Overview
This role is not eligible for new Skilled Worker visas in accordance with the current immigration rules. From 22 July 2025, the Government introduced changes to the Skilled Worker visa route. The department cannot consider sponsoring you for this role unless you have held a Skilled Worker visa prior to the 22 July 2025 changes. If you have held a Skilled Worker visa continuously, please raise this during your vetting checks and eligibility will be assessed in accordance with the immigration rules and transitional provisions in place. If you are applying for this role and you have not held a Skilled Worker visa prior to the 22 July 2025 changes, you will need to consider your options for obtaining and/or maintaining your right to work in the UK in light of these changes. Successful applicants must ensure they have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the Civil Service and in the United Kingdom. The Department will continue to comply with UK Immigration Rules applied in the UK and Civil Service. You can read more about Skilled Worker visas and the eligibility criteria here.
About the role
Someone like you There\'s no such thing as a typical prison officer. Our officers come from different walks of life, just like the offenders they work with. Whether you\'re a parent, a teacher, have worked in retail, the armed forces, or just feel like you\'re a natural people person, you\'ll have the empathy, self-confidence, great communication skills and resilience we want. No matter the challenge, you\'ll take the time to build constructive, positive and professional relationships with prisoners who could be at the lowest point in their lives. Teamwork plays a vital role in this environment, so you\'ll need to be fully committed to supporting your colleagues and understand the importance of acting as one team to keep the prison, and everyone who works here safe. You will be required to work various shifts and some weekends. An extraordinary job In this unique career, you\'ll have the opportunity to carry out many different roles in any one day. One minute you\'re a peacekeeper, the next you\'re a counsellor or a teacher. You\'ll work directly with prisoners in a unique environment, helping to protect the public and make a positive impact.
Nationality and right to work
* nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
* individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
* Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules. Successful applicants must ensure they have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the Civil Service and in the United Kingdom.
Application process and assessment
During the recruitment process you will be assessed on the behaviours, strengths and abilities you need to become an effective prison officer. These include:
* communicating and influencing
* managing a quality service
* making effective decisions
* caring
Your natural strengths are assessed to find out what motivates and energises you. We will also assess your numerical, written English and spoken English abilities.
Online Tests: Once you have completed your initial application form, you will be invited to complete stage 1 of the online test, to see if you have the basic judgement and numerical skills expected of a prison officer. If you are successful, we will invite you to the stage 2 online test (task-based assessment) to see if you have the natural behaviours and qualities needed to be an effective prison officer. The online assessment centre (OAC) On successful completion of the online tests, we will invite you to an online assessment centre where we test to see if you have the abilities, behaviours and strengths to be a prison officer. Read more about the application process.
Job offers and progression
This is a merit vacancy. If you are successful at the online assessment centre, you will be added to a merit list based on your score. When all applicants have completed the assessment centre, the prison will make job offers to individuals with the highest scores first when positions become available. You can stay on the merit list for 12 months. After this, you\'ll need to apply again. If your application is unsuccessful at the sift/assessment stage, a six month waiting period will be applied during which time you will not be allowed to submit any further applications for prison officer positions. Operational Support Grade (OSG) role: Our Online Assessment Centre (OAC) will not only assess you against the key criteria to become a prison officer but will also determine your suitability for appointment as an OSG. If following attendance at your OAC, you are unsuccessful in your application to become a prison officer, we may instead offer you an alternative role as an OSG. Although a driving licence is not a requirement for the Prison Officer role, driving duties are an essential part of the OSG role. Therefore, candidates who are unsuccessful in their Prison Officer application but offered an OSG role instead, are required to hold a valid UK driving licence.
Medical, fitness and location
Medical and Fitness: Once we identify a vacancy for you, we will invite you to complete a medical and fitness test. This will cover an eyesight test, hearing test and basic health screening, including a blood pressure check. Please note we are not able to facilitate medical and fitness assessments outside of the UK. Applicants will be required to attend a UK based medical and fitness assessment centre to progress their application. Travel to work: Some prison establishments are situated in rural locations with limited public transport options; therefore, a driving licence and own transport is beneficial but not an essential requirement of the role (unless specified). Shift start and finish times are fixed and you are responsible for getting to and from your place of work on time for the start of your shift.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of Civil Servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission\'s recruitment principles. Reasonable adjustment support: As a Disability Confident employer, the MoJ is committed to ensuring that everyone can demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities. Before completing online tests or attending an online assessment centre, it is essential to arrange reasonable adjustment support. The MoJ kindly requests that you let us know in plenty of time if adjustments are required. This will help ensure the right support is in place for you when you need it.
Additional initiatives: The Civil Service aims to support veterans with a guaranteed interview scheme for eligible former members of the Armed Forces and offers Redeployment Interview Scheme for those at risk of redundancy. For details, see: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans
Interview and assessment resources: Whats it really like to work as a prison officer? Our interactive online activity provides insight into day-to-day situations. Access the activity here. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI can support your application, but all examples must be truthful and taken from your own experience. Plagiarism or misrepresentation may lead to withdrawal of the application.
Qualifications and requirements
* be at least 18 years old at the point you commence employment
* meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements (see nationality requirements section below)
* as this is a physically active job, you will need to pass a medical and fitness assessment as part of the application process
* meet the required eyesight standard in both eyes (with or without corrective lenses)
* for safety reasons, everyone training to be a prison officer needs a suitable standard of hearing (without the use of hearing aids)
* while tattoos are permitted, they must not be offensive, discriminatory, violent, or intimidating; facial tattoos are generally not acceptable except for cultural, religious, or medical reasons
* to work in a high security prison (category A) you must have been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years
Travel and location notes: Some establishments are rural; driving licence and own transport may be beneficial but not essential. Shift patterns include evenings, some nights, weekends and public holidays. You may have opportunities to work additional paid hours. Salary (illustrative): 37 hours a week = £35,746; 39 hours a week = £37,875; 41 hours a week = £40,003. All salary figures include applicable allowances. Benefits: 25 days\' annual holiday (rising to 30 days after 10 years\' service), paid time off for public holidays and an extra privilege day, Civil Service pension with employer contributions of 28.97%, cycle to work scheme, travel loans and other benefits.
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