Starting your career in the Civil Service
The Civil Service provides a wide range of roles and opportunities for you to develop your career. As a Civil Servant, you’ll contribute to supporting the lives of UK citizens — whether as a Customer Service Advisor, a Policy Maker, or even a Content Creator.
There are many routes into the Civil Service. From the age of 16, you can apply for an apprenticeship. If you’re currently at university you may be eligible for an internship programme. After graduation, you might consider joining the Fast Stream Scheme.
However, you don’t need to participate in a talent development programme to start your journey — you can browse and apply for current vacancies anytime through the Civil Service jobs portal.
Show video transcript
- [Text on screen: Becoming a civil servant could change your life]
- [Eve] My name is Eve, I'm 22 and I'm a Policy Advisor in the Animal Welfare and Trade team. [Text on screen: As a child I loved animals.] [Photographs of Eve as a child including one with a hamster] That is Daisy, she was my Syrian hamster that my stepdad brought home from work one day [Text on screen: and now I improve animal welfare]
- [Joseph, HM Revenue and Customs policy advisor] My name is Joseph. [Text on screen: I spent part of my childhood overseas.] My childhood was quite interesting 'cause I've moved around a lot. [Photographs of Joseph as a child] I think that was in Egypt, [Text on screen: and now I influence UK policy.]
- [Grace, Attraction, selection and onboarding lead] My name's Grace, I'm 19 and I work at the Cabinet Office in the Fast Stream and Emerging Talent team. [Text on screen: I loved to perform when I was a child] As a child I lived in a tiny, tiny little village called Newbottle, but it's very tiny in the North East, [Text on screen: and now I help recruit new talent.]
- [Enoch, Level 4 Tax Technician Apprentice] My name is Enoch, I'm 31 years old and I work for HMRC. [Text on screen: as a child I couldn’t sit still.] I was definitely described as a bit of a hyper-active child so kind of had difficulty focusing, [Text on screen: and now I keep the UK’s tax moving.]
- [Joseph] I can admit I wasn't the best student, I think I had a problem with authority at one point. [Text on screen: there’s a wide range of opportunities available.] There's so much for you to do, the people will be right behind you, and you can really sort of develop yourself and learn a range of different skills.
- [Eve] I've done two completely different jobs in the civil service now – I've done animal welfare and I did local government before that.
- [Enoch] Working within the Civil Service at large married up quite nicely with the charity work I did because the core essence of the Civil Service is to provide services to the general public.
- [Grace] I've got stuff like re-designing the Fast Stream website, so I'm working a lot with the marketing team at the minute.
- [Eve] I’ve met ministers, I’ve been to 10 Downing Street, I’ve done all sorts.
- [Joseph] To be able to say that I specialise in educational policy at such a young age, it's quite warming. [Text on screen: Whatever your passion or background, we’ve got an opportunity for you.]
- [Grace] No-one discriminates [against] you on age, as long as you're good at your job and know what you're doing you're thought well of.
- [Eve] So if you're at school, if you want to do something meaningful and something that will ultimately make people's lives a lot better, I would definitely recommend applying for the Civil Service.
- [Flashcards on screen: Cyber, environment, digital, social media, legal, medical, sport, finance, international aid, languages, sustainability, engineering, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, overseas. There are many ways to build your future with us. Learn more about the Civil Service at the Civil Service Careers website.]
Find out more information about the routes into the Civil Service
Apprenticeships
An apprenticeship puts you in a paid position whilst allowing you to study for professional accreditation. Once you complete your apprenticeship you will have all the relevant knowledge to progress in your chosen field.
Fast Stream
Offering access to roles in just about every government department, the Fast Stream opens up a huge range of opportunities for graduates of any age.
Internships
The Summer Internships Programme (SIP) is designed for university students who are from a lower socio-economic background. It offers valuable experience and insight into the career opportunities available within the Civil Service.
Apply Directly
Explore available Civil Service vacancies in your area by browsing the jobs portal, you can also create job alerts to stay informed about new opportunities.
“I chose to take on the Level 4 tax technician apprenticeship as I was new into HMRC and had no working knowledge of tax. By undergoing a structured learning programme while carrying out my day to day work activities I was quickly able to gain a wealth of knowledge and experience. In addition to the apprenticeship I have been able to utilise other means in which to develop my leadership. Notably I looked to join my regional apprenticeship network where I was able to take on the role of lead for the area. I would thoroughly recommend taking on an apprenticeship as you are able to gain a nationally recognised qualification while earning a competitive salary. Furthermore I would equally encourage colleagues to get involved in their local departmental networks/groups as these provide great places in which to build up both your personal and career skills/competencies.”
Enoch – Tax Apprentice
What is the Civil Service?
The Civil Service is politically impartial and independent of government.
We’re accountable to the public so need to meet the highest possible standards in all that we do.
What you could do
The work civil servants do touches all aspects of life in the UK.
You could work as a vet, a customer service adviser, a weapons engineer, a marine biologist or a web developer, to name a few.
Entry Routes
There are so many ways to join the Civil Service.
Join as an apprentice, a graduate recruit or by applying for jobs directly.
All our vacancies are advertised on Civil Service Jobs, explore the opportunities today.
Application Guidance
Applying for jobs can be scary.
We’ve put together some guidance to help you through the standard Civil Service recruitment processes.
