202604: Prison Officer - HMP Bullingdon in Bicester

HMP Bullingdon, Patrick Haugh Rd, Bicester, OX25 1PZ

Starting salary: £39,375 (for a 39 hour week including 20% unsocial)

Prison officers protect the public and help make an impact on prisoners’ lives. The role is fast‑paced and could be the start of a successful career for someone with integrity, skill, and strength of character.

There’s no 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 or the armed forces, or have a natural people‑person instinct, 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.

To become a prison officer, you will need to:

• be at least 18 years old at the point you commence employment
• meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements
• pass a medical and fitness assessment as part of the application process
• meet the required eyesight standard in both eyes (with and without corrective lenses)
• have a suitable standard of hearing (without the use of hearing aids)
• have visible tattoos that are not 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.

Some prison establishments are situated in rural locations with limited public transport options; therefore, a driving licence and own transport is beneficial but is not an essential requirement of the role (unless specified). Shift start and finish times are fixed, and it is your responsibility to get to and from the workplace on time. Please consider your transport options before applying.

Nationality requirements:

• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• 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 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

Successful applicants must ensure they have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the Civil Service and in the United Kingdom.

Essential skills:

• communication and influencing skills
• commitment to quality care and understanding

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 = £37,246 per year
• 39 hours a week = £39,375 per year
• 41 hours a week = £41,503 per year

Prisons operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which means you will have to cover various shift patterns that include evenings, some nights, weekends and public holidays. These days are added to your holiday allowance.

25 days’ annual holiday (rising to 30 days after 10 years of 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.

Online assessment:

After completing the initial application, you will be invited to stage 1 of the online test, which assesses basic judgement and numerical skills. Successful candidates are invited to stage 2, a values‑based assessment that evaluates how you demonstrate the required values. On successful completion of the online assessment centre, if a position is available you will be offered a job immediately. If there are no vacancies you will be placed on a reserve list and will be offered a job as soon as one becomes available. Your successful pass from the assessment centre will be valid for 12 months when applying for other prisons.

Medical and fitness:

Once a vacancy is identified, you will be invited to complete a medical and fitness test covering an eyesight test, hearing test, and basic health screening, including a blood pressure check. We can only facilitate assessments that take place in the UK.

Reasonable adjustments:

If you require reasonable adjustment support, please indicate this in the application form and let us know well in advance of the assessment centre.

Language requirements:

The jobholder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English, or Welsh in Wales if specified.