Civil Service Administrative Officer CV

Civil Service administrative officers and assistants work in a wide range of government departments and agencies. The Civil Service has over 170 departments and agencies which deal with developing policies and delivering services to the public.

Administrative officers carry out day-to-day clerical duties and process information. The actual work depends on the department or agency they are based in. Duties could include:

  • answering enquiries from the public in person, by telephone or by letter
  • updating computerised and paper-based records
  • processing benefit payments
  • researching information
  • filing and photocopying.

With experience and training they could deal with financial accounts, complex enquiries or complaints, or take on more specialist work related to their department.

Hours and Environment

As an administrative officer in the civil service, you will work 35 to 37 hours a week, usually between 9:00am and 5:00pm, Monday to Friday. Some departments provide a service outside normal office hours so you may need to work evening and Saturday shifts in these.

Many jobs have flexitime hours, and part-time work and job sharing is common.

You will be based in an office, which may be open to the public.

Skills and Interests

To be an administrative officer, you need:
  • the ability to work well as part of a team
  • good spoken and written communication skills
  • good organisational and time management skills
  • accuracy and attention to detail
  • respect for confidential information
  • basic computer skills
  • the ability to follow set procedures.

Entry

Each department and agency organises its own recruitment and sets its own entry requirements.

You must meet the nationality requirement – all jobs are open to British nationals and around 75 per cent are also open to Commonwealth citizens or European Union nationals.

For many jobs, you will not be asked for formal qualifications. Instead, you would take an aptitude test to prove your ability in areas like teamwork, communication and number skills. However, some departments may ask for 5 GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) or equivalent qualifications such as NVQs/SVQs.

You may be able to get into this job through an apprenticeship scheme. Funding for apprenticeships is available for 16-24 year olds and some over-25s. To find out more, visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk. For information about apprenticeships in other parts of the UK, see Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Training

You will be trained on the job, learning from experienced staff and attending in-house training courses.
In some jobs, you may be able to take relevant vocational qualifications such as NVQ/SVQ Levels 1 to 3 in Business and Administration.

Throughout you career you will have access to in-house courses to help you to develop your career. You are encouraged to identify your own training needs as part of an appraisal and staff development programme.

Opportunities

The Civil Service is a huge organisation employing around half a million people, making it one of the country’s largest employers.

There is a clear promotion structure, which is linked to the appraisal system. You could be promoted into an executive officer (junior manager) post, or a more specialised area of work such as accounts or personnel. Most people tend to stay in the department they were recruited into, but it is possible to apply for jobs in other departments.

Jobs are advertised in Jobcentre Plus offices, the local and national press, and on Civil Service websites.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Administrative assistants usually start on around £12,000 a year.
Administrative officers usually start on around £13,500 to £14,500 a year.
With experience and good performance this can rise to between £15,000 and £18,500 a year.

Additional allowances are paid to staff working in London and those who work unsociable hours.

Further information

No central telephone number for information, please see website for contacts for individual departments
http://careers.civil-service.gov.uk

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The information contained in our Career Profiles Database was correct at time of publishing, but since publication certain details may have changed so please use this section as a research tool and in some cases further research may be required.


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May 17th, 2010 | Administration & Clerical CVs

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