How it works

Legislation requires the selection of people for appointment to the Civil Service be on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The Recruitment Principles, set out the procedures which must be followed in selecting people for appointment. 

Importantly the Recruitment Principles also describe the circumstances in which appointments may be excepted from that requirement for fair and open competition.  

Exception 2 allows the provision of “fixed-term appointments within the Civil Service for individuals whose circumstances and previous life chances make it difficult for them to compete for appointments on merit on the basis of fair and open competition without further work experience and/or training opportunities.” You can find the Recruitment Principles here.

All GFiE Schemes are accredited to run under Exception 2 of the Recruitment Principles. There are currently 23 accredited schemes each of which is driven by  our shared purpose, bringing  talented people into the civil service who face barriers to employment.  Within this ambition each scheme takes a tailored approach to delivery and has been developed to meet a specific need.   

The network of GFiE Scheme Leads meets quarterly to make sure that as a community we are learning from each other and supporting the development of GFiE as a whole. 

Candidates appointed through a GFiE scheme usually join on a Fixed Term Appointment, either for a specified period of time or on a contract lasting up to 2 years – where some have the opportunity after 12 months in post to be made permanent under Exception 10 of the Recruitment Principles, at AO & EO grade only.