Thinking of working for us? Here’s what you need to know about pay, pensions, holidays and other benefits.
We offer a wide range of benefits to all of our employees. We look after your health and wellbeing, support activities outside of work and help you to plan for your retirement.
We want you to get the most from your time here at the Charity for Civil Servants.
Pay and financial benefits
We pay you fairly
We believe in rewarding employees fairly for the work they do. That’s why we evaluate all salaries using three types of benchmarking – internally; real-time externally; and with an industry specific tool using the UK’s most comprehensive online salary database.
A generous pension
We offer all staff access to a Defined Contribution GPP Pension Scheme on a generous matched and doubled basis between 6% and 14% (employer). For example, if you make a 3% contribution, we will contribute 6%, all the way up to us contributing a maximum of 14% in exchange for you contributing 7%.
Season tickets
Once you’ve passed probation, we offer an interest-free loan to cover the cost of season tickets for travel to work. The loan is then paid back on a monthly basis via a payroll deduction.
High street discounts
You can access some amazing discounts from various high street and online retailers through our health cash plan.
Value Awards
Value Awards are nominated by staff, to recognise colleagues who have gone the extra mile to demonstrate our shared values. Recipients are given vouchers which can be used for eating out, shopping or experiences.
Hours and Holidays
Flexible hours
A full time working week is 35 hours. If your circumstances change you can submit a flexible working request to change your working hours.
If your contractual work base is your home, we offer some additional benefits like a homeworking allowance to reduce the costs of working from home. If you need to drive for business reasons, we’ll pay your mileage. We also supply all the IT equipment you’ll need.
We’re a family-friendly employer
We are proud to offer enhanced benefits to support our employee’s family arrangements including:
- enhanced maternity / paternity pay
- enhanced adoption pay
- paid compassionate leave
- shared parental leave
- dependants’ leave
- carers’ leave.
Annual leave
In your first year, if you work full time, you’ll be entitled to 25 days per year (pro-rated to start date) plus eight public holidays. We take the three days between Christmas and New Year out of this when the office is closed. On the anniversary of your start date, your holiday entitlement will increase to 28 days per year.
Birthday leave
To celebrate your birthday, in addition to your annual leave, you can take a day of paid holiday on your birthday (or within a week of your birthday) every year.
Buying and selling your holiday
The Charity offers a generous annual leave entitlement as mentioned above. To add more flexibility to your holidays, you can buy up to five additional days* per year. After your first year of employment, you can sell up to five days* too, without going below your annual leave entitlement. (*Pro-rated for part time staff).
Learning and development
We are committed to providing consistent support and opportunities for learning and development. This includes:
- sector- and job-specific conferences such as volunteer management conference, Institute of Money Advisers conferences, events fundraising summit, caseworker conferences
- job-specific courses, both short term and long term such as courses in debt and fraud or project management
- ad-hoc training as needs arise on the job such as welfare benefits, Microsoft, LinkedIn courses, minute-taking
- professional body membership, for example Association of Volunteer Managers, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Institute of Money Advisers.
Our in-house training programme for line managers includes topics on emotional intelligence, wellbeing conversations and effective communication.
Health benefits
Our health cash plan
All new staff are automatically enrolled into a health cash plan, which provides money back for health and dental treatments not normally covered by the NHS.
This can include things like diagnostics, dental, optical, prescription charges, as well as regulated complimentary therapies and wellbeing treatments. You’ll also have access to a 24/7 GP consultation service helpline. This includes access to an online webcam consultation 8am to 10pm, seven days per week.
Aviva DigiCare+
We give all staff free access to the app which helps you to take more control over your health and wellbeing. It includes:
- three digital GP visits per year
- an annual healthcheck through fingerprick blood test, followed by a report and chat with a GP
- second medical opinions
- repeat prescription service
- nutritional consultations
- six mental health support sessions per year
- a wellbeing library where you can find support for your physical, mental, and financial wellbeing
- discounts on products and services designed to keep you and your family healthy.
You can share most of the benefits (except the annual health check) with your partner/spouse and any dependents up to the age of 18 (or 21 if they’re in full time education).
Our life assurance policy
All staff are automatically enrolled in the Charity’s Group Life Assurance Plan from their start date. This means that should you die whilst employed by the Charity for Civil Servants, your dependants (nominated by you) will receive a benefit of three times your annual salary paid outside of your estate.
Cycle to work scheme
We are signed up to the ‘Cycle Scheme’ initiative which offers savings on cycling and safety equipment to encourage those who wish to cycle to work.
Occupational sickness pay scheme
Following completion of your probationary period, you will be entitled to occupational sick pay in addition to statutory sick pay.
Flu jabs
All employees who aren’t entitled to get free flu jabs from the NHS, has access to flu jabs through either the health cash plan or the Charity.
Gym membership discounts
As a member of our Health Cash Plan you also get access to gym membership discounts.
We look after your mental health
We have a group of dedicated Mental Health First Aiders who provide a non-judgmental, safe and confidential space, whenever you’d like a chat.
Or if you need professional support, all staff enrolled into our health cash plan have access to a helpline that’s available 24/7. The helpline offers help in different areas including:
- counselling – mental health, bereavement, relationships, money management and substance misuse
- medical information – general medical and caring advice, diet and exercise, reducing alcohol consumption and stopping smoking
- legal advice – on a wide range of issues, including property, motoring, debt, welfare benefits and family.
Confidential access to services
You’ll be entitled to the same support that we offer to the people we help. This is done confidentially.
Headspace
We offer an employer-paid subscription to the Headspace app, which offers a variety of meditation sets and content to support mindfulness and mental wellbeing.
Staff group
The staff group is a small team of people with a collective aim: to improve wellbeing and encourage unity across the entire charity. Each department is represented within the group who regularly meet to discuss, plan and implement a range of events and activities with these key objectives in mind.
Related pages
Expert health and wellbeing support delivered through your phone or computer.
Each year, we support thousands of current, former and retired civil servants.
Make a life-changing difference to a civil servant when they most need it. Fundraise, donate or volunteer your time