Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
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 December and January 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 you apply for but after that, the scores for your first written application and interview will be used across all of your applications.
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 the home Department, you would transfer to DWP on an FTA contract. You should not resign from your current home Department in order to accept the offer of the FTA post in DWP. You need to be aware that if you transfer to DWP and there is no post available for you at the end of the FTA contract, you could potentially be at risk of redundancy and enter the redeployment process. If no suitable role can be found, your employment in the Civil Service will come to an end unless; an extension to their FTA position has been agreed by DWP, a conversion to permanent status has been agreed by DWP, or you are successfully redeployed into a suitable alternative post.
There is no set time for the process. Accurate form filling and supplying of correct information will allow the process to run smoother.
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 during September and October 2020, 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 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.
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.