What we offer

We’ll give you the information and skills you need in the first months of your career with us. From an e-induction package in your first few days to a welcome event with our Chief Executive - you’ll learn about our vision, priorities and the community we serve.

We aim to grow our people and recruit from within where possible. In most roles, you’ll have the scope to progress or move within or across teams. We provide opportunities such as our Future Leader programme and offer apprenticeships for current as well as new staff. Find out more about more about our apprenticeships and career pathways.

We’ve built an impressive package of activities that provide core competencies and a rounded experience for all. All our managers are part of our ASPIRE management development programme to give them the key skills and knowledge to support them in their role. 

We’ll encourage you to take responsibility for your own personal and career development. You’ll have constructive and regular performance reviews and one-to-one meetings with your manager so we can work with you to plan your future. 

Pay scale increments are paid each April subject to satisfactory performance after annual performance reviews are completed. There may also be an annual ‘cost of living’ award, which is agreed nationally.

We will enrol you into our local government pension scheme when you start with the Council (your automatic enrolment date), if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Pension employee contributions range from 5.5% to 12.5%. In addition, if you pay tax and National Insurance you get tax relief on your contributions and pay a lower rate of National Insurance. 

If you already have continuous service or a pension with a different local authority this can normally be transferred to our scheme.  

The LGPS benefits include: 

• Tax relief on your contributions, which are added to by the Council 
• A secure pension 
• Tax-free cash 
• Early retirement and flexible retirement is possible 
• Immediate ill-health benefits if you become seriously ill (after qualifying period) 
• Benefits for your dependants in the event of your death in service 

More information is available on the LGPS website.

If you wish to look at your options in terms of the pension scheme more information is available here. 

As well as the cover offered under membership of the local government pension scheme, we offer all staff additional death in service cover equivalent to one year’s salary.

We offer Child Care Vouchers through a Salary Sacrifice Scheme. which can be used to pay for registered childcare for children up to 16 years old. Employees participating in the scheme get relief from paying tax and National Insurance on the amount of salary exchanged for vouchers.

We offer an interest free loan on annual season tickets (providing you are employed full-time, or on a contract that ends a year or more later). You can also access discounts from a number of local operators. 

Govia Train Season Ticket Discount Scheme 

Currently our employees can get: 

•  A 50% discount on monthly or annual season ticket with Govia Thameslink on specified journeys 
• A 10% discount on ‘create your own period’ Govia season tickets, Centrebus season ticket discount (Route 34) 
• £15 discount is available for Council staff on a three-month bus season tickets for Route 34 from Dunstable to St Albans. 

Bike Loan scheme 

We also currently offer an interest free Bike loan scheme to eligible employees. 

We currently offer all employees a free car parking permit for the car park next to the Council Offices in the centre of St Albans.

We will pay your subscription to one professional body per year if it is essential to the post that you are professionally qualified e.g. RTPI, RICS, etc.

A collection of staff discount and special offers are available from local businesses which are promoted and updated regularly.

Staff are offered free annual seminars on managing their finances and planning for retirement. 

We offer access to a free and confidential 24/7 telephone counselling, legal advice and health helpline that is available to all staff and members of their family.

Our external Occupational Health provider offers confidential advice on health and wellbeing at work to support a healthy work-life balance and lifestyle.

All staff have access to free eye sight examinations and a subsidy for spectacles required for visual display unit use.

We encourage our staff to keep healthy and active through several internally run sports clubs (including football, badminton and pilates). We also offer discounted rates at a number of our sport and leisure centres. These include:

• 1Life (formally Leisure Connection) who have facilities around the district including Abbey View Golf & Track Facility, Alban Arena, Batchwood Golf Course & Sports Centre, Harpenden Public Halls, Harpenden Sports Centre and Harpenden Swimming Pool
• Sports and Leisure Management Limited (SLM) at Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre 

We support staff who chose to cycle into work by providing facilities including showers and secure bike lockers at our Civic Centre office. We also provide interest free loans and discounts on selected bikes and equipment.

Even if you do not own a bike, you can use the Council Pool Bikes for site visits and meetings.

We positively encourage flexibility and offer lots of different ways of working.  

• Flexi-time (for most roles) – Employees are able to choose when they start and finish their working day as long as they fulfil their contracted working hours and are working in the Council’s core hours - subject to service needs. 
• Range of working patterns – We have employees working full time, part-time, job shares, term-time contracts, partial home working, full home working, compressed hours (i.e. four-day week or nine-day fortnight). Please ask about working patterns when you apply for a job.
• Hybrid working - Employees are able to work from a variety of locations to best suit the activities or tasks they need to do.  These can include a blend of time in the office, home or other remote locations - subject to the role requirements, passing the probation period and manager agreement. 
• Remote working – Employees are able to work from home or other remote locations - subject to the role requirements, passing the probation period and manager discretion. 

You’ll receive at least 25.5 days, rising to 28.5 days after 5 years of service and then up to a maximum of 34.5 days after 10 years’ service (depending on grade), plus public and bank holidays. You have the option of using your flexi-time entitlement to take an extra day of holiday if you work an additional day of overtime in a four-week period. 

Please ask what the holiday entitlement is for the job you are interested in to get exact figures. 

Part-time staff are entitled to holidays and bank holidays on a proportional (pro-rata) basis.  

We have a range of family friendly policies to support staff to balance work and responsibilities outside of work. These include maternity leave, paternity leave, shared parental leave, adoption leave, ordinary parental leave and carers leave.