Civil Service administrative officer
Administration

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How to become a civil service administrative officer

You can get into this job through:

• an apprenticeship
• working towards this role
• applying directly

Apprenticeship

You could do an intermediate or advanced apprenticeship in business and administration.

Apprenticeship (Entry requirements)

You'll usually need:

• some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Apprenticeship (More info)

equivalent entry requirements guide to apprenticeships

Work

You could join the Civil Service as an administrative assistant. You'll usually need at least 2 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C). You could then apply for a post as an administrative officer when vacancies become available.

Direct application

You could apply directly to join the Civil Service as an administrative officer. You'll usually need at least 5 GCSEs. You may need A levels, or equivalent qualifications, for some administrative jobs.

You may also find it useful to have experience in related work like office administration or customer service.

As part of the application process, you'll be tested on your ability to:

• work well in a team
• communicate with others
• work with numbers

More info

Career tips Movement to Work offers work experience opportunities in the Civil Service for unemployed young people. Further information You can find out more about working as an administrative officer from Civil Service Careers.

What it takes

Skills & Knowledge

You'll need:

• administration skills
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to work on your own
• sensitivity and understanding
• to be flexible and open to change
• excellent verbal communication skills
• customer service skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restriction & Requirements

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks
• meet the Civil Service nationality requirements

What you'll do

Day to day

Your day-to-day duties will depend on the department you work for but may include:

• handling enquiries from the public in person, by telephone or online
• researching information
• contacting customers to follow up enquiries
• dealing with complaints
• processing benefit payments
• updating computerised and paper-based records
• filing, photocopying and other administrative tasks
• referring complex queries or cases to an executive officer

Working environment

You could work in an office.

Career path and progression

Career path & progression

With experience, you'll deal with more complex enquiries, or take on more specialist work related to your department. With further training, you could apply to become a Civil Service executive officer.