The impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on prison officer and youth justice worker recruitment – updated Thursday 7th January.

We are currently recruiting for prison officers.  Whilst we do this it is our prime focus to keep our staff and applicants as safe as possible throughout the HMPPS recruitment process.

We are now running our assessment days completely online.  This is so we can continue to recruit and select our future prison officers, whilst keeping everyone safe.

This means that you can attend the same assessment centre you would’ve travelled to previously, from the comfort of your own home and will be the same format as in person. You’ll do your English and numerical test, two role plays and an interview as you normally would in our face-to-face centres. However, you’ll complete your fitness test and medical test separately at one of our allocated centres whilst going through your pre-employment checks, also known as vetting.

You can find out more about our new online assessment process in our blog here.

For more information on prison officer and youth justice worker recruitment, please read our updated Frequently Asked Questions below:

Is the prison service continuing to recruit?

Yes.  Please visit the find a job page to view current vacancies.

I have accepted a formal offer but I am waiting for my vetting. How long do I have to wait?

We intend to continue with your pre-employment checks, so that we can welcome you on board at the earliest possible opportunity.

Do I need my own laptop to do the online assessment day?

You will be sent full details of the technical requirements.  You will require access to a laptop which has a webcam.  If you do not have access to such technology, and cannot borrow it from a family or friend, we can arrange for you to attend one of our offices to be able to access the equipment you need and attend the assessment online and in a COVID-secure way.