Occupation 3314 · Associate professional occupations
Prison service officers (below principal officer) direct, co-ordinate and participate in guarding inmates and maintaining discipline in prisons and other detention centres.
There are no formal academic requirements for entry, but candidates must pass a pre-entry test and full medical examination. Basic training is followed by a 12 month probationary period during which further on-the-job training is provided. Background checks are required for entrants, and there are generally nationality restrictions and a lower age limit of 18 years.
Custodial manager · Prison custodial officer · Prison escort officer · Prison officer · Prison warden
| Measure | Hours | Basis | Period | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | None | 2026-03 | 32,000.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | None | 2026-03 | 33,700.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | None | 2026-03 | 38,400.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | None | 2026-03 | — | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) Not published: Estimate is less than 500 |
| 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | None | 2026-03 | 4,700.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | None | 2026-03 | 38,500.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | None | 2026-03 | 1,700.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.
| Region | Measure | Hours | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | 6,000.00 | 2026-03 |
| East Midlands | 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | 4,000.00 | 2026-03 |
| London | 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | 1,300.00 | 2026-03 |
| North East | 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | 4,600.00 | 2026-03 |
| North West | 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | 3,400.00 | 2026-03 |
| Northern Ireland | 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| Scotland | 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | 4,700.00 | 2026-03 |
| South East | 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | 5,700.00 | 2026-03 |
| South West | 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | 1,000.00 | 2026-03 |
| Wales | 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | 1,700.00 | 2026-03 |
| West Midlands | 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | 2,800.00 | 2026-03 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 3314 : Prison service officers (below principal officer) | None | 3,200.00 | 2026-03 |
ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 11 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.
Fire service officers (watch manager and below) · Non-commissioned officers and other ranks · Police officers (sergeant and below) · Protective service associate professionals n.e.c.