What the job entails:

Border Force officers work at airports, sea ports and ferry terminals. They check people as they travel in or out of the UK. This involves looking at their passports and other documents to make sure that they are allowed to enter the country. They talk to people to find out more about who they are and what they plan to do when they are in the UK. If the Border Force officer thinks that a person is trying to enter the country illegally they can hand them over to the police.

Routes and choices while at school:

There are no set school qualifications that are needed to become a Border Force officer. To work with the Border Force, you have to pass written tests and interviews. Many people start working for these organisations as an administrative assistant or administrative officer. Other people do a degree first. If you take this route, then you will need some A-levels or equivalent qualifications. Whichever route you take; it is important to have a good general education. Start by getting some GCSEs at grades 4 or C or better including English and maths, or equivalent. It could be useful to study one or more modern foreign languages, too.

Pay:

Pay when starting is about £22,000 to £23,000 per year. When experienced, it is about £25,000 to £27,000. For experts with a lot of experience, pay can rise to about £31,000.

If you have any careers queries or would like to discuss any aspects of careers in more detail, please see Mrs Halford at Student Services.