prison officer

Ministry of Justice; Bisley; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days' annual holiday (rising to 30)

Public holidays off + 1 extra day

Civil Service pension with employer 28

Cycle to work scheme

Job summary

The Ministry of Justice is recruiting for Prison Officer roles in the United Kingdom. Trainees start with a 37-hour week and progress to typical 39- or 41-hour patterns, with annual salaries reflecting weekly hours.

Applicants must meet strict eligibility criteria, pass medical and fitness assessments, and satisfy eyesight and hearing standards. This is a merit vacancy with progression through online assessments and the OAC, leading to the eventual offer when vacancies arise.

Qualifications

• Be at least 18 years old at the commencement of employment.
• Meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements.
• Pass a medical and fitness assessment.
• Meet the required eyesight standard in both eyes.
• Meet a suitable standard of hearing.
• To work in a high security prison (category A) you must have been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years.
• Tattoos are allowed but must not be offensive, discriminatory, violent, or intimidating. Facial tattoos are generally not acceptable unless for cultural, religious, or medical reasons.

Responsibilities

• You will undergo a staged assessment process: online tests, values-based assessment, and an Online Assessment Centre (OAC).
• After successful completion, you will undergo a medical and fitness test including eyesight and hearing checks.
• Salary is determined by weekly hours during training and after: 37, 39, or 41 hours per week, with corresponding annual salaries.

Job description

Skilled Worker visa sponsorship may be available for this role, subject to eligibility and in line with the UK Immigration Rules in force at the time of application. However, due to current immigration requirements and recruitment timescales, candidates who require Skilled Worker visa sponsorship are unlikely to be sponsored if applying to this campaign.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to consider their right to work in the UK carefully before applying. You can read more about Skilled Worker visas and eligibility criteria at gov.uk.

The Department will continue to comply with UK Immigration Rules applied in the UK and Civil Service.

Eligibility

Be at least 18 years old at the commencement of employment.

Meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements.

Pass a medical and fitness assessment.

Meet the required eyesight standard in both eyes.

For safety reasons, meet a suitable standard of hearing.

To work in a high security prison (category A) you must have been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years.

Whilst tattoos are permitted, including those that are visible, they must not be deemed as offensive, discriminatory, violent, or intimidating in any way. Facial tattoos are generally not acceptable, except where this is for cultural, religious, or medical reasons.

For safety reasons, everyone training to be a prison officer needs a suitable standard of hearing (without the use of hearing aids).

Assessment Process

• communicating and influencing
• be at least 18 years old at the commencement of employment
• meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements
• pass a medical and fitness assessment
• meet the required eyesight standard in both eyes
• for safety reasons, meet a suitable standard of hearing

You will then be invited to complete stage 1 of the online tests, to see if you have basic judgement and numerical skills.

If you are successful, we invite you to the stage 2 values based assessment (VBA).

If you pass the VBA, you'll progress to the Online Assessment Centre (OAC).

Candidates who achieve a higher pre-determined VBA score may be invited to the OAC sooner.

Once you've successfully completed the OAC and you are allocated to a vacancy, you will complete a medical and fitness test. This will cover an eyesight test, hearing test and basic health screening, including a blood pressure check.

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 = £36,928 a year
• 39 hours a week = £38,816 a year
• 41 hours a week = £41,334 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.

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 with employer contributions of 28.97%
• cycle to work scheme, travel loans and other benefits

Read more about prison officer benefits

Job offers

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.