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Civil service jobs brief: civil servant
As a civil servant you would work in one of the 100 plus departments and agencies that help the government run its services efficiently.
Responsibilities would depend largely on the department you work within, but are clerical on the whole. This can include many things from researching to advising government ministers or answering the public's questions, to developing and implementing policies.
Day to day, your work will vary based on your position within the Civil Service. Researching or dealing with the public could take up most of your time. With experience and additional training, you could also deal with financial accounts, complicated enquiries or complaints, or take on more specialist work related to your department.
Hours/Environment
Like most Civil Servants, you'd work a 37 hour week. In departments where a service needs to be provided outside normal office hours, you'd work in a shift system. Your role includes 22-25 days' annual leave plus ten and a half public and privilege holidays.
Many posts operate on a flexitime system and part-time and job share opportunities are available.
In many positions, you'd be office-based, but some travel to external meetings, conferences or training courses could be required.
Skills and interests
To be a good Civil Servant, you must:
- be able to work well as part of a team
- have good communication skills, both spoken and written
- have good organisational and time management skills
- have a methodical approach to work and be able to pay attention to detail
- be able to handle confidential information responsibly
- be able to follow procedures and take personal responsibility for your work
- be interested in public service.
- computer skills, language skills and numerical skills are also useful
Entry
Recruitment into this industry is organised by the particular department or agency advertising the position and they each set their own entry requirements.
As a guide, you'd usually need four to five GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) including English, or equivalent qualifications. Often, no formal qualifications are specified and instead you'd sit tests and demonstrate the required competencies by experience or study.
All jobs have a nationality requirement. All are open to British nationals and around Commonwealth citizens or European Union nationals.
Training
You'd normally train through a combination of on-the-job experience, learning from experienced staff and in-house formal courses. In some posts, you may have the opportunity to do nationally recognised vocational qualifications (NVQs/SVQs) related to your area of work.
You'd be encouraged to point out your own training needs as part of an appraisal and staff development programme.
Foundation and Advanced Modern Apprenticeships (MAPPs) would be available if you're aged between 16 and 24.
Opportunities
As a huge organisation, the Civil Service employs around half a million people, making it one of the country's largest employers. There are chances for you to work all over the UK, currently one in five Civil Servants is based in London and the rest are based in towns and cities across the country.
You'll find structured promotion systems linked to an appraisal system. This would allow you to move into a junior management post or a more specialised area of work such as accounts, based on your experience and development. It is common to stay in the department you're recruited into, but it is possible to apply for jobs within other departments.
Annual income
When starting, you'd be paid around £12,000 a year as an assistant and between £13,500 to £14,500 a year as an officer. With experience and good performance, your salary could rise to between £15,000 and £18,000.
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