Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working
23-Jul-2026
Location: AO
Job ID: 19517
Descriptions & requirements
Prison officer – HMP Swinfen Hall (YOI)
Starting salary: £36,816 (for a 39 hour week inc 20% unsocial)
Region: West Midland
Vacancy type: Merit
Sponsorship is not guaranteed, and applicants are responsible for ensuring they have the appropriate right to work in the UK.
Skilled Worker visa sponsorship may be available for this role, subject to eligibility and in line with the UK Immigration Rules in force at the time of application. However, due to current immigration requirements and recruitment timescales, candidates who require Skilled Worker visa sponsorship are unlikely to be sponsored if applying to this campaign.
Prison officers protect the public and help make an impact on prisoners’ lives.
If you have the integrity, skills and strength of character we’re looking for, this fast‑paced role could be the start of a successful career.
Someone like you
There’s no such thing as a typical prison officer. Our officers come from different walks of life, just like the offenders they work with. Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, have worked in retail, the armed forces, or just feel like you’re a natural people person, you’ll have the empathy, self‑confidence, great communication skills and resilience we want.
No matter the challenge, you’ll take the time to build constructive, positive and professional relationships with prisoners who could be at the lowest point in their lives.
Teamwork plays a vital role in this environment, so you’ll need to be fully committed to supporting your colleagues and understand the importance of acting as one team to keep the prison, and everyone who works here safe. You will be required to work various shifts and some weekends.
An extraordinary job
In this unique career, you’ll have the opportunity to carry out many different roles in any one day. One minute you’re a peacekeeper, the next you’re a counsellor or a teacher. You’ll work directly with prisoners in a unique environment, helping to protect the public and make a positive impact.
To become a prison officer, you will need to:
- be at least 18 years old at the point you commence employment
- meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements (see nationality requirements section below)
- be physically active and pass a medical and fitness assessment as part of the application process
- meet the required eyesight standard in both eyes (with and without corrective lenses)
- possess a suitable standard of hearing (without the use of hearing aids)
- have tattoos that are not offensive, discriminatory, violent, or intimidating; facial tattoos are generally not acceptable unless for cultural, religious, or medical reasons
To work in a high security prison (category A) you must have been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years.
Travel to Work
Some prison establishments are situated in rural locations with limited public transport options; therefore, a driving licence and own transport is beneficial but is not an essential requirement of the role (unless specified). Please note that shift start, and finish times are fixed, and it is your responsibility to get to and from your place of work on time for the start of your shift. Please carefully consider the location of this vacancy and your transport options before applying.
Nationality requirements
- Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre‑settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- Individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Successful applicants must ensure they have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the Civil Service and in the United Kingdom.
Essential skills
Personal qualities are more important. You need to show:
- communication and influencing skills
- commitment to quality
- care and understanding
Pay
The initial training is 37 hours a week. After training, you can choose to work 37, 39 or 41 hours a week. Your annual salary will reflect your weekly hours.
- 37 hours a week = £34,928 a year
- 39 hours a week = £36,816 a year
- 41 hours a week = £39,334 a year
All salary figures quoted include any additional allowances that are applicable to the role/location.
Prisons operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This means you will have to cover various shift patterns that will include evenings, some nights, weekends and public holidays (these days are added to your holiday allowance). Most prisons work with a changing shift pattern of 39 hours a week.
You may also have opportunities to work additional paid hours.
Benefits
- 25 days’ annual holiday (rising to 30 days after 10 years’ service)
- paid time off for public holidays and 1 extra privilege day
- Civil Service pension with employer contributions of 28.97%
- cycle to work scheme, travel loans and other benefits
Assessment and selection
During the recruitment process you will be assessed on the behaviours, strengths and abilities you need to become an effective prison officer:
- communicating and influencing
- managing a quality service
- caring
- numerical, written English and spoken English abilities
Your natural strengths are assessed to find out what motivates and energises you.
Online Tests
Once you have completed your initial application form, you will be invited to complete stage 1 of the online test, to see if you have the basic judgement and numerical skills expected of a prison officer.
If you are successful, we will invite you to the stage 2 online test (values‑based assessment). We use this assessment to understand how well you demonstrate the values needed to be an effective prison officer.
If you were unsuccessful at the stage 2 online test in the last 6 months, you can now re‑apply.
The online assessment centre (OAC)
On successful completion of the online test, we will invite you to an online assessment centre where we test to see if you have the abilities, behaviours and strengths to be a prison officer.
This is a merit job vacancy. If you are successful at the online assessment centre, you will be added to a merit list based on your score.
When all applicants have completed the assessment centre, the prison will make job offers to individuals with the highest scores first when positions become available.
You can stay on the merit list for 12 months. After this, you’ll need to apply again.
If your application is unsuccessful at the sift/assessment stage, a six‑month waiting period will be applied during which time you will not be allowed to submit any further applications for prison officer positions.
Medical and fitness
Once we identify a vacancy for you, we will invite you to complete a medical and fitness test. This will cover an eyesight test, hearing test and basic health screening, including a blood pressure check.
Please note we are not able to facilitate medical and fitness assessments outside of the UK. Applicants will be required to attend a UK based medical and fitness assessment centre to progress their application.
Reasonable adjustments
We are a Disability Confident employer and provide reasonable adjustment support to candidates when they apply. To ensure the right support is in place, let us know in plenty of time if adjustments are required.
The jobholder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.
Allowances Details
Please refer to additional job description attachment.
Closing date
23rd July 2026
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