I’d always worked in retail and had never really thought about joining Border Force. I was looking for a career with stability and a new challenge and my husband encouraged me to look into it. I didn’t know much about what Border Force did, other than what I’d seen on TV. However, it really is so much more than that!
I currently work within International Trade, which means that I deal with goods that are being imported to and exported from the UK. The job is really varied; one day I might be checking drugs licences for pharmaceutical goods and the next I can be going to a holding facility and seizing fake football shirts or handbags.
I have also had the opportunity to work with other parts of Border Force as well as external bodies like Police, Trading Standards and National Crime Agency. This has enabled me to see loads of different things and interact with many different people in many different ways. It really is an interesting job, and it has already given me ideas for my future career.
There are also distinct benefits to working in Border Force. The obvious ones are your pay, pension, maternity leave, a secure job, lots of career opportunities and so on. However, the less obvious ones include the wide range of staff support networks (race, gender, LGBTI+, disability etc) as well as your incredibly supportive colleagues.
For example, I was diagnosed as Autistic just 3 months before starting with Border Force. I was worried that this might affect my new job as I had come from an unsupportive work environment. However, on discussing my Autism with managers and colleagues the level of support I have had is phenomenal and I’ve been really impressed with their response. Here I am ‘differently abled’ not ‘disabled’.
If you’ve read through this, and are considering a future in Border Force, my advice would be to just go for it. This is a rewarding and diverse job where you can be confident in who you are, know that your work is appreciated and that the job you do is supporting and protecting the public. You’ll also make loads of new friends.
