How the Civil Service Induction course kick-started my new career
Civil Service newcomer Dominic Lee says the Civil Service Induction course helped him navigate the values, behaviours and culture of his new workplace.
Dominic Lee, Department for Education
Before joining the Civil Service, Dominic Lee was in a leadership role in a primary school in North London. Now he is an executive officer in the Department for Education where he works as a ministerial drafter.
He says the Civil Service Induction supported his transition into his new role - not by training him in the minutiae of his day-to-day tasks, but instead by helping him to understand what it means to be a civil servant in the UK today.
The culture of the Civil Service
“It helped me understand the culture of the Civil Service - what’s expected of you, the principles you need to uphold and the impartiality side of things,” he said.
“Being a ‘civil servant’ is a big identity and there’s a specific way of speaking and approaching things that I hadn’t come across before. I probably found that the biggest culture shock and the Civil Service Induction helped me make sense of it.”
How the Civil Service Induction gave my career in government the best possible start
Dominic was one of the many people who join the Civil Service each year - every one of whom goes through an initial induction process tailored according to their job role, grade and department.
In the Department for Education, it is compulsory for all new starters to do the Government Campus’ Civil Service Induction in their first few weeks. Last year, more than 500 newcomers to the department completed it.
Engaging and intuitive
“The Civil Service Induction was on a platform called FutureLearn and it was a lot more engaging and intuitive than the other elements of my induction,” said Dominic.
“A lot of the other training basically seemed to be pre-recorded Teams calls that you just had to sit and passively consume.
“The Civil Service Induction was far more interactive. You could share your experiences with other learners online and you did a quiz at the end of each section to help you consolidate your knowledge.”
The Civil Service Induction course covers the basics of working in government, including:
- the benefits and obligations of being a civil servant
- working with ministers and Parliament
- understanding devolution
- knowledge of the government professions and functions, and what they offer.
“The main part of your induction has to be your on-the-job training - seeing it, doing it, living it,” said Dominic.
“But the Civil Service Induction laid out the bare bones of cultural expectations and the parts about parliament and Civil Service Code were particularly useful.”
The 36-year-old opted to apply for a role in government after having a new baby last year and needing a job that offered greater flexibility.
After 12 years in teaching, he says the Civil Service felt a bit of ‘closed shop’ that was difficult to break into. But the Civil Service Induction together with his first few months in post under his belt means Dominic now feels he would be in a much stronger position were he to apply for a role again.
“The hardest thing is the difference salary-wise and moving into a new career and having to build back up later in life,” he said.
“But It’s a very supportive environment and I think I’ve been given strong foundations I can move forward from.”
- Civil Servants with a gov.uk email account can access Civil Service Induction by logging on to their Civil Service Service Learning account. People planning to join the Civil Service can also access the course by signing up.