You’ll be working for an organisation that rewards performance, invests in your career development and cares about your wellbeing, both inside and outside of work.
Our work is about people
- HM Prison & Probation Service employs over 42,000 staff across England and Wales
- We are committed to improving the rehabilitation of offenders and give our staff the tools and support they need to do this
- We are an inclusive employer and strive for a workforce that’s representative of our society
Career and personal development
Joining HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) gives you a range of opportunities for your career. You’ll be able to develop, specialise, or advance through positions once you have completed your probationary period and gained the necessary skills and experience.
As a civil servant, you will have access to free and paid for training with civil service learning, as well as opportunities such as:
- workplace apprenticeships
- mentoring schemes
- secondment opportunities
- talent programmes
Staff benefits
On top of your salary, you’ll get a generous annual leave entitlement and have access to a range of Civil Service benefits, including:
- discounted gym memberships (if you work in a prison, you’ll have access to a free on-site gym)
- season ticket loans, a cycle-to-work scheme and bike loans to help manage travel costs to your workplace
- reward and recognition vouchers
- retail discounts
- technology and smartphone discounts
Pension schemes
All HMPPS staff are members of some of the best workplace pension schemes in the UK public sector.
Civil Service pension scheme
If your job is with the Prison Service or the Youth Custody Service, you’ll be a member of the Civil Service pension scheme (opens in a new tab).
If you join our Alpha pension scheme, you’ll contribute around 5.45% of your salary and your employer will contribute a generous 27.1%.
Local government pension scheme
If your job is with the Probation Service, you’ll be a member of the local government pension scheme (opens in a new tab).
Under this scheme, you’ll contribute around 6.5% of the pay you receive, and your employer will currently contribute around 29.6% of your pay.
The contribution percentages are examples; they are calculated based on your salary and are subject to change.
Work-life balance
Balancing your wellbeing, productivity and responsibilities outside of work can be challenging. We want to help you work in a way that works for you.
To do this, we offer the following where we can:
- flexible working – from compressed hours to hybrid or home working
- part-time working
- job sharing
- a generous 25 days annual leave increasing to 30 with long service. You can often carry over and buy or sell annual leave days if you need to
- a family-focused leave package, including maternity, paternity and adoption leave for all new parents
- special leave allowances for emergencies or caring responsibilities, as well as leave to allow you time for volunteering, and career breaks
Health and wellbeing
We provide a range of wellbeing schemes to help you feel healthy and supported, in and outside of work:
- help with the cost of your annual flu jab and eye tests
- an Employee Assistance Programme that provides support to you during any times of stress or difficulty
- a financial wellbeing portal
You’ll also have access to The Charity for Civil Servants (opens in a new tab) who support civil servants, past and present, when times are tough, listening without judgement and offering practical, financial and emotional support.
An inclusive employer
We welcome and encourage applications from everyone irrespective of background, identity, experience or circumstance, and particularly those underrepresented in the HMPPS workforce (GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
When people come to work for us we want them to feel safe and that they belong, are treated with empathy and respect, and have the support of their colleagues and managers. In joining us, you join an organisation that’s committed to the values of humanity, openness, together and purpose.
We have 3 HMPPS staff support networks set up to celebrate and support our diversity as an organisation. As well as this, all HMPPS staff have access to 18 Ministry of Justice (MoJ) staff networks.
Find out how MoJ champions diversity and inclusion in the workplace (GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
Veterans of the Armed Forces
HMPPS has a guaranteed interview scheme for eligible former members of the Armed Forces. This allows veterans to continue to serve their country in the Civil Service, in an environment that recognises and values their skills, experience and service in the Armed Forces.
Find out more about ‘Making the Civil Service a Great Place to Work for Veterans’ (GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
We also have a recruitment scheme exclusively for Armed Forces service leavers, veterans, and their civil partners or spouses – Advance into Justice (opens in a new tab).