Prison Officer

Ministry of Justice; Torquay; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department is seeking a dedicated and empathetic individual for the role of Prison Officer in Torquay, UK. This challenging position involves working directly with prisoners, requiring excellent communication and the ability to build meaningful relationships. The ideal candidate will demonstrate resilience and a commitment to teamwork, ensuring safety and support within the prison environment. This unique job offers various shifts with a competitive salary, along with benefits such as annual leave, pension contributions, and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

25 days annual holiday

Civil Service pension

Cycle to work scheme

Paid time off for public holidays

Qualifications

• Strong communication skills and ability to connect with diverse individuals.
• Empathy and the capability to support those in distressing situations.
• Commitment to teamwork and maintaining safety in the prison environment.

Responsibilities

• Build positive relationships with prisoners.
• Manage various situational challenges effectively.
• Ensure safety within the prison by supporting colleagues.

Skills

Empathy

Communication skills

Resilience

Teamwork

Job description

Eligibility & Visa Requirements

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.

Role Overview

Someone like you

There is 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 Requirements

• 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.

Key Responsibilities

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.

Recruitment Process

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, you will be invited to stage 2 (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, you will be invited 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.

Merit List Process

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 will 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 operational support grade 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 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.

Working Conditions

Prisons operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You will be required to work various shifts and some weekends. 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. Most prisons work with a changing shift pattern of 39 hours a week. You may also have opportunities to work additional paid hours.

Eligibility & Experience Criteria

• be at least 18 years old at the point you commence employment
• meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements (see nationality requirements section below)
• pass a medical and fitness assessment as part of the application process
• meet the required eyesight standard in both eyes (both with and without corrective lenses)
• have a suitable standard of hearing (without the use of hearing aids)
• tattoos must not be offensive, discriminatory, violent, or intimidating; facial tattoos are generally not acceptable unless 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 to work: driving licence and own transport beneficial due to rural locations but not essential unless specified

Salary

• 37 hours a week = £33,746 a year
• 39 hours a week = £35,875 a year
• 41 hours a week = £38,003 a year

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

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attracting, retaining and investing in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Reasonable Adjustment Support

As a Disability Confident employer, the MoJ is committed to ensuring that everyone can demonstrate their skills, talent, and abilities. Offering reasonable adjustment support to candidates when they apply for one of our jobs is just one way we do this. Before completing online tests or attending an online assessment centre, it is essential to arrange reasonable adjustment support. Due to practical and logistical constraints, our assessors cannot accommodate requests on the day of the assessment centre. Therefore, we kindly request 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.

Veteran Initiative

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 is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are “at risk of redundancy”. MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Interactive Activity

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 here Interactive Activity.

Additional Information

If you have the integrity, skills and strength of character we’re looking for, this fast‑paced role could be the start of a successful career.