Existing civil servants who apply externally may be able to transfer across and retain continuity of employment for purposes of pay, pension and annual leave entitlements.  Terms will be voluntary and salary details can only be confirmed by our pay and conditions team upon receipt of present salary information.

Yes, a limited number. Many locations across the Agency assist school students who are looking for work experience. Where possible, we will arrange these placements for either one or two weeks' duration.

As with all our vacancies, you will need to respond to an advertisement (details of where we advertise are above) and follow the instructions on how to apply. The process will normally involve completing an application (possibly online), meeting the required standard on competencies and, for some roles, attending an assessment centre. You will also need to meet the basic eligibility criteria and pass pre-appointment checks on your nationality, health and other matters.

We are highly committed to developing our staff. Staff are offered the opportunity to develop their skills through a huge range of internal and external development activities including training courses, e-learning, coaching and mentoring, job shadowing, secondments and out-of-office work experience. All promotion in the Agency is based on the principle of fair and open competition.

It is often necessary to bring in agency workers to take forward specific projects within the Agency for short periods. These workers are obtained through recruitment agencies and are mainly at administrative assistant, administrative officer or executive officer level. Such workers remain the employees of the agency concerned and are not UK Border  Agency employees. Agency workers may apply for permanent roles in the UK Border  Agency through external campaigns run under the principles of fair and open competition.

The same nationality and residence requirements apply to temporary workers as to permanent UK Border Agency staff. Temporary workers must also undergo security clearance procedures. The UK Border Agency also employs casual staff, mainly during the summer holiday period, to cover for permanent staff on leave. Depending on the numbers required, opportunities may be offered in local Jobcentre Plus offices.

Generally, the recruitment process for the UK Border Agency takes about three to five months, although this can differ depending on location and type of post.

Yes. Where possible, our staff are able to enjoy part-time working, job sharing and career break opportunities. However, some positions require set working hours while others require shift working. Full details of working hours will appear in our advertisements and candidate information.

This will depend on the grade and location of the post.  We have a London and National pay scale and all new entrants start on the minimum.  The starting salaries for generalist grades with effect from 1 July 2009 are as follows:

Administrative assistant: £14,924 (London), £14,043 (National)
Administrative officer or assistant immigration officer: £16,518 (London), £15,386 (national)
Executive officer: £21,073 (London), £20,235 (national)
Immigration officer: £21,947 (London), £21,505 (national)

In addition, jobs in London attract a London location allowance and any shift-working posts attract shift disturbance allowance. Other allowances may be payable depending on the particular nature and location of the post. Full details of salaries will appear in our advertisements.