Qualifications

In order to apply to become a prison officer in England and Wales with HM Prison Service, you must:

• be aged 18 or over;

• have been a UK resident for at least three years;

• have the right to work in the UK;

• undergo security and identity checks prior to taking up a post;

• declare whether you are a member of a group or organisation that HM Prison Service considers to be racist.

Personal qualities and life experience are more important than academic qualifications.

All applicants must pass an online application and numeracy assessment called the Prison Officer Selection Test (POST). If successful, you are then required to attend a Recruitment Assessment Day (RAD) and pass a range of assessments, including a written test, role plays, a medical assessment and fitness test. The whole application process can take between three to six months.

In Scotland, the recruitment process consists of four assessments - psychometric testing, application assessment, competency-based interview and fitness test

The application process includes five stages:

• a short application form;

• online situational judgement tool;

• online numerical reasoning test;

• an all-day job simulation assessment centre;

• a written assessment and interview.

You will also be subject to the usual medical and fitness tests and security clearance [https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/prison-officer].

Skills

You will need to show evidence of the following:

• strong interpersonal skills, including assertiveness and self-motivation;

• excellent communication and people skills and the ability to get on with a range of people;

• personal integrity and resilience;

• leadership potential and the ability to take responsibility;

• team working skills and the ability to learn from others;

• decision-making skills;

• organisational skills;

• the ability to remain calm under pressure;

• self-confidence and emotional intelligence;

• physical stamina;

• an awareness of how prisons fit within the wider criminal justice system and the community in general.

Employers

The main employers of prison officers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are:

• HM Prison Service - runs 109 of the 123 prisons in England and Wales;

• Scottish Prison Service (SPS) - 15 prisons in total, 13 of which are publicly managed with a further two run by private sector operators under contract to the SPS;

• Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS).

A number of prisons in England, Wales and Scotland operate under private contract and are responsible for their own recruitment.

Private prisons may also differ in other respects from the majority of prisons, but they are governed by the same Home Office/SPS rules and regulations.

Prison officer opportunities also exist in remand centres, young offenders' institutions and open or resettlement prisons.

Contracted-out prisons

Privately managed prisons were introduced to the UK in the 1990s. HM Chief Inspectorate of Prisons inspects private prisons in the same way as public sector prisons. All private prisons have a 'Controller' linking them to the National Offender Management Service, and the governors of private prisons are called 'Directors'.

At present there are 14 private prisons contractually managed by private companies such as Sodexo Justice Services, Serco and G4S Justice Services.