Civil jobs in United Kingdom

Proud to serve. Proud to keep justice going.

The Court Usher is a pivotal role in court proceedings and a vital link between court users and the Judiciary to ensure the smooth running of the hearings.

About us

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family Courts and Tribunals in England and Wales. Our roles support our service users and colleagues within HMCTS, where people and businesses access potentially life-changing justice. We are looking for individuals who are committed to public service and making a difference in people’s lives to deliver justice. If you are interested in developing a career with a real purpose, please apply.

Your role

You will be an essential first point of contact for all the court users. There will be regular contact with the judiciary and assisting the administrative staff. You will meet members of the public, which may include vulnerable witnesses, and their legal representatives; prepare court /hearing rooms, and complete documentation, as well as ensuring the court runs efficiently. You will also carry out some general clerical work as required to support the work of HMCTS. Ushers work within a team with regular management support and are responsible for their own time.

Your skills and experience

With a friendly and approachable manner, you’ll possess strong communications skills, with the ability to assist and address court users in a clear and confident manner. You’ll have the ability to multi-task, prioritise and organise your own time undertaking some administrative tasks. You’re comfortable using IT, with the attention to detail to ensure court documents are accurate and able to adapt to and learn new software packages. You take pride in providing help and reassurance calmly and professionally in what can sometimes be challenging situations.

Please refer to the job description attachment for more information

Please make sure that you include your current duties and responsibilities in your CV.

Further details:

These operational roles are customer facing, requiring successful applicants to be office based to provide HMCTS services to the public. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. HMCTS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs and are agreed prior to appointment. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.

This is a business-critical role requiring full time hours but would also consider job share.

Saturday working

There is a requirement to work Saturdays and Bank Holidays. Your working pattern will be confirmed by your line manager and on the occasions you are required to work Saturdays and Bank Holidays you will be allocated a day off in lieu based on business needs. There is no requirement to work Sundays. This does not include Good Friday and Christmas Day.

Skilled Worker Visa

From 4 April 2024, the Government increased the salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas. The starting salary for this role falls below the general salary threshold for sponsorship.

The Department cannot consider sponsoring you for this role unless you have held a Skilled Worker visa continuously since before 4 April 2024, you qualify for relevant tradeable points, or you meet other criteria where a lower salary can be considered. Therefore, if you believe you meet the eligibility criteria (in whatever way possible) and you have received a provisional job offer, please raise this during your vetting checks.

If you are applying for this role and you do not meet the new eligibility criteria for sponsorship, 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. Please go to www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa for more information.

Fixed Term Appointments (MoJ Staff)
Before applying, employees must seek approval from their line managers to ensure they can be released for the duration of the FTA and can return to their substantive role at the end. If there is no role available at the end of the FTA, the employee will be subject to redeployment and potentially redundancy procedures.

Loans

The terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return. Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis should be obtained before commencing the application process.

Occasional travel to other courts

For this post, occasional travel to other local courts may be required for cover when needed.