Welcome to the first in a series of articles from Total Politics' very own Young Politico, an anonymous young politico taking his first steps into the world of politics:

You can really tell who is either or a tourist or new to the Westminster Village by one thing; staring in awe at Big Ben. When I first left school a month ago to start work with a think tank in London, I couldn’t help but eye the grand tower in all of her majesty every time I walked past Parliament.

My first day working in the Westminster village was quite surreal. I walked past David Davis, who was on his phone, jacket swung over his shoulder (West Wing style) looking rather harassed by life. Arriving at the think tank in London I was given a stack of database work and was informed “if you want to make friends, offer to make tea and coffee.” I am embarrassed to admit that I’d never made a cup of tea before then; the confused looks I received from a few people who’s tea bags bobbed up and down in their cups served in reminding me I was but a lowly and naive intern.

Being an intern isn’t all bad though. It’s really a necessary step to more work; nearly any politico will regale you with stories of their own past servitude. It has been brilliant fun working around Westminster, too. I must admit I have suffered regular pangs of giddy school girl excitement when seeing ‘Political Celebs’ walking around Westminster. I’ve noticed Alan Duncan, John Prescott and Des Browne all wandering about in varying degrees of haste and/or confusion.

I faced a baptism of fire in leafleting at the Conservative party conference. As I had to jostle to hand out event invites, to a backdrop of a religious speaker kindly informing all and sundry that legislation could only be found in the Bible, my frustration at the people who’d walk past and ignore my kind offers of leaflets quickly turned into pangs of guilt at my own recollections of ignoring the distributors of the London Lite outside of Charing Cross each day.

My month with the think tank was one I will ultimately remember fondly. My one major change in behaviour is that I no longer stare in awe at Big Ben, but walk swiftly passed grumbling inside about tourists who walk in groups of five side-by-side as slowly as is humanly possible. I suppose I may well be on my path to being a Westminster politico.