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Where to find work in the UK: the free official places to look

5 minute read · 2026-10-04

Some of the best places to look for work in the UK cost nothing and sell nothing: they are run by the state, the NHS and the services themselves. None of them will charge you to apply, and none of them is allowed to. Here they are in one place, with what each one is good for.

For any job

  • GOV.UK Find a job: the government's own job search, for every kind of work. Useful alongside Jobcentre Plus if you are claiming, because a work coach can see what you applied for.
  • Jobcentre Plus: more than benefits. Ask about funded training, help with travel to interviews and employers who hire through them.
  • National Careers Service in England, My World of Work in Scotland and Working Wales: free advice from a real adviser, CV help and a skills check.
  • Find an apprenticeship: paid training with a real employer, at any age.

Health, care and the public sector

  • NHS Jobs (England and Wales), NHS Scotland Jobs and HSC Jobs in Northern Ireland: nurses, porters, cleaners, drivers, admin and ambulance staff. Pay follows the published Agenda for Change bands, so the figure is always there.
  • Civil Service Jobs: HMRC, the DVLA, Border Force, HM Coastguard and hundreds of other offices, many outside London.
  • Your council: every council lists its own jobs, from refuse crews and care workers to planners. Find your council and look for its jobs page.
  • Teaching Vacancies: teachers and teaching assistants in England, free for schools and for you.

Every service in uniform

These recruit through their own processes, with fitness tests, medicals and vetting, and they never charge you to apply.

  • British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Marines and Royal Air Force, including the reserves, which fit around a normal job.
  • Police: Joining the police in England and Wales, Police Scotland, and the PSNI in Northern Ireland. Forces also hire civilian staff, call handlers and detention officers.
  • Fire and rescue: each service recruits for itself, full time and on call. Look on the website of the fire and rescue service where you live.
  • Ambulance: paramedics, emergency care assistants and 999 call handlers are hired by the ambulance services through NHS Jobs.
  • Prison and probation: prison officers, probation staff and operational support.
  • Border Force and HM Coastguard: through Civil Service Jobs.

Leaving the forces? Look for employers who have signed the Armed Forces Covenant. Adverts on this board say so where the employer has.

And free on this board

  • Recruitment open days: turn up, meet the team, see the place. Free to go, free for employers to list, with the pay and what to bring on every one.
  • Every advert here is free to search and free to apply for, and every one shows the pay.

One rule that applies everywhere

Nobody may charge you to find you work, to apply, or to be hired: not for training, checks, uniform or a "registration fee". If anybody asks, it is not a real job. Tell us if you see it here.