Advance Into Justice | HM Prison & Probation Service

What is an Operational Support Grade (prison support worker)?

As a prison support worker, you’ll play an integral part in maintaining a safe and secure environment in your prison. Working as part of a close-knit team, you will be responsible for a wide range of tasks including:

managing the control room
carrying out periodic security perimeter checks
overseeing prison visits
and monitoring prisoner correspondence.

Using skills you acquired during your time in the military, coupled with specialist training, you’ll be joining an essential and highly respected part of the prison’s workforce.

Eligibility

Pay

The salary figures quoted are for a 37 hour working week inclusive of a 20% unsocial hours working allowance. Any changes to pay agreed after you have submitted your application will be reflected when calculating your starting pay.

National – £25,626

Aylesbury, Bedford, Bullingdon, Coldingley, Cookham Wood, Elmley, Grendon, Highpoint, Huntercombe, Send, Standford Hill, Swaleside, The Mount, Woodhill, plus all other locations outside of London

Outer London – £29,268

Belmarsh, Downview, Feltham, High Down, and Isis

Inner London – £31,165

Brixton, Pentonville, Wandsworth, and Wormwood Scrubs

Benefits

As an OSG, you will get:

two weeks’ paid training and five weeks annual leave per year
Civil service pension with employer contributions of over 27%
paid time off for public holidays and 1 extra privilege day*
generous maternity leave cover
cycle to work scheme and travel loans
property rental deposit loans
access to local keyworker housing schemes
employee assistance programmes
paid special leave for Reservists to participate in the continuous mandatory period of training.
reward and recognition scheme
free access to prison gym and sports facilities
access to employee benefits and a discounts portal, including a Blue Light card

*Operational grades within prisons operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and you will be expected to work on some public and bank holidays. Any that you do work will be added to your annual leave entitlement.

Assessment Process

Interviews

If you pass the test, we’ll invite you for an interview.

In the interview, you will be asked a combination of behaviour-based and strength-based questions.

Behaviour based questions will explore your past experiences and achievements
Strengths based questions will focus on what motivates and energises you.

You don’t need to have worked in a prison before to do well – you can use examples from your personal and professional experiences.

In the interview, we will also assess your ability to speak and understand English, which is a Government requirement in public-facing roles, such as this, where you will be engaging with prisoners and visitors daily.

How to prepare

To prepare for the behaviour-based questions, think about what you have done in the past that could demonstrate the qualities and behaviours we are looking for in our OSG. These are:

Communicating and influencing: Show that you are a ‘people’ person. You communicate clearly, concisely, and with confidence. You listen to others and adapt your communication style to suit the situation and audience
Working together: Show that you are a team player. You develop good working relationships with others and are a positive and supportive team member
Managing a quality service: Show that you are detail-orientated, hold excellent attention to detail and follow processes and rules. You have a strong work ethic and are willing to learn and improve
Delivering at pace: Show that you are a quick thinker. You are highly resilient and quickly adapt to change. You are self-motivated and confident. Also, show determination and drive to solve problems and achieve results

No specific preparation is required for the strength-based questions, but you might find it helpful to think about why you would like to become an Operational Support staff, as well as personal strengths you can bring to the role.

If you feel you need reasonable adjustments, we can offer you support. Please inform us of this when prompted in your application form.

OSG Training

Safety and training

Before you begin as an OSG, you will receive two weeks’ paid training focusing on prison security and safety. This will prepare you for situations where you may have to deal with prisoners
Once in post, you will have access to local training including personal protection safety training. This is designed to give you an increased understanding of keeping safe when working in a prison
The training you will be offered adheres to HMPPS policies and procedures. It also includes relevant health and safety and security procedures

Fully funded apprenticeships opportunity

Once you are successfully recruited as an OSG, you will be offered an opportunity to complete a level 2 customer service apprenticeship (on the job learning). You will:

undertake the apprenticeship alongside your new role. We will provide you with the necessary knowledge, skills and behaviours to fulfil your role to the highest standard
achieve a nationally recognised level 2 qualification
have the opportunity to achieve level 1 functional skills in Maths and English if you do not already obtain these.

The programme will run for 14 months. Our training provider, Knowledgepool, will support you with your own skills coach throughout your learning.

OSG Progression

The OSG role will give you significant knowledge and experience of how a prison operates. It also provides a gateway to a wide range of other prison jobs.

Many OSGs choose to progress to prison officer roles. Other OSG’s may choose to move into:

Instructor roles – teaching prisoners’ new skills to help them find work after their release
Waste management – working with prisoners to reduce, reuse and recycle in the prison. This may include training prisoners in core skills such as counting and recycling
Catering – training prisoners in a range of catering skills. This may involve delivering a qualification or supervising prisoners working in the busy prison kitchens

PEI