Life on the landings, shifts, leave and what comes next.

HMPPS's careers site lists example shifts rather than a roster: early 7am to 12:30pm, late 12pm to 8pm, main 8am to 5pm, all day 8am to 8pm and nights 8:45pm to 7:30am. Prisons run 24 hours a day, so expect nights, weekends and public holidays. See shift patterns.

Trainees start on 37 hours. After training you can choose 37, 39 or 41 hours a week (HMPPS). Extra qualifying hours outside your shift are paid at £23 an hour under Payment Plus, or you can normally take time off in lieu. Details in working hours.

HMPPS's Employee Package says new employees get 25 days' annual leave rising to 30 after 10 years, plus eight public holidays and one privilege day. That is the 2023-24 edition, and recruitment pages in 2026 still describe 25 rising to 30. See annual leave.

HMPPS says entitlement varies by terms and conditions. For staff new to HMPPS on modernised terms it depends on service up to a maximum of 10 months in a rolling four-year period. The full-pay and half-pay split is not published, so confirm it with HR. Statutory Sick Pay is £123.25 a week for 2026/27. See sick pay.

HMPPS's Employee Package lists up to 52 weeks of maternity leave with up to 26 weeks of contractual pay, up to two weeks of paternity leave at contractual pay, and shared parental leave. The actual contractual pay rates and qualifying conditions are not published in full, so ask HR in writing. See maternity pay and paternity and shared parental leave.

HMPPS describes an Employee Assistance Programme, occupational health, Care Teams and TRiM practitioners, though availability varies by prison. If you need to talk now, Samaritans is on 116 123 and NHS 111 has a mental health option. See stress and wellbeing and trauma and PTSD.

Both are possible but local. Band 3 officers can use the voluntary level transfer scheme (POLT) when it runs, and part-time hours or job share may be available after initial training, subject to your line manager. Any employee can make a flexible working request from day one. See transfers and flexible working.

The ladder runs Band 3 officer, Band 4 supervising officer, Band 5 custodial manager, then senior management. Each step is a competitive appointment, not an automatic increment, and HMPPS publishes no average time to promotion. See promotion.