UK Border Force Employee Reviews

The application process took almost a year which seems to be on the low end of the spectrum, with some colleagues saying it took them almost 2. For the work I do, I feel I get paid fairly. The workplace culture is nice, and the ability to move within the Home Office is a good bonus. Working at Sea Ports, Airports, and Inland Border Facilities is also a good way to switch up the monotony.

Pros

Subsidies when on trips or sent to other ports

Cons

Shift work, having shifts changed last minute

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Very productive and fulfilled sense of job satisfaction

Executive Officer (Current Employee) - Calais - 5 May 2023

What is the best part of working at the company?Shift patterns are great allowing a good work/life balance. Staff and teams are very welcoming and incorporating. Salary is very competitive What is the most stressful part about working at the company?Nothing of real note, coming from an ex-prison officer.Very relaxed work environment What is the work environment and culture like at the company?Relaxed and welcoming. Teams and EO'S and HO's are all focused on making the teams the best they can be, and all combined offer a wealth of knowledge. If you don't know, someone will. What is a typical day like for you at the company?Quick. Never a boring shift. Good mix of rotation

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Insights into UK Border Force

Based on 22 survey responses

What people like

Feeling of personal appreciation
Supportive environment
Fair pay for job

Areas for improvement

Energising work tasks
General feeling of work happiness
Support from manager

Good team working

Border Force Higher Officer (Current Employee) - Folkestone - 21 February 2023

Supportive policy for those with protected characteristics. Culture among officers need to catch up a bit. Great for part time working when kids are small

Pros

Plenty of time off

Cons

Long shifts

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Brilliant job.

Executive Officer (Former Employee) - Southern England Northern European Command - 5 January 2023

Too many people don't understand the work of Border Force. I worked there 15 years before retirement. Best team work and colleagues I ever worked for. Very satisfying work. At the end of the day, life's what you make it. If you've got a positive - can do attitude, Border Force is a great place to work.

Pros

Salary, tasks, hours.

Cons

Negative people.

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A toxic culture and totally inempt management

Border Force Officer (Current Employee) - UK - 5 December 2022

In every single aspect Border Force has the most frustrating and incompetent management. Decisions aren't thought out, even when the obvious issues are raised, they pretend they aren't there until something legally forced them to.If you work in any kind of operational role there is a culture much akin to the film mean girls. Malicious gossip about people's personal lives, cliques, if you don't fit being left out. Generally hard workers are worn down by the majority to do the bare minimum so their own laziness is not highlighted. Management are well aware of all of this but do nothing to stop it.In essence if you want an averagely paid job, with ever changes to terms and rosters, no appreciation from managers and a culture worse than school, then Border Force is a very good fit. If you want to make a difference and actually stop crime at the border, then don't join else you'll spirit will be destroyed.What should be a fantastic job is awful in virtually every single aspect and this is not isolated to just one area or team.

Pros

Has the potential to be the best job in the world. Sadly it's really not.

Cons

Virtually everything bar job security.

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A good job overall but with some issues

Border Force Officer (Current Employee) - Gatwick Airport - 5 August 2022

I would recommend Border Force as a career choice.There is regular opportunity's for promotion and extra training. The role is generally enjoyable and can include work like searching and arrests, seizing drugs and weapons. This can be rewarding in itself, knowing you have taken these off the streets and protected our country and communities.There is alot of team working and a good team spirit. Negatives would include shifts (can be tiring), Management can be lacking sometimes and lack of pay rise.

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Terrible junior managers, treated very poorly

Border Force Officer (Current Employee) - Gatwick - 10 June 2022

I would discourage anyone from joining UKBF. Managers are awful and over promoted, wouldn't last a minute in the real world. The work is terrible, too much focus on keeping immigration queues down rather than looking for drugs. One minute you can be dealing with a drug seizure, the next minute you have to let it go to go on Immigration and keep queue times down.

Pros

None to think of

Cons

Too many to mention!

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Rubbish

Border Force Officer (Current Employee) - London, Greater London - 7 June 2022

Woefully inexperienced and corrupt officers are promoted into woefully inexperienced and corrupt managers. The recruitment process is appalling and training inadequate.

Pros

Pension

Cons

Everything else

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Nepotism at its worst.

Immigration Officer (Former Employee) - London/Edinburgh - 21 September 2021

Great place if you like a*"# licking, grovelling and not being able to put across your views. Far too many non jobs for managers, most of whom wouldn't last five minutes out in the real world.

Pros

Great if you want to milk the system

Cons

Red tape, management and more management.

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Understaffed

Border Force Officer (Former Employee) - Glasgow Airport - 14 January 2021

Since the merger of HMRC and Immigration the expectation for all employees to train in both jobs diluted the expertise and put unnecessary stress on employees. I truely worry that either role is now being carried out to a sufficient standard. Management care only about statistics so you could be the hardest working staff member but if you didn’t have a good record of seizing goods you’re classed as less effective.

Cons

Long hours, irregular shift pattern

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Passport [lack of] Control - Seasonal Workforce

Passport Officer (Former Employee) - London Heathrow Airport, Greater London - 15 September 2020

Management incompetence abounds in Border Force, with over promoted senior ranking civil servants frequently failing both their staff and the public. Regular mismanagement of staff resource results in a lack of good public service. It is often left to those who actually do the job at Passport Control to sort out the catastrophic mess. The Seasonal Workforce works on zero hours contracts, and is frequently used to cover the gaping cracks in service delivery. Wonderful professional people performing to the best of their abilities to cover the failure of others who should ideally be sacked!

Pros

Fun engaging with the public and frontline colleagues at Passport Control

Cons

Incompetent management, underpinned by a dire Civil Service culture of woeful failure.

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Fast paced role, front line operational

Chief of Staff (Current Employee) - Essex - 2 February 2020

Working as part of a fast paced organisation on the front line, ensuring that the countries border security is maintained 24/7 in all modes of transport.

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Interesting and informative

UK Border Force Officer (Current Employee) - Manchester Airport, Greater Manchester - 29 January 2020

A typical day in the life of a border force officer is an early start followed by constant public facing duties. Full interaction with travelling members of the public from diverse back grounds and a host of foreign countries. A typical day could include dealing with dissatisfaction with authorities when flights are cancelled or delayed or people missing a flight through misinformation or their own failings. Another daily issue is delayed flight arrivals from abroad and the stresses this has for families with young children or anxiety at missing onward connections.

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Challenging but rewarding

Immigration Officer (Current Employee) - Stansted, Essex - 29 October 2019

Fast paced and flexible, lots of opportunities to develop and learn. Supportive management. Adequate opportunity to work with minimal supervision and plenty of trust placed in you in the role but support immediately there when needed.

Pros

Variety of opportunities

Cons

Anti social shifts

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Challenging work environment.

Border Force Officer (Former Employee) - London, Greater London - 3 October 2019

If you have a stamina to work 16hr long night shifts or to wake up at 3am to go to work, then this job is manageable. Shift work however will eventually take its tall on your family life and health.

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Be warned

Officer (Former Employee) - London, Greater London - 29 August 2019

Worked for them when IND, Border agency and then UKBF. So many little people who will do all they can to get noticed and promoted on the back of informing on people they work with and lying in the process. They changed the employment contract also which means they have you at beck and call doing most hours in peak summer times and expect you to take holidays in winter hen you do less hours. Poorly trained staff all over he place who would rather let something or someone into the UK as they don't know what to do and useless managers who got promoted having misinformed about others know even less. The salary starts at minimum and takes 10 years to get to the maximum and the annual hours they operate they often cut your salary looking to get more for less any way possible. AVOID.

Pros

Having left

Cons

Poor management

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Officer

Border Force Officer (Former Employee) - Gatwick Airport Station, West Sussex - 8 August 2019

32 years experience in Border Control. If you enjoy your sanity dont join these control freaks. Terrible people failed Police officers and women who really hate men control you by rank. I got out and took pension early last year.

Pros

None

Cons

Controlling management and bullying

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Productive and career focused place to work

EXECUTIVE OFFICER (Current Employee) - Heathow - 21 February 2019

I've had a happy 15 years in Border Force. I'm now ready for a new challenge. Management have been great and really supportive and the workplace culture is strong and encouraging.

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Great place to work, Nice group of people, Learnt a lot.

Work Experience Placement (Former Employee) - Cardiff International Airport, Vale of Glamorgan - 26 January 2019

9 to 5, Spent most days analysing luggage and passports. Some days would help out with security team and camera operation. Learnt a lot about how to X-Ray and identify substances/weapons. The most enjoyable part was the people I worked with.

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Archaic

Assistant Officer (Former Employee) - Felixstowe, Suffolk - 23 November 2018

Joined the job because it was a dream of mine, which quickly turned into a nightmare. Management is poor, with blocking promotions and training opportunities because of gender and age. Finally left due to gender and sexual discrimination. Would not recommend as an employer (especially to young women).

Pros

The job

Cons

Everything else

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Good

Assistant Officer (Former Employee) - Heathrow, Greater London - 1 November 2018

I have enjoyed working here but I am now looking for a longterm career within the private sector. However I feel I have gained some valuable skills and experience which I will cherish as part of my experience.

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