Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
There are currently no work coach vacancies available. However please check back again in mid February as we anticipate further vacancies will be available around this time.
FAQ
If you have any questions about our recruitment process that have not yet been answered, please have a look through the questions and answers below for more information.
Please see the final question or the Contact Us link below for more detail on how you can get in touch with us if you need more information.
Your application form cannot be amended after you submit your form.
There is a section within the application form to provide details of any reasonable adjustments required at any stage in the process. All requests will be considered. If you want to give us more information or wish to discuss, please get in touch with us Tel: 0345 241 5365 or e-mail DWP-Customer_Hub@gov.sscl.com.
DWP cannot accept duplicate applications for the same vacancy. Any duplicate applications for the same vacancy will be deleted.
We are running Work Coach adverts throughout February and March to cover different locations and you can apply for any of these vacancies if they are in a location you are interested in. Please note that if you apply for more than one vacancy you will have to take the online test for each advert. If you pass the online test your form will be sifted once and the score applied to all of your other applications. If successful at sift you will be interviewed once only and the interview score applied to all adverts.
At the end of the FTA post, as a permanent DWP employee you will be redeployed at your substantive grade in the same business as the FTA post.
If there is no post available at the end of the Fixed Term appointment contract period, you could enter the redeployment process and potentially be at risk of redundancy.
If you are an existing civil servant in an OGD, DWP's preferred option is for you to transfer from your home department to DWP on a loan basis to ensure you can return to your home department at the end of the FTA. In all cases we will want to explore this first. If a transfer on a loan basis cannot be agreed by your home Department, you can still take up the Fixed-term Appointment. DWP would become your home department and you will not be asked to resign from your current position in order to accept the role.
However, if there is no post available for you at the end of the FTA, you will revert to your previous substantive grade and could potentially be at risk of redundancy and enter the redeployment process.
If your Fixed-term contract is not extended or converted to permanent and we are unable to redeploy you into a suitable alternative post in your substantive grade through the redeployment process your employment in the Civil Service will come to an end. Your continuity of service from other department(s) would be taken into account in a redundancy situation.
There is no set time for the process however providing all the required information and providing the correct evidence as soon as you can will ensure the process runs smoothly and efficiently.
You can track progress by logging into your candidate application centre where you will be able to view where you are in the recruitment process. This the same login platform you used to apply for the role.
Yes, you would need to go through the selection procedure specified by the Vacancy Holder.
If you have not yet received an outcome for an application for Work Coach vacancies advertised up to an including 28th January 2021, you may wish to apply for newly advertised vacancies in the meantime. If you have been advised that you are on a reserve list for the previously advertised vacancies, you need not apply for the new vacancies unless your location preferences have changed.
Yes, you can apply for these vacancies.
No unfortunately we cannot offer an Apprenticeship for these roles due to the length of the FTA contract. A 12 month contract does not provide sufficient time to gather the required evidence to achieve a qualification.
Any individuals currently working for DWP via an agency should apply for a Work Coach vacancy as an external applicant. This will ensure that the process is administered as required and the relevant Vetting checks are completed.
If you successfully pass the online test and reach the required standard with your application form, you will receive an invitation by email to your pre-recorded interview. This involves you recording your answers to certain questions. You will have a limited time in which to do this. Your email invitation will include a link to access your interview at any time during a 3-day period. You will also receive an alert in your Application Centre and via SMS if you enabled this communication option with us.
It is essential that your full face is visible throughout your interview. You must not have anything covering your face (e.g. a PPE face mask) or be positioned in poor lighting where your face cannot be clearly seen. We must be able to clearly see you when you are giving your answers and we will use this to confirm your identity and verify that you are the person applying for the job.
The pre-recorded interview technology will work best if you use an up to date web browser such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or an equivalent.
Please contact the recruitment team before undertaking your interview if you have any specific personal concerns about this.
Yes, you will be asked the question and you will have a minute to think about your answer and then a further 3 minutes to record it.
You can undertake your interview at any time during a 3 day period. You will be alerted to this time period and the deadline for completion in your email invitation. You can record your interview at a time that suits you from the point you receive the invitation email up to the deadline.
In line with the standard Civil Service approach, feedback will only be provided at interview stage.
Disabled candidates who have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme will only progress to the interview if they pass the online test and have met the minimum requirements at the sift stage. The minimum requirement is to score 4 in your application.
Please contact the Customer Hub on 0345 241 5365 or DWP-Talent_Aqcuisition@gov.sscl.com to discuss the technical issues you experienced.
Civil Service posts are open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) with (or eligible for) status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) and certain non EEA nationals. Click the links to find further information on Civil Service Nationality Rules and Right to Work in the UK to check if you are eligible to apply.
BPSS (Baseline Personnel Security Standard) checks are required for the Work Coach role. Checks for external applicants will incorporate the following components:
- Right to work/ID/address checks
- DBS Basic/Disclosure Scotland criminal conviction check
- Employment history check
- Overseas police checks (where required)
- Health check
- Internal fraud database check (for ex-Civil Servants)
You may be required at short notice to travel to, or work in, other locations in the area you work as an ordinary part of your role, e.g. to cover colleague absences at other local DWP offices or carry out your role on partners' premises. etc. You may also be required to work at a different location to your main office for longer periods on detached duty or for the remainder of your contract.
The current Government guidelines (January 2021) suggest that people who are CEV should be shielding at the moment. DWP will gather information about your health, including whether you are CEV, during the pre-employment checking stage of the recruitment process. If Government guidelines for shielding remain in place at the time you receive a job offer, DWP will get in touch with you directly to discuss and confirm next steps for your start with us at the time.
If you have further questions about the role please call SSCL on 0345 241 5365 or email DWP-Customer_Hub@gov.sscl.com.