Civil Service administrative officer

Civil Service administrative officers work in government departments, carrying out policies and running services for the public.

• Starter salary£25,000 a year
• Experienced£34,000 a year
• Typical hours37 to 40 a week

What you'll do

As an administrative officer, your day-to-day duties will depend on the department you work for.

You could:

• handle enquiries in person, by telephone or online
• research information
• schedule meetings and arrange travel
• deal with complaints
• update records
• file documents, order stationery and do other administrative tasks
• refer complex queries or cases to an executive officer

Working environment

You could work in an office or from home.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

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

How to become a civil Service administrative officer

You can get into this job through:

• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• working towards this role
• applying directly

College

You could take a course to give you some of the administrative skills needed for this job.

You could do a business administration course or a T Level in Management and Administration.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

Apprenticeship

You could do an apprenticeship like:

• Administration Assistant Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
• Business Administrator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
• Public Service Operational Delivery Officer Level 3 Advanced 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

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

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

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

Career path and 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 .

Career tips

Movement to Work offers work experience opportunities in the Civil Service for unemployed young people.

Guides for this industry

• Administration: pay, interviews and getting started →

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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0