OSG to Prison Officer or Youth Justice Worker Fast Track

As an OSG you already have the knowledge of what it’s like to work in a prison and the expertise that comes with being in the service. With all the training, support and teamwork you need, this is the chance to use your experience to take the next step in your career.

Take on more responsibility, push yourself with a challenge and be rewarded by working closely with prisoners to help turn their lives around.

As you already have some of the essential knowledge and experience needed, we have shortened the usual application process:

Step 1: Fill out our short application form. This gives you the option of selecting your preferred establishment and one second choice.

Please provide your personal email address in the application form so you can be contacted when not in work.

Step 2: After you’ve submitted your application, you’ll be invited straight through to the online assessment centre (OAC), skipping the online tests.

Step 3: If you’re successful at the OAC, we’ll invite you to the medical and fitness assessment, and start speeding you through the vetting process if there are immediate vacancies at one of your chosen establishments.

Step 4: You could begin your training as early as September.

If applying for a youth justice worker role you will undertake an additional role play at the OAC relating to the youth estate.

If applying for a women’s prison, following a successful result at the OAC, you will also need to complete the women’s prisons additional assessment which requires written responses to three behaviour-based questions. You will do this assessment online at a time that suits you best and each response requires a 250 word answer.

You will be unable to apply for Cookham Wood, Dartmoor (due to the temporary closure of the site), Ford, Hatfield and Rochester because they will not be open to receiving successful candidates on this occasion.

Askham Grange, Downview, East Sutton Park, Foston Hall and Styal will be open to female applicants only because an occupational requirement exception under Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010 is in place for these establishments at the current time.

The prison officer application centre information portal is the official and only place to get the most up to date information to help you prepare for the online assessment centre.

Your pay will be calculated as a promotion in line with HMPPS pay policy and you will move to the appropriate pay point. You will also be entitled to any additional payments operating at the establishment to which you are appointed.

You will start on a 37-hour contract until your initial training is complete. After this you can choose to increase to 39 or 41 hours a week.

You can also earn more if overtime is available in your establishment. Listed below for illustrative purposes are the starting salaries across England and Wales for 2025/26. The pay award for 2026/27 is pending implementation. Your exact salary will be confirmed once you are issued with a contract.

Inner London

Brixton, Pentonville, Wandsworth, Wormwood Scrubs:

37 hours	£39,493
39 hours	£41,984
41 hours	£44,474

Outer London

Downview, Feltham, High Down:

37 hours	£39,525
39 hours	£41,892
41 hours	£44,258

* includes a market supplement of £2,000

Belmarsh, Isis:

37 hours	£37,525
39 hours	£39,892
41 hours	£42,258

South and South East

Aylesbury, Bullingdon, Elmley, Swaleside and Woodhill:

37 hours	£37,246
39 hours	£39,375
41 hours	£41,503

* includes a market supplement of £3,500

Bedford, Coldingley, Grendon and Springhill, Highpoint, Huntercombe, Send, Stanford Hill, Stocken, The Mount, Winchester:

37 hours	£35,746
39 hours	£37,875
41 hours	£40,003

* includes a market supplement of £2,000

Other locations

All other government-run prisons in England and Wales:

37 hours	£33,746
39 hours	£35,875
41 hours	£38,003

Taking up post as a prison officer

As a professionally trained prison officer you will be given important skills and knowledge that will stand you in good stead throughout your prison service career.

Week 1 to 2: You will be given a local induction at your ‘home’ prison.

Weeks 3-9: You will go on a foundation training programme at a designated learning centre. This will usually be close to your ‘home’ prison location.

Week 10: This is where you will review your training and have the chance to use the skills you have learned prior to going live.

You will receive full pay and expenses throughout training.

What to expect during training?

Foundation training prepares you for life as a prison officer. You will learn and practice all the key skills and behaviours that are vital to the role including:

• How to look after people in custody.
• Search and security procedures.
• De-escalation techniques.

Taking up post in the women’s estate

Our eight-week foundation course for women’s prisons training has some bespoke aspects which differ to that of our male prisons course. The women’s prisons training package ensures that you are:

• Skilled to assess, manage and support women in custody, including their specific risks and requirements.
• Able to respond to women in custody in a way that focuses on their needs.
• Confident in dealing with the complex environment of a female prison.

Taking up post in the Youth Custody Service

Working with children and young people in custody can be tough. They can be impulsive, in your face and test boundaries at every level.

You’ll need to make quick but effective decisions. You’ll also need patience and resilience.

You’ll be responsible for ensuring the security and safety of children and young people, and supporting them day-to-day in a custodial environment.

Each shift you’ll work with children and young people supporting them to manage their behaviour and attend education, training and activities.

You will begin your career with 11 weeks of training.

Weeks 1 and 2 will be at your “home” establishment where you will complete your initial training.

Weeks 3 to 11 are spent on prison officer Foundation training specialising in working with children and young people in custody.

This training ensures you are fully equipped and ready for an operational role. You will learn:

• How to de-escalate situations, and, if necessary, safely restrain children and young people using Managing and Minimising Physical Restraint (MMPR) techniques.
• All aspects of working in youth custody from security to policy.
• Practical skills – whether that be locking doors or de-escalating an incident – with support from trainers.
• Youth specific interventions including motivational interviewing, restorative justice and trauma informed approaches so you can use them confidently.

Training is likely to take place away from your home unless you have a training centre near you. You will receive full pay and expenses.

As part of the youth justice worker role, you will be offered the opportunity to undertake a Level 4 Child Focused Qualification.

You will learn more about speech, language and communication needs, and the essential skills for child protection and safeguarding.

You will be given time, support and technology to help you balance your working duties.

Eligibility

To be able to apply via this scheme you must:

• be a directly employed OSG, appointed through open and fair competition;
• have passed your six-month probation period by the campaign closing date ie Wednesday 3 June 2026; and
• not be subject to any formal procedures which remove you from the avenue of promotion or having direct prisoner supervision.

If you are employed on a fixed term contract basis, then you must have completed six months effective service.

In addition, as per external prison officer recruitment, you will be ineligible to apply if you have been unsuccessful at the online assessment centre or had three failed attempts at the medical and fitness assessment within the last six months.

To become a prison officer or youth justice worker, you will need to:

• be at least 18 years old;
• have the right to work in the UK;
• be reasonably fit and able to pass our fitness test;
• have good eyesight in both eyes (both with and without corrective lenses);
• have a suitable standard of hearing (without the use of hearing aids); and be able to speak with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.

To work in a high security prison (category A) you must have been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years.

If applying for a youth justice worker role, you also need to show you have the skills to work with children and young people.

Essential skills

You don’t need qualifications to become a prison officer or youth justice worker. Personal qualities are more important. You need to show:

• good communication and influencing skills;
• commitment to quality;
• effective decision-making; and
• care and understanding.

If applying for a youth justice worker role, you also need to show you have the skills to work with children and young people.

Apply Now

Introduction

As a Disability Confident employer, the MoJ is committed to ensuring that everyone can demonstrate their skills, talent, and abilities. It encourages applications from candidates who might benefit from reasonable adjustments during the job assessment process.

The following sections provide information about who may require reasonable adjustments, how to apply, and the types of support that could help at different stages of the assessment process, such as during an interview.

Who might need reasonable adjustment support?

Our Reasonable Adjustments Scheme supports individuals who may face disadvantages in the job assessment process due to a diagnosed or undiagnosed disability, long-term condition, or even a temporary illness or injury. This includes, for example, people who are experiencing difficulties with learning, mental health challenges, or physical or sensory disabilities.

If you feel that you may require reasonable adjustment support, we will work with you to address your needs as best we can.

What type of support is available?

We offer a range of reasonable adjustment support designed to support you through the process.

Thinking about the right adjustments for you can take some time and effort. These are some of the most requested types:

• Extra time is offered to help you complete any timed exercises, including written tests, interviews, and reading. You could also have an extended break between exercises.
• Spell check is built into the online assessment centre platform and is available to all candidates.
• A staff member can read assessment materials aloud or write out your spoken answers for any test that requires a written response.
• We can provide the main interview questions in written format as the interviewers ask them. Additionally, we can give you some of the questions a short time before the interview to help you become familiar with the style of questions.
• Sometimes, someone can join you online or accompany you to a face-to-face assessment centre to provide moral support. However, this person cannot help you complete the assessment tasks, but if required, they can repeat or rephrase some questions at the interview.
• Where possible, you could also complete the online assessment centre at a suitable time, such as a morning or afternoon slot.

We are constantly working to improve accessibility support on our online platform for all candidates. Please visit our website and other information sources to check for current options.

We understand that everyone's needs are different. Please let us know if you need a form of support that has not been covered in this list. We will do everything we can to accommodate your requests.

How to apply?

To indicate your need for adjustments, tick the ‘yes’ response in the application form. We will then contact you to confirm your eligibility and agree on any adjustments we can offer.

Our goal is to make our application process fair for everyone, and you will not be penalised or judged for applying for reasonable adjustment support.

Please request adjustments before the scheduled assessments or online tests, as they cannot be accommodated on the day. Letting us know well in advance ensures there is enough time to arrange the support you need.

Can I stay in the same establishment that I am now working?

You will be asked to provide two preferred establishments to take up post. Wherever possible, we will allocate you your first choice.

Can I apply for both prison officer and youth justice worker roles?

Yes. You will be asked to provide two preferred establishments to take up post. Wherever possible, we will allocate to your first choice.

Do I get priority over people who have applied from outside of HMPPS?

Yes. Through this scheme you will be prioritised into vacancies over those applying via external campaigns.

Do I need my manager’s approval before I apply?

No. You do not need your manager’s approval to apply.

What will happen to my current role if I don’t succeed?

If you try for a prison officer or youth justice worker role and your application is unsuccessful, absolutely nothing will change to your current OSG role.

I am employed on a fixed term contract – can I apply?

Yes. You can apply if you were recruited through fair and open competition and have completed six months effective service.

I am working in HMPPS through an agency – can I apply?

No. You need to be employed as a civil servant to apply through this scheme which is open to existing employees only. We would welcome your application to become a prison officer or youth justice worker but you need to apply through a campaign that is advertised externally. Please visit our website at to find jobs available to external applicants.

I work part-time as an OSG and would like to continue part-time in the prison officer or youth justice worker role – can I apply?

Yes, you can apply but you must email your part-time request to PrisonsResourcing-Projects@justice.gov.uk as the availability of part-time arrangements depends on staffing needs and therefore cannot be guaranteed. If your part-time request is approved, you will still need to be full-time throughout training.

I’m not 18 years old yet, can I apply?

Yes. You need to be 18 at the point which you take up post.

I am currently subject to a formal disciplinary procedure which removes me from the avenue of promotion, can I apply?

No. You are ineligible to apply.

As a result of a formal disciplinary procedure I am not allowed to have direct prisoner supervision, can I apply?

No. You are ineligible to apply.

Do I get time off to attend the online assessment centre?

Yes. Your establishment should free you up to attend through juggling shifts and time off in lieu (TOIL) if necessary.

Do I get time off to attend the medical and fitness assessment and will my travel costs be covered?

Yes. Your establishment should free you up to attend through juggling shifts and time off in lieu (TOIL) if necessary. Your travel to and from the centre should be paid either through a claim for mileage or tickets booked through the central booking system in line with travel and subsistence policy.

What will I be paid?

Your pay will be calculated as a promotion in line with HMPPS pay policy and you will move to the appropriate spine point. You will also be entitled to any additional payments operating at the prison to which you are appointed.

When would I start in the new role?

You could be in training as early as September.

I am on legacy/closed T&Cs. If I am successful at OAC, how will my pay and pensions be affected on promotion?

For promotions from closed grades, earnings for staff will never reduce (and will almost always increase) unless your working hours are reduced or you lose an allowance (excluding local pay allowances) or bespoke payment which is not payable in F&S or factored into promotion calculations. See NTS 35-2018 for more information.

I recently attended the OAC and was successful, can I have my result transferred across?

Yes. You need to submit an application and then email PrisonsResourcing-Projects@justice.gov.uk to have your result transferred across.

I recently applied for an external prison officer campaign but failed the online tests, can I apply?

Yes. You can apply.

I recently attended the OAC but was unsuccessful, can I apply?

If you were unsuccessful at the OAC more than six months ago, you can apply. If you were unsuccessful at the OAC less than six months ago, you can’t apply.

I recently had three failed attempts at the medical and fitness assessment, can I apply?

If your third failed attempt at the medical and fitness assessment was more than six months ago, you can apply. If your third failed attempt at the medical and fitness assessment was less than six months ago, you can’t apply.

Where can I find out more about what it’s really like to be a prison officer?

Try our activity to see if the prison officer role is right for you.

Where can I find out more about what it’s really like to be a youth justice worker?

Try our activity to see if the youth justice worker role is right for you.

I have a question that isn't included in this FAQ document, what should I do?

You can email your question to: PrisonsResourcing-Projects@justice.gov.uk