Prison governor

Prison governors manage prisons, remand centres and young offenders' institutions.

Also known as: Prison operational manager

• Starter salary£65,000 a year
• Experienced£94,000 a year
• Typical hours37 to 41 a week

What you'll do

As a prison governor, you could:

• manage prison security, standards and budgets
• supervise prisoners and make inspections
• support vulnerable prisoners and those at risk of self-harm
• carry out disciplinary procedures
• manage and motivate prison staff
• update records and write reports
• develop the prison to meet government targets, like the control of drugs
• work with other professionals, such as medical staff, social workers and probation officers

Working environment

You could work in a prison.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• business management skills
• leadership skills
• customer service skills
• the ability to use your initiative
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• knowledge of human resources and employment law
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

How to become a prison governor

You can get into this job through:

• working towards this role
• a management training scheme

Work

You may be able to start as a prison officer and work your way up with further training and experience. You'll need several years' experience, including line management.

You would generally move into senior management jobs and eventually deputy governorship roles, then governor.

Companies that run private prisons have their own entry requirements.

You can find details of prisons in England and Wales on GOV.UK.

Other routes

You can apply to join the Future Prison Leaders Programme . This is a 3-year training scheme available from HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). Vacancies are advertised online and through social media when a recruitment campaign is taking place.

You'll need a degree or equivalent level 6 qualification when you start on the programme, or people management experience.

Experience in management and excellent communication skills, as well as assertiveness and integrity, are important.

You can also apply through the Leadership Development Programme . This is a 2-year fast-track leadership development route available to graduates, who:

• meet the HMPPS eligibility criteria
• already have, or are expecting to get, an upper second class degree
• have GCSE grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths
• have the right to work in the UK for the length of the programme

You'll study for a postgraduate master's degree in Applied Custodial Leadership as part of the training.

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults
• pass security checks
• be over 18 years of age

Career path and progression

With experience, you could work in a higher security prison or join HM Inspectorate of Prisons .

You could also work in the national headquarters of HMPPS.

Another option is to work within prison service colleges or training units around the UK.

Guides for this industry

• Prison & Probation Services: pay, interviews and getting started →

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