jobfacts

Prison officer

Prison service officers (below principal officer) — SOC 2020 3314

Prison service officers (below principal officer) direct, co-ordinate and participate in guarding inmates and maintaining discipline in prisons and other detention centres.

Also calledOperational support grade officerAuxiliary officerPrison wardenPrison auxiliaryCustody officerOperational support gradeand 12 more titles
Typical full-time pay£41,3002025 Provisional
People in the job39,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month467↑ 51%on last year · 272nd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time prison officers earn, 2025
£41,300 typicaln/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%Not published
Median£41,300
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £41,300
London!£46,700
Scotland!£40,900
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £41,300
London£46,700 (small sample)
Scotland£40,900 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £30,000
  • 2024 £38,800
  • 2025 Provisional£41,300
↑ 38% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 467 jobs for prison officers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026724
Jul 2026517
Jun 2026Not published
May 2026343
Apr 2026380
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026282
Jan 2026464
Dec 2025374
Nov 2025737
Oct 2025438
Sept 2025414
Aug 2025380
Jul 2025386
Jun 2025379
May 2025357
Apr 2025269
Mar 2025607
Feb 2025380
Jan 2025313
Dec 2024200
Nov 2024265
Oct 2024273
Sept 2024264
Aug 2024362
Jul 2024299
Jun 2024277
May 2024279
Apr 2024346
Mar 2024322
Feb 2024417
Jan 2024745
Dec 2023812
Nov 2023640
Oct 2023804
Sept 2023560
Aug 2023562
Jul 2023730
Jun 2023790
May 2023732
Apr 2023741
Mar 2023746
Feb 2023915
Jan 2023971
Dec 2022804
Nov 2022959
Oct 20221,069
Sept 20221,176
Aug 2022933
Jul 2022910
Jun 2022834
May 20221,180
Apr 2022947
Mar 20221,088
Feb 20221,259
Jan 20221,268
Dec 2021880
Nov 2021843
Oct 2021795
Sept 2021482
Aug 2021496
Jul 2021499
Jun 2021490
May 2021488
Apr 2021325
Mar 2021406
Feb 2021215
Jan 2021380
Dec 2020321
Nov 2020462
Oct 2020363
Sept 2020245
Aug 2020216
Jul 2020173
Jun 2020176
May 202090
Apr 2020151
Mar 2020494
Feb 2020445
Jan 2020367
Dec 2019306
Nov 2019298
Oct 2019285
Sept 2019354
Aug 2019241
Jul 2019245
Jun 2019198
May 2019177
Apr 2019176
Mar 2019256
Feb 2019207
Jan 2019288
Dec 2018116
Nov 2018169
Oct 2018247
Sept 2018230
Aug 2018233
Jul 2018234
Jun 2018276
May 2018257
Apr 2018240
Mar 2018256
Feb 2018214
Jan 2018269
Dec 2017159
Nov 2017269
Oct 2017262
Sept 2017210
Aug 2017303
Jul 2017233
Jun 2017222
May 2017282
Apr 2017294
Mar 2017332
Feb 2017197
Jan 2017305
Is there a shortage of prison officers?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthWell above usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
24%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for associate professional occupations, which includes prison officers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London106
Dorset60
Breckland46
West Suffolk40
Wiltshire34
Swale33
Isle of Wight30
East Riding of Yorkshire27
Wychavon26
York25
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where prison officers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of prison officers
9.7%!
36%!
24%!
15%!
14%!
1.3%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–249.7% (small sample)
25–3436% (small sample)
35–4424% (small sample)
45–5415% (small sample)
55–6414% (small sample)
65+1.3% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!23%
Higher education below degree!2.5%
A levels or equivalent35%
GCSEs or equivalent!23%
Other qualifications!9.5%
No qualifications!3.5%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent23% (small sample)
Higher education below degree2.5% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent35%
GCSEs or equivalent23% (small sample)
Other qualifications9.5% (small sample)
No qualifications3.5% (small sample)

Main employers: justice and judicial activities (72%), general public administration activities (5.3%), public order and safety activities (5.2%), private security activities (2.7%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
23%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 35%
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

Routes in

You can get into this job through an apprenticeship or by applying directly.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Custody and Detention Professional Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

To do this apprenticeship, you'll need:

  • GCSEs grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, in English and maths

Apply directly

You could apply directly to be a prison officer. You do not need qualifications as personal qualities are more important in this role.

You'll need to take an online test to check your judgement and number skills.

If you pass, you'll attend an assessment day where you'll be tested on your:

  • number, reading and writing skills
  • fitness
  • health, hearing and eyesight

You'll also have an interview and take part in role play to see if you have the right personal qualities to be a prison officer.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks
  • be over 18 years of age
  • pass a medical check

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You can do the HM Prison and Probation Service online career matching tool to see whether a career as a prison officer is right for you.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become a prison officer from HM Prison and Probation Service.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for prison officer. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • escorts prisoners to and from cells and supervises them during meals, recreation and visiting periods
  • watches for any infringements of regulations and searches prisoners and cells for weapons, drugs and other contraband items
  • guards entrances and perimeter walls
  • investigates disturbances or any other unusual occurrences
  • escorts prisoners transferred from one institution to another
  • runs prisoner rehabilitation and support programmes
  • provides care and support to prisoners in custody including prevention of self-harm
  • trains and supervises prison staff
  • reports on prisoners’ conduct as necessary

Skills

  • apply knowledge of human behaviour
  • comply with the principles of self-defence
  • ensure compliance with types of weapons
  • escort defendants
  • handle conflicts
  • identify security threats
  • oversee rehabilitation process
  • patrol areas
  • restrain individuals
  • undertake inspections
  • conduct frisk
  • ensure law application
  • handle surveillance equipment
  • maintain logbooks

Knowledge

  • correctional procedures
  • illegal substances
  • law enforcement
  • legal use-of-force
  • criminology
  • surveillance methods
  • juvenile detention

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Helping and caring for people

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for protective service occupations, a group of 5 jobs that includes prison officers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 36%about 144,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035313,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.