Border Force Officer VS Police Constable
I've recently started an apprenticeship for a Level 3 Operational Delivery qualification with Border Force but I've waited over a year to be given a start date. While I was waiting I also applied to the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship which means I'll be working while studying to gain a Policing degree, fully funded by the Police. Which makes it very appealing to me as Degrees are normally very expensive.
The Police have now come back to me offering for me to be able to start on the course. Initially I thought the Police would be better as it is a degree qualification and I believe that could lead to better career progression but I am unsure as after comparing the starting salary I have noticed I get paid £4000 more annually as a Border Force Officer due to Shift allowance, even when the Police allowance has also been considered and this Border Force shift allowance would continue if I applied to higher, better paid roles in the same region.
I'm interested in both careers as they have similarities. My main concern is future career prospects and the possibility of getting promoted and what career would provide better financial prospects too.
Do you have any advice for what career I should choose?
The Police have now come back to me offering for me to be able to start on the course. Initially I thought the Police would be better as it is a degree qualification and I believe that could lead to better career progression but I am unsure as after comparing the starting salary I have noticed I get paid £4000 more annually as a Border Force Officer due to Shift allowance, even when the Police allowance has also been considered and this Border Force shift allowance would continue if I applied to higher, better paid roles in the same region.
I'm interested in both careers as they have similarities. My main concern is future career prospects and the possibility of getting promoted and what career would provide better financial prospects too.
Do you have any advice for what career I should choose?
Scroll to see replies
Original post by Littletinygrace
I've recently started an apprenticeship for a Level 3 Operational Delivery qualification with Border Force but I've waited over a year to be given a start date. While I was waiting I also applied to the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship which means I'll be working while studying to gain a Policing degree, fully funded by the Police. Which makes it very appealing to me as Degrees are normally very expensive.
The Police have now come back to me offering for me to be able to start on the course. Initially I thought the Police would be better as it is a degree qualification and I believe that could lead to better career progression but I am unsure as after comparing the starting salary I have noticed I get paid £4000 more annually as a Border Force Officer due to Shift allowance, even when the Police allowance has also been considered and this Border Force shift allowance would continue if I applied to higher, better paid roles in the same region.
I'm interested in both careers as they have similarities. My main concern is future career prospects and the possibility of getting promoted and what career would provide better financial prospects too.
Do you have any advice for what career I should choose?
The Police have now come back to me offering for me to be able to start on the course. Initially I thought the Police would be better as it is a degree qualification and I believe that could lead to better career progression but I am unsure as after comparing the starting salary I have noticed I get paid £4000 more annually as a Border Force Officer due to Shift allowance, even when the Police allowance has also been considered and this Border Force shift allowance would continue if I applied to higher, better paid roles in the same region.
I'm interested in both careers as they have similarities. My main concern is future career prospects and the possibility of getting promoted and what career would provide better financial prospects too.
Do you have any advice for what career I should choose?
Bear in mind that although the starting salary is better in BF you will work your way up to 41k in the police within 7yrs. There is also good opportunities for lateral development (specialist posts such as traffic, CID, firearms etc) and promotion in the police. I can't really speak for BF but I would imagine the opportunities and rewards are better in the police. The downside is that you are probably tied to the job a bit more (cancelled rest days and being kept on etc) not to mention the clientele that you have to deal with........
I’m currently a PC in year 3 of the PCDA and I’ve recently applied to the border force.
Money wise as a PC is shocking for the amount of responsibility we carry, I used to earn more four years ago selling mobile phones 🤦*♂️. I’d be getting a £7k pay rise as a BF officer, which is very appealing.
Although the pension is better as a PC, honestly o don’t see myself getting to that age if I carry on as a PC, mainly due to the constant stress and pressure of the job. The degree also isn’t helping, you’re going to be spending a lot of your days off doing assignment, when you should be resting.
I’ve been assaulted three times within the last year, one needed hospital treatment.
Apart from the other after 7 years o feel there is no rewards unless your lucky enough to work Bank holiday shifts to bump up your pay.
I’m 30 now, I’m finally come to the realisation that there’s more to life than working and the police, I want to come home, enjoy my days off and get paid reasonable amount for the job I do.
Feel free to message me if you have any questions, I’ll be as honest as I can.
Money wise as a PC is shocking for the amount of responsibility we carry, I used to earn more four years ago selling mobile phones 🤦*♂️. I’d be getting a £7k pay rise as a BF officer, which is very appealing.
Although the pension is better as a PC, honestly o don’t see myself getting to that age if I carry on as a PC, mainly due to the constant stress and pressure of the job. The degree also isn’t helping, you’re going to be spending a lot of your days off doing assignment, when you should be resting.
I’ve been assaulted three times within the last year, one needed hospital treatment.
Apart from the other after 7 years o feel there is no rewards unless your lucky enough to work Bank holiday shifts to bump up your pay.
I’m 30 now, I’m finally come to the realisation that there’s more to life than working and the police, I want to come home, enjoy my days off and get paid reasonable amount for the job I do.
Feel free to message me if you have any questions, I’ll be as honest as I can.
Original post by James9103
I’m currently a PC in year 3 of the PCDA and I’ve recently applied to the border force.
Money wise as a PC is shocking for the amount of responsibility we carry, I used to earn more four years ago selling mobile phones 🤦*♂️. I’d be getting a £7k pay rise as a BF officer, which is very appealing.
Although the pension is better as a PC, honestly o don’t see myself getting to that age if I carry on as a PC, mainly due to the constant stress and pressure of the job. The degree also isn’t helping, you’re going to be spending a lot of your days off doing assignment, when you should be resting.
I’ve been assaulted three times within the last year, one needed hospital treatment.
Apart from the other after 7 years o feel there is no rewards unless your lucky enough to work Bank holiday shifts to bump up your pay.
I’m 30 now, I’m finally come to the realisation that there’s more to life than working and the police, I want to come home, enjoy my days off and get paid reasonable amount for the job I do.
Feel free to message me if you have any questions, I’ll be as honest as I can.
Money wise as a PC is shocking for the amount of responsibility we carry, I used to earn more four years ago selling mobile phones 🤦*♂️. I’d be getting a £7k pay rise as a BF officer, which is very appealing.
Although the pension is better as a PC, honestly o don’t see myself getting to that age if I carry on as a PC, mainly due to the constant stress and pressure of the job. The degree also isn’t helping, you’re going to be spending a lot of your days off doing assignment, when you should be resting.
I’ve been assaulted three times within the last year, one needed hospital treatment.
Apart from the other after 7 years o feel there is no rewards unless your lucky enough to work Bank holiday shifts to bump up your pay.
I’m 30 now, I’m finally come to the realisation that there’s more to life than working and the police, I want to come home, enjoy my days off and get paid reasonable amount for the job I do.
Feel free to message me if you have any questions, I’ll be as honest as I can.
Thank you for your response. When you reach the very end of your PCDA are you given opportunities to specialise in areas or is that not as realistic or broad as advertised? For example, how possible would it be to get on a dog handler or detective pathway after the 3 years? Also, do you get paid a basic salary, area allowance depending on your region and then a unsociable hours shift allowance on top?
It appears that this was a very stressful 3 years you've had. Border Force should definitely be more relaxed and you'll have more time to enjoy your rest days. I hope you get the job.
Original post by Littletinygrace
Thank you for your response. When you reach the very end of your PCDA are you given opportunities to specialise in areas or is that not as realistic or broad as advertised? For example, how possible would it be to get on a dog handler or detective pathway after the 3 years? Also, do you get paid a basic salary, area allowance depending on your region and then a unsociable hours shift allowance on top?
It appears that this was a very stressful 3 years you've had. Border Force should definitely be more relaxed and you'll have more time to enjoy your rest days. I hope you get the job.
It appears that this was a very stressful 3 years you've had. Border Force should definitely be more relaxed and you'll have more time to enjoy your rest days. I hope you get the job.
Yes, after the three year probation you can apply to specialise, eg dog unit, armed response, CID etc
But, bare in mind that every other officer also wants these positions.
You have to go through more application forms, written and physical assessments. You have to be realistic and understand you probably won’t get a role like this for a good few years, it all depends on the size of your force area.
My force on only has 2 dog handlers working per shift and recruit very rarely, so you could have hundreds of applications for literally two positions.
Apply for the police because you want to be a police officer, not because you want to be a dog handler or fire arms officer, you may hate the job otherwise.
In terms of pay, you start off on pay point 0 or 1, again dependent on force. Every year you then go up a pay scale. We also get unsociable hours for working after 7pm to 7am, it works out about an extra £90 per shift.
It’s been an extremely hard 3 years to be honest, the police don’t understand the stress of the university side and the university doesn’t understand the stress of the police side.
Thanks, I’ve been successful, but on a long wising list by the looks of it
Hi! So I've been in the BF Apprenticeship for 5 months now and I can't lie, I love it! however from what I've gathered it all depends on the teams you're in and what your HOs are like, as some people in our boat that I've spoken to from round the country have had terrible experiences due to lack of effort from management, talent coaches etc. That being said, I've also met quite a few ex police officers who have moved over to Border Force, and they prefer it here due to less abuse received from the public. Bear in mind that most Border Force roles are public facing so you won't be entirely sheltered from the public eye 😬
Original post by SoulStar26
Hi! So I've been in the BF Apprenticeship for 5 months now and I can't lie, I love it! however from what I've gathered it all depends on the teams you're in and what your HOs are like, as some people in our boat that I've spoken to from round the country have had terrible experiences due to lack of effort from management, talent coaches etc. That being said, I've also met quite a few ex police officers who have moved over to Border Force, and they prefer it here due to less abuse received from the public. Bear in mind that most Border Force roles are public facing so you won't be entirely sheltered from the public eye 😬
That’s brilliant to hear, may I ask what location you are working at? I’m due a start date for Harwich
I'm in Birmingham! feel free to drop me a DM at any point if you decide to accept the start date
Thank you for your reply. After some careful consideration, I've decided to stay with Border Force. It seems a lot less stressful than the Police and the pay is already very good. I believe it should also provide good opportunities to applying to better paid jobs in the future (I hope) as I get older. Plus, I work in Customs at the moment so most of the time, I won't be interacting with the public as much as tourist or immigration. The training courses seem interesting and it's finally a job I can see myself being in for a very long time. @SoulStar26
(edited 3 years ago)
Ayy good luck! Have you gotten your start date yet?
Original post by SoulStar26
Ayy good luck! Have you gotten your start date yet?
Original post by SoulStar26
I'm in Birmingham! feel free to drop me a DM at any point if you decide to accept the start date
Hey! I’ve also applied for the central region for a BFO, due my OAC’s sometime in June. Is your apprenticeship a permanent role?
Original post by Superman2022
Hey! I’ve also applied for the central region for a BFO, due my OAC’s sometime in June. Is your apprenticeship a permanent role?
Hi! So yeah it is a permanent role. The apprenticeship itself is meant to be around 15-18 months but you can get it done a bit quicker depending on how much effort you put in. Once you're finished, you're a permanent AO. The work is dead easy too. Good luck with your oac!
Hey! That’s great to hear. I’ve heard a lot about border force jobs and so really have wanted to join for a very long time. It’s the waiting game after you’ve passed everything that worries me! Hope to be working with you if i do ever get through. Thanks!
haha yeah it is a bit of a ball ache waiting for all the pre employment checks, mine took about 10 months from the job offer to the start date. Depending on who you ask though, it really is the perfect job - something different happening every day, opportunity to travel all over the country and maybe across the world if that's your thing, saving lives of vulnerable people and potentially ruining the lives of those on the wrong side of the law etc. It's definitely a unique job. drop me a DM if you end up working in the Midlands
Original post by SoulStar26
haha yeah it is a bit of a ball ache waiting for all the pre employment checks, mine took about 10 months from the job offer to the start date. Depending on who you ask though, it really is the perfect job - something different happening every day, opportunity to travel all over the country and maybe across the world if that's your thing, saving lives of vulnerable people and potentially ruining the lives of those on the wrong side of the law etc. It's definitely a unique job. drop me a DM if you end up working in the Midlands
Yeh it’s the waiting game. But as long as I’m told I’ve got the job, don’t mind waiting for the checks. Border force just really fascinates me and has done for the last 5 years but recruiting for this post only opens once in a while so I’m hoping this time I get through right to the end. I’ll drop you a message as soon as I start. Will be nice to see who I was talking too. All the best with the job. 😌
Original post by SoulStar26
Hi! So I've been in the BF Apprenticeship for 5 months now and I can't lie, I love it! however from what I've gathered it all depends on the teams you're in and what your HOs are like, as some people in our boat that I've spoken to from round the country have had terrible experiences due to lack of effort from management, talent coaches etc. That being said, I've also met quite a few ex police officers who have moved over to Border Force, and they prefer it here due to less abuse received from the public. Bear in mind that most Border Force roles are public facing so you won't be entirely sheltered from the public eye 😬
Been told I’ve passed the final online assessment, what are the next steps that happen?Also is there a medical? If so what does the medical involve and the requirements please.
Score! So usually they have a long af reserves list which you might get placed on. Exactly where depends on how well you did compared to others on the list. When there's a place available, they'll call you. Hopefully you'll get your desired location but I know that a lot of people have received offers down south, especially around Heathrow instead of their first choices to which you can either accept or choose to remain on the reserves list.
Then it's pre employment checks, ID validation, SC clearance and all the rest of it, and then if all is well, your new line manager or the appropriate department at that port should reach out to you with a start date and some info about what role you'll be doing!
Then it's pre employment checks, ID validation, SC clearance and all the rest of it, and then if all is well, your new line manager or the appropriate department at that port should reach out to you with a start date and some info about what role you'll be doing!
Original post by Scottgood
Been told I’ve passed the final online assessment, what are the next steps that happen?Also is there a medical? If so what does the medical involve and the requirements please.
Original post by Scottgood
Thank you for responding so quick!Great to get some more info about this, I’m currently a prison officer so I know the process takes foreverrrr. I applied down south for the Dover/Folkestone location.Is there no fitness test,eye test or hearing test?Many thanks
Haha no worries, just struggling to sleep in this heat so I thought I'd browse the forums. Dover I think is more seaport/lorry work so you'll be hunting for clandestines and seizing illegal goods and drugs etc. It's a great job and I reckon you'll be put on a bunch of rummage training courses too. Regarding tests, for a all officers that deal with the public, whether in airports, seaports or custody etc, you will have to do PST 3 once you're in the job. Usually you'll get a date for this within the first few months. For a prison officer like yourself I'm sure it'll be piss. 5 day course. Starts with the basics, how to throw a punch and kick, how to run past your opponent to escape etc. Then it escalates to arm locks, different methods of cuffing, takedowns, verbal commands etc. Basically you'll get your wrists done in and thrown to the floor for a solid 5 days lol. Also covers how to use limb restraints, cable tie cuffs, which you'll probably use a lot of being at Dover, and how to administer CPR, how to use a defibrillator, life saving first aid etc. Then there's a little bit of classroom based stuff in between the physical. Learning about ABD, psychosis, watching videos of k kick offs that have happened in border force ports etc. You'll also be put on a 5 week course as your introduction to border force, which will either revolve around immigration or customs. As you're Dover you'll most likely be on the customs one. That course is a general crash course on customs. Everything from how to conduct seizures to best practice to the laws and legislations behind it (CEMA 1979, PACE etc) along with all the notebooking, post seizure follow up work aswell. It's an intense 5 weeks but again it becomes second nature after a while.
You'll be happy to know there's no bleep tests or minimum amount of press ups required
Honestly your a god send!!
Looking forward to the dreaded wait on the merit list now lol🤣. Glad there is no medical side as I wear glasses so was potentially worried about not meeting the standards of my vision without them. Quite surprising there is no vison or hearing test but can’t complain 😎
Looking forward to the dreaded wait on the merit list now lol🤣. Glad there is no medical side as I wear glasses so was potentially worried about not meeting the standards of my vision without them. Quite surprising there is no vison or hearing test but can’t complain 😎
Original post by SoulStar26
Haha no worries, just struggling to sleep in this heat so I thought I'd browse the forums. Dover I think is more seaport/lorry work so you'll be hunting for clandestines and seizing illegal goods and drugs etc. It's a great job and I reckon you'll be put on a bunch of rummage training courses too. Regarding tests, for a all officers that deal with the public, whether in airports, seaports or custody etc, you will have to do PST 3 once you're in the job. Usually you'll get a date for this within the first few months. For a prison officer like yourself I'm sure it'll be piss. 5 day course. Starts with the basics, how to throw a punch and kick, how to run past your opponent to escape etc. Then it escalates to arm locks, different methods of cuffing, takedowns, verbal commands etc. Basically you'll get your wrists done in and thrown to the floor for a solid 5 days lol. Also covers how to use limb restraints, cable tie cuffs, which you'll probably use a lot of being at Dover, and how to administer CPR, how to use a defibrillator, life saving first aid etc. Then there's a little bit of classroom based stuff in between the physical. Learning about ABD, psychosis, watching videos of k kick offs that have happened in border force ports etc. You'll also be put on a 5 week course as your introduction to border force, which will either revolve around immigration or customs. As you're Dover you'll most likely be on the customs one. That course is a general crash course on customs. Everything from how to conduct seizures to best practice to the laws and legislations behind it (CEMA 1979, PACE etc) along with all the notebooking, post seizure follow up work aswell. It's an intense 5 weeks but again it becomes second nature after a while.
You'll be happy to know there's no bleep tests or minimum amount of press ups required
You'll be happy to know there's no bleep tests or minimum amount of press ups required
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