You could do a college course in public services which would teach you some of the skills needed in this role. After you finish your course, you could apply for a trainee assistant immigration officer post.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

You could do a Public Service Operational Delivery Officer Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship with the Civil Service.

This usually takes between a year and a year and a half to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

You could apply to join the Civil Service as an assistant immigration officer. You'll usually need at least 5 GCSEs, including English and maths.

When you apply, you'll need to:

• describe your skills and life experience on an application form
• complete tests of your literacy and numeracy skills
• take further selection tests and have an interview

You'll need:

• excellent verbal communication skills
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• customer service skills
• knowledge of English language
• thinking and reasoning skills
• excellent written communication skills
• the ability to work well with others
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

You'll need to:

• be a UK citizen
• pass enhanced background checks
• pass security checks
• pass a medical check
• have a full driving licence

As an assistant immigration officer you could:

• check passports, work permits and take fingerprints
• interview people entering the UK
• help immigration officers with surveillance work
• arrange to remove people who are not allowed to stay in the UK
• issue forms and carry out clerical work
• handle enquiries

You could work at a border post, at an airport, in an office, at a port or at an outreach centre.

You may need to wear a uniform.