment. Politics is, perhaps, the only sector that its working relations are characterized by such secrecy and personal networking. In Greece, especially, a job as a political executive is considered as an incredibly regulated profession. This was my first obstacle along the way of finding an internship. I, also, had a financial problem, so I was forced to repatriate, in order to afford to ensure my livelihood. I didn’t give up the hope. I can clearly evocate the moment that I grabbed my phone and went through all of my contacts from my university years. I made a few calls. It was a disaster. Greek economy is suffocating under the yoke of its fiscal debt and the result is that the market is depressed and the job pool is annihilated. I kept searching for 3 weeks.
BASIC DUTIES
Since the first day, I realized that I would have hard time as an intern. The employee that occupied my position had recently resigned. Nonetheless, someone had to replace his vacancy and to fulfill his duties. I remember, characteristically, that I had just been given my new desk, when the congressman entered the room and asked for the daily report. I didn’t even know why it is called a “report”. Afterwards, I learnt in the hard way that questions like this one, are not allowed in a political office. That was my first duty. I was assigned, to wit, to keep Mr. Miltiades up to date with the newsfeed of the political and public sphere. I read the headlines of every political magazine and newspaper on a daily basis. If there is any segment of political anomaly, I had to mention directly to my supervisor. For instance, I have found before two weeks that the Minister of Migration Policy had appointed his brother as consultant of another Minister. That ringed as a bell and could formulate an accusation of nepotism and favoritism. I rushed into my supervisor’s, Emilios Vougiouklakis, office and shouted that I had something special. I saw the hunter’s spark inside his eyes. I can assure you that the realpolitik is not located in plebiscites, decrees and announcements. In contrast, it is hidden in small details. Finally, we rose to the occasion as a press office and fed off a slew of articles about the Minister’s clientele that caused a constant pounding of his reputation. To summarize, my job is, also, to smear and backbite the political opponents, while I have to take care of malignant pieces that aim to harm my boss.
with very educated and brilliant people. Then, I have to log the changes that the new bills will bring to the society or the citizens’ lives.
In parallel, I am constantly in contact with several institutes and observatories that monitor and evaluate the governmental plans. I have to collect their feedback and evaluate the content. Many premises of their academic discussions are wrong in terms of realpolitik. That unravels another aspect of my daily job, which is not to encumber the congressman with a slew of absurd information. We have a golden rule carved in one of the press office’s walls: “Filter it, before you channel it”. It means that we have to critically approach the information flow, before we redirect it to the congressman’s office. On the other hand, I have not mentioned the most entertaining part of my job yet. As you may know, there is a post in every congressman’s office worldwide called as PR Specialist. In Greece, this task is assigned to the new guy as drudgery. It is known as the bad luck of the newcomer in the political office’s slang. Why? Because, this position requires that you will pay attention to the constituents’ problems, complaints and demands. It sounds easy, but it is not. You have to deal with the damaged psychology of the voters and reply with honesty and kindness to their rude attitude.
diverse groupings of people and to set in order the majority of their demands. I was inducted in the tough aspect of politics (transaction-based activity).
SPECIFIC DUTIES
On 23d of November, the phone center caught –almost- fire. It was the day that the president of New Democracy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, announced the members of his shadow government. This is a practice that is usually implemented in US politics from the opposition party, in order to monitor the government’s actions and scrutinize its intentions. Mr. Miltiades was appointed as the chairman of party’s Immigration Department. When I congratulated in person, he told me to “look out for Mouzalas’ moves”. Mouzalas is the incumbent Minister of Immigration Policy and we had to haunt him, if there is a verb to describe what we did henceforth and still do. We became his worst nightmare.
either call an expert or go to the wallah public service and search its archives.
Nevertheless, the most difficult part of our job is to build and maintain a strong network of media, journalists and other people that influence the public sphere. There are certain techniques, which can help you to forge these relationships. First, you have to give something in exchange. The network of journalists –as we ironically say- is starving. A chief strategist of the party once said that “we can easily draw parallels of journalists’ life and a cage loaded with crocodiles. When you collaborate with the journalists, it is more dangerous than going into the cage”. I used to deride him. But then, I realized why he said it. As Junior Manager of the press office, I have to answer daily many calls either from journalists begging for an interview that can elevate their micro-newspaper or pressmen of a caliber that gives them the right to be more exacting and, sometimes, rude. To summarize, you have to deal with a bunch of idiots or low-educated people and not lose your temper. Second, you need to feed them periodically with news. If you give a scoop to a newspaper, which means that the next scoop will be sent to another newspaper. That’s the old divide-and-rule technique. Finally, the combination of the first and second technique provides a perfect mix that a political consultant can use to keep the press happy.
THE LIFE OF AN ADVISOR FOR IMMIGRATION POLICY
regarding the immigration since June. To further support his request and get an even clearer understanding regarding the living situation and arrangements in various hot spot areas as well as the way the situation is being maintained and managed by the local authorities. The past few months, we have arranged various visits in different hot spots around Greece in which a small and selected staff, which i had the opportunity to be a part of, was put together in order to assist on site.
As part of this team my responsibilities varied; firstly. Ι was in charge management and preparation before each trip. Also, I was in charge of coming in contact with the local authorities informing them about the planned agenda of our visit and explaining to the local representatives that would be joining us that the aim of this visit was to get a better understanding of the situation at the camp and the living situation, in order to reach a better course of action. Moreover, as part of the team on each visit I spearheaded the mission of collecting information from the people living in the camps. I was hearing the stories of many families keeping notes of their stories complaints about the living situation on the site and requests that would make their life easier until further actions will be taken. Lastly, I was responsible of putting together the drafts of the speeches that the chairman was giving in every visit on the local communities as well as the press releases that would be published on the same day on various media channels.
In the following paragraphs, I will be going over some of the visits that transpired in the past few months that i had the opportunity, as i already mentioned, to participate and visit as well.
Photo 1, the hot-spot of Chios (VIAL), photo taken by me
Europe. The result is that these people will have to live in Greece and in these camps.
Ε Photo 2, Mr. Varvitsiotis, chairman of migration Policy of New Democracy, and Mr. Mitsotakis, President of New Democracy walking towards the hot-spot of Moria, Lesvos, photo taken by me
the camps and failed to integrate them to the local society.” He continued to state” that the Greek government's actions as well as that of Europe have resulted to many immigrants returning to Greece, but he we as a country have yet to take measure to accommodate their integration in our society in order to provide them a safe way of living, but instead we continue to provide them only spots of such living situations.
Returning from the stated visits I, personally, was willing to conduct a research and discussion with local organizations as well as the various international active NGOs at the moment to get a further and clearer understanding of their activities and aims in order to further improve our suggestions to the government and the National Action Plan we have proposed to them since last June. I am currently in charge of these discussions and I am going to present my research result at the end of the month.
The program of the hotspot visits included, also, the hotspot of Moria in Lesvos twice and the hot-spot of Attica (Elliniko). We had plenty of deliberations with the local authorities and the protagonists of the Greek response that was implemented to counter and mitigate the newborn pathogenicities of the widespread migration crisis.
CONCLUSION
worldwide elections. As a political consultant, I had to posit -through the interdisciplinary knowledge that I acquired- for geopolitical and ethical issues.
Also, a career path was opened for me. I am currently hired as a political consultant and I found piece and tranquility in my job, which eclipsed the anxiety that I felt looking for an internship. When I began my internship, I had not contemplated to any extent over my aspirations. Now, it is clear to me that I was lucky enough to find that position. I reflected on my current skill set recently and I ascertained that my abilities insofar outweigh the frailties that I had as a juvenile member of the discipline.
