Civil service passport job CCJ

Holmesy777

Hi I'm a newbie , I've applied for a job at the passport office and am at the stage of a offer I've done a credit check on myself and I have a ccj that I was unaware off will this stop me being offered the position it's a PO3 grade answering enquiries

Thanks for any replies


Should I call them and say I've got a ccj , I only found out today it's for £2k so cannot pay it off in one go and have been paying st £10 a month anyways just didn't know i had been ccj

[Deleted User]

Did the application form ask you to divulge any County Court Judgements you may have received? If not, I doubt it will have any bearing on you being offered a Civil Service job.

It will be different, of course, if you've told them you don't have any CCJs and they subsequently find out that you have.

How did you not know you had a CCJ when you say you have been paying it off at £10 a month?

Holmesy777

Hi thanks for reply
I've been liasing with a company called wilkinson chap man as credit union passed my debt to them last year and I agreed the payment plan last year yet I got a ccj anyways I don't recollect any paperwork .
But I was off Work with depression at the time so could of missed it in the post

No there was no questions anywhere to ask about ccjs on the application or in the interview ?

[Deleted User]

Holmesy777 wrote: »

no questions anywhere to ask about ccjs on the application or in the interview ?

No reason to mention it then, unless you are asked specifically.

Holmesy777

The next stage of clearance is a crb and credit check apparently ?
Will I not know fail as I've a ccj ?
Paid £4 today to see if I had any and was flabbergasted when I did !
Hence my worry about failing now, and it doesn't ask anywhere if I have any ccjs
This is a ongoing application since September seems a very long process for me now to not get the job due to this one ccj .

Stigy

Holmesy777 wrote: »

The next stage of clearance is a crb and credit check apparently ?
Will I not know fail as I've a ccj ?
Paid £4 today to see if I had any and was flabbergasted when I did !
Hence my worry about failing now, and it doesn't ask anywhere if I have any ccjs
This is a ongoing application since September seems a very long process for me now to not get the job due to this one ccj .

They'd usually ask you about CCJs, IVAs and bankruptcy as part of the vetting if you'd fail for any of these reasons. For example, police vetting ask specifically as there's no point in vetting someone only to find out they'd fail anyway due to a CCJ. Also it shows integrity of an applicant should they be truthful when asked. A CCJ undischarged or otherwise might not be a bar to appointment, but they might be looking to see if you're integral. As you haven't been asked about CCJs or the like, your integrity can't be brought in to question.

They probably just want to check your identity, hence the credit check. It's not uncommon for government agencies etc to check somebody's financial status, as if an applicant is under pressure from debtors they could be vulnerable to corruption, however in your case, I think it's probably just to check your identity.

PersianCatLady

Holmesy777 wrote: »

The next stage of clearance is a crb and credit check apparently ?
Will I not know fail as I've a ccj ?
Paid £4 today to see if I had any and was flabbergasted when I did !
Hence my worry about failing now, and it doesn't ask anywhere if I have any ccjs
This is a ongoing application since September seems a very long process for me now to not get the job due to this one ccj .

If a credit check is part of the process then the CCJ will be revealed, it is then up to the Passport Office to decided whether or not to recruit you with the CCJ.


I don't want to be pessimistic but I would have thought that having a CCJ is likely to make them decide not to recruit you as do some police forces.


The reasoning behind it is (I believe) is that if you have CCJs and the like you could be considered potentially vulnerable to corruption and therefore employees should not therefore be under pressure from un-discharged debts or liabilities and should be able to manage loans and debts sensibly.


That said without actually knowing the Passport Office's policy I cannot be sure of their answer.

Tiddlywinks

It will depend on the level of security clearance for the post.

Here is a page whist explains the process:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/security-vetting-and-clearance

I find it hard to believe that you didn't know about the CCJ - especially as you are paying the debt by reduced instalments. The fact that you don't have a handle on your personal finances is a big enough reason to raise a concern from a vetting point of view as it shows a lack of personal management.

PersianCatLady

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

It will depend on the level of security clearance for the post.

Here is a page whist explains the process:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/security-vetting-and-clearance

I find it hard to believe that you didn't know about the CCJ - especially as you are paying the debt by reduced instalments. The fact that you don't have a handle on your personal finances is a big enough reason to raise a concern from a vetting point of view as it shows a lack of personal management.

The link you have given applies to Ministry Of Defence security clearances so I don't think that it is relevant.


OP - Do you have a link to the original job application or any documentation where it says what the Home Office's policy is regarding the credit check??


For example the advice given to police forces regarding applicants and CCJs is that -
"Applicants who have existing County Court Judgments (CCJs) outstanding against them should not be considered".

Stigy

PersianCatLady wrote: »

The reasoning behind it is (I believe) is that if you have CCJs and the like you could be considered potentially vulnerable to corruption and therefore employees should not therefore be under pressure from un-discharged debts or liabilities and should be able to manage loans and debts sensibly.

That is the reasoning behind it, but each case is judged on its own merits with police vetting. Most forces won't recruit an applicant with a CCJ that hasn't been satisfied (paid), although the age of said CCJ is also usually taken in to account. So if it's still not all been paid but is nearly 6-years old, they might make an exception, but if you fail to declare having a CCJ, you'll be rejected on integrity grounds for obvious reasons. The police also ask specifically about your finances, which in the OPs case, the passport office hasn't done.

It's arguably worse if you have several defaults listed than the odd CCJ to be honest. Another way to look at it is, is an employer has say 100 applicants that meet their criteria, and two or three have CCJs, who are they likely to recruit? Obviously those without the CCJs. Common sense really and makes perfect sense. Jobs such as this are very much a captive audience which attract a lot of applicants, so unfortunately if they do frown upon CCJs, then yes I agree, you'd be on a sticky wicket. However as I said, if they haven't asked about specifics, I doubt their level of vetting takes them in to account.

PersianCatLady

Stigy wrote: »

It's arguably worse if you have several defaults listed than the odd CCJ to be honest. Another way to look at it is, is an employer has say 100 applicants that meet their criteria, and two or three have CCJs, who are they likely to recruit? Obviously those without the CCJs. Common sense really and makes perfect sense. Jobs such as this are very much a captive audience which attract a lot of applicants, so unfortunately if they do frown upon CCJs, then yes I agree, you'd be on a sticky wicket. However as I said, if they haven't asked about specifics, I doubt their level of vetting takes them in to account.

I totally agree with you there, when there are so many candidates for jobs like these why would any employer chose someone with a CCJ over someone without one??