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Civil Service Administrative Assistant (AA) jobs

There are currently 24 AA vacancies open across the Civil Service.

Administrative Assistant is the entry grade of the Civil Service. AA roles are concentrated in the big operational departments — the ones that process claims, applications and correspondence at volume — and the work is defined for you: a caseload, a set of rules to apply, and a manager to escalate to when a case does not fit them.

Pay is usually the lowest of any Civil Service grade and varies less by department than higher grades do, though London weighting still makes a visible difference. Many AA posts are advertised as fixed term or on a temporary basis to cover seasonal peaks, which is worth watching for in the contract type filter — a fixed-term AA post is still a genuine route in, but it is not the same commitment as a permanent one.

For applications, AA vacancies are assessed against Success Profiles at the lowest behaviour level. In practice that means panels are looking for evidence that you can follow a process accurately, ask when you are unsure, and work with the people around you — not that you have led anything. A good AA answer is a small, specific, complete story about a task you were given and did properly. Candidates lose marks far more often for being vague than for lacking scale.

AA is also the grade where internal progression matters most. Departments run regular internal EO campaigns, and time served as an AA with a clean record and a manager who will vouch for you is a real advantage in them. Applying to AA posts in a department you want a career in is a legitimate strategy, not a compromise.

Live vacancies

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The full board also shows how many posts each campaign is filling, which the official results list does not.

Common questions

What qualifications do I need for an AA role in the Civil Service?
Most AA vacancies ask for no formal qualifications at all. Where an advert does specify something it is usually GCSE-level English and maths or equivalent experience. The nationality and right-to-work requirements are the harder gate, and every advert states them in full.
How much does a Civil Service AA earn?
AA is the lowest of the delegated grades and pay differs by department and by whether the post carries London weighting. The salary on each advert is the authoritative figure — filter this board by minimum salary to see the current range across live vacancies.
Can I move from AA to EO?
Yes, and it is the most common progression route in the Civil Service. Departments run internal EO campaigns that AAs can apply to, and many people move up within two to three years. External EO vacancies are also open to you — the board lists both.
Are AA jobs usually permanent?
A significant proportion are fixed term or temporary, because AA capacity is what departments flex to meet seasonal demand. Use the contract type filter to see only permanent posts if that matters to you.

Read the full guide — what the grade involves, how it is assessed, and worked answers.

Vacancy data is sourced from Civil Service Jobs. This tracker is not affiliated with the Civil Service or the Cabinet Office.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.