Job profiles of a Customs officer

You are going to read the Job profiles of a Customs officer provided by The National Careers Service¹ in the UK and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection².

HM Revenue & Customs

Customs officers prevent banned items from entering or leaving the country, and collect a range of taxes and duties.

¹ https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk

² http://www.cbp.gov

Work activities

Customs officers, also known as detection officers, are employed by HM Revenue & Customs and work in UK ports and airports collecting Customs duties and preventing smuggling and illegal trade.

Entry requirements

You would normally join as an adminis-trative assistant or assistant officer and earn promotion to customs officer or detection officer. Recruitment directly to

officer grade sometimes takes place.

To join at officer grade you will probably need five GCSEs (A-C) including English and maths, plus two A levels or equivalent qualifications. You will normally need two GCSEs (A-C) to join HMRC as an administrative assistant, and five GCSEs (A- C) including maths and English for assistant officer jobs.

If you do not have these qualifications, you could take a test to prove your skills and abilities in areas like teamwork and communication. You must also meet the civil service nationality requirement. All jobs are open to British nationals and many are also open to Commonwealth citizens or European Union nationals.

Typical responsibilities:

ü identifying people and questioning people who have been found with illegal items or goods over the allowance;

ü searching baggage and individuals for smuggled items;

ü making arrests of people suspected of smuggling;

ü seizing smuggled goods;

ü checking documentation relating to imported goods;

ü undertaking physical examinations of freight;

ü detecting and prosecuting drug smugglers;

ü collecting and supplying trade statistics;

ü writing reports and witness statements;

ü checking Customs documents;

ü fighting the increasing problem of alcohol and tobacco smuggling;

ü helping to combat the worldwide illegal trade in endangered species of animals and birds;

ü dealing with revenue due on imported goods;

ü taking on specialist roles such as dog handling or undercover and surveillance work.

When necessary a Customs officer goes to court as a witness and would work closely with other agencies, like the police and the Home Office.

Working hours and conditions

As a full- time customs officer you would work 36 hours a week over five days. In a border protection role you would work shifts to cover 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Job sharing or part-time work may be available.

Skills, abilities, interests and qualities

To become a Customs officer you will need to have:

· good judgement;

· good listening and questioning skills;

· a tactful but firm manner;

· honesty and fairness in applying rules;

ü ability to collate and analyse often complex information;

ü ability to disseminate detailed information in a clear and concise manner;

ü confident decision-making ability;

ü ability to work alone and also as part of a team;

ü ability to present information in a clear and logical way;

ü ability to work accurately, pay close attention to detail and notice inconsistencies;

§ self-motivation;

§ tactful and polite with excellent communication and interpersonal skills;

§ good numeracy skills, with the ability to interpret accounts and make calculations.