Job Description
Please note - You must be over 18 and a UK national for these roles.
Border Force check all passengers and freight arriving in the UK by air and sea and conduct intelligence-led searches for prohibited, counterfeit or restricted goods such as drugs, firearms, weapons, cash, tobacco, and alcohol. We also support the department’s wider agenda in high-profile areas such as counter terrorism, tackling organised crime, modern slavery, and human trafficking. This is some of the most important and challenging work in Government and its impact can be felt in communities across the UK.
Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest and most high-profile airports. It is also Border Force’s biggest port. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic Heathrow saw upwards of 75 million passengers a year passing through its 4 international terminals. Added to this, 65% of the UK’s air freight, valued at £100 billion passes through the airport every year.
As a Border Force Officer at Heathrow, your first role will be based at the Primary Control Points across one of Heathrow’s 4 terminals. It will be your job to find out why passengers from across the world are coming to the UK, decide if they are eligible to do so and stop those who are not.
To do this you will:
- Operate immigration and customs controls to check passenger permissions and documentation
- Identify vulnerable adults and children to prioritise their safety and refer to appropriate agencies
- Interview passengers, undertake investigations and determine whether they qualify for entry to the UK
- Arrest offenders, preserve evidence, manage detention and liaise with other law enforcement partners.
For more information about working for Border Force and to hear from some of our colleagues, please visit our careers website.
Working for the Home Office (D&I)
There’s no one type of person working at the Home Office. Just like in wider society, everyone here is different. We believe that different backgrounds, perspectives, and voices add up to richer, fuller thinking that helps us deliver fairer, better outcomes.
We’re committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people can bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.
Benefits
As well as offering the opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives, a career with the Home Office comes with a range of amazing benefits.
These include a competitive starting salary, a Civil Service Pension with employer contribution rates of at least 26.6%, flexible working and 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service.
As a Border Force Officer at Heathrow Airport, you will also be eligible for an Annualised Hours Allowance (AHA) between 35% - 40%, which equates to an additional £10,412 - £11,900 pa based on salary minimum. AHA is subject to regular review and can go up as well as down. This is to compensate for working shift patterns including night shifts, early morning starts, late night finishes, weekends, and public holidays. Shifts can vary in length and can be up to 12 hours; shifts can be changed or extended according to business need.
For more information on our wide range of benefits, please, see the Benefits page of our website.
Training and Development
These roles can be demanding. If successful you will be required to complete and pass specialist training including Personal Safety Training (PST) which develops skills in personal safety, arrest, control and restraint techniques. This demands physical activity and physical contact with delegates on the course. You will be required to complete a PST health declaration and, if necessary, attend a medical examination. A formal offer cannot be made if you do not possess the required level of physical fitness to undertake and pass the training.
When starting in Border Force, officers undergo initial training which lasts 4 weeks (3 weeks classroom-based training and 1 week of PST). You will be allocated to one of our training hubs near Heathrow, Manchester, Folkestone, Stansted, Tilbury or Gatwick. If you do not live within a reasonable commutable distance to one of our training locations, there may be a requirement for some overnight stays to complete your training. Travel costs will be covered by the business. The training takes place Monday to Friday 0900 - 1700 and does not require shift working. No AHA is payable during the initial 4-week period of training.
For internal candidates already in receipt of AHA, payment of the allowance will continue during the period of initial training.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy uses Civil Service Success Profiles, and will assess your Strengths and Ability using online tests and an interview-based assessment centre.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to confirm some basic personal information.
After submission of your personal information you will be invited to stage 1 and complete an online Behavioural Based Assessment (BBA).
The BBA will consist of a series of game-based assessments that look at your natural tendencies in a variety of situations. This assessment can be done on a smartphone, tablet or a laptop/desktop computer, and you will need to set aside 45 minutes to complete the assessment.
Please note the closing date for applications is 17th March 2023 at 23.55. If you apply near to the closing date, please make sure you leave enough time to complete the BBA.
If you are successful in the BBA, you will be invited to stage 2 to complete a Written Test. The purpose of the Written Test is to assess that you can communicate with others in writing. No preparation is required or prior knowledge or experience of the scenario presented. The written test will take around 20-25 minutes and will need to be completed on a laptop/desktop computer. You CANNOT complete the written test on a mobile phone or tablet.
Guidance on the BBA and Written Test will be available when you are invited to complete each stage. Both stages are administered online and the link to access the tests will be sent to you with the invitation.
If you pass the BBA and Written Test you will be invited to attend an Online Assessment Centre (OAC) consisting of a strength-based interview.
Strength-based interviews seek to find out what people enjoy and when they are at their best. They are less about what you can do or have done previously. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Do not rehearse your answers because we are looking for your initial response. The best way to prepare is to reflect on what you feel your personal strengths are and your preferred ways of working. It is important that you answer the questions as openly and honestly as you can, thinking about the kind of work that you enjoy doing and the Border Force role you are applying for. For this reason, you should not be distracted by others and arrange to be in a quiet environment for the interview which will last around 35-40 minutes. To find out more about Civil Service Strengths please click here
At the end of the assessment, you will be given information on what happens next if you are successful.
Interview Dates
Invites to the Online Assessment Centres (OAC) will be sent from week commencing 13 February 2023 and take place on a rolling basis from week commencing 20 February 2023 through subsequent weeks until all are completed.
The dates are subject to change and SSCL will circulate new dates if required.
Successful candidates may be required to attend a face-to-face appointment to conduct ID checks before pre-employment checks will begin.
You must be able to provide all the ID documents we need to complete your pre-employment screening and security clearance. Please see the list of acceptable ID documents, which is attached to the job advert. You will be expected to provide your original copies of your ID documents. This includes your passport and two other forms of identification. Please watch this video for guidance about the ID documents you will need to provide.
Nationality Requirements
You must be a UK national - evidence of which will be required either by way of a UK passport or providing alternative evidence of UK nationality in line with the Civil Service Nationality Rules. UK nationals who hold dual nationality can apply for this reserved post.
Additional Security Check:
As well as successfully obtaining UKSV clearance and passing the right to work and pre-employment screening, anyone who applies to work for Border Force will also be subject to additional Border Force specific security checks to determine their suitability to work for the organisation.
UK residency requirements
For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV (Developed Vetting). A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.
Reserve List
If you are successful but there are not enough vacancies at Heathrow Airport to offer a role, you will remain on a reserve list for up to 12 months.
Reserve lists will be managed in merit order.
Please note there are no guarantees that further vacancies will arise before your time on the reserve list expires.
In some circumstances, we may offer you an alternative similar role or different location. You should consider the offer carefully, before accepting. Should you reject an alternative role, you will remain on the reserve list. If you accept an alternative role you will be withdrawn from the reserve list.
Public servants and NDPB’s
Please note: If you are currently an agency member of staff working within the Home Office, a contractor or contingent worker you can only apply for roles that are advertised externally, i.e. outside the civil service.
Other worker types operating within the public sector (e.g. Public Servants (such as council workers, police, military, NHS) are also recruited as external hires.
If you are one of the above worker types, you are required to select yourself as an external applicant and not internal or OGD (other Government Departments) when submitting your application on Civil Service jobs. This will prevent any delays in pre-employment checks should you be made an offer of employment after the interview stage.
Employees of Non-Departmental Public Bodies
Please check if you are a Civil Servant or Accredited NDPB Public Servant. Public servants will be recruited as external hires rather than civil servant transfers. Also see section on NDPBs within the Candidate Information Notes.
Appearance
The role is a uniformed post and as such requires the highest standards. Non-offensive tattoos which are visible are permissible if they are not facial or on the front or side of the neck (above collar line). Tattoos behind the ear lobe on the back of the neck are acceptable. Tattoos will need to be covered up for certain official events e.g. State Funerals, Opening of Parliament, Remembrance Parades and other ceremonial events. Under no circumstances should tattoos that could be considered offensive be made visible. This could include discriminatory, racist, sexist, sectarian, homophobic, political, rude, lewd, crude or violent images or writing.
Part time working
Due to the current business position, these posts are not open to part time working.
Apply and Further Information
Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.
We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.
Transfer Terms: Voluntary.
If you are invited to an interview you will be required to bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks. Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.
Any move to the Home Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility here
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.
See our vetting charter.
People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Note to Applicants
Please ensure that all evidence provided during the application process is taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. All applications are screened for plagiarism and copying of examples/answers from internet sources. If any is detected the application will be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.
Meet the Team Events
There will be opportunities to find out more about working for Border Force and meet some of the Heathrow team at our drop-in sessions at the airport and at our online Q&A sessions. Details of these and how to sign up will be advertised on the application site.
