Security Cleared q's - I've read above sticky but can't find an answer

[PinkPoshRat]

SC gives you clearance to look at secret an sensitive information. They fact you were convicted of driving offenses or petty theft generally doesn't make you a security risk to the country or organisation you are working for. Not telling them about something makes you dishonest , untrustworthy and unreliable which DOES make you a risk.

Spot on

[dmtech]

Thanks for all the replies.

The reason I had concerns is due to the fact that the council made a big deal out of it and of course I have access to very sensitive information in this sector. I was shocked and worried that I would lose the contract due to daft things I did as a teen, but thankfully both the manager and director of the dept said it was all fine and I've been there ever since. But with a council making a fuss over an enhanced crb, I was concerned that an sc would scrutinise more so and I wouldn't get a chance. I've no intention of not declaring, just wondered what the outcome was for others and if it's worth applying. So thanks for sharing your experiences, it's good to hear that in theory, I should be ok and I will therefore go for it.

[malvolio]

They can also argue that the role is "urgent" and the client can't wait the 6 weeks - 6 months for SC to be done.

They can but they would be wrong. Talking to the Cabinet Office recently ( ), 95% of SCs are taking less than the 30 day SLA now. BPSS, which is all you need to get on site, is usually delivered in less than a week. DVA expect these times to drop significnatly when Cerberus comes on line soon.

It can be a pain in the nads.

Yep, it is. Especially when you're being rejected for the wrong reason.

[PropertyCrashUK]

I don't even bother applying for SC roles now having, over 15 years, been repeatedly turned down by IT agencies for countless contracts.

At one point I even ended up talking to the guy who is in charge of the whole security clearance dept and he was horrified that people were being stopped from seeking work because of being unable to get SC.

He told me that EU law meant that every EU citizen has a right to every job and that SC should not be used to bar people. He said he would look into it.

That was about 7 years ago.

[pastalista]

I don't even bother applying for SC roles now having, over 15 years, been repeatedly turned down by IT agencies for countless contracts.

At one point I even ended up talking to the guy who is in charge of the whole security clearance dept and he was horrified that people were being stopped from seeking work because of being unable to get SC.

He told me that EU law meant that every EU citizen has a right to every job and that SC should not be used to bar people. He said he would look into it.

That was about 7 years ago.

Yep, me too. I was SC cleared in 2001 but have not had a role that needed it since. I don't waste my time applying for jobs needing clearance either, even though many agencies now advertise the roles as appealing to "anybody who has now or has previously held security clearance to a high level".

I mean, if you were an agent and you had 10 applicants for an SC clearance level job, and 7 of your applicants didn't have SC, which 3 candidates would you put forward?

Pastalista

[stek]

Yep, me too. I was SC cleared in 2001 but have not had a role that needed it since. I don't waste my time applying for jobs needing clearance either, even though many agencies now advertise the roles as appealing to "anybody who has now or has previously held security clearance to a high level".

I mean, if you were an agent and you had 10 applicants for an SC clearance level job, and 7 of your applicants didn't have SC, which 3 candidates would you put forward?

Pastalista

Also you'd think supply and demand would push SC rates up but the ones I've seen come my way are worse than norm.

[PropertyCrashUK]

Also you'd think supply and demand would push SC rates up but the ones I've seen come my way are worse than norm.

Wales is full of so many public sector bodies - patents office, companies, house, dvla, tax offices, passport office (closing) that virtually all roles require SC and they usually lump Prince 2 in there also.

They have such a high number of people who think that travelling more than 3 miles is a long commute that the roles are often low-paying and go to the same people. I have seen NHS Wales contracts advertising wanting SC in recent weeks.

I think agents now just stick 'SC required' on any public sector job.

Have seen some excellent rates coming up in Wales in the past 2 months but mostly SC is wanted. The roles disappear for a few weeks and then reappear. I can only assume they cannot find them - the list of skills required appears to be getting longer by the week. Then they add SC at the bottom of the long list of skills required.