Social Research Scheme 2023

The Government Social Research – Research Officer Scheme 2023 will open for applications on Monday 20 February 2023 at midday, closing on Monday 13 March 2023 at 11:55 AM. Please follow this page for further updates.

The role will be advertised on Civil Service Jobs - Vacancy ID 263303.

Location: London and various

What would I do?

Government social researchers play a critical role in gathering analysing and interpreting the information that forms the foundation for decision-making affecting every UK resident. As a Research Officer working for a civil service organisation you can contribute to the reporting of social trends, the development of government policy and evaluation of how policies make a difference to public services. Your work might involve developing surveys, analysing data, producing statistics, reviewing existing research evidence and working with other analysts in government to provide timely, relevant and robust briefing for policy colleagues and Ministers.

What qualifications do I need?

GSR members come from a range of social science related backgrounds. A qualifying degree is one which contains substantial social research methods training (comprising around one third of modules taken in the course) including quantitative research methods and at least three of the following: systematic/literature reviews; qualitative methods; interpretation of data and presentation of results; study design and hypothesis testing; and application of ethics to research.

There are two entry routes – the Qualification Route and the Experience Route.

Qualification Route Eligibility Criteria

You are eligible to apply for this route if you meet the following criteria:

• you need, or should expect, to achieve a minimum of a 2:2 in your undergraduate degree in a relevant subject; or a 2:2 in any subject with a postgraduate degree in a relevant subject.
• the qualifying degree must contain a minimum of 30% in social research methods covering all the criteria outlined below (it is not sufficient to hold the majority in one area – coverage across all areas is required)
• if you satisfy both the Nationality and Right to work: Immigration requirements.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to demonstrate these criteria clearly on application.

A new candidate pack for 2023 will be published shortly.

Experience Route Eligibility Criteria

• hold an undergraduate degree, at a minimum of 2:2 in any subject; And at have at least 4 years social research practice experience.
• social research practice experience consists of experience working in a research agency, market research agency or specialist research team.
• to apply via this route, you must make explicit the breadth and depth of your research experience and skills, which must include the social research method degree content criteria noted in the qualification route section. You need to provide evidence of quantitative research methods and three of the following: systematic/literature reviews; qualitative methods; interpretation of data and presentation of results; study design and hypothesis testing; and application of ethics to research.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to demonstrate these criteria clearly on their application. Please ensure you indicate the number of credits associated with the relevant modules covering your social research methods training. We receive a high volume of applications for the scheme, so please ensure you are clear and concise in outlining the relevant modules for consideration.

Social Research Method Degree Content Criteria

To qualify as a relevant subject, a degree must include quantitative research methods including research design, data collection (i.e. questionnaire design, sampling, weighting) and data analysis (e.g. statistical analysis).

It must also include at least three of the following:

• qualitative methods, including research design, data collection (i.e. interviewing, focus groups, ethnographic), data analysis (e.g. thematic analysis)
• study design, hypothesis formation, testing and evaluation
• systematic/literature reviews
• interpretation of data (qualitative and quantitative), presentation of results, provision of recommendations/ conclusions
• application of ethics to research

Knowledge test

You will be invited to attend a GSR Knowledge Test after the closing date. Full details of this test will be provided to candidates who reach this stage.

The Interview

This will consist of a blended interview, which should take approximately an hour including a 5 minute presentation with follow up questions to assess your technical professional skills as a Social Researcher, in line with the whole GSR Technical Framework at RO level. At interview you will also be asked questions based on the following Civil Service Behaviours: Working Together, Managing a Quality Service, Communicating and Influencing.

The Civil Service Behaviours framework can be found here and further guidance on Success Profiles can be found on Civil Service Jobs here.

An example of a Behavioural question would be: Tell me about a time when you’ve had to deal with a difficult customer. It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in, and use the WHO or STAR model to explain: What was the task, How you approached the work/situation and what the Outcomes were, what did you achieve? Or What was the Situation? That were the Tasks? What Action did you take? What were the Results of your actions?

Nationality requirements

The Civil Service Nationality Rules are written into law, they are exempt from the Equality Act 2010 and must be followed. They outline who can and cannot work in the Civil Service.

In summary from 1st January 2021 broadly the following groups will be able to work in the non-reserved posts within the Civil Service:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• EEA nationals with (or eligible for) status under the EUSS
• Relevant EEA or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• Relevant EEA or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• Certain family members of the relevant EU & Turkish nationals

A reserved post can be filled only by UK Nationals. A non-reserved post is open to nationals from the countries and associations of countries outlined above. These posts are non-reserved posts.

If you fail to follow these rules the appointment will be deemed illegal. Your appointee’s employment will be terminated with immediate effect.

GRS check candidates against the nationality rules as part of the pre-employment.

Right to work: Immigration requirements

You must have the right to work in the United Kingdom and meet the Immigration and Visa requirements for the scheme.

Further details can be found on the Gov.uk Visas and Immigration page

Before the appointment of the successful candidate can be confirmed, the Department will undertake background security checks. As part of this, we will need to confirm your identity, course details over the past three years (or employment details if you were in employment), nationality and immigration status, and criminal record (unspent convictions only).

All employees must meet the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). This is a series of basic security checks to confirm identity, right to work in the UK, employment history & where relevant, details of any criminal record. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed.

Additionally, some roles within the Government will require you to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC), or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment.

To meet CTC, SC or DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3, 5 or 10 years prior to the date of application (the level of checks that are required are stated in the advert; more information on the levels can be found here ). If you do not satisfy the residency criteria, an application may be submitted and a decision will be made on a case by case basis; consideration will be given to where you lived, how long you were out of the UK and why you were abroad.

If you are applying for a role requiring security clearance, please be aware that foreign or dual nationality is not an automatic bar. However certain posts may have restrictions which could affect those who do not have sole British nationality or who have personal connections with certain countries outside the UK.

All offers of employment are conditional on successful completion of BPSS and National Security Vetting. Candidates should not resign from their current job until these checks have been successfully completed.

Allocation to a GSR department

You will be assigned into a department for your first posting within the GSR, with an expectation of staying in this department for two years.

We will take into consideration candidates’ preferences on department/location but may not be able to fulfil these on all occasions. It is worth noting that any role in the Civil Service will be a rewarding opportunity.

How much would I earn?

Salaries vary between departments. The average starting salary in London is about £29,000.

The Civil Service is committed to becoming the most inclusive employer in the UK.

We are committed to understanding, respecting and representing as broad a range of views and backgrounds as we have in UK society. We know that diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to an effective, modern Civil Service. Our vision is to ensure the Civil Service represents modern Britain and is a truly inclusive employer - an example to other employers. We will create an organisation where diversity is not only respected and valued - but celebrated.

What is in it for me?

We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us - regardless of background. If you are interested in developing your career with us – starting with this interesting and challenging role – or doing things differently and inspiring colleagues, then the Civil Service is the place for you. Our passion for diversity and equality means creating a work environment for all employees that is welcoming, respectful, engaging, and enriched with opportunities for personal and professional development.

What is next?

You’ve taken the first step and looked through this page to understand the skills and experience needed to perform this role. Now join us in achieving our ambitions and let us help you achieve yours. A Brilliant Civil Service: becoming the UK’s most inclusive employer

Under the terms of the Equality Act 2010, we will always consider making reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged in the recruitment and selection process. We are therefore committed to meeting, wherever possible, any needs you specify in your application. We will also consider any reasonable adjustments under the terms of the Act to enable any applicant with a disability (as defined under the Act) to meet the requirements of the post.

How to Apply

The Government Social Research – Research Officer Scheme 2023 will open for applications on Monday 20 February 2023 at midday, closing on Monday 13 March 2023 at 11:55 AM. The role will be advertised on Civil Service Jobs - Vacancy ID 263303.

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Complaints procedure

Complaints must be submitted in writing or email and addressed to:

gesrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Please provide the fullest account possible of the circumstances surrounding your complaint.

If you do not submit your complaint within a year after the campaign took place, we will not be obliged to consider it.

Our commitment to you

• we will aim to acknowledge your complaint within three working days of its receipt
• we will take your complaint seriously, give it high priority and investigate it fully and impartially
• we will aim to send you a full written response to your complaint within 20 working days of its receipt. If this is not possible, we will let you know, and explain why
• if your complaint is upheld, we shall take action to ensure that the event complained does not recur
• if your complaint is not upheld, we will advise you of options for pursuing it further, should you wish to do so

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil service code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria