These are some of the questions HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are asked most frequently.
Do you have an age limit for applications?
How does your organisation view maternity breaks and caring for dependants?
Is relevant work experience needed before I apply to join HMRC?
Will my political views affect my chances of getting a job with you?
Are there secondment opportunities - is it possible to transfer between departments?
Can I transfer my existing pension?
Civil Service Commissioners Code Complaints
No. HMRC welcome applications from eligible candidates of any age. If your application is successful, they will need your date of birth for administrative purposes. This information is used only by administrators and is not available to anyone involved in the actual selection process.
HMRC take each individual request on its own merits, they base entitlements to time of for ante-natal care and maternity leave on statutory requirements. Partners, including same sex partners, are entitled to two weeks paid paternity leave.
HMRC also have a scheme, open to both men and women, which allows you to take up to five years unpaid special leave to care for someone close to you, subject to management discretion and business needs.
No. HMRC are looking to your future, not your past, so even if you don't have any work experience, their selection process looks at your capabilities and potential and evidence of skills that could have been gained anywhere.
No. Your political views aren't important. However, once you join HMRC, you'll be subject to restrictions on national and local political activities. These include standing as a candidate in a parliamentary election, canvassing on behalf of candidates and expressing views on matters of political controversy in public speeches or publications.
HMRC don't have a formal dress code but smart casual is quite acceptable. When meeting the public you are representing the department and should dress smartly.
Yes. There are limited opportunities for loans to other Government departments and secondments outside the UK Civil Service and overseas. These are advertised internally but any application must be supported by the business area you work in.
If you have pension benefits in the scheme of a former employer or in a personal/stakeholder pension plan, but not AVC (Additional Voluntary Contribution Schemes) plans, you may be able to transfer them into the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS). The transfer value will buy a credit of reckonable service or pension credit in the CSPS.
The scheme has discretion to refuse a transfer if it is deemed to be insufficient to cover the cost of your guaranteed minimum pension, if the transferring scheme is unable to comply with CSPS requirements or if you do not make your application within the relevant time limit. You can get further information from the Civil Service Pensions website (see link below).
Civil Service Pensions website (Opens new window)
HMRC recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Recruitment Principles (see link below).
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Code and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact the Recruitment Delivery Team via email to jobs.hmrc@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners. Please ensure that any emails include the subject 'Commissioners Complaints' in the title.
