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Prison governors manage prisons, remand centres and young offenders' institutions.
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on a rota
As a prison governor, you could:
You could work in a prison.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through:
You may be able to start as a prison officer and work your way up with further training and experience. You'll need several years' experience, including line management.
You would generally move into senior management jobs and eventually deputy governorship roles, then governor.
Companies that run private prisons have their own entry requirements.
You can find details of prisons in England and Wales on GOV.UK.
You can apply to join the Future Prison Leaders Programme. This is a 3-year training scheme available from HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). Vacancies are advertised online and through social media when a recruitment campaign is taking place.
You’ll need a degree or equivalent level 6 qualification when you start on the programme, or people management experience.
Experience in management and excellent communication skills, as well as assertiveness and integrity, are important.
You can also apply through the Leadership Development Programme. This is a 2-year fast-track leadership development route available to graduates, who:
You'll study for a postgraduate master's degree in Applied Custodial Leadership as part of the training.
Further information
You can find out more about working in prisons from HM Prison Service.
You'll need to:
With experience, you could work in a higher security prison or join HM Inspectorate of Prisons.
You could also work in the national headquarters of HMPPS.
Another option is to work within prison service colleges or training units around the UK.