Application
In order to apply for an advertised Prison Officer vacancy, you will be required to apply on line through the website www.whatsontheinside.co.uk
Receipt of applications
Upon receipt of your on line application you will receive an e-mail confirmation.
Sift stage
If you meet the minimum eligibility requirements then you will be sent an on line Prison Officer Selection Test to your e-mail address for completion. You must complete this test on your own and within 7 days of receiving it.
Prison Officer Selection Test (POST)
The POST is in two parts and consists of numerical and language tests, comprising of a number of work sample exercises. You will not require any prior knowledge of prison work in order to undertake the self-assessment test.
You will be sent the numerical test to your e-mail address for completion. The language test will be taken at the next stage (the Recruitment Assessment Day (RAD) – see below).
If successful with the on line numerical POST test stage you will be invited to attend the Recruitment Assessment Day (RAD) for the next stage of the selection process. If you are unsuccessful at this stage of the process you will be notified by e-mail. You will also be able to re-apply for the test after 3 months.
Recruitment Assessment Day (RAD)
The RAD is designed to measure a number of different skills in order to be an effective way of deciding if you have the right skills and competencies in the prison officer role. The assessment will consist of;
- 4 role-play simulations, each lasting a maximum of 10 minutes. The role-play simulations are all non-prison based, however they are similar to situations that prison officers would be expected to deal with
- An interview which will test your motivations for the role
- The language POST test (see above)
- A medical
- A vetting check on paperwork
If you are successful at the RAD then we will start completing the vetting checks on the forms that you have provided at the RAD centre. Should you not be successful at the RAD, you will be notified and given the opportunity to request feedback. You will be eligible to re-apply for an advertised vacancy after a period of 3 months.
Watch the JSAC video
Appointment stage
Candidates who successfully pass both the RAD process and the medical will then be offered an appointment subject to satisfactory completion of pre-appointment checks into health, identity, nationality and character, including a criminal record check, before any appointment can be confirmed. On average these checks will take between 6 to 8 weeks to complete.
Upon completion you will be formally offered an appointment and a start date will be confirmed. If you are not offered a appointment immediately, you may be placed on a reserve list and notified accordingly. A reserve list is retained for a period of 18 months to cover future vacancies that may arise.
