Civil Service Pre-Employment checks- how long?!

[LegoMa]

Hi,

I’ve currently been waiting 8 weeks to receive a formal offer for the Home Office. I have completed the Security Vetting questionnaire which now shows as completed on their site.

Any idea how much longer I should expect to wait? I applied for this job a year ago! It seems like it’s no secret but their recruitment process seems so clumsy!

Anyone? Thanks!

Hi LP1988, do you know how long it takes them to even start the SC forms after they make a provisional offer? Did you have to wait long for the forms after they made the provisional offer?

I have not even been sent them. I am wondering how long should I wait for those forms to be sent to me. When I called them, they didnt seem to think it was even a priority for them. If its three months, surely they should be send it to me now?

Morrissey1 - Pre-employment checks consist of your references and also I think they do a health questionnaire. But I am not sure as I am only at the start of my process.

Mishmishai- I waited about 3 weeks from when I was first made a provisional offer to being sent the link to fill out the security form. You shouldn’t have to wait too much longer for the link. It’s the actually clearance which can take a long time.

LP1988 - Thank you so much for getting back to me. I am literally on tenterhooks waiting for all this to go through. I hope I get all the forms soon like you say and that they don't take a lackadaisical attitude because my start date is not till autumn!
I was trying to answer Morrissey regarding difference between pre-employment checks and SC. Is it roughly the same thing?

Hi all
I have applied for a AO post in January, Interview in February and I received a provisional offer on the 7th of March. I have completed the CTC and within a day of completion the status changed on the portal from “in progress” to “completed”, could this be a bad sign or a good one, does it mean that clearance is granted? When should I expect to receive confirmation of clearance? What about start date?
Also is there anyone who applied for a CS job at Milton Keynes?
Thanks

So my SC form was sent almost 14 weeks ago and still says 'in progress'. Is this a normal wait? I haven't heard anything from them and the on boarding team said they don't require anything further from me. Just keen to get a start date as I am looking forward to the job!

Hello everyone. This is a very helpful group. I’ve read the whole thread but I still have a question. I’ve been offered a position provisionally at the end of January. Someone called me today to advise me that they can’t make a formal offer (and give me a start date) without having received a reference from my current employer. Is this right? I would have to give my notice before my current employer can give a reference. And even if I do, without a start date at the civil service how will I know when to give it? It sounds unreasonable to me but please let me know if you had to do the same thing.

They won't arrange a start date or make a formal offer before your pre employment checks are complete. The checks include a reference from your most recent employer. The checks are done by the Government Recruitment Service and not by the hiring department, so there is no room for leeway in situations like this. If no reference is forthcoming in the fairly near feature they will withdraw the offer anyway.

Am I right in thinking that your current employer won't give you a reference without you giving your notice? If so, it's them you need to speak to. GRS won't chase references themselves.

I wouldn't hand my notice in without a formal offer. For one thing, if your reference isn't satisfactory you will fail the checks and your offer will be rescinded and you will be out of a job with no recourse. For another, CS recruitment is so slow that I'd be amazed to the point of literally eating my hat if you had your bum on your new seat at the end of your notice period!

Just a word of caution about that @Mishmishai - as you know, you won’t actually have a job until you have been through the checks and have a formal offer. Six months is a long time and civil service is all over the place at the moment with Brexit. It is not unheard of for jobs to simply disappear and offers to be withdrawn because funding changes and internal priorities/staffing requirements.

This happened to a colleague of mine recently - he was made a provisional offer and then a week later was informed that the job role was no longer going to be created. I’m about to move from one dept to another and when I applied 6 months ago I had potentially had a choice of 6 roles to consider, but when it came down to it they had to re jig all the vacancies because of departmental priorities and three of those roles simply didn’t exist anymore. One role was withdrawn after I’d accepted the provisional offer. Luckily the roles left were more than suitable!

I wouldn’t base anything on a provisional offer. Also you might see no reason for not passing the checks, but if for instance your most recent employer doesn’t respond to request for a reference in a timely manner, your offer will be withdrawn.

I’d be hassling them to speed up the process and get your offer formalised. Have you been speaking to the Govt Recruitment Service, or directly to the HR dept of where you are joining?

In the dept I’ve just left we needed bums on seats to do the work now so wouldn’t have deferred a start date for so long, but I know not all departments work the same.

What is the role/department? It seems that there is more chance of the “soft” roles (e.g. policy or HR/back office functions) being pulled than front line operational delivery services.

It’s a difficult situation as I am not sure if hassling them to speed up the process will help at this stage. What level of security clearance are you going through? I’m currently going through the SC level and it’s been over 3 months and mine is still in progress. So if you aren’t starting until September they probably aren’t going to rush you through the security clearance especially if they already have a back log.

Do offers actually get withdrawn so easily? I'm so worried now, how could they withdraw someone's job offer just like that?

@morrissey1 - I agree with you. It seems highly unethical but I know that in the private sector large organisations do interviews and they dont even know that there is a recruitment freeze coming their way! I havent had any forms for even the SC to get started and so I guess it literally is just a sit and wait situation. @MG2019 - if you have to resign before you can have references taken up then I would put a different reference - maybe a colleague you can trust ? Or a previous employer? Thank you for all your help. You have all been very kind. [Smile]

I was reading through all of the messages I have posted and I realise how hilarious I sound LOL

Thank you all. My security clearance and background checks are complete. They are just waiting for my current employer’s reference. I spoke to the department and they are in need of people so I decided to hand in my notice today. I had to give 6 weeks notice so hopefully this will be enough for them to process my current employer’s reference. I know for fact that the current employer’s reference is only a start date and end date letter - nothing personalised. So I thought that it can’t harm my checks. Hopefully everything will be ok.

Hi all. So my SC has finally changed to 'Completed' on the portal. Do you find out if this means you have cleared security? Do they email you confirmation?
Thanks!

Posted back in January after waiting six weeks. After ten weeks was sent link for SC checks. Came through quite quickly after three weeks.

Now, another three weeks, no further on. Was told by HR its just up to my line manager to contact me directly.

Does anyone know how long this hopefully, last bit of the process takes? When is a provisional offer likely to be made formal?

I'm a bit alarmed to read that job roles can be cancelled! I'm wondering of I need to start job hunting again and should be looking for something else now.

@ Hurryup. You’ll hear something soon I did 3 wks after my checks came back , got a start date another 6 wks further but it’s something . Send them an email saying you want to know when you’ll start because you want to plan a holiday and do not want to do it and it clashes with your training. 3 days after I got a start date

Do they accommodate holidays already booked? I told them via email in February that I’ve got 2 weeks booked in the summer whilst checks were ongoing.

I'd you're through the checks and waiting for LM to contact you, definitely chase them and get them to commit to a start date.

People are really pre occupied with Brexit just now so don't worry too much.

LP1988 you will need to tell your LM about your hol when agreeing a start date. Guarantee the info about your holiday won't have been communicated to them! I'd imagine they will accommodate it no problem.

Chevonn thanks, good idea to mention holidays and needing to book. I do really need to plan time off, in the summer, and DH needs to know when to book too.

I meant to mention that Line Manager has been been chased apparently. Not sure what to make of that.

I don't mind waiting for a date, I just want something formalised so I can start working my notice.

Sorry, I'm being a right toddler. It been aaaages, I just want to start. Waaaaah!

Isleepinahedgefund I do wonder if Brexit is hampering things.