Caught Between the Dog and the Fireplug, or How to Survive Public Service

With practical advice for the reader considering a career in federal, state, or local government, this book conveys what life is really like in a public service job. It is written as a series of letters of advice from a sympathetic uncle embarking on a government career.The author draws on more than 40 years of public sector experience to provide advice on the daily challenges that future public servants can be expected to face: working with politicians, bureaucracy, and the press; dealing with difficult people; and maintaining high ethical standards. He shows that in the confrontational world of public policy-making and programme implementation, a successful career demands disciplined, informed thought, intellectual and personal growth, and broad reading. The book aims to demonstrate how, despite the inevitable inefficiencies of a democratic society, those working to shape policy in large organizations can effect significant change - and even have fun on the way.