Civil Service administrator : Employers and vacancy sources

It is a common misconception that civil servants are all based in London. In fact only around one in five work in the capital, the rest being employed in a variety of settings throughout the rest of the UK, including ports, tax offices, laboratories and at sea. They also work in a wide range of occupations, including training, social research, marketing and international development.

For a comprehensive list of departments and agencies, including the European Civil Service, see the Civil Service Jobs  website. Vacancies may be advertised in any government department including:

• Cabinet Office   
• Home Office   
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)  
• Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)  
• Department for Education  
• Ministry of Defence (MoD)   
• HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)  

See individual websites for further details about each department.

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• Civil Service Jobs  - searchable database.
• Guardian Jobs  
• Times Online  
• The Daily Telegraph Jobs  
• The Economist  - for more senior roles.

Individual departments will usually recruit through adverts in local or national newspapers and on their own websites.

Some government departments, such as the Defence Engineering and Science Group (DESG) , HM Treasury , The Highways Agency (HA)  and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) , offer graduate recruitment schemes.

Get tips on job hunting, CVs and covering letters and interviews.