As a Civil Service organisation, we must ensure that we are employing people entitled to work in the UK and that our employees have the honesty, integrity and values needed for government-related work.
Read more about your eligibility to work with us below.
The Civil Service Nationality Rules govern eligibility for employment in the Civil Service on the grounds of nationality and must therefore be followed by the SPS in our recruitment and appointment procedures.
In accordance with Civil Service Nationality Rules, from the 1st January 2021, the following groups will be able to work in the non-reserved posts within the Civil Service:
There are certain very limited exceptions to the general prohibition on the employment of nationals from other countries. For more information, access the full Civil Service Nationality Rules.
Eligibility for employment by the SPS will be checked at the initial stages of the recruitment process and verified prior to any formal offer of employment being made.
Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exclusions and Exceptions) (Scotland) Order 2003 (as amended), the SPS is listed as an exempted employment. The SPS is therefore entitled to request details of all convictions that are not “protected convictions” during the recruitment or vetting process. During the application process, applicants will not be asked to disclose any information to SPS in relation to criminal convictions, with the exception of:
Information regarding any live criminal investigations, live charges or pending outcomes. This will not automatically lead to rejection, however, should the applicant be successful, consideration will be given to the nature and circumstances of the case as part of the pre-employment checks.
On completion of the recruitment process, an Enhanced Disclosure Scotland or a PVG scheme certificate will be requested by SPS for successful candidates as part of the pre-employment checks.
On receipt of the Disclosure Scotland/PVG Scheme certificate, where any criminal convictions or other relevant information is disclosed, this will be discussed with the applicant and further details regarding the circumstances of the conviction may be requested from the applicant. The application may at that stage be rejected.
The criminal convictions criteria defined in this guidance must be used to assess each applicant on an individual basis. It is not an exhaustive list. There may be circumstances where an individual does not fall within the criteria, but whose suspected involvement in crime, or criminal associations make an offer of employment inappropriate.
During the vetting process the SPS will undertake a Disclosure Scotland application on your behalf to verify your eligibility for employment in relation to our Criminal Conviction criteria.