Civil Service Fast Stream

The "Fast Stream" is the accelerated development programme from the Civil Service for graduates. Those who join the Fast Stream are guaranteed a series of job placements designed to prepare them for senior managerial positions within the organisation. Fast Streamers move between projects and sections within their departments at intervals of between 12-18 months; unlike in other professions, there are no set dates for rotation but rotations take place when convenient. After completing two years in a department, you may be able to switch to another department as a Fast Streamer but this requires permission from your home department.

Application Requirements

The Civil Service require a minimum of a 2:2 in any degree discipline from graduate applicants. Generally you must also be a UK or EU National. The Civil Service look for particular competencies from graduate applicants. Graduates must be: results oriented; decisive; good at relationship building; good at making an impact; professional and have flexible thinking.

Both the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development have said that they are looking for people who have got a lot more than the school to college to university standard background. The Department for International Development are looking for people with operational experience in particular. Experience living/working in a developing country, multiple language skills and specific international economic knowledge would be useful for applicants to have.

There is a comprehensive vetting procedure, which asks for details of every job you've had in the previous three years, every country that you've visited and any serious illness that you've had.

Applying

When deciding which department to apply to, think about which policy area interests you the most rather than the department of state itself. Some departments may sound more interesting or exciting than others, but it is most important for you to be happy about the policy area you will be working on, than anything else.

The Foreign Office, Ministry of Defence and the Treasury are all departments where overall strategy is generally quite consistent each year. If you look at some of the other departments at the Civil Service, you will find that several policy areas are still evolving. Working in these areas may be more exciting and stimulating, and can provide you with more scope to make decisions that directly effect policy.

Applying for the Foreign Office, Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defense

Almost every candidate favours these departments when applying to the Civil Service. Many people do not get placed in these departments though, commonly because few people understand what working for them really entails or what skills these departments are looking for.

Getting into the Foreign Office and Department for International Development is even more competitive than just getting on the Fast Stream (where just one in one hundred applicants get the job) so it is very important for applicants to do their research. Applicants must also be highly skilled and have a very good academic record.

Departments - Where will I end up?

The process by which the Civil Service place graduates in departments is highly complicated. It is a hard process to manage, which is why candidates may not always end up in the department they have applied to.

Each year HR departments from the ministries submit the number of fast stream vacancies that they anticipate for the coming year, and inform the Cabinet Office. As and when these vacancies come through, the Cabinet Office try to match them up with applicants. The civil service is very varied: departments have different security rules, annual-leave allocations and training budgets.

Although applications are made to all departments, a Fast Streamer's home department treats him/her as their own resource. Moving across departments can be complicated and subject to vetoes by the head of department or line manager. It is particularly difficult when the offices are located in different cities.

Those recruited under the Graduate FastStream are referred to as "policy workers" and are overwhelmingly concentrated in London. Economists, operational researchers and statisticians are grouped as "analysts"; if the department has offices outside London, the analysts are likely to be concentrated there. This reflects the closer contact policy workers have with Ministers; the changeable nature of their work requires proximity to the government.

Deferring

For the graduate fast stream, you can only defer under certain circustances: to take part in the Teach First programme, to complete a qualification or course, or due to specific extenuating personal reasons.

Secondments

Gus O'Donnell, the current head of the civil service, has promoted the taking of secondments outside government to broaden the experience of staff. However, the public-sector cuts have made secondments difficult to obtain. You are not allowed to go on a secondment for the first two years of your job.

Opportunities for secondment are advertised through internal e-mails and may be addressed only to Fast Streamers. The usual practice is for your home department to continue to pay you and manage rights at work.

Training

Departments vary in terms of the training they provide or want you to follow. This really depends on the culture of your HR people. In some departments it is up to the individual fast streamer to make the business case for specific training (such as an MA) and to convince the department to fund this from their training allowance. Fast Streamers in some departments have training budgets of £3000 per year, whereas those in other departments may have no set budget and be expected to justify the need to go on any training.

The National School of Government is the civil service's internal training centre, which provides courses on working with ministers and the structure of government as well as on analytical skills for economists, operational researchers and statisticians. However, the NSG's future is uncertain given the scale of the public-sector spending cuts. Westminster Explained is an independent training provider used by civil servants, as they provide courses on the nature of government and on current departmental policies. Civil servants may attend short university courses and seminars of professional bodies on subjects relevant to their work.

Some departments offer specific training courses, such as "An Introduction to Parliament, Government and the Civil Service".

Working Culture

Working hours and environment varies hugely across departments. In some cases, Fast Streamers seldom have to stay late and have as many as 30 days of annual leave. In other cases, FastStreamers are given deadlines to meet on a daily basis and have as few as 23 days of annual leave. The most intense environment to work in is a minister's private office, in which working hours are very long and you may be disciplined robustly for any mistakes, as they have such important consequences. However, many FastStreamers who work in private office enjoy being at the heart of government and say that it's the reason why they chose to join the civil service. The pace of work tends to be slower in offices outside London.

All departments have 10.5 "privilege days". In addition to the 8 bank holidays, they receive a day off in lieu of the Queen's birthday, an extra day off in the Christmas period and a half-day for Maundy Thursday. In Scotland, St. Andrew's Day is also a privilege day. All departments have flexi-time and comprehensive pension programmes.

Further Information

• Civil Service Graduate Fast Stream Interview Process