Ministry of Justice

National Long Term High Security Estate Prison Officer 

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.

Due to the security status of some of these prisons a Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC vetting) will need to be undertaken.  Proof that you have been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years is needed to complete the CTC vetting process. Applicants who do not meet the residency requirement will not be able to take up post at that prison, but may be offered an alternative prison that does not require CTC vetting (please refer to CTC section below) 

Applying for a prison officer role and happy to be allocated to a LTHSE prison near you?

Choose 3 or more prisons you’d like to work at and, wherever possible, we will aim to find you a role at one of these.  You will be allocated to a prison that has the most need for prison officers at the time. 

As the prisons on the National Long-Term High Security Estate Prison Officer Campaign list have an ongoing need for prison officers, you should be able to start your paid training sooner than you would if you applied via our standard application process.

You only need to apply once and provide your preferences.

This campaign does NOT include any accommodation or travel expenses. Please ensure you live within reasonable travelling distance. If you do choose to relocate this will be at your own cost. 

An extraordinary job. Done by someone like you.

Prison officers protect the public and help make an impact on prisoners' lives.

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. No two shifts or situations are ever the same. And, as you gain experience, you’ll find a range of opportunities to grow and develop into.

Someone like you

There’s 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, prisoners 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.

Job details

Eligibility

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 (see nationality section below)
• ·       as this is a physically active job, you will need to 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)
• ·       For safety reasons, everyone training to be a prison officer needs a suitable standard of hearing (without the use of hearing aids)

Travel to Work  

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).  Please note that shift start, and finish times are fixed, and it is your responsibility to get to and from your place of work on time for the start of your shift. Please carefully consider the location of this vacancy and your transport options before applying. 

Nationality requirements 

This job is broadly open to the following groups: 

·       UK nationals 

·       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 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. 

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

Your pay will depend on which prison you work at and your weekly shift hours. The figures below are based on a 37 hour contract which you will remain on until you have completed your initial training. You can then choose to increase your hours to 39 or 41 hours a week.

Salaries quoted include an unsocial hours allowance - 37 hours

Salary - £33,746

HMP Frankland – County Durham**

HMP Full Sutton – York**

HMP Garth - Preston

HMP Gartree - Leicester

HMP Isle of Wight – Isle of Wight

HMP Long Lartin – Worcestershire**

HMP Lowdham Grange - Nottingham

HMP Manchester – Manchester**

HMP Wakefield – Wakefield**

HMP Whitemoor – Peterborough**

Salary - £37,246

HMP Swaleside – Isle of Sheppey

HMP Woodhill – Milton Keynes**

Salary – 37,525

HMP Belmarsh – London**

** prison requires CTC vetting

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

You may also have opportunities to work additional paid hours.

Benefits

To note there are no allowances or additional payments for accommodation or travel attached to this campaign, any travel or relocation costs will need to be met by yourself.

• ·       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

Prison officer rewards & benefits | HM Prison & Probation Service (prisonandprobationjobs.gov.uk)

Assessment Process

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.

Online Test

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, we will invite you to the stage 2 online test (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)

 If you pass the online test, 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.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Read more about the application process.

The rewards aren’t all you’ll gain from a role in the Prison Service. There’s the sense of achievement you feel when you’ve helped a prisoner to get their life back on track - the kind of experience you simply won’t find anywhere else.

High security prisons requiring CTC vetting

If your application is successful, you will need to undergo and clear pre-employment checks. This will include His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service Enhanced Level 2 vetting, and due to the security status of the establishment Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC vetting) is also required.  Proof that you have been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years is needed to complete the CTC vetting process. The residency requirements refer to the period immediately before an application is made, and not any other three-year period, or any other accumulation of time spent in the UK.

If you have been out of the country for a significant period of time (usually up to one year) and maintained your UK residency you may still be considered for vetting clearance. For example:

■ spent a significant period of time overseas without returning to the UK, but intend   to return in the future

■ taken a gap year before or following university

■ travelled for a year

■ spent time overseas visiting family

This is not an exhaustive list.

Candidates must be able to provide correct and up to date documentation when requested during the application 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’ll need to apply again.

Your successful pass from assessment centre will be valid for 12 months if you want to apply for vacancies at other prisons.

If your application is unsuccessful at the sift/Interview 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 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. Operational support grade - Ministry of Justice. 

If you are offered an alternative OSG role You will have an opportunity to choose 3 or more prisons you’d like to work at, in order of preference. Please note an OSG role does not include the First Time Prison Officer relocation scheme benefits / allowances.  Further information will be provided to you if you offered an alternative OSG role. Operational support grade - Ministry of Justice

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of Civil Servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. If you feel the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you can raise a formal complaint in the following order:

1.    Shared Services Connected Ltd: call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or email Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com

2.    Ministry of Justice Resourcing

3.    The Civil Service Commission.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging.  

Disability support

As a Disability Confident employer, the Ministry of Justice is committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. We can offer reasonable adjustments to help with the online tests and online assessment centre.