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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
£19,790
£30,295
£39,118

New workers start around £19,790. Normal pay is £30,295 per year.
Highly experienced workers can earn up to £39,118.

Available jobs

In the past year there were 30,292 vacancies for this type of job

5.48%

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.

  • Psychology

  • Data Entry

  • Criminology

  • OpenSceneGraph

  • Optometry

  • Numerical Analysis

  • Working With Children

  • Carpentry

  • Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

  • Settlement

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

  • Resilience

  • English Language

  • Patience

  • Interpersonal Communications

  • Detail Oriented

  • Written English

  • Empathy

  • First Aid

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) · 5 Years · Sandwich including foundation year · Plymouth · 16/09/2024

Tariff points: 32/80

Social Work

Middlesex University

MA (PG) · 17 Months · Full-time · London · 09/2024

Tariff points: N/A

Criminology and Cybercrime

University of Portsmouth

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

Tariff points: 112/120

Professional Policing

University of Salford

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

Tariff points: 112/112

Social Work

University of Wolverhampton

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

Tariff points: 120/120

Childhood and Youth Studies

University of Winchester

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

Tariff points: 104/120

Social Work

Goldsmiths, University of London

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

Tariff points: 96/96

Childhood and Youth Studies

City College Norwich (incorporating Easton College)

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

Tariff points: 48/48

Criminology

Leeds Trinity University

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

Tariff points: 104/128

Social Work

University of Essex

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Colchester · 10/2024

Tariff points: 112/120

Social Work

Northumbria University, Newcastle

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Newcastle upon Tyne · 23/09/2024

Tariff points: 112/112

Social Work (Wales) (Q42)

Open University

BA (Hons) · 3-6 Years · Distance learning · Milton Keynes · 10/2024

Tariff points: N/A

Social Work

University of Leeds

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Leeds · 25/09/2024

Tariff points: 128/144

Social Work

Manchester Metropolitan University

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

Tariff points: 120/120

Criminology

University of Suffolk

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

Tariff points: 112/112

Criminology

Leeds Beckett University

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

Tariff points: 112/112

Social Work (MA) (PG)

Liverpool Hope University

MA (PG) · 2 Years · Full-time · Liverpool · 12/09/2024

Tariff points: N/A

Related careers

Senior Police Officers

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Childminders

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Ambulance Staff (Excluding Paramedics)

Rail Travel Assistants

Police Community Support Officers

Air Transport Operatives

Related industry guides

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