NIPS Custody Prison Officer Recruitment: Process and Pay

The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) recruits its own officers, called Custody Prison Officers (CPOs). Its process is separate from HMPPS in England and Wales and from the Scottish Prison Service. Applications are handled through NICS Recruitment, the Northern Ireland Civil Service recruitment service.

NIPS publishes less detail about its selection process than the other UK services. This guide sets out what the published sources do say, is clear about what they don't, and offers practical preparation advice that holds up whatever the exact format turns out to be.

Recruitment is campaign-based

NIPS does not recruit continuously. It runs campaigns, opening applications for a set period. The most recent CPO campaign (reference IRC323228) closed at 12 noon on Friday 17 July 2026.

If you are reading this between campaigns:

• keep an eye on the Department of Justice prison service jobs page and NICS Recruitment;
• get your documents, employment history and referees ready now;
• start the fitness and preparation work below, so you are ready to apply as soon as the next campaign opens.

The 2026 campaign covered two kinds of post:

• CPO Operational, the standard custody prison officer role;
• CPO Trades, for qualified plumbers, electricians and joiners working in prison trades departments.

Vacancies were offered across all NIPS establishments: Maghaberry Prison, Magilligan Prison and Hydebank Wood College and Women's Prison.

Pay and allowances

The 2026 campaign advertised:

Item	Amount
Salary	£32,510 to £42,725 a year (stated as "under review")
Risk allowance	£4,284 a year
Boot allowance	£92.80 a year

Because the salary was marked as under review, check the candidate information for the campaign you apply to before relying on these figures.

The selection process

In a written answer to the Northern Ireland Assembly (AQW 48002/22-27, June 2026), the Justice Minister described the NIPS selection process as including:

1. Online aptitude testing
2. A physical fitness assessment
3. A Skills and Behaviours Assessment Centre

Successful candidates then complete a 12-week induction programme at the Prison Service College, which includes practical training and job shadowing. The same answer said 533 people had been recruited into operational roles since June 2021.

What we could not confirm

The pages we checked do not publish:

• which aptitude tests are used, how many questions there are or how long they last;
• the fitness assessment standards;
• the exercises at the Skills and Behaviours Assessment Centre;
• pass marks.

These details are normally set out in the candidate information booklet for each NICS campaign. Read it carefully when the campaign opens, because it is the only reliable guide to that year's format. Be wary of any website that claims to know the exact NIPS test content without pointing to a current source.

Who NIPS wants to hear from

All applications are considered strictly on the basis of merit. NIPS also specifically welcomes applications from groups currently under-represented in its workforce, including Roman Catholics, women, people under 35, people with disabilities and people from minority ethnic backgrounds.

The role description is honest about the job. Prisons are complex places, many people in custody have a history of offending, and some live with mental illness or addiction. The rewarding part, NIPS says, is the chance to challenge and support people to change. Interviewers and assessors will be looking for evidence that you understand both sides of that.

How to prepare when the format isn't published

You can still prepare well, because the skills behind each stage are predictable.

Online aptitude testing

"Aptitude testing" usually means some mix of numerical, verbal and judgement-based questions. Until the booklet confirms the format:

• Numerical: refresh percentages, ratios, simple averages and reading tables. Work without a calculator first, then check.
• Verbal: practise reading short passages and deciding what is definitely true, definitely false or can't be told.
• Judgement: think through how a fair, calm officer would handle common situations, such as a disagreement over a request, a person in custody who is distressed, or a conflict between two people.

Short, regular sessions are more effective than cramming.

Physical fitness assessment

The standards aren't published on the pages we checked, but most prison fitness tests in the UK combine some form of running endurance, grip strength and upper-body endurance (for example holding a shield). A sensible base programme is:

• running three times a week, including one interval session;
• grip work such as dead hangs and farmer's carries;
• shoulder and upper-back work such as press-ups, rows and holding a weight at chest height.

When the booklet gives the actual standards, adjust your training to match them.

Skills and Behaviours Assessment Centre

Whatever the exact exercises are, assessors will want to see the behaviours of a good custody officer:

• Communication: clear, respectful, and able to calm a situation down.
• Decision-making: safe and fair, following procedure, involving others when needed.
• Resilience: staying composed under pressure.
• Respect and integrity: treating everyone fairly, whatever their background.

Prepare four or five real examples from your own life that show these, such as handling a difficult customer, supporting someone vulnerable, sticking to a rule under pressure, or working in a team through a busy period. For each one, be ready to explain the situation, what you did and what happened as a result.

If role-play or written exercises are included, practise speaking to an upset person for ten minutes without losing your calm, and practise writing a short, factual, time-ordered account of an incident.

Will practice for the English and Welsh tests help?

Our practice material is designed around the HMPPS process in England and Wales, not NIPS, and we can't tell you that it matches the NIPS tests, because NIPS doesn't publish them. What does carry over is the general skill set: judging prison scenarios, working through numeracy quickly and accurately, writing clear incident accounts and giving structured interview answers. If that's useful to you, our free practice questions are a no-cost way to try it.

Quick checklist for the next campaign

• Sign up for alerts from NICS Recruitment and check the DoJ prison service jobs page.
• Read the candidate information booklet in full as soon as it is published.
• Note the closing date and time. The last one closed at noon, not midnight.
• Start fitness training now.
• Prepare four or five real behaviour examples.
• Gather ID, employment history and referee details.

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prisonofficertest.co.uk is an independent practice site. It is not affiliated with HMPPS, the Ministry of Justice, the Scottish Prison Service, the Northern Ireland Prison Service or any prison operator. Always check your own invitation and the recruiter's current guidance.