Tell me about it
Civil Servants work in a non-political capacity for the elected government of the day. They are part of the Civil Service, a huge organisation offering a wide range of roles for non-graduates, graduates and specialists with specific qualifications. Career opportunities can range from office-based work, involving clerical/computer skills, liaising with the public, record keeping and dealing with finance and accounts, to supporting government ministers by providing them with the information they need to turn their policies into reality. There are around 100 different departments, agencies and devolved administrations, with the detailed nature of the work varying according to the department.

Your job could involve finance or procurement, or marketing and public relations. Whether your interest is human resources or neighbourhood renewal, social justice or European and international relations, there is a huge variety of opportunity to appeal to many interests.

Entry level
Individual departments and agencies set their own entry requirements. Some may accept a new entrant with good communication or decision-making skills, whereas others may require a minimum of two A levels/AH grades or three H grades or equivalent for a junior manager position. In the main, the entry standard for non-graduates is four to five GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3), or equivalent, including English. Around half the junior managers recruited each year are graduates. The 'Fast Stream' programme (usually only open to UK nationals) normally requires at least a first or second class honours degree.

You can apply for any job in the Civil Service as long as you are a UK national or have dual nationality (one of which is British). As a European Economic Area national, EU national or Commonwealth citizen, you would be eligible for about 75% of Civil Service jobs, but most Fast Stream candidates must be UK nationals. The Diplomatic Service recruits UK citizens who have lived in the country for at least five years and requires that they have the ability to learn languages easily.

There is no formal upper age limit for vacancies in the Civil Service and mature entry is quite common.

Making the grade
Training combines formal courses and practical on-the-job experience, learning from colleagues. Some posts may offer the opportunity to undertake nationally recognised vocational qualifications. Sometimes further tests must be passed in order to secure promotion.

Foundation and Advanced Apprenticeships may be available for young people in England; Skillseekers and Apprenticeships (Scotland); Apprenticeships (Northern Ireland) and National Traineeships and Apprenticeships (Wales) may also be available.

For suitably qualified candidates, the fiercely competitive 'Fast Stream Development Programme' can accelerate progress to top-level appointments.

Departments usually recruit through advertisements in local and national newspapers and magazines, job centres and their own department websites.

Personal qualities
Whatever department you work in, you would need to be able to work well in a team and have a calm, reliable personality in order to work accurately under pressure. You would have to be a good communicator and should be methodical and organised in your work. You would be required to pay attention to detail and to follow established procedures. You must be able to handle confidential information responsibly. Computer, language and number skills are also useful.

If you are seeking a higher appointment, you would need to show leadership qualities and the ability to use your initiative, analyse problems and deliver results. The 'Fast Stream' would demand all these qualities and more, especially outstanding intelligence, creative thinking and sound judgement.

Looking ahead
The Civil Service ranks as one of the country's largest employers, with some 30,000 new recruits joining each year. Despite this, annual recruitment figures are declining as more and more jobs are put out to the private sector. However, with around half a million staff, there are still opportunities to move into junior management or more specialist areas of work. Competition is strong for all parts of the Civil Service, particularly for the 'Fast Stream' programme.

As there are so may departments and agencies sited around the country, there are opportunities to move or change departments. Most civil servants, however, tend to stay within the fields where they have expertise.

Alternative suggestions
Depending on your level of ability and your ambition, you might consider anything from secretarial/clerical work to local government administration, management consultancy, human resources management or professional qualification in the financial or legal fields.

Take-home pay
Actual rates of pay are set by different departments and agencies and may vary but, as a rough guide, an administrative assistant in London could expect up to £15,500, a junior manager around £20,000 and middle managers over £30,000.

'Fast Stream' salaries in London start from around £20,000, plus a non-contributory pension currently worth a further 13.5%. Pay increases are performance-related.
London always heads the salary range. For example, after three to four years and with a promotion, around £32,000 to £34,000 may be achieved, on a range currently rising to around £50,000. There are considerably higher salaries at the very top.

Effects
Generally staff work a 37 hours a week with opportunities for flexible and part-time working and job sharing. Posts are mainly office-based but there may occasionally be a requirement to travel to attend meetings, conferences, training sessions or other events.

Typically, you would have around 25 days' annual holiday, with more than ten public holidays on top. Depending on your department, you might also receive season ticket loans and access to a wide range of sports and social facilities. Many civil servants work flexible hours and most departments are happy to provide part-time and term-time posts.

Sources of information
Civil Service Careers: www.civil-service.gov.uk/jobs
Fast Stream Development Programme: www.faststream.gov.uk

CRCI: AB