The Civil Service

A Civil Servant is a servant of the Crown, which in effect means the government of the UK. The priority duty of a Civil Servant is to his or her minister, who is in charge of the department in which they are serving. If the government or minister changes it does not mean a change of staff. The role of the UK Civil Service is to help the government of the day develop and implement its policies and administer the public services for which it is responsible. The Civil Service has existed in its modern form since 1854. Before that, Civil Servants were appointed to office by ministers without regard for qualification or age but in return for political support or personal interest.

The Civil Service is an integral and key part of the government of the United Kingdom. Civil Servants are accountable to ministers, who in turn are accountable to parliament. Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values:

·integrity – putting the obligations of public service above personal interests

·honesty – being truthful and open

·objectivity – basing advice and decisions on rigorous analysis of evidence

·impartiality – acting solely according to the merits of the case

·political impartiality – serving equally well governments of different political persuasions.

These values lead to the following standards of behaviour.

·Integrity:

– fulfilling duties and obligations responsibly

– acting professionally

– maintaining public and private confidence

– using public money and other resources properly and efficiently

– dealing with the public and their affairs fairly, efficiently, promptly, effectively and sensitively, to the best of their ability

– handling information openly within the legal framework

– complying with the law and upholding the administration of justice

– not misusing an official position

– not accepting gifts or hospitality, or other benefits that might compromise personal judgement or integrity

– not disclosing official information without authority.

·Honesty:

– setting out the facts and relevant issues truthfully, and correcting any errors as soon as possible

– using resources only for the authorised purposes

– not deceiving or knowingly misleading ministers, Parliament or others

– not being influenced by improper pressures from others or the prospect of personal gain.

·Objectivity:

– providing information and advice based on evidence, and accurately presenting options and facts

– taking decisions on the merits of the case

– taking due account of expert and professional advice

– not ignoring inconvenient facts or considerations when providing advice or making decisions

– not frustrating the implementation of policies once decisions are taken.

·Impartiality:

– carrying out responsibilities in a way that is fair, just and equitable

– not acting in a way that unjustifiably favours or discriminates against individuals or interests.

·Political impartiality:

– serving the government, whatever its political persuasion, to the best of their ability, disregarding political beliefs

– retaining the confidence of ministers, while being able to establish the same relationship with ministers of any future government

– complying with any restrictions laid down on their political activities

– not acting in a way determined by party-political considerations

– not using official resources for party-political purposes

– not allowing personal political views to determine any advice given or actions taken.

Individual departments determine their diversity priorities, and are accountable for their own decisions and actions. The Cabinet Office is responsible for ensuring that the Civil Service as a whole meets the government’s commitment to achieving greater representation of minority ethnic staff, women, and staff with disabilities at senior levels. Equality of opportunity for all is one of the foundations on which the Civil Service is based, and hard work has gone into developing policies to encourage an inclusive approach within which the issues facing particular groups can be addressed. There have been action plans for women, minority ethnic staff and disabled staff. Guidance has been introduced on age diversity along with clearly stated policies to be followed in dealing with complaints and a policy framework for monitoring numbers. Currently this is not set out in law, but the draft Civil Service Bill will cover this area, among others.

Under the Next Steps programme, launched in 1998, many executive agencies were created to carry out work for the Civil Service. These agencies operate within rules set by the responsible minister, and were introduced to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government services. They are a part of the Civil Service but have delegated authority to employ their own staff and organise service provision.

The Civil Service employs over 519,900 people (full-time equivalents) in 173 departments and executive agencies, making it one of the biggest organisations in the UK. Everything it does touches people’s lives – from formulating policy to advising on a tax return, from drafting new laws to issuing a driving licence.

Much of the work, particularly at junior levels, is office based – working 37 hours a week on routine clerical and administrative tasks. The next level of employment would probably include writing letters and minutes of meetings, and dealing directly with the public. After that could well come specialising in a particular area, or moving up the general administrative ladder, which would almost certainly include elements of budgetary responsibility, policy planning, and advice to ministers and senior officials. Thirty per cent of new entrants to the senior Civil Service (around 3,800 members across government departments and agencies who are managed within a central personnel management framework) move from the private sector, 35 per cent are women, and the average age is 45.

Staff are generally classified into industrial and non-industrial, although some departments have abolished the distinction. Major employing departments are:

• Work and Pensions – 116,660 (22 per cent)
• Revenue and Customs – 95,780 (18 per cent)
• MoD – 85,690 (16 per cent)
• Home Office (including Prison Service) – 73,560 (14 per cent).

The vast majority of ‘industrials’ do similar jobs to those performed by blue-collar workers in other sectors. Non-industrial staff include ‘Fast Stream’ recruits (see below), administrative grades (including junior managers – formerly called executive officers and higher executive officers) and specialist grades (including lawyers, linguists and librarians). Non-industrials can also apply to join the Diplomatic Service – working in London or one of the 200-plus British missions in over 170 countries.

Members of the Civil Service are 18 per cent London-based, with the rest working in offices throughout the UK. Recent staff reductions in some departments and agencies have been offset by increases in other parts of the public sector. Notwithstanding privatisation and outsourcing contributing to a considerable reduction in numbers over the last 15 years, Civil Servants constitute more than 2 per cent of the working population in employment and about 10 per cent of all public-sector employees.

No one should expect to become rich in the Civil Service, although salaries at the very highest levels are competitive. Even today there is considerable job security, with senior staff being responsible for their subordinates’ welfare and development. Pensions are index-linked, and there is both money and time off for training courses; personal development of staff is seen as a priority in the Civil Service. Offices can be in older buildings in city centres or more spacious open-plan facilities in greenfield sites, and the work culture also varies from rigid and hierarchical to a more relaxed, team-orientated style – particularly in some agencies.

The Civil Service and the Armed Forces

The Civil Service has many similarities with the Armed Forces. Both serve the government, and have recently had greater emphasis placed on them to increase performance and reduce costs. Both are Investors In People, and offer training and personal development schemes that lead to qualifications that can be used with a subsequent employer. There are similar appraisal schemes and a relatively formal, structured work environment with established ranks and grades, although these are now used less frequently by the Civil Service as it introduces private-sector working practices. Employees in both are able to work in different jobs in different environments and gain experience in new areas.

Many Forces people work alongside Civil Servants, sometimes sharing offices and often carrying out joint functions with them, like policy, finance, logistics and procurement. Soldiers, sailors, and airmen and women who value the Forces culture can well feel comfortable by moving into a reasonably similar environment when they leave.

Recruitment

Most recruitment of people who join the Civil Service each year is done by the department or agency that is looking for staff. They will probably advertise vacancies in JobCentres, and in the local and regional press. Most positions will be in larger towns and cities, and telephone directories will have a list of departments and agencies in the area under ‘Government Offices’. The Civil Service website gives links to all the major Civil Service employers. Junior positions are advertised under a recruitment gateway, while more specific searches should be directed at the relevant department or agency.

Qualifications for entry vary and depend very much on the department people apply to, the area in which they want to work and the grade at which they want to enter. Specialists will need the relevant qualifications – for example, a member of the Government Information and Communication Service will usually have a degree and some experience in the media field, an economist will have an economics degree and a lawyer will be legally qualified.

However, more general posts simply require a level of academic or vocational achievement to show competence to function at the necessary grade. So a junior post will need two GCSEs at grades A to C, while a more senior one will require five. Both will need English, but people without formal qualifications can be selected if they have relevant previous experience and pass a written test.

Unlike the Forces, junior managers can be recruited directly as well as promoted internally. Half of them are graduates, but the rest have other qualifications, with the minimum generally being two A-levels and three GCSEs, one of which should be English. However, some departments place less emphasis on education and look instead for people with competencies in such areas as decision-making, written and oral communication, managing resources, and planning. These skills are at the heart of military training, and applicants should be prepared to provide evidence of their skills and experience in these areas.

Around 500 graduates are accepted for Fast Stream posts every year, and many of the top tier and very senior Civil Servants started in the Fast Stream. The minimum qualification for external candidates is a second-class honours degree in any subject, but the selection process looks for the ‘leaders of tomorrow’ with strong intellectual, analytical and interpersonal skills. Serving Civil Servants are selected by their departments and do not need formal educational qualifications. Fast Stream schemes include:

· Central

· Science and Engineering

· European

· Diplomatic Service

· DFID Technical Development

· Clerkships in Parliament

· Economists

· Statisticians

· Technology in Business

· Government Communications Headquarters

· Secret Intelligence Service.

The selection process comprises aptitude tests on-screen, followed by interviews and assessments. It is a very popular option among graduates, and competition for places is fierce. Successful candidates can expect to spend some years in a series of high-profile development appointments (each of one year to 18 months), designed to give them experience in a variety of areas. They then enter competition with everyone else, although most tend to continue a rapid upward path through a series of demanding jobs.

There are generally no age limits for the Civil Service, but applicants will be expected to have a reasonable working life ahead of them.

The Military Support Function (MSF) covers a wide variety of roles, including welfare, housing, logistics, finance, personnel management and training. There are MSF posts throughout the MoD at locations all over the United Kingdom and overseas, working to support the military.
Applicants need a broad knowledge of military life and procedures. This understanding does not need to have been obtained from full-time military service: they may have worked with the Services as a civilian, worked in the defence industry, or be in one of the reserve organisations. Equally the MSF can offer a second career for a retiring Service person. All posts carry a normal retirement age of 65.

Salaries

Salaries and gradings are delegated to individual departments and agencies, but25 per cent of staff earn £15,340 or less (on a full-time equivalent basis), and 25 per cent earn £25,260 or more. The proportion of average women’s salaries to that of men has increased to 79 per cent, while the average salary of part-time staff, £17,050, is lower than that for full-time staff, £19,870, reflecting the larger numbers of part-time staff in the lower-paid grades.

For fast-track Civil Servants, the current average starting salary in London is £24,500, depending on where the individual is working. Annual increases depend on performance. On promotion – typically after four to five years – they can expect a further increase, to around £39,000.

Benefits include pensions, 25 days’ holiday (usually) a year plus public and other standard holidays, season ticket loans, sports and social facilities. Family-friendly benefits can include flexible working hours, part-time work, job sharing, career breaks, crèches, holiday play schemes and childcare assistance.

Contact details and sources of further information

Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall, London SW1A 2AS, Tel: 020 7264 1234, Website: www.cabinet-office.gov.uk, Recruitment website: www.careers.civil-service.gov.uk

Civil Service Fast Stream, Parity House, Fleet Mill, Minley Road, Fleet, Hampshire GU51 2RD Tel: 01252 776923European Fast Stream EU Staffing Branch, Cabinet Office, Room G14, Admiralty Arch, The Mall, London SW1A 2WH, Tel: 020 7276 3952
JobCentres

Individual departments and agencies

Applications for MSF appointments should be made to: Military Support Function (Recruitment), PO Box 3424, Bath BA1 5ZP