Civil Servant Review

As a Business Delivery Officer, I am tasked with looking at the business and seeing, where possible, changes to processes that could help reduce low contact into HMRC saving both HMRC and the taxpayer money and time. I regularly have contact with Senior Leaders as the work that I do requires SLs to sign off my projects. This is because I am saving money and this needs to be robust as this information is publicised across the company. On a day to day basis, I keep tabs on my own site to ensure we are meeting the targets we have set for ourselves.

As well as learning through my Business Administration unit, I have learned my things through my job. For example, one of the first things I sought to develop is my knowledge of Excel. I took my request to my line manager who set up another member of the team to mentor me. We sat together and set out what it was I was looking for and what type of timeline I would like to work towards. I have also improved my; communication skills, writing skills, facilitating of meetings to name a few.

I enjoy working for HMRC however I do not like the way we have been treated. Over a 15 month period, I have had 5 different managers which means there has been no stability. Also, I have not have an NVQ coach since December. I have just met my new coach in the last week. This is causing me a great deal of stress as I have not had any support in 4 months. There was no contingency plan put in place to accommodate this issue. I feel I now have unnecessary pressure to try and get my NVQ side of things complete in a very short space of time.

As a whole, I do not feel valued by HMRC. I think this has something to do with the team I was put in. I do not think the team that I am in is known/valued as we are such a small team. It is also difficult to tell if I am valued by my team as we are geographically split and only meet every 3 months approximately. Also, I find that I am referred to as "an apprentice" fairly often which I find highly disrespectful and degrading.

For the apprenticeship side of things; the HNC sessions are very well structured, regular, and clearly presented. Duncan, my HNC tutor is fantastic. He makes the sessions easy to follow, fun and worthwhile. I always leave knowing what is being asked of me. He is very supportive and doesn't mind taking a few minutes to chat to you over the phone if you need some extra guidance. The NVQ side of things has not been handled well in my opinion. The units that we are required to complete are not laid out in place English. It is not always clear what the question is asking of you. The fact that we have had no NVQ coach for 4 months has also hindered my progression as there was a lack of support.

As stated above, I think I receive adequate support from Duncan my HNC tutor. Donna, my old NQV coach was also very supportive and helped when she could. I have a new NVQ who I have met once who seems to be much stricter than previous/current tutors. I cannot therefore comment on my new NVQ coach as we have not had the chance to spend time together or for me to require her help.

My manager is happy for me to take my allotted study time each month. However, other than that, there is minimal interaction from her. I think this is down to one of two reasons; I have had so many managers since I started that none of them want to take notice to deal with it or; they trust me enough to get on with it on my own.

I think the salary could be higher. Due to the high pressures of the job, I do not think we are paid in accordance. If I were doing the same job in the Private Sector, I would receive a higher salary. There is also a pay freeze across the Civil Service which means I will not receive higher pay.

As I am in a back office team and a non-manager manager, I do not get invited to events outside of the office, such as BoF events. I did however put my name down to be an assessment centre manager for a few days. I thoroughly enjoyed this and will put myself forward again if I get the opportunity.

No

I do not think there is enough support available there for FTAs. I feel that there was a lot of animosity towards us apprentices from other members of staff, throughout the company. I think this might be due to me coming in as a higher grade. I also think there is not enough support from managers, but then again this could be down to me being remotely managed.

Be prepared for a tough application process. Try not to worry about the interviews, the interviewers are there to get the best from you and will explain things if you do not understand, so don't feel silly. Try and not build yourself up too much for the assessment centre. Again, the managers there will help and guide you. You will come across some strong characters but don't let that phase you, that could work in your favour. Be prepared for lots of stressful days, but always remember to leave that at the front door when you are leaving work. Do not take it home with you. Find someone you can confide in, someone you can trust. Join the Union!