Internal vs external vacancies

An internal vacancy is open only to people who already work for the employer, or for a defined group such as the same department or trust. An external vacancy is open to anyone who meets the entry requirements. Public sector employers use both, and the advert usually says which one you are looking at.

What each term means

An external vacancy is advertised publicly on a portal such as NHS Jobs, Civil Service Jobs, Teaching Vacancies or a council’s own site. Anyone can apply, subject to rules on right to work and, for some Civil Service posts, nationality.

An internal vacancy is advertised only inside the organisation, on an intranet or in a staff bulletin. Employees apply, and outsiders never see it. Councils and schools use this a lot for acting-up posts and short secondments.

A ring-fenced vacancy sits in between. It is open to a named pool, for example staff at risk of redundancy, people on a redeployment register, or employees of one department or one trust. The employer is expected to look at those people first, before opening the post more widely.

Why employers advertise internally first

Employers have a duty to look after staff whose jobs are ending, so redeployment comes before recruiting from outside. Internal appointments are quicker too, because the pre-employment checks have usually been done already and nobody has to wait for a notice period to run at another employer.

Some posts start internal and are re-advertised externally if nobody suitable applies. That is the usual reason a job you heard about internally turns up on a public portal a few weeks later.

Civil Service: open to all, or only some

Civil Service Jobs states the audience on each advert. Some posts are open to anyone, some are limited to current civil servants, and some to staff in a particular department or to people on a priority list. Nationality rules also apply. UK nationals, including dual nationals, can apply for any post. About 75% of posts are also open to Commonwealth citizens and EEA nationals, and reserved posts (national security) are open to UK nationals only. The details are in the Cabinet Office nationality rules.

If you work in one department and want a move, read the “who can apply” section before spending time on the form. An advert limited to staff in another department will not accept you.

NHS: trust-only and open posts

NHS Jobs lets an employer mark a post as open to NHS staff only, or restrict it to its own employees. Staff on a redeployment list may be considered first. If you work for one trust and want to move, you are an external candidate for another trust’s posts unless the advert says otherwise, though your NHS service is likely to count for annual leave and sick pay. The guide to moving between NHS trusts covers what carries over.

Schools and councils

Schools often fill a post from within when a teaching assistant steps up to a cover role or a teacher takes on a responsibility. That can happen with little formality, and such a post may never appear on Teaching Vacancies. Councils usually advertise on their own sites and on regional portals, and many mark posts as “internal only” or “redeployees first”. The guide to where councils advertise jobs lists where to look.

If you are the outside candidate

You can still win a job that was open to both. Internal candidates may know the team, but the panel scores everyone against the same person specification, so write your application as if the panel knows nothing about you. That goes for applying to your own employer too, because the panel may not remember your work. Give evidence for each criterion.

Finding the closed ones

If you are already an employee, check the intranet, ask HR whether there is a redeployment register and ask your manager to flag internal moves, secondments and acting-up chances. If you are outside, set up alerts on the relevant portals and look for the audience line on every advert before you start the form.