Court usher
Court ushers support people attending hearings, like jurors and witnesses, and help with court administrative tasks.
Also known as: Court administrative officer
- Starter salary£24,000 a year
- Experienced£27,000 a year
- Typical hours36 to 38 a week
What you'll do
As a court usher, you could:
- prepare the courtroom for hearings
- greet people entering court and direct them to their seats
- check that witnesses, defendants and lawyers are all present
- call defendants and witnesses into court and take oaths
- label evidence and pass it to the judge and jury
- handle admin duties and update records
If you work as a sworn usher in a crown court, you'll have extra duties, like passing messages between the jury and the judge and stopping unauthorised people from talking to the jury.
Working environment
You could work in a court or in an office.
You may need to wear smart business clothes.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- administration skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
- the ability to organise your time and workload
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become a court usher
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- applying directly
College
You could take a course at college to learn some of the skills and knowledge needed in this job.
Courses include:
- business administration
- customer service
- law and legal work
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do an apprenticeship, such as:
- Customer Service Practitioner Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
- Public Service Operational Delivery Officer Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
- Customer Service Specialist Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
- Business Administrator 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
Direct application
You could apply directly for jobs. You'll usually need at least 2 GCSEs, including English at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C).
Experience in similar work, such as customer service or office administration, could be helpful. Employers will also look at your personal qualities and life experience.
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need to:
- pass enhanced background checks
Career path and progression
With experience, you could be in charge of a team of ushers or become a court administrative officer.
You may also use your skills to work in local or central government.
Career tips
Ushers can work in different types of court in the justice system, for example:
- criminal
- civil
- appeals
- tribunals
Guides for this industry
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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0