The Student Room Group

UK Border Force

Scroll to see replies

Original post by Fac51
Starting to think it's time to move on and look for something different. I'll hold out for a bit longer, but I'm pretty sure my local police force will be recruiting PCSOs soon.




Posted from TSR Mobile


I don't blame you
I think I will hold out until mid April to see if anything happens. But I'm keeping my eyes open now for other oppurtunities. It's a shame it has come to this but I can't keep holding out

Just the courtesy of a weekly email that kept us all up to date would have saved so much hassle. But they want you to feel bad for contacting them about our jobs that we were successful in getting!
Original post by Mrwalton
I don't blame you
I think I will hold out until mid April to see if anything happens. But I'm keeping my eyes open now for other oppurtunities. It's a shame it has come to this but I can't keep holding out

Just the courtesy of a weekly email that kept us all up to date would have saved so much hassle. But they want you to feel bad for contacting them about our jobs that we were successful in getting!


Couldn't agree more.
Original post by Marcy2014
Morning does anyone know the best way when answering, the civil service compentcys including key pointers to score over 4/5 on sift.


The best way to do it is to follow the STAR method they recommend.

S- situation, So come up with a situation you have been in where you have taken the lead.

T- Task, What task that situation gave you so what were you trying to achieve at the end of it basically

A- Action, What action you took to achieve the results you wanted.

R- Result, What result your actions gave. Always be a happy ending obviously!

Customer service is always a good example for at least one. The vast majority of our work is with genuine travelers so good customer service is a bonus. Hope that helps a bit!

Other people who are asking about delays and the like. I understand your frustration but as has already been said the fact it will be a new financial year and a election doesn't exactly make things work quickly. Hopefully by April when each region and station gets more of an idea for the year you will hear more.

But please do try to not give up it is a brilliant job and I wouldn't change it! If anyone has any specific questions I will try and answer them.
I don't know if this is the best thread but I'm getting desperate now. I got a interview for a Home Office Judicial review caseworker in October and was told I was successful in late November with forms to complete. Unfortunately on the same day I got my offer I received a 'due to internal review we have placed this recruitment campaign on hold, apologies for the inconvenience'.

No further information was given since. When I check on the civil service jobs website where I applied it just says application on hold. Should I give this up because I've not been given any indication of a start date? Is this similar to the situation with the Border Force jobs or have you been advised that you will be getting jobs in the tax year via email?
Reply 4904
We've been given really vague info such as "early 2015" and "spring".

Some who have had contact with HR have said there might not even be jobs available come the end of the review! So it's all up in the air really.


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by jav3185
I don't know if this is the best thread but I'm getting desperate now. I got a interview for a Home Office Judicial review caseworker in October and was told I was successful in late November with forms to complete. Unfortunately on the same day I got my offer I received a 'due to internal review we have placed this recruitment campaign on hold, apologies for the inconvenience'.

No further information was given since. When I check on the civil service jobs website where I applied it just says application on hold. Should I give this up because I've not been given any indication of a start date? Is this similar to the situation with the Border Force jobs or have you been advised that you will be getting jobs in the tax year via email?


As said in the other reply to this post, it haS all been quite vague with the time frames that have been given and due to the lack of information it is hard to know if there will be positions available or not
Did you get any sort of letter stating that they still wanted you to join the organisation?
Were you given a start date before the review.
Original post by jav3185
I don't know if this is the best thread but I'm getting desperate now. I got a interview for a Home Office Judicial review caseworker in October and was told I was successful in late November with forms to complete. Unfortunately on the same day I got my offer I received a 'due to internal review we have placed this recruitment campaign on hold, apologies for the inconvenience'.

No further information was given since. When I check on the civil service jobs website where I applied it just says application on hold. Should I give this up because I've not been given any indication of a start date? Is this similar to the situation with the Border Force jobs or have you been advised that you will be getting jobs in the tax year via email?


When I log into civil service applications:
Border Force Operational Administration Officer closing date 18/09/2014. Application been considered.
Border Force AO Anti Fiscal closing date 01/07/2014. Application on Hold
Border Force AO also Application on Hold
Just a waiting game. Am out of work at the moment so just gunna give it another 3/4 years to see if I hear anything
Reply 4907
Essentially the Home Office has spent its budget for this financial year, therefore everything is guaranteed to be on lock down until April 1st. This was imposed from upon high so the recruiters can't do anything about it.

After April 1st locations will likely do their best to try and get staff in the door before the general election, if they are permitted to do so.

After the general election in May there may be a change of leadership which may then lead to a change in recruitment policy meaning anything can happen.

I'm afraid its all just a sign of the times we are living in.

Good luck to those of you that still have outstanding applications.
Original post by Mrwalton
As said in the other reply to this post, it haS all been quite vague with the time frames that have been given and due to the lack of information it is hard to know if there will be positions available or not
Did you get any sort of letter stating that they still wanted you to join the organisation?
Were you given a start date before the review.


Thank you for your reply. No I wasn't given any letters apart from the email or a start date. I was told at the interview this was a new unit they were recruiting for so I'm worried it won't be a priority for funding in the new tax year. Just have to wait and see.
Original post by TonyM1551
When I log into civil service applications:
Border Force Operational Administration Officer closing date 18/09/2014. Application been considered.
Border Force AO Anti Fiscal closing date 01/07/2014. Application on Hold
Border Force AO also Application on Hold
Just a waiting game. Am out of work at the moment so just gunna give it another 3/4 years to see if I hear anything


Yep same and I'm also unemployed so will have to play the waiting game. Im applying to other places as well.
Governmental departments find out their budgets in March, as it gives them time to make plans for the new financial year.
And plus for those of us waiting it has been made clear that it is not a border force thing it's a Gatwick thing. It's senior management at Gatwick who are delaying us not the government
I'm guessing those who had been deffered had already been incorporated into the border force budget
As candidates in Heathrow who had start dates after those who were due to start at Gatwick were still able to commence training after we got told that our placements were being reviewed
I don't deny that the home office has spent their budgets as most departments would have done
Reply 4912
It is a Border Force issue. I'm not due to go to Heathrow or Gatwick and my app is on hold.


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Fac51
It is a Border Force issue. I'm not due to go to Heathrow or Gatwick and my app is on hold.


Posted from TSR Mobile


Where did you apply?
Well with all the information that I have been informed about regarding Gatwick, it seems that Gatwick is the reason for the delay
Reply 4914
The reason for the delay is a national issue. All jobs have been placed on hold because they have spent their budget. Why would Gatwick be the cause of all the delays? Especially since the letter has come from the highest level. I'm waiting for a job in southampton/portsmouth and there are apparently quite a few people on hold for this area
Original post by Mrwalton
Where did you apply?
Well with all the information that I have been informed about regarding Gatwick, it seems that Gatwick is the reason for the delay
Original post by Mrwalton
Governmental departments find out their budgets in March, as it gives them time to make plans for the new financial year.
And plus for those of us waiting it has been made clear that it is not a border force thing it's a Gatwick thing. It's senior management at Gatwick who are delaying us not the government
I'm guessing those who had been deffered had already been incorporated into the border force budget


Its definately a Border Force issue, rather than local. Gatwick is only one place of many that have had their recruitment put on hold due to the current budget constraints. We were told at work that the only place currently able to recruit was Stansted, but how many vacancies they have I have know idea, is it worth you asking if you could transfer your application?
Original post by Torigirl
Its definately a Border Force issue, rather than local. Gatwick is only one place of many that have had their recruitment put on hold due to the current budget constraints. We were told at work that the only place currently able to recruit was Stansted, but how many vacancies they have I have know idea, is it worth you asking if you could transfer your application?


Just to add to this as well as Stansted we got told possibly Luton would be able to recruit. I'm not sure if that was only people being moved from other areas or not though but worth asking.
Reply 4917
All I can say is guys, from my perspective as a BFO at Heathrow with 20-30 staff leaving each month they need to be replaced sooner rather than later so training will have to start again soon for new starters or there won't be any staff left. Easter holidays will be interesting as queue time targets will be missed


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by gazgareth
All I can say is guys, from my perspective as a BFO at Heathrow with 20-30 staff leaving each month they need to be replaced sooner rather than later so training will have to start again soon for new starters or there won't be any staff left. Easter holidays will be interesting as queue time targets will be missed


Posted from TSR Mobile
Queue targets are missed every day. Easter is not the big one for Heathrow simply because you don't get many "semester abroad" students, many students don't go home for the holidays because they aren't long enough, most domestic holiday makers stay short haul (so the load is spread over other ports), and Heathrow queues are for the most part not caused by middle class families dragging their children around Europe.

Heathrow will get its real test in student season as it always does. Queues grinding to a halt as we have to fill out the back of landing cards for ivy league americans popping over to Oxbridge for 6 months (seriously, who made the rule that we had to c3 all of them?), the vast swathes of chinese students, the Pakistani and Indian students at spurious colleges that you really have to grill, and then the Lagos flights that cause breaches pretty much all year.

When this happens Heathrow will, as you said, be hit hard. For two reasons:
The sheer scale of the recruitment campaign in late 2012 and early 2013 meant that whilst a lot of quality employees were recruited, a lot of absolute dross was also recruited
many of the more able from that intake have found opportunities elsewhere and left

Heathrow definitely needs more staff because it is bleeding staff. I don't believe the problem will be too bad in april, but come peak season it will really hurt. Worse than the lack of staff though is the frankly shocking retention of quality staff.

Quick Reply

Latest