Working for the Civil Service
Where will a career in the Civil Service take you?
A career in the Civil Service offers you:
- the opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives in the UK
- learning on the job and good career development opportunities
- flexible working hours and comprehensive benefits
You can now explore careers across the Civil Service on the Civil Service Careers website.
Apply to join the Civil Service
The different routes into the Civil Service include:
- moving directly into a Civil Service job (these can be permanent or fixed-term contracts, full-time or part-time) - you can start a job search now
- a 2-year Civil Service Fast Track apprenticeship programme
- the Civil Service Fast Stream programme for graduates
- the Summer Diversity Internship programme for ethnic minority students, disabled students and those from under-represented socio-economic backgrounds
- the Early Diversity Internship programme for ethnic minority students and those from under-represented socio-economic backgrounds
- the Movement to Work scheme which offers work experience in the Civil Service for unemployed young people
- student placements
Diversity and inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to improving the delivery of public services for everyone in society. Respecting and valuing differences will help to ensure that our policies and services reflect the needs and experiences of the people we serve.
The Civil Service needs a workforce with the very best possible mix of existing and future talent.
Graduate entry
The Civil Service Fast Stream is our graduate entry scheme.
It offers talented graduates an accelerated route to leadership in the Civil Service. This short video gives more information about the Civil Service and the type of applicants the Fast Stream is looking for.
You can find out more about the sort of work you’ll be doing on the scheme on the Fast Stream blog, including interviews with some of our current Fast Streamers.
Our values
The Civil Service Code sets out our core values and the standards of behaviour expected of all civil servants.
Civil Service talent management
Information on the talent management schemes for civil servants is also available.
Completing your Personal Statement
The purpose of a personal statement is to showcase your relevant skills and experience against the job requirements.
Requirements are often referred to as the person specification or essential criteria.
The statement is your opportunity to give evidenced examples of how you fit the requirement and why you should get the job.
The following steps may help you tailor your skills and experience to the role you are applying for. You can:
- stick to the word limit: a brief statement won’t provide the evidence needed to allow your application to be assessed fully. There will generally be a set word limit and we encourage you to produce as close to that number as possible to provide the required depth of detail and evidence
- use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) model as a basis for your answers. Think about what was needed, what you did and how you did it, what happened and what the outcome was
- develop a draft offline first, so you can check your spelling and grammar
- re-read the requirement, then read it again, to make sure you completely understand what is being looked for
- seek a second opinion to check that what you have written is clear and answers the questions posed by the requirement
- read it again, to make sure you are happy with it and your relevant skills and experience are clearly evidenced, before you upload it and submit
It is important that you ask questions if you are unsure about anything within the recruitment process. You can get in touch with the hiring manager or responsible recruitment team referenced within the advert / candidate pack. They are on hand to provide guidance and will be expecting to hear from you.
Good luck with your statement!