Are you applying for your first prison officer role and happy to relocate? Start your career by gaining valuable experience working at one of our larger prisons. Under this scheme, earn up to £8k more than you would if you applied direct to a prison you're allocated to.
To be eligible, you’ll need to:
- apply for a prison that’s 75 minutes or more (90 minutes in London) travelling time from your home (generally equivalent to over 100 miles)
- be applying for your first prison officer position
About the scheme
By choosing to join a prison that is 75 minutes or more from where you currently live, you’ll:
- benefit from a greater variety of experience than you would working at a smaller prison
- get higher take-home pay – up to £8k a year
- start your paid training sooner than you would if you applied via our standard application process
- start at the same time as other new prison officers – a great opportunity to begin your career with a group of like-minded people
Choose to apply to work in either a male-only prison or female-only prison:
- select up to 3 preferences if you want to work in a male-only prison
- or select your order of preference if choosing to work in a female-only prison
Wherever possible, we will aim to find you a role at one of your selected choices. You’ll be allocated to a prison that has the most need for prison officers at the time. After 2 years you can decide whether to stay at the prison permanently or move to one that’s nearer to your home.
If you’re not interested in relocating, search for prison officer vacancies near you.
Choice of prisons and salaries
We currently have vacancies in each of the following male-only and female-only prisons.
Your pay will depend on which prison you work at and your weekly shift hours. The salaries are based on a 39 hour week. You’ll start on a 37 hour contract until you have completed your initial training. You can then choose to increase your hours to 39 or 41 hours a week.
Male-only prisons and salaries
| Prison | Location | Salary |
| HMP Aylesbury | Buckinghamshire | £34,202* |
| HMP Berwyn | Wrexham, Wales | £30,702 |
| HMP Bullingdon | Bicester, Oxfordshire | £34,202* |
| HMP Elmley | Isle of Sheppey, Kent | £32,702 * |
| HMP Full Sutton | Near York, Yorkshire | £30,702 |
| HMP Gartree | Leicestershire | £30,702 |
| HMP Highpoint | Near Newmarket, Suffolk | £32,702 * |
| HMP Hollesley Bay | Suffolk | £30,702 |
| HMP Isle of Wight | Newport, Isle of Wight | £30,702 |
| HMP Long Lartin | Evesham, Worcestershire | £30,702 |
| HMP Norwich | Norfolk | £30,702 |
| HMP Onley | Rugby, Warwickshire | £30,702 |
| HMP Swaleside | Isle of Sheppey, Kent | £32,702 * |
| HMP Stocken | Rutland, East Midlands | £30,702 |
| HMP Swinfen Hall | Near Lichfield, Staffordshire | £30,702 |
| HMP Portland | Portland, Dorset | £30,702 |
| HMP The Mount | Hemel Hampstead, Herefordshire | £32,702 * |
| HMP Warren Hill | Suffolk | £30,702 |
| HMP Wayland | Thetford, Norfolk | £30,702 |
| HMP Whitemoor | Cambridgeshire | £30,702 |
| HMP Winchester | Hampshire | £32,702 * |
| HMP Woodhill | Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire | £34,202 * |
| HMP The Verne | Portland, Dorset | £30,702 |
*Includes a market supplement.
If you work at a prison that doesn’t pay a market supplement, you’ll receive a recruitment and retention bonus of £1,500, on top of your salary, each year.
You’ll also get:
– your accommodation costs paid (up to £659 per month in London or up to £589 elsewhere) for up to 3 years
– the cost of a monthly trip home by public transport
Female-only prisons and salaries
| Prison | Location | Salary |
| HMP Eastwood Park | Gloucestershire | £30,702 |
| HMP Foston Hall | Derbyshire | £30,702 |
| HMP Styal | Cheshire | £30,702 |
You’ll get:
– a recruitment and retention bonus of £1,500, on top of your salary, each year
– your accommodation costs paid (up to £659 per month in London or up to £589 elsewhere) for up to 3 years
– the cost of a monthly trip home by public transport
Benefits
- Higher take-home pay than is available via our standard prison officer recruitment process:
– We’ll pay your accommodation costs (up to £659 per month in London or up to £589 elsewhere) for up to 3 years
– You’ll be able to reclaim the cost of a monthly trip home by public transport
- Comprehensive paid training and career progression opportunities
- Enjoy one of the best pension schemes in the UK and a range of great Civil Service benefits
What do I need to know?
- To receive the benefits available under this scheme, you can only apply to work at a prison that is at least 75 minutes (90 minutes in London) or more from where you currently live.
- Select either up to 3 male-only prisons, or your order of preference for the 3 female-only prisons included in the first time prison officer relocation scheme. You’ll be allocated to the one that has the most need for prison officers at the time
- If you choose not to accept a position at the prison you’re offered, you won’t be offered another choice and your application will end
- Once you’ve accepted a role, we’ll support you to find accommodation in the local area
- You won’t be able to transfer to another prison until you’ve been in post for at least 2 years
- Working with women in custody has some gender-specific needs you may not face in a male-only prison. As a result, there’s an additional stage to the application process
What are my options after 2 years?
- Stay at your current prison and potentially qualify for a permanent relocation package
- Transfer to a prison closer to your permanent home (within 60 to 75 minutes travelling distance)
- Transfer to another prison – this will depend on whether there are vacancies at that prison, and you may have to compete with other officers who also wish to transfer
Want to know more?
Read our frequently asked questions for further details about the first time prison officer relocation scheme.
