NCA Trainee Investigator/Intelligence 2021

Yeah I guess that's fair enough.. Good luck with your next stage!

Reply 22

Bigcee21

Has anyone found out any useful/interesting information about the process or the role it’s self that they could share that might help others?

Reply 23

HN96-

what did people score in the questions?

Reply 24

Does anyone know if it is it easier to get into the police force than it is NCA?

Reply 25

Original post by l_91

Does anyone know if it is it easier to get into the police force than it is NCA?

Every police force has their own process, I'd say the police force competency and values framework is more complex then the NCA with the civil service success profile framework

In terms of security clearence, a local police force has less strict requirements as your only required to deal at confidential level, rather than secret (UCA) to TSecret (CA)

Fitness and rules are the same all around, intakes all around may take about a year to process after job offer

Though in many cases security clearence is where most people hit a speed bump, everything else can be studied for

Asking me based on my experience, I'd say it's harder to get into a local police force because of the college of policing assessment model, the NCA has toned down the difficulty this year, there used to be more tests

Reply 26

Owen2323

Original post by l_91

Does anyone know if it is it easier to get into the police force than it is NCA?

I would say it probably is easier to get into the police yes. One of my main reasons for saying so are that there are many more vacancies in the police so even though there is lots of competition to get in and the bar is set quite high it is definitely achievable for the above average candidate. You've only got to look at the threads on here to see that the NCA seem to attract a huge amount of applicants so competition is fierce and they can afford to pick and choose who they take. At trainee level I'd imagine they're looking for switched on graduates who will be able to adapt quickly to changing trends in crime who can learn about new technology and cyber investigation etc. For joiners at experienced level they have a continuous stream of retiring detectives to pick and choose from with all kinds of existing specialisms they can bring to the table. From a personal perspective I don't really fit into either category so I've begun to accept that the NCA will never really be a good fit for me unfortunately.

If you are starting out in the world of work and are trying to decide which of the two to go for I'd recommend the police as although you'll have to do the uniform role initially (3 years minimum) you'll progress up the payscale and be earning 41k+ within 7 years. If you become a detective in that time and fancy a change then the NCA might be a lot easier to get into then. It may involve taking a cut in pay but it can easily be made up in overtime depending on the role you're in)

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions :smile:

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 27

Owen2323

Interesting to read the two perspectives haha. I still stand by my reasoning but it'd be worth pm'ing both of us to gauge our experiences!!

Reply 28

83630PC

4

Original post by Owen2323

I would say it probably is easier to get into the police yes. One of my main reasons for saying so are that there are many more vacancies in the police so even though there is lots of competition to get in and the bar is set quite high it is definitely achievable for the above average candidate. You've only got to look at the threads on here to see that the NCA seem to attract a huge amount of applicants so competition is fierce and they can afford to pick and choose who they take. At trainee level I'd imagine they're looking for switched on graduates who will be able to adapt quickly to changing trends in crime who can learn about new technology and cyber investigation etc. For joiners at experienced level they have a continuous stream of retiring detectives to pick and choose from with all kinds of existing specialisms they can bring to the table. From a personal perspective I don't really fit into either category so I've begun to accept that the NCA will never really be a good fit for me unfortunately.

If you are starting out in the world of work and are trying to decide which of the two to go for I'd recommend the police as although you'll have to do the uniform role initially (3 years minimum) you'll progress up the payscale and be earning 41k+ within 7 years. If you become a detective in that time and fancy a change then the NCA might be a lot easier to get into then. It may involve taking a cut in pay but it can easily be made up in overtime depending on the role you're in)

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions :smile:

Very insightful, thanks for this.
Would you say a Border Force Officer has the same opportunities to progress into a role within the NCA?

Reply 29

Wundr

10

I just found out I’ve been unsuccessful… urgh! I did get feedback, 5 for the first question, 4 for the second and 4 for the third. Total was 13. I do wonder where I messed up but it’s ok! I have multiple applications for different roles going on so although I was hoping for this one, hope isn’t lost!

Reply 30

Original post by 83630PC

Very insightful, thanks for this.
Would you say a Border Force Officer has the same opportunities to progress into a role within the NCA?

I wouldn't have said so, you'd have to join at the trainee level. An experienced NCA officer will require PIP2 accreditation or at least PIP1 accreditation with the ability to get PIP2,: these are policing qualifications that the border force doesn't train in

The border force has interesting career outlets on its own, I have been a police officer for five years and worked alongside them making good friends, one of which is a drugs search dog handler, the border force makes a large impact on serious and organised crime, and is a good career to consider

Reply 31

Owen2323

Original post by Sevataar

I wouldn't have said so, you'd have to join at the trainee level. An experienced NCA officer will require PIP2 accreditation or at least PIP1 accreditation with the ability to get PIP2,: these are policing qualifications that the border force doesn't train in

The border force has interesting career outlets on its own, I have been a police officer for five years and worked alongside them making good friends, one of which is a drugs search dog handler, the border force makes a large impact on serious and organised crime, and is a good career to consider

What he said 🤣

Reply 32

This is very helpful! Thank you

Original post by Owen2323

I would say it probably is easier to get into the police yes. One of my main reasons for saying so are that there are many more vacancies in the police so even though there is lots of competition to get in and the bar is set quite high it is definitely achievable for the above average candidate. You've only got to look at the threads on here to see that the NCA seem to attract a huge amount of applicants so competition is fierce and they can afford to pick and choose who they take. At trainee level I'd imagine they're looking for switched on graduates who will be able to adapt quickly to changing trends in crime who can learn about new technology and cyber investigation etc. For joiners at experienced level they have a continuous stream of retiring detectives to pick and choose from with all kinds of existing specialisms they can bring to the table. From a personal perspective I don't really fit into either category so I've begun to accept that the NCA will never really be a good fit for me unfortunately.

If you are starting out in the world of work and are trying to decide which of the two to go for I'd recommend the police as although you'll have to do the uniform role initially (3 years minimum) you'll progress up the payscale and be earning 41k+ within 7 years. If you become a detective in that time and fancy a change then the NCA might be a lot easier to get into then. It may involve taking a cut in pay but it can easily be made up in overtime depending on the role you're in)

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions :smile:

Reply 33

Bigcee21

Interview booked 🙏🏻 Best of luck to everyone else who has secured an interview.

Reply 34

Marcy2014

Original post by Bigcee21

Interview booked 🙏🏻 Best of luck to everyone else who has secured an interview.

Well done how did you score?

Reply 35

Has anyone done a verbal reasoning test? I know it says no time limit but do they mark you on speed?

Reply 36

Original post by l_91

Has anyone done a verbal reasoning test? I know it says no time limit but do they mark you on speed?

You know

I don't remember doing a verbal reasoning test, I did my application form and now I have a 1 hour interview next week, although I think that's because I passed a generic verbal reasoning test for another job last year and I think it carries over.

If I remember from the generic civil service verbal reasoning test I did last year, there was no time limit but would shut down due to inactivity, I did it in about 40 mins if I remember right

Reply 37

Original post by Sevataar

You know

I don't remember doing a verbal reasoning test, I did my application form and now I have a 1 hour interview next week, although I think that's because I passed a generic verbal reasoning test for another job last year and I think it carries over.

If I remember from the generic civil service verbal reasoning test I did last year, there was no time limit but would shut down due to inactivity, I did it in about 40 mins if I remember right

It's for a border force job..Good luck with your interview!

Reply 38