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Prison Service Officers (Below Principal Officer)

Prison service officers (below Principal Officer) direct, co-ordinate and participate in guarding inmates and maintaining discipline in prisons and other detention centres.

Wages

New workers
AVERAGE
Experienced
£20,600
£37,147
£49,287

New workers start around £20,600. Normal pay is £37,147 per year.
Highly experienced workers can earn up to £49,287.

Available jobs

In the past year there were 30,609 vacancies for this type of job

5.05%

Projected job growth over the next 8 years

Related courses

People work towards these careers by taking these courses at college and uni.

What they do most days?

  • Reports on prisoners’ conduct as necessary.

  • Trains and supervises prison staff.

  • Provides care and support to prisoners in custody including prevention of self-harm.

  • Runs prisoner rehabilitation and support programmes.

  • Escorts prisoners transferred from one institution to another.

  • Investigates disturbances or any other unusual occurrences.

  • Guards entrances and perimeter walls.

  • Watches for any infringements of regulations and searches prisoners and cells for weapons, drugs and other contraband items.

  • Escorts prisoners to and from cells and supervises them during meals, recreation and visiting periods.

Hard Skills

Hard skills are specific, learnable, measurable, often industry or occupation-specific abilities related to a position.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • OpenSceneGraph

  • Contraband Detection And Control

  • Psychology

  • Data Entry

  • Evidence Preservation

  • Food Delivery

  • Optometry

  • Criminology

  • Numerical Analysis

  • Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Soft Skills

Soft skills can be self-taught and usually do not necessitate a certain completed level of education.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • Communication

  • Management

  • Calmness Under Pressure

  • Composure

  • English Language

  • Resilience

  • Teamwork

  • Sorting

  • Telephone Skills

  • Detail Oriented

How do I get a job like this?

People in these types of job started their career paths after studying courses like the ones below.

Routes to this career

See all

  • Professional Policing

    University of Worcester

    BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Worcester · 09/2024

    Tariff points: 112/112

  • Social Work

    University of Cumbria

    BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Carlisle · 16/09/2024

    Tariff points: 104/120

  • Criminology with Foundation

    University of Plymouth

    BSc (Hons) · 4 Years · Full-time including foundation year · Plymouth · 16/09/2024

    Tariff points: 32/80

  • Criminology

    University of Kent

    BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Canterbury · 14/09/2024

    Tariff points: 96/112

  • Social Work

    University of Wolverhampton

    BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Wolverhampton · 16/09/2024

    Tariff points: 120/120

  • Criminology

    University of Suffolk

    BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Ipswich · 23/09/2024

    Tariff points: 112/112

  • Criminology

    Leeds Beckett University

    BA (Hons) · 6 Years · Part-time · Leeds · 16/09/2024

    Tariff points: 72/72

  • Professional Policing

    University of Bedfordshire

    BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Luton · 09/2024

    Tariff points: 96/112

  • Criminology

    University of Leicester

    BSc (Hons) · 3-4 Years · Full-time · Leicester · 23/09/2024

    Tariff points: 128/128

  • Social Work

    Teesside University

    BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Middlesbrough · 16/09/2024

    Tariff points: 112/128

  • Social Work (MA) (PG)

    Liverpool Hope University

    MA (PG) · 2 Years · Full-time · Liverpool · 23/09/2024

    Tariff points: N/A

  • Social Work

    University of East London

    MA (PG) · 2 Years · Full-time · Stratford · 23/09/2024

    Tariff points: N/A

  • Child and Youth Studies

    University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI)

    BA (Hons) · 4 Years · Full-time · Thurso · 09/2024

    Tariff points: 63/64

  • Criminal Justice

    DN Colleges Group

    BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Doncaster · 16/09/2024

    Tariff points: 32/32

  • Social Work

    The University of Edinburgh

    BSc (Hons) · 4 Years · Full-time · Edinburgh · 09/2024

    Tariff points: N/A

  • Criminology

    University of Gloucestershire

    BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Cheltenham · 23/09/2024

    Tariff points: 96/96

  • Criminology

    Plymouth Marjon University

    BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Plymouth · 23/09/2024

    Tariff points: 96/96