202302: Prison Officer

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 270493**Salary**:

- £28,880**Job grade**:

- Administrative Officer- Band 3**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Type of role**:

- Operational Delivery
- Other**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 20Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Lichfield, West Midlands (England), WS14 9QSAbout the job

**Job summary**:

- Please see job description**Job description**:
**Prison officer**:HMP/YOI Swinfen Hall

**HMP**:Swinfen Hall, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS14 9QT

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

**City/Town**: Lichfield

**Region**: West Midlands

**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**

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.

**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).

If you are not a UK or EU citizen, you will need a leave to remain entitlement of approximately 30 months or more at the point you apply.

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 = £28,880 a year
- 39 hours a week = £30,702 a year
- 41 hours a week = £32,523 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 1 extra privilege day
- Civil Service pension of up to 20% of your salary
- 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 whic