{"id":663,"date":"2016-10-10T08:00:29","date_gmt":"2016-10-10T07:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/?p=663"},"modified":"2025-10-22T15:57:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T14:57:30","slug":"the-civil-service-fast-stream-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/2016\/10\/10\/the-civil-service-fast-stream-and-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fast Stream and Beyond - some insights into Civil Service Recruitment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Civil Service overview<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Civil Service does the practical and administrative work of government. More than half of all civil servants provide services direct to the public. If you want to know more about the Civil Service and it's purpose then go here: https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/organisations\/civil-service\/about<\/a>. If you are interested in the work of the more than 60 government departments and over 100 agencies\u00a0then these can easily be found on the https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/<\/a> website where every department and agency has a space.<\/p>\n

Jobs within the Civil Service can range from administrative positions within departments to embassy posts with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).\u00a0 There are also a number of professions employed within the Civil Service\u00a0including economists, statisticians and scientists\u00a0. Staff may work anywhere in the United Kingdom and possibly overseas, although\u00a0the majority involved in policy work\u00a0are located in London. There are increasing numbers of opportunities within the devolved regions and some departments are based in locations such as Bristol, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Cardiff.<\/p>\n

The \u2018Professional Skills for Government\u2019 framework ensures that all staff are able to operate effectively in operational, corporate services and policy roles. This is particularly true of the Fast Stream which can often be thought of as a purely policy role.\u00a0\u00a0Increasingly special advisers and senior posts are filled from outside the ranks of existing civil servants.<\/p>\n

The Civil Service is at its smallest size now the second world war and yet Brexit may mean more staff are required to carry out work previously done in Brussels. It is hard to know how this will play out. We know the 2016 Civil Service Fast Stream recruitment\u00a0numbers were increased after the selection process had been completed.\u00a0\u00a0After the selection process candidates hear whether they have got a job offer. They are given an overall score\u00a0 out of 20 and then ranked with offers being made from the top down to the recruitment level for that year. We know of some good candidates who initially missed out but had an offer come through later as numbers were increased.\u00a0We don't know if that can be attributed to Brexit or the change in government departments that Theresa May bought in when she became PM but\u00a0this might bode well for the next round of recruitment.<\/p>\n

Civil Service Fast Stream<\/span><\/h3>\n

This is the accelerated development programme for graduates which is open annually between\u00a0end of\u00a0September (29th in 2016)\u00a0and end of \u00a0November (30th in 2016). This includes entry into the Diplomatic Service. It is also possible to apply to the Civil Service Fast Stream even though you are working within the Civil Service. See http:\/\/www.faststream.gov.uk\/<\/a>and follow their Facebook page<\/a>. There are several different Fast Streams:<\/p>\n

Analytical Options (AFS):<\/strong><\/p>\n