I took part in the Movement to Work (MtW) initiative with HMRC. My placement was with Debt Management (DM). Having discussed my interest in working within the Civil Service (CS) with my Job Centre work coach, he recommended MtW as a way of deciding if the CS would be a place I would enjoy to work, where I wouldn’t feel too pressured and was able to thrive and gain confidence after such a long period of unemployment.

My placement was for a 6-week period, during this time I had the opportunity of shadowing LAST (Debt Enforcement), Complaints, Compliance, CCP, Hidden Economy and the Accelerated Payments and Direct Recovery of Debt teams.

I was able to ask people about their experiences with HMRC as an employer, how they came to be in the role they were in and what their job role day to day involved.
In addition to the shadowing I received assistance with CV writing and interview techniques, which helped me secure employment over the Christmas period with the Royal Mail.

Prior to my MtW placement I’d been unemployed for nearly 2 years, partly due to ill health. The MtW mentors helped build my confidence regarding employability and demonstrated full time employment wasn’t as intimidating as I’d begun to perceive it to be.

A short time after my placement, the MtW manager in LAST contacted me regarding a job advert within the department. I was able to both use the competencies I’d written and utilise the interview techniques I’d practiced during the placement.

I was successful at securing a job, and have been working in DM for 15 months. I’m lucky enough to be working in the very unit my MtW placement was based. I’m very grateful to the MtW team for their support and encouragement and enjoy continuing learning from & working alongside them on a daily basis.