The Ministry of Justice is offering an exciting opportunity for motivated individuals to join as Prison Officers under the HMP Leeds Futures programme. This unique career pathway is ideal for applicants seeking to make a meaningful impact while developing professional skills in a secure and supportive environment.
Successful candidates will begin their role at HMP Whitemoor for a 23-month placement, gaining valuable operational experience before transferring permanently to HMP Leeds. This structured programme provides exceptional professional development opportunities, competitive benefits, and financial support to ensure a smooth transition.
To assist with relocation, accommodation costs of up to £750 per month will be covered for up to 23 months. Participants may also reclaim the cost of one monthly trip between HMP Whitemoor and HMP Humber. In addition, a recruitment and retention bonus of £1,500 will be awarded after the first 12 and 23 months of service.
Applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years old at the commencement of employment.
- Meet the Civil Service nationality requirements.
- Successfully complete a medical and fitness assessment, as the role is physically demanding.
- Meet the required eyesight standards (both with and without corrective lenses).
A sponsorship switch may be available for eligible candidates who meet the Home Office requirements.
This is an outstanding opportunity to embark on a stable and rewarding career in public service, where professionalism, integrity, and teamwork are at the heart of everything you do.
Position: Prison Officer
Salary: Starting at £33,746 per year
Job Type: Full-Time/Part Time/Job Share
Location: Leeds
Descriptions & requirements
Descriptions & requirements
Job description
HMP Leeds Futures Campaign
This role is not eligible for new Skilled Worker visas in accordance with the current immigration rules.
From 22 July 2025, the Government introduced changes to the Skilled Worker visa route. The department cannot consider sponsoring you for this role unless you have held a Skilled Worker visa prior to the 22 July 2025 changes. If you have held a Skilled
Worker visa continuously, please raise this during your vetting checks and eligibility will be assessed in accordance with the immigration rules and transitional provisions in place.
If you are applying for this role and you have not held a Skilled Worker visa prior to the 22 July 2025 changes, you will need to consider your options for obtaining and/or maintaining your right to work in the UK in light of these changes. Successful applicants must ensure they have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the Civil Service and in the United Kingdom.
The Department will continue to comply with UK Immigration Rules applied in the UK and Civil Service. You can read more about Skilled Worker visas and the eligibility criteria here.
Applying for your first prison officer role and happy to relocate? Get your career off to a great start, gaining valuable experience working at HMP Whitemoor for 23 months before returning to HMP Leeds Permanently.
We are recruiting not just for officers who are needed today, but for prison officers to fill vacancies at HMP Leeds in years to come. We need officers now to fill vacancies at other prisons and that is why we are recruiting to this special futures scheme that guarantees you a prison officer role at HMP Leeds permanently but for the first 23 months of service you will be working at HMP Whitemoor.
It’s a great opportunity. You will benefit from a greater variety of experiencee, you will also get help towards your accommodation costs paid for up to 23 month, receive a recruitment and retention payment paid at 12 months and 23 months and a paid monthly trip home. You won’t be on your own and you will be with other new officers who, like you will be returning to HMP Leeds at the end of their 23 month deployment.
What’s on offer?
- We will pay your accommodation costs (up to £750 per month) for up to 23 months
- You will be able to reclaim the cost of a monthly trip between HMP Whitemoor and HMP Humber
- You will also be paid a recruitment and retention bonus of £1500 after the first 12 month and 23-month period
As the prisons on First time prison officer recruitment scheme list have an ongoing need for prison officers, you should be able to start your paid training sooner than you would if you applied via our standard application process.
An extraordinary job. Done by someone like you.
Prison officers protect the public and help make an impact on prisoners’ lives.
If you have the integrity, skills and strength of character we’re looking for, this fast-paced role could be the start of a successful career. No two shifts or situations are ever the same. And, as you gain experience, you’ll find a range of opportunities to grow and develop into.
Someone like you
There’s no such thing as a typical prison officer. Our officers come from different walks of life, just like the offenders they work with. Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, have worked in retail, the armed forces, or just feel like you’re a natural people person, you’ll have the empathy, self-confidence, great communication skills and resilience we want.
No matter the challenge, you’ll take the time to build constructive, positive and professional relationships with prisoners who could be at the lowest point in their lives.
Teamwork plays a vital role in this environment, so you’ll need to be fully committed to supporting your colleagues and understand the importance of acting as one team to keep the prison, prisoners and everyone who works here safe.
You will be required to work various shifts and some weekends
Eligibility
To become a prison officer, you will need to:
- be at least 18 years old at the point you commence employment
- meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements (see nationality section below)
- as this is a physically active job, you will need to pass a medical and fitness assessment as part of the application process
- meet the required eyesight standard in both eyes (both with and without corrective lenses)
- For safety reasons, everyone training to be a prison officer needs a suitable standard of hearin(without the use of hearing aids)
Travel to Work
Some prison establishments are situated in rural locations with limited public transport options; therefore, a driving licence and own transport is beneficial but is not an essential requirement of the role (unless specified). Please note that shift start, and finish times are fixed, and it is your responsibility to get to and from your place of work on time for the start of your shift. Please carefully consider the location of this vacancy and your transport options before applying.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
- Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- Individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Successful applicants must ensure they have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the Civil Service and in the United Kingdom.
Essential skills
You don’t need qualifications to become a prison officer. Personal qualities are more important. You need to show:
- Communication and influencing skills
- Commitment to quality
- Effective decision-making
- Care and understanding
Pay
Your pay will depend on which prison you work at and your weekly shift hours. The figures below are based on a 37 hour contract which you will remain on until you have completed your initial training. You can then choose to increase your hours to 39 or 41 hours a week.
Salaries quoted include an unsocial hours allowance – 37 hours
Starting Salary – £33,746 – HMP Whitemoor**
Benefits
**Due to the security status of these prisons a Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC vetting) will need to be undertaken. Proof that you have been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years is needed to complete the CTC vetting process. Applicants who do not meet the residency requirement will not be able to take up post at this prison. (please refer to CTC section below) [EH1]
You will also get:
- Your accommodation costs paid (up to £750 per month) for up to 23 months.
- The cost of a monthly trip home.
- The cost is 1 trip home per month (deployed prison to permanent prison)
- Prisons operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This means you will have to cover various shift patterns that will include evenings, some nights, weekends and public holidays (these days are added to your holiday allowance).
- You may also have opportunities to work additional paid hours.
- Total length of deployment 23 months, after which you will return to HMP Leeds, your permanent prison.
Benefits
- 25 days’ annual holiday (rising to 30 days after 10 years’ service)
- paid time off for public holidays and 1 extra privilege day
- Civil Service pension of up to 20% of your salary
- cycle to work scheme, travel loans and other benefits
- Prison officer rewards & benefits | HM Prison & Probation Service (prisonandprobationjobs.gov.uk)
Assessment Process
During the recruitment process you will be assessed on the behaviours, strengths and abilities you need to become an effective prison officer. These include:
- Communicating and influencing
- Managing a quality service
- Making effective decisions
- Caring
Your natural strengths are assessed to find out what motivates and energises you. We will also assess your numerical, written English and spoken English abilities.
Online Tests
Once you have completed your initial application form, you will be invited to complete stage 1 of the online test, to see if you have the basic judgement and numerical skills expected of a prison officer.
If you are successful, we will invite you to the stage 2 online test (task-based assessment) to see if you have the natural behaviours and qualities needed to be an effective prison officer.
The online assessment centre (OAC)
On successful completion of the online tests, we will invite you to an online assessment centre where we test to see if you have the abilities, behaviours and strengths to be a prison officer.
Application Process
To apply for this role and become a Prison officer, KINDLY VISIT HERE
Application Deadline
November 24th, 2025