202210: Prison Officer - HMP Portland and HMP The Verne

About HMP Portland

£28,880 - £32,523
South West
Portland
Merit
HMYOI PORTLAND PORTLAND, DT5 1DL, IRC VERNE PORTLAND, DT5 1EQ
Band 3
Permanent
Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working, Other
Operational Delivery, Prison Officer

Prison Officer - HMP Portland & HMP The Verne

HMP HMYOI Portland (YOI) - 104 Grove Road, Grove, Portland, DT5 1DL.

HMP The Verne - Verne Common Road, Portland, DT5 1EQ.

Starting salary: £30,702  (for a 39-hour week inc 20% unsocial)

City/Town:        Portland  

Region:             South West

Vacancy type:   Merit                

 

One career, many roles

As a prison officer, you’ll be part of a diverse team, making an impact, doing meaningful work in our prisons.

Working in a prison is fast-paced and varied, and no two days are the same. You’ll work with a range of people and perform a variety of tasks – from keeping the prison safe and secure, to helping vulnerable people through a difficult time in their lives. Once you’ve qualified, you’ll have a range of opportunities to specialise and progress your career and earning potential.

It can be a challenging job, but in return you will get good pay, training, benefits and have the support of a strong team.

 

Find out more about this varied role and day-to-day life as a prison officer.

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 and 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.

 

How to apply

The online application begins with important details such as your National Insurance number and right to work in the UK.

You will then be invited to complete the online tests, to see if you have the basic judgement and numerical skills expected of a prison officer.

Due to the number of positions currently available, this vacancy is only open for a short period of time and only individuals who perform highest at the online tests will be invited to our online assessment centre.

 

The online assessment centre

If you pass the online tests, we will invite you to an online assessment centre.

We test to see if you have the abilities, behaviours and strengths to be a prison officer.

Once you’ve successfully completed the online assessment centre and we’ve offered you a role, 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.

 

Read more about the application process

 

Job details

 

Eligibility

To become a prison officer, you will need to:

 

  • be at least 18 years old
  • have the right to work in the UK
  • be reasonably fit and able to pass our fitness test
  • have good eyesight in both eyes (both with and 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).

To work in a high security prison (category A) you must have been a resident in the UK for the last three years.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

  • UK nationals
  • nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
  • nationals of the Republic of Ireland
  • nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
  • relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
  • relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
  • certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

 

Visa Sponsorship

Please note we are unable to sponsor any individuals via the Skilled Worker Sponsorship / Tier 2 (General) work visa.

Successful applicants must ensure they have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the Civil Service and in the United Kingdom.

 

Essential skills

You don’t need qualifications to become a prison officer. Personal qualities are more important. You need to show:

 

  • good communication and influencing skills
  • commitment to quality
  • effective decision-making
  • care and understanding

 

Pay

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:

 

  • 37 hours a week = £28,880 a year
  • 39 hours a week = £30,702 a year
  • 41 hours a week = £32,523 a year

All salary figures quoted include any additional allowances.

The standard working week of a prison officer is based on a 39 hours per week shift pattern.

You may also have opportunities to work additional paid hours.

 

Benefits

 

  • 25 days’ annual holiday (rising to 30 days after 10 years’ service)
  • paid time off for public holidays and one extra privilege day
  • Civil Service pension of up to 20% of your salary
  • cycle to work scheme, travel loans and other benefits

Up to £8,000 gross (inclusive of tax) home-to-work travel expenses for a period of 3 years from the date you commence employment paid at 0.45p per mile

*These benefits are applicable to individuals applying via this campaign to take up their first prison officer role. Where expenses are received you will be required to sign a written undertaking to make pro-rata repayments on in the event of resignation within two years’ service.  Please note that you will only be entitled to these benefits whilst employed as a Band 3 Prison Officer at HMP Portland and HMP The Verne.

 

 

Read more about prison officer benefits.

 

Training and career progression

You will start your prison officer career by completing a paid Custody and Detention Professional Apprenticeship. Taking 12 to 18 months to complete, this professional qualification will give you the specialist skills you need to become expert at your job.

You will learn and practise all the key skills and behaviours that are vital to the prison officer role, including:

 

  • how to look after people in custody
  • search and security procedures
  • de-escalation techniques.

 

Read more about the Custody and Detention Professional Apprenticeship.

 

Job offers: merit vacancy

This is a merit job 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.

Your successful pass from the online assessment centre will be valid for 12 months if you want to apply for vacancies at other prisons.

 

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. If you feel the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles, you can  raise a formal complaint in the following order:

 

  1. Shared Services Connected Ltd: call 0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or email Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com
  2. Ministry of Justice Resourcing
  3. The Civil Service Commission.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society 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.

 

Disability support

As a Disability Confident employer, the Ministry of Justice is committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. 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 email MoJ-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com.

 


    The jobholder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.
    All salary figures quoted include any additional allowances.

    If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am-6pm) or e-mail MoJ-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com. Please quote the job reference 65740.

    Closing date 20th February 2023.

    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.

    You can access the activity using the Interactive Activity button      Interactive Activity

    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.