I am the Assistant Chief Clerk and work in the Private Secretary's Office based at Buckingham Palace.

How did you get your job with the Royal Household?
I joined a recruitment agency which specialises in placing people who have an interest in working within the information and records management field. I was initially appointed as Records Officer and was promoted after a year to my current role.

What did you do before joining the Royal Household?
Before I joined the Household I worked within the records management field at very different organisations, ranging from Sainsbury's supermarkets to Boosey & Hawkes music publishers.   

What experience and qualifications do you need to work within records management?
For more junior roles, I would suggest that a basic knowledge of the principles of information management and some office administration experience would be essential. More senior positions would require a qualification in records management or archives administration. Additionally, good IT skills and a knowledge of databases would be useful, as would research skills and an organised and analytical approach to tasks.

What training and support is available to you?
The Household has an excellent training programme offering short courses that range from interviewing skills and managing time, to two-day practical management workshops. As such, whatever level you enter the Household you are given the chance to develop new skills, which, in turn, will help your career. 

What's it like working for the Royal Household?
This is truly a unique organisation: an amalgam of the past and present, yet also an organisation which looks to the future in its thinking and working practices. There is a real buzz about the office, all working for a common goal. Even when people are under pressure, there is still a great sense of humour. 

Describe a typical day.
My day usually begins by sorting and filing documents created by, and sent to, the Private Secretary's Office. I am also responsible for logging gifts sent to and from The Queen and, most interestingly, answering queries from colleagues within the Household. These questions can range from who The Queen met at a particular engagement to finding an historical precedent for something. Another part of my job is to weed files for transfer to the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle. 

What is the best thing about your job?
It is very rewarding to work for The Queen, knowing that, in my own small way, I help the Sovereign of our country carry out her duties. I am not only working in an organisation that is part of this country's history, but my contribution will play a part in the future of our nation.   

What opportunities do you get that you would not get elsewhere?
There are many opportunities and benefits available to employees of the Royal Household. For example, there is an excellent pension scheme and fabulous lunch provided for staff. You can also take advantage of special admission arrangements to some of the occupied and unoccupied Royal residences.