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Civil Service administrative officer

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

Average salary (a year)

£18,000 Starter

to

£24,500 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

37 to 40 a week

You could work

between 8am and 6pm

How to become a Civil Service administrative officer

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly

Apprenticeship

You could do an intermediate or advanced apprenticeship in business and administration.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), usually including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More information

Work

You could enter the Civil Service as an administrative assistant and then apply for promotion to administrative officer, as you get more experience.

Direct application

You can apply directly for jobs. Depending on the role, you may need:

  • 2 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) for an administrative assistant role
  • 5 GCSEs and 2 A levels, or equivalent qualifications, for an administrative officer post

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 may be tested on your ability to:

  • work well in a team
  • communicate with others
  • work with numbers

More information

Career tips

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

Further information

You can find out more about working as an administrative officer from Civil Service Careers.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

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
  • you will be expected to use a computer confidently as part of this job.

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

Your day-to-day duties will depend on the department you work for but may include:

  • handling enquiries from the public in person, by telephone or online
  • researching information
  • contacting customers to follow up enquiries
  • dealing with complaints
  • processing benefit payments
  • updating computerised and paper-based records
  • filing, photocopying and other administrative tasks
  • referring complex queries or cases to an executive officer

Working environment

You could work in an office.

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 be promoted to become a Civil Service executive officer.

Training opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Business and Administration Apprenticeship

  • Wage : £10,000.00 Annually
  • Location: KT13 0BG

Business Administration Apprenticeship

  • Wage : £144.30 Weekly
  • Location: Washington NE37 3BE
Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England

AQA Level 3 Advanced GCE in Government and Politics

  • Provider: Christ The King College
  • Start date: 03 September 2019
  • Location: Newport

Government and Politics A Level

  • Provider: Shenley Brook End School
  • Start date: 04 September 2019
  • Location: Milton Keynes
Find courses near you

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