Joining The Prison Service

Very few individuals take up a career in the prison service. It is a great responsibility and one needs courage and conviction to do the job. A Prison service career is a hard choice to make and you need to be a certain type of person who has an open mind.

The prison service offers many job opportunities all with varied types of work. Apart from prison officers, the state requires professionals such as instructional officers, healthcare personnel, chaplaincy, psychologists, managers, administration, operational support and many others.

Before you join prison service, you must find out the types of services available and one that interests you. For instance, psychologists are largely required by prison services as they psychologists talk to the prisoners and try to help with their rehabilitation.

In order to join the prison service you are required to have certain eligibilities and satify the entry requirements.

For example, individuals have to be below the age of sixty-five when taking appointment for the job. The applicant has to be of a certain nationality and has to be a resident of that country for a considerable amount of years. You have to be free of any immigration restrictions and this means that you cannot have any time restrictions on your stay in that country.

Certain posts in the prison service require you to have residency requirements. In the United Kingdom, in order to get recruited for a certain post, the applicant has to be a resident of the UK at least three years prior to application. This requirement is taken as a security measure.

To start with, one must locate the prison they wish to work with or enquire in advance. The Internet provides a lot of information on prisons and prison services and you can apply online or even visit the national prison service website.

The age eligibility also requires the individual to be above eighteen years of age and below sixty-five in order to get into the prison service. The individual also has to pass medical exam that includes an eye test and fitness assessment.

Each prison service has a different working pattern, as the jobs are diverse and no two days are ever the same. Once you are selected, there is a further detailed enquiry done in order to prove your identity, reliability, health and character. This is known as developed vetting and in involves detailed background checks to ensure all the information you provided on your application form is accurate.

The key is to ensure all the information on your application was correct as any discrepancies will be discovered. Even if you make it all the way through the selection process, applicants can still be rejected if they fail their vetting process.

Applicants will have an added advantage if they have an experience in their chosen profession. It will help them to get selected faster. Industrial careers such as engineers, electricians, caterers, fitters, plumbers, gardeners and carpenters have a great opportunity at prison service.

These industrial professionals teach the inmates their skills so that when the prisoners are free they are equipped with some skill that will help them to get employed easily. In order to work as an industrial grade in prison service you are required to meet a number of requirements.