I Want to Work In … the Emergency Services

PROFILE: Police Officer

INVOLVES: Prevention & detection of crime. Investigating, crimes & incidents. Interviewing suspects. Preparation of prosecution files. Checking premises. Controlling traffic. Maintaining good relations with the public.
EMPLOYERS: All UK Home Office police forces, British Transport Police, Armed Forces (Military Police)
RELATED JOBS: fire officer, Armed Forces, prison officer, customs officer, immigration officer, probation officer.
SATISFACTIONS: Helping the public via detecting crime. Helping in other ways e.g. helping to save life at accident scenes. ‘In the last six months I've stopped one person from jumping off a bridge over the M4 motorway, & another person from throwing herself in front of a train. As a Police Officer you often make a big impact on people's lives.'
NEGATIVES: Unsocial hours. Danger. It is not only criminals who don't like the police: the physical & verbal violence/abuse that groups of drunks, football fans, protestors etc give you as an officer can take some getting used to.
SKILLS: spoken communication, persuading, co-operating, investigating, listening, physical and mental fitness.
ADVANCEMENT: Promotion on merit. Promotion to Sergeant after minimum 2 years as a PC & passing a two stage exam. Promotion from Sergeant to Inspector after minimum 2 years as Sgt. & having passed two part exam. Thereafter, promotion offered when posts become available & you fulfil selection criteria. Promotion prospects for graduates are good, but must be prepared to start at the bottom.
DEGREE: Any degree.
POSTGRADUATE STUDY: Not required for entry, but forces may sponsor Masters study in areas such as criminology or law.
VACANCY SOURCES: See police forces' websites for recruitment information.
TIPS: Potential applicants should contact serving officers & speak with them. Apply early in your final year for any vacancies advertised at that time, as recruitment can be a long process due to security checks etc.
See also the Prospects Occupational Profile www.prospects.ac.uk/links/polofficer

In Heaven:

The cooks are French,
the policemen English,
the mechanics German,
the lovers Italian,
and the bankers are Swiss.

In Hell:

The cooks are English,
the policemen German,
the mechanics French,
the lovers Swiss,
and the bankers are Italian.

PROFILE: Operational Fire Officer

INVOLVES:

• Operational duties: fire fighting, road accidents, chemical spillages, etc
• Maintaining equipment.
• Responsibilities for watch training, discipline, fitness.
• Responsibilities for equipment maintenance.
• Analytical work related with brigade projects.
• Enforcing fire safety regulations.
• Promoting fire safety.

EMPLOYERS: local authority fire authorities, airports, army, RAF, large manufacturing companies.
RELATED JOBS: police, armed forces, paramedic.
SATISFACTIONS: Achievement of operational command, helping others, not office bound.
NEGATIVES: Periods of relative inactivity, shift work, sometimes dangerous.
SKILLS: cooperating, practical skills. decision making. Must be physically fit.
ADVANCEMENT: All entrants join the service as recruit firefighters before being employed as operational firefighters. Opportunities for promotion are good, and you can become involved in more specialist duties such as fire safety, fire investigation and research and development
DEGREE: Degree not necessary.
POSTGRADUATE STUDY: Not applicable.
TIPS: Very competitive to enter. Arrange a visit to your local fire station.

PROFILE: Paramedic

Provides medical assistance at accidents and emergencies. Responds to emergency calls. Diagnoses injuries and gives treatment. Drives patients to hospital. Reports details of patients to hospital staff.
EMPLOYERS: NHS trusts, private ambulance services, armed forces.
SATISFACTIONS: Helping people. Lots of variety.
NEGATIVES: unsocial hours, pay not high, work can be highly stressful. Can sometimes get ungrateful or aggressive patients.
SKILLS: driving, teamwork, caring personality, good under pressure, physical fitness.
DEGREE: not required.
TIPS: Join as an Ambulance Care Assistant or Ambulance Technician and then apply for paramedic training. Lots of competition for jobs. Experience of life saving techniques or with St. John Ambulance or Red Cross helpful.