Custodial

Careers inside prison

A career inside in our custodial environment means working face to face with people who have offended.  You will be aiming to engage and positively motivate people during their sentence to ensure safety and improve their oranga while they are with us.

Are you a good fit?

You could already be ready for a career inside our custodial environment. Here are some of the key skills and attributes we look for.

Communication

Good communicator and able to relate to diverse groups of people

Role model

Positive role model and able to motivate others

Integrity

High integrity and can work under pressure

Critical thinker

Critical thinker with high resilience

Dependable

Dependable, honest and a team player

“A great day for me is when an offender comes back into the unit buzzing because they've passed a course. Their thanks to me for encouraging them makes me proud.”

Moses - Corrections Officer

Why choose us?

  • Whānau support
  • A strong start
  • Career progression
  • Sites Nationwide

Our teams are based on developing supportive and nurturing relationships. Our front line team work closely with one another to ensure everyone remains safe and well-supported to carry out their work. Outside of your direct team, there are health & safety advocates, welfare officers, helplines and external partners so you're never short of awhi, care, and support.

To get you off to a good start you'll join with other new staff from around the country beginning their careers with Corrections. The Ara Tika programme is delivered from Upper Hutt at Corrections’ National Learning Centre and is an opportunity for you to learn core skills, develop a network of peers and be welcomed to the whānau. We'll arrange and pay for travel, accommodation, and meals while you're away from home.

After your initial training, there are opportunities to progress up through the ranks into more senior or specialised roles. Given the scale of our organisation, there's also ample ability to move into service development projects at our regional or national offices to shape our mahi.

We have over 18 sites nationwide so you can work in a community that matters to you.

Who we are

Corrections Officer

Corrections officers (Āpiha Whare Herehere) spend much of their time working in their unit with offenders and can have a huge impact on influencing change through their day to day interaction.

Case Management

Work with offenders to develop plans and ensure access to the treatments and programmes they need at the right level, at the right time.


Education & Instructors

Work with prisoners to help them gain new skills and qualifications to improve their chances of finding real jobs when they finish their sentence and return to the community.

Programme Facilitator

Run therapeutic programmes to help offenders understand their story, what led to their offending, and to take responsibility and motivate the change of their thoughts and behaviours.

How we hire

  • 1. Apply
  • 2. Checks & Screening
  • 3. Meeting you
  • 4. Final Checks
  • 5. Getting Started

Apply online through our website — you'll answer relevant screening questions and upload your CV and a Cover Letter.

Because of the nature of our work and the high standards of integrity we carry out a number of checks. The types depend on what role you're applying for but typically include criminal conviction checks, an online interview and psychometric assessments.

We'll want to meet you in person and will invite you to come in. We'll do this through an interview, assessment centre, or an onsite job preview. 

We'll work with you to finalise details which may including Medical, Fitness and Drug testing.  We’ll also reach out to your referees to talk to them about your previous work and the skills you have.

Welcome to the whānau! From here we'll sort out getting you ready to start work. For all of our offender facing roles, this includes a comprehensive training programme to support offenders to change their behaviour and to keep yourself and your new team safe.