Border Force Officers and Assistant Officers work for Border Force, a department of the Home Office, which replaced some of the functions of the UK Border Agency. They manage UK border controls, enforcing immigration and customs regulations.
The Work
You could be:
enforcing rules on all goods (personal and commercial) allowed to enter and leave the UK, and make sure necessary taxes are paid
using sniffer dogs to check for concealed drugs
operating ePassport gates and processing passengers who hold biometric passports
operating the EU/EEA and non-EEA primary control points (manual passport control), processing passengers according to the Immigration Act
patrolling the coastline in one of the five boats which make up the HMRC fleet of cutters
searching people, their luggage, cars and freight vehicles, ships and aircraft to check that the goods are as stated, that the right tax is paid and that no illegal items (such as counterfeit or pirated goods, illegal drugs, obscene material, endangered plants or animals, or firearms) are being taken in or out of the country
removing illegal items, keep records of them and hold and caution offenders
reporting criminal matters to the police and giving evidence in court
holding discussions with other government departments such as UK Visas and Immigration (also formerly part of the UK Border Agency).
Pay
As a Border Force Assistant Officer, you would earn around £20,500 a year. A Border Force Officer earns £23,447 to £26,966 a year (salaries are higher if based at Heathrow and Postal Langley). There are extra allowances for working shifts and unsocial hours.
Conditions
Most Border Force Officers are based at ports and airports across the UK.
You may be out on a boat patrolling the coastline.
You would be required to work a variety of shifts including early starts, late finishes, night shifts, weekends and public holidays.
You have to wear a uniform.
You may have to carry out some searches in dirty and cramped conditions.
The UK Border Force has nationality requirements. You must be a UK national and resided in the UK for the past 5 years.
To enter as a Border Force Assistant Officer, you require 5 subjects at National 5 including English and Maths.
To enter at officer level you must have either 3 Highers, 2 Advanced Highers or equivalent qualifications including formal and vocational training, or significant investigatory experience in a military or law enforcement environment.
an analytical mind and good problem solving skills
a smart appearance.
Training
All new entrants must complete a probationary period. This will be the longer of six months, or the time it takes to successfully complete two of the three core skills modules within the pathway programme. It will not normally be longer than 12 months.
If you are required to be an official driver, you will need to take an airside medical test and airside driving course.
After your initial training, you will continue with on the job training with a mentor as well as specialist training.
You are required to pass the level 3 personal safety training (PST) course to enable you to use handcuffs, batons and arrest and restraint techniques.
You may be required to attend training courses anywhere in the UK.
Getting On
You would complete annual refresher training.
With experience and ability, you may move on to become a team leader, or to other senior or management positions.
You may move into a training position.
You may be able to move to other departments within the Civil Service.
You may need further qualifications and training for some jobs.
Promotion prospects are improved if you are willing to move around the country.
More Information
There are approximately 8,000 Border Force officers working at 140 ports and airports across the UK and overseas.
