‘Give it a try – you won’t be disappointed’
Having joined the HMRC as an administrative assistant in 2005, Pru Orridge is still there, due largely to “working with amazing and friendly people”. She explained: “I only manage four people and we’re never going to be glamorous – there are no dawn raids or exciting seizures – our aim is for our team to use our knowledge to lead the FIS to serious customs fraud.” The Tanzania-born Civil Servant continued: “I’ve really centred my attention on ensuring equality of opportunity for colleagues regardless of their ethnicity. What we are doing is helping them with job applications, interviews, anything that will help them progress to the next level. I’m very proud.” Employment benefits are many. “We’ve got development programmes that teach you what you need to do and give you skills and opportunities. You have training – it’s helped me apply for the role I’ve got now. “We’ve got flexibility – I work around looking after my nephews and nieces so I can support my family. And we can have paid time off when we’re sick. I’ve twice had a hip replacement and HMRC paid me when I needed it. All of this is peace of mind.” Pru added: “I would definitely recommend people join. It’s an interesting and varied career with a decent reward package and excellent opportunities to progress in your career. “You’ll be surprised if you join the Civil Service. For me there’s no regrets and no looking back. Give it a try – you won’t be disappointed.”