202112: Prison Officer - HMP Portland and HMP The Verne
Prison Officer HMP Portland, & HMP The Verne
Starting salary: £23,144 to £25,710 based on location, pension and benefits
37-41 hours per week shift pattern
Location:
HMP Portland - 104 Grove Rd, Grove, Portland DT5 1DL
HMP The Verne - Verne Common Rd, Portland DT5 1EQ
Region: Dorset
Train for a job that matters
Negotiator, referee, educator, influencer, life changer – as a prison officer, you’ll be trained to undertake many roles and will learn how to create a safe and secure prison environment. During your 12 to 18-month training, we’ll show you how support adult offenders with rehabilitation while protecting the public too.
During this time, you may be enrolled onto our Level 3 Custody & Detention Officer Apprenticeship.
It can be a tough job, but in return you will receive great pay, training, benefits and have the support of a strong team.
Read more about prison officer careers >> - https://prisonandprobationjobs.gov.uk/prison-officer/
What does it take?
You don’t need qualifications to become a prison officer. Personal qualities are more important. In our assessments you need to demonstrate:
- good communication and influencing skills
- commitment to quality
- effective decision-making
- care and understanding
There are some basic requirements. You must:
- be at least 18 years old
- have the right to work in the UK
- be reasonably fit, with good eyesight in both eyes and good hearing
We’ll also check your numerical, written English and spoken English abilities.
What are the benefits?
The initial training is 37 hours a week. After training, you can choose to work 37, 39 or 41 hours a week. Your annual salary will reflect your weekly hours.
HMP Portland
37 hours a week = £23,144 a year + up to £8K home to work travel costs
39 hours a week = £24,427 a year + up to £8K home to work travel costs
41 hours a week = £25,710 a year + up to £8K home to work travel costs
Alternatively, we do offer a permanent relocation scheme for Portland if your travel exceeds 75 minutes each way. For more information on this click here
HMP The Verne
37 hours a week = £23,144 a year
39 hours a week = £24,427 a year
41 hours a week = £25,710 a year
All salary figures quoted include any additional allowances. You may also have opportunities to work additional paid hours.
You’ll be paid while you train. In addition, you can expect 25 days of annual holiday (rising to 30 days after 10 years’ service), paid time off for public holidays and one extra privilege day. As prisons operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you will be expected work on some public and bank holidays. Any that you do work will be added to your annual leave entitlement. You’ll also benefit from a Civil Service pension of up to 20% of your salary, a cycle to work scheme, property rental deposit loans, travel loans and Key Worker housing schemes. Staff in many prisons have additional benefits such as free gym membership, subsidised canteen and free parking. Check with your selected prison for details.
Training
If you are successful in being offered a prison officer position you may be enrolled onto our professional apprenticeship. If you are not enrolled onto the professional apprenticeship you will still complete the same training as an apprentice with dedicated support and work towards obtaining a Professional vocational Diploma in Custodial Care.
Full details of the apprenticeship scheme and how it will enhance your experience as a prison officer can be found here – https://prisonandprobationjobs.gov.uk/prison-officer/apprenticeships/
How to apply
As part of the application form you will be required to identify your prison preferences. Whilst we endeavour to allocate you to your first choice this may not always be possible due to business needs. As you might expect, our recruitment process is very thorough, but it’s designed to help you decide if this is the right career for you. It starts with some basic checks, followed by online tests, to see if you have the judgement and numerical skills expected of a prison officer. We will also look at some of your behaviours these are tested via two online assessments.
The Online Assessment Centre
If you pass the online assessments, we will invite you to a half-day assessment centre, also carried out online. This is where you’ll find out if you have the abilities, strengths and behaviours to be a prison officer.
If you are successful at the online assessment centre, you will be added to a merit list based on your score. Job offers will be made first to those with the highest scores. You can also apply for vacancies at other prisons.
You can stay on the merit list for 12 months. After this, you’ll need to apply again
Once we have made you a provisional offer, we will invite you to come to complete a medical and fitness test. Here we carry out an eyesight test, hearing test and basic health screening, including blood pressure check before you complete a grip test, shield test and a bleep test up to level 5.4.
Find out about the application process >> - https://prisonandprobationjobs.gov.uk/prison-officer/tips-for-applying/
Your job offer
Once you’ve passed the online tests, assessments and pre-employment checks, you will be eligible to start the entry-level training and work as a prison officer.
Diversity & Inclusion
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles.
We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity
Disability support
Tell us if you have a disability when you apply, we can offer reasonable adjustments to help with the online tests and online assessment centre.
If you require any assistance, please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am-6pm) or e-mail MoJ-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com.
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. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order
1- To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or email Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com);
2- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing (resourcing-services@justice.gov.uk);
3- To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)
Apply now
If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am-6pm) or e-mail MoJ-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@sscl.gse.gov.uk. Please quote the job reference 51205.
Closing date 10th February 2022
Please note - you are applying for a cluster campaign and as such may be allocated to any one of the prisons listed in this advert.
A Great Place to Work for Veterans
The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans
Redeployment Interview Scheme
Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.
MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.
What’s it really like to work as a prison officer?
Our interactive online activity will give you an insight into some of the situations prison officers may experience day-to-day in their work.
This is to help you decide whether the prison officer role is right for you, and your responses in the activity will not form part of your application.
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
· UK nationals
· nationals of the Republic of Ireland
· 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) (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules
This Vacancy is closed to applications.