Tuesday 22 March 2022

Gregory Wilson, "The Civil Service Fast Stream - Career Opportunities"

On Thursday 31 March 2022, 10-11am (online via MS-Teams), there will be a special guest talk and Q&A by members of the Civil Service Fast Stream, working across government. The presenters will talk through the application process, their experiences on the Fast Stream and careers in the Civil Service more generally. You can read more about the Civil Service Fast Stream in a special blog post by a Leicester University graduate below. 


About the Civil Service Fast Stream, by Gregory Wilson



The Civil Service Fast Stream is The Times Top 100 number 1 Graduate Employer for the third year running! It is also a Disability Confident Leader Employer, and prominent on the Social Mobility Employer Index.

My name is Gregory Wilson, I studied my English BA at the University of Leicester, starting in 2014 and graduating in 2018. I wasn’t entirely sure what to do next, and after doing some work for a restaurant and then a year in local government I applied for the Fast Stream and was accepted into the 2020 cohort, starting in October of that year.

The stream I was accepted onto was the Finance Fast Stream, but it is worth mentioning there are fifteen different streams to apply for, with some changing each year. From English to Finance was a bit of a change in direction, but that just goes to show the varied skills they look for in each stream: you don’t have to know finance to start finance … Believe me!

Many of the streams offer qualifications alongside. For the Finance Fast Stream, you have an option of several routes into becoming a Chartered Accountant with the study support and the course funded, alongside a competitive salary. There are also several other streams that offer industry-relevant qualifications which can really give you a kickstart in a new career.

You will be placed on year-long postings and rotated to different departments and locations. This is one of the most exciting parts of the scheme for me - the opportunity to work within different departments, with different teams. Experiencing the diverse work accomplished within the Civil Service is a fantastic experience.

My first posting was with the Home Office. Starting during a pandemic meant I joined and left the team having never been into the office or met any colleagues face to face! Despite this, it was still a positive experience, and working from home was well facilitated and seamless. But it must be said, I am far happier on my current hybrid working arrangement at the Department for Transport, coming into the office and seeing colleagues in person.

The applications for starting this September/October are closed, but will open again for the 2023 intake in September. There are very useful FAQs on the website here.

For me this has been a life-changing opportunity to do work that makes a difference and train for a very relevant skillset, I hope there is something it can offer you, or maybe someone you know.



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