Considering an Internship or a Career within the Civil Service?
Category: News
Publish date: 01/03/2022
- Are you a Crown Servant looking for your next career move?
- Are you looking for an opportunity to make a difference?
- Would you like to develop new skills?
- Do you want to utilise your transferable skills within the Civil Service?
If your answer to the above is yes, The Civil Service Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) scheme may be for you.
Going Forward into Employment is a government wide scheme aimed at providing life chances for people through the provision of opportunities in the civil service. Effectively it’s a “back door” route into roles which have been ring fenced specifically for Service leavers, Veterans and their Spouses and Partners.
The Civil Service delivers some of the UK’s most complex projects – from new transport solutions to supporting schools and families across the UK.
It also offers unique, varied and fulfilling roles for its employees, as well as flexibility and the opportunity for continued development to achieve your full potential.
Other benefits include:
- The Civil Service Pension Scheme
- Flexible Working
- Professional Development
- Job sharing
- Great Networking opportunities
- Civil Service discounts on gym membership, days out & retail savings.
How can the Going Forward Into Employment Scheme help YOU?
Working with the CTP, the Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) is a scheme specifically aimed at removing employment barriers associated with the application process, helping individuals build the necessary skills & experiences for a fulfilling career in the Civil Service. Service leavers, Veterans and Spouses/Partners who meet the required criteria (see below) can take advantage of the scheme.
It can offer you:
1. Direct placements into a paid Civil Service role
or
2. A short-term Internship (which can lead to a Fixed Term Appointment).
Are you still in your Resettlement Period?
Internships available!
The Recruitment Internships Supporting Employment (RISE) scheme offers an internship (Civilian Work Attachment) of one to eight weeks, which could lead to a two-year fixed term appointment.
This scheme is designed to ease the transition of leaving the military and provide an opportunity to enter employment with the Civil Service.
During the internship, candidates will continue to be paid by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as part of the resettlement process.
Eligibility criteria for Internships:
- You must be a Service leaver currently in your resettlement period
- You’ll need to have authorisation from your Commanding Officer to undertake a Civilian Work Attachment in accordance with JSP 534;
- You must complete MoD Form 1746, which is at Annex P.
Are you a Veteran or Military Spouse/Partner?
Direct Placements into paid roles are also available!
Each unique opportunity can offer a Fixed Term Appointment for up to 24 months, which may have the potential to be made permanent upon completion.
Most roles made available through these opportunities are open to applicants with entry level applications, all the way up to first line management grades.
Typical opportunities can include:
- Work coaches Helping individuals and their families achieve financial independence through work, and enabling them to claim the support they need
- IT Support analysts Providing user support to resolve issues with computer programmes and hardware across departments
- Admin officers Performing administrative and clerical duties necessary to support the running of an office or organisation
- Personal assistants Dealing with correspondence, phone calls, managing diaries, and organising meetings and appointments in a busy environment
- Customer Services Handling customer queries, resolving complaints, and responding to phone calls/emails quickly and effectively
- Data/Reporting Specialist Preparing data sets, analysing for trends, preparing reports and making decisions/recommendations using that data.
Some roles also provide the opportunity to complete qualifications, with many taking the form of apprenticeships. Further professional learning is available to support your development and career.
Eligibility criteria for employed, fixed term appointments:
- Have served with the Armed Forces for at least 1 year.
- Be within 5 years of leaving the Armed Forces and you can identify your employment barriers. For instance;
o - are you struggling to secure a permanent role since leaving the Armed Forces?
o - do you receive feedback that you have a lack of understanding/experience for the roles you have applied for?
o - are a lack of qualifications meaning your opportunities seem limited?
- Be within 10 years of a medical discharge and are struggling to secure a permanent job. For instance, have you found that an employer was unable to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate your needs? Do you need support in the workplace?
Military Spouse/Partner: Your current partner must also meet the above categories if they too, wish to apply.
Some Satisfied Customers who have taken advantage of this scheme:
“Since joining I have received all the support and learning required to be the best I can in my role, I’m still developing and always learning something new.”
“The opportunity to successfully undertake an internship led to me being given a full time / fixed term role. This really helped me to see how the Civil Service would contribute to my personal development. and what skills I could use in the future.”
“I have tried several times to secure employment since leaving the Armed Forces, the GFiE scheme allowed me to showcase my abilities differently and they supported me all the way through the process into my new role”
You can view more success stories on the GFIE Employer Focus Page.
Any Questions or want to know more?
We’re hosting a Civil Service Virtual Event with the CTP on the 17th March 2022, where Dan Mason, the Veteran Engagement and Delivery Lead, will be available to provide information and guidance on eligibility and roles.
Book your place through the CTP Events Calendar.