202304

**202304: Prison Officer - HMP Standford Hill - 73525**
**£30,880 - £34,523**
**Sheerness**:
**Prison officer **HMP Standford Hill

**HMP** HMP Standford Hill, Church Road, Eastchurch, Sheerness

***ME12 4AA

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

**City/Town**: Isle of Sheppey

**Region**: Kent/Surrey/Sussex

**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**

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.

We will tell you what to expect and bring before the day.

**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.

**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 = £30,880 a year
- 39 hours a week = £32,702 a year
- 41 hours a week = £34,523 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 with employer contributions of over 25%
- cycle to work scheme, travel loans and other benefits

Read more about prison officer benefits.

**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: 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.

**Nationality requirements**

This job is broadly o