202302: Prison Officer - HMP Aylesbury
Prison officer: HMP Aylesbury
Address: HMP Aylesbury - Bierton Road, Aylesbury HP20 1EH
Starting salary: £34,202 (for a 39 hour week inc 20% unsocial)
City/Town: Aylesbury
Region: South Central
Vacancy type: Pass
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, 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.
We will tell you what to expect and bring before the day.
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 3 years.
Essential skills
You don’t need qualifications to become a prison officer. Personal qualities are more important. You need to show:
- 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 = £32,380 a year
- 39 hours a week = £34,202 a year
- 41 hours a week = £36,023 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 1 extra privilege day
- Civil Service pension of up to 20% of your salary
- cycle to work scheme, travel loans and other benefits
Prison officer rewards & benefits | HM Prison & Probation Service (prisonandprobationjobs.gov.uk)
Your training to be a prison officer
We want to make sure you are matched to the right training scheme. Once you have passed our initial selection and as part of the pre-employment procedures, we will undertake an initial assessment with you to identify whether undertaking an Apprenticeship in Custody & Detention or the Initial Foundation Training will be appropriate in getting you ready for working in a custodial setting. The outcome of the assessment will determine which training pathway you take and this will be discussed with you before you take up post.
Job offers: pass vacancy
This is a pass job vacancy. If you are successful at the online assessment centre you will be offered a job immediately if there is a position available.
If there are no vacancies, you will be placed on a reserve list and will be offered a job as soon as there is a vacancy.
Your successful pass from assessment centre will be valid for 12 months if you want to apply for vacancies at other prisons.
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.
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:
- Shared Services Connected Ltd: call 0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or email Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com
- Ministry of Justice Resourcing
- The Civil Service Commission.
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.
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 need assistance, please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am-6pm) or email MoJ-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.c
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 71097.
Closing date 8th June 2023.
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.