Ministry of Justice UK Employee Reviews
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The pay for a Prison Officer is embarrassing and I wouldnt reccomend it to anyone. The officers I work with are amazing and the banter in that place is second to none. The higher management are rubbish and dont seem to care about staff and the bonus they received during the Covid pandemic was my monthly wage when all they did was sit in an office and not actually come into contact with Covid what so ever. The whole thing is rubbish and defiantly need to be paid more.
Pros
The people i work with.
Cons
Horrendous shift patterns
Worst place ever to work especially the legal aid agency. Unrealistic targets, poor management. Nothing fun about the job. Not even time to chat to colleagues.
Pros
Good wage, work from home
Cons
Too pressurised, unrealistic targets no fun boring repetitive work
So you have inexperienced staff on the landings.Less staff. There use to be 6/7 staff to a unit and if it was less then only clearers and survery workers were out
Pros
None
Cons
No one cares about you
If you value your mental health I strongly suggest looking for employment elsewhere. Rife with incompetent managers who wouldn’t last a minute in the private sector. Family friendly policies are great but only for those who’ve been in the service 20 years, otherwise forget about any flexibility. The work is repetitive and mind numbingly boring, requires no intellectual thought whatsoever. If you don’t enjoy making tea and gossiping the day away you will probably not fit in here so prepare to be treated poorly and forced out.
Pros
Pension
Cons
Bad management
All the training is extensive but becomes very clear that with weak management those who are committed are treated lack mine donkeys whilst other get away with it and often are the ones promoted.If you want a successful career you mys be willing to sell your soul against the safety of colleagues.
Pros
Plenty of time off when fully resourced (so never)
Cons
Uncaring, unsafe and corrupt to the core
Poo, wee and boiling sugar water are just some of the things thrown at you. Wage is not worthy of what you deal with. Overtime rate is good at the cost of loosing social life. The estate is becoming more and more prisoner friendly and anti prison officer. You do well to not be under investigation consistently for self defence. And toe a thin line between keeping your job and loosing it. The turnover of staff is ludicrous!
Pros
Overtime rate 22.50 and hour
Cons
The job
A hard job to apply for the security checks were very high ie :all names of family members and Dob/Place of birth,and relatives living abroad having had or Conection to and terrorist/Political groups (And the did check!)a cousin in the USA contacted me to tell me such, But in the last few years with what's been happening Worldwide Newspapers & Organisations have admitted placing "Sleepers" in prolific and important institutions to obtain information for stories or gaining access.
Pros
Holidays are long
Cons
Long changeable hours (as Statted in contract)
The Ministry of Justice is target driven, is not very sympathetic towards members personal circumstances. It provides a adequate pension scheme. Annual leave and Public and Privilege days are generous, and leave is added on time served.
Pros
Leave Allocations, Pension
Cons
Management not very understanding on personal circumstances
Due to COVID 19 working for HMCTS MOJ has become unbearable , senior management put immense pressure on middle management. Your pressurised into micromanaging. You are treated like a number. The service is run on favouritism.
Excellent recruitment campaign that took over a year from application to job offer. Thrown in at the deep end with zero training. Stressful environment won’t suit everyone. Lengthy probationary period and any mistakes will go against you and will be put on your record . Salary doesn’t match the responsibility
Pros
Pension
Cons
Shift pattern, management
Jobs at Ministry of Justice UK
Can be very demanding but this is reflected in the salary you receive. From young to old the MOJ is very supportive to new recruits. Detailed instruction and training from induction and throughout your employment.
Pros
Great pay and conditions
Cons
Very demanding work especially if working with offenders
Only plus side is your colleagues , shortage of staff made the job dangerous. Rewarding at times but always challenging. The wage is simply insufficient for the job
Pros
No 2 minutes the same
Cons
Violence
DO NOT give up your job to work at wealstun prison I worked there 2 years and i had thoughts of taking my own life due to the amount of stress that was put apon me from managementI did transfer to a lady estate Newhall as I wanted to compare the jails as I loved being a officer And it was the best thing I ever did I enjoy my job and have the support I need the jail is run how it should be
Pros
Can work up the ladder and earn more
Cons
The shift pattern low wage
Very stressful. Pay isn’t good enough. Am sure this job gave me PTSD. Staff are great but there is a lot of lazy staff who make your life hard. Management is the worst I have seen. Find another career path!
Pros
Free gym, good staff.
Cons
Prisoners, management.
I worked at HMP Peterborough as a prison officer.After passing the 10 week training course I was excited about starting and having a long career , but it was short lived as I soon realised that the management had little interest in what was going on.The inmates I found too be more respectful than other members of staff especially the young officers who were on a power trip.They had no empathy with inmates and treated them with contentment, this made our job much harder . Management were only interested in their own progression and left us to carry on regardless. I would not recommend anyone taking up a job at HMP Peterborough unless your a yes person as this is the only way you'll get on .
Pros
None
Cons
Bad organisational, lack of support
I have years of experience working in the criminal justice service and thought I’d change and work as a Prison Officer.Once there, I noticed a culture that is nether conducive to the prisoner or prison officer. Lack of safety, and lack of respect demonstrated by senior management . I would never recommend working for them if you wish to progress or, if your unfortunate enough to challenge behaviours demonstrated by certain “individuals”, don’t expect to be treated fairly or subjectively (can’t say much here). Your life will be dominated and the hours long plus poor pay and expect to retire after ur too old to function!You’ve been warned.
Pros
None
Cons
Many
Was once a career to be proud of but now,a very dangerous and corrupt place to be when we are supposed to be sticking together. You can get badly assaulted and get sacked for doing your job.you only move up the ladder if your face fits or your a yes yes person. The job itself can be rewarding as you can potentially change people's lives However it can also bing out the worst in you. Constantly under staffed and poorly managed.
Pros
Free uniform
Cons
Long hours, bad bullying culture
After working for MOJ/HMCTS for over 15 years I can honestly say the best thing about it was leaving. The leaders have no interest or compassion for the victims of crime or Public in general, they only care about targets and figures. The Organisation has continually wasted Billions of pounds on IT systems, Protocols and Schemes that simply have not worked yet the workforce have not had a pay rise in nearly 10 years. Managers have no interest in developing their staff, they are purely there for their own gain. Please consider working for a Organisation that values your hard work and don't just treat you as a number. MOJ/HMCTS will pick you up and spit you out. There is absolutely nothing good about working for the MOJ/HMCTS. There are inappropriate relationships between senior Leaders in the area of Derbyshire - it appears that you have to have a relationship with the Cluster Manager to gain promotion. Even after serious complaints are made nothing is done the same with grievances. Complaints about bullying and Harrassment, Discrimination and general complaints are dealt with half heartedly. I am so happy to be working somewhere where I am valued and not treated with constant criticism. MOJ/HMCT consistently organisationally bully their staff. Think twice before applying, TRUST ME!
Pros
Fellow Co-workers - SOME are amazing
Cons
Terrible pay, no prospects, pensions being reduced
I worked in criminal justice for 25 years and spent 15 of that as a probation officer. The culture was oppressive and management were truly awful. Unmanageable caseloads, sky high expectations and huge levels of responsibility. If things went well management took the credit but when things went bad (as they inevitably do in this line of work), you’re on your own and actively persecuted by management
Pros
Some brilliant colleagues and once in a while you do get the chance to make a difference
Cons
Management are really awful, excessive caseloads, lack of employee care (other than lip service), Bureaucracy, static pay, oppressive culture
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