Do civil service job hours include lunch break?

[Bringringbring]

I have applied for a position with 22.5 hours as the contracted hours spread over 3 days. So 7.5 hours a day. Do stayed hours include lunch break or is that lunch hour on top of the 7.5 hours?
so...
9-5.30 with unpaid lunch
Or
9-4.30 with unpaid lunch

Huge thanks. It makes a big difference re logistics!

9- 4:30 with unpaid lunch. Congratulations on your new job!

I don't think it includes lunch.
Mine doesn't anyway.

If it's still the same as when I was in the CS, it'll be unpaid, so additional time.

Sorry I meant to type 5. It's 22.5 working hours and lunch is your time.

You could just take a v short lunch/ have lunch at your desk if you want to get away earlier. I do this a lot when trying to build up my flexi time.

7.5hrs plus an hour of unpaid lunch in DH department so an 8.5hr day in total, although he has the option of a 30 minute lunch and to take the other 30mins as flexi-build.

Unpaid lunch

9-5.30. Unpaid lunch. Don't know any office jobs that pay you to go and sit in Pret for an hour!

It doesn't include lunch. However, conditioned hours (what your salary is based on) do, confusingly. But in practice you would work the 22.5 hours and not be paid for the lunch break - it's an administrative calculation to do with pensions and pay.

I work the same hours over 3 days, lunch is extra. I very rarely take an hour for lunch, usually 15/20 minutes

I think you have to take 20 minutes legally plus you’ll probably want to eat! No need to take an hour

@AndNoneForGretchenWieners

Are you 100% sure? I can’t make sense of it. You’re saying I do 22.5 hours and that incident lunch break, meaning I’m not actually paid for 22.5 hours? So in that case it is an hour lunch?

@Ted27
For the civil service?

@hollieberrie

So I could work 9-4.50? Ie the 22.5 contracted hours and then my 20 mins unpAid on top?

yes Dept for Education. You have to work your contracted hours, 22.5 hours, not take 3 of them for lunch.
Most civil service depts have flex, so you just record the hours you work

It’s usually 30 mins minimum for lunch, so you could do 9 - 5 every day

@Ted27

You’re not subject to a minimum? By law 20 mins but seems 30 mins is more normal min

Thank you all btw

Yes I think so.
In my dept no-one enforces the minimum 30 mins for lunch rule. Many people work through. But it's probs not very good for you to never take a break.
We log all our hours on timesheets, for flexi time purposes. Its so satisfying!

Sorry if I wasn't clear. You work (and are paid for) the full 22.5 hours. Conditioned hours are like gross hours, with the 22.5 being the nett hours. You won't have to take lunch if you don't want to, but if you do, you won't have it included in the 22.5.

Do you still have core hours? It's 100 years since I worked for the CS but I remember having to be in between 10-12 and 2-4 and outside of those we could work whatever as long as our hours for the day were completed. Happy days!

Does t include lunch. I used to work a civil service 22.5 hour week. 3 days if 7.5 hrs, not including your lunch break, so i’d work say 8am to 4pm (8 hours) but stop for 30mins at say 12.30-1pm- which would be 7.5 working hours.

The standard working hours in the civil service are 37.5 per week, NOT including a lunch break. You are paid for 37.5 hours pro rata if you work part-time, so you are paid for 22.5 hours per week if you work three days. You also need to take a lunch break each day, which is not paid. There is a legal minimum for lunch, as PP said, but the department you work for might have guidelines on taking the full hour. You will need to check expectations with them. Also, departments usually have core hours, for example you have to be working between 10-4 but you could start at 8 or 9. Again, it depends on each department. I have previously worked 0730-1600, with an (unpaid) hour for lunch 1230-1330 - so 7.5 hours paid and a lunch hour.

We ensure junior staff take the minimum, sometimes I take half an hour, other days I'm lucky to get to the loo

Not all departments have core hours. Ours doesn't any more. We don't have an enforced lunch break either - you are obviously able to take it and usually you have time to do so, but in practice where I work it's usual for meetings to be scheduled over lunch when the canteen is open. It's frustrating though. You won't be stopped from taking a break but you won't be forced to take it either if you don't want to or are too busy. I encourage my team to have a break, but it's up to them if they do (I really dislike lunch time meetings personally).

But do check with the hiring manager or HR team before you make any fixed arrangements e.g. childcare.