What We Can Offer You

Leave benefits

Annual leave

Taking a break is important to us, so you'll have 28 days' holiday (pro rata) when you start work with us, in addition to bank holidays. This will increase to 30 days after two years' service. It increases again to 33 days after five years' service.

Annual holiday purchase scheme

Need extra holiday for that adventure you have planned or to look after the kids? Take advantage of our holiday purchase scheme. You can request to purchase up to an additional 10 days (on a pro-rata basis where applicable). If approved, the cost will be deducted directly from your pay over 12 months and we give you a 20% discount on that purchase too.

Enhanced maternity/adoption pay

We offer a generous maternity/adoption package. You could take up to 28 weeks leave at full pay and 11 weeks on statutory maternity/adoption pay. We also understand returning to work can be difficult and therefore have a range of resources available to help you to settle back in.

Enhanced shared parental pay

We think it’s important that all parents have the opportunity to play an active role. Shared parental leave can enable you and your child's other parent to choose how to share your child's care during their first year with you. We provide up to 26 weeks' full pay as part of our shared parental pay arrangements.

Enhanced paternity pay

If your partner gives birth to or adopts a child or children and you meet the eligibility criteria, we give you one or two weeks’ paternity leave on full pay to support and care for your partner.

Special leave and support

We know things don’t always go to plan. We will provide you with special leave arrangements if you are faced with a personal crisis or an emergency. We can also grant special leave for activities such as public duties or service with the Reserve Forces.

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Flexible working

Flexible working is welcomed and encouraged, and we are proud of our long track record of providing a range of different flexible working arrangements. We recognise that people can benefit from this flexibility for a variety of reasons, so we are open to requests from any of our people.

We want you to feel comfortable to have conversations about flexibility at any point in your career with us, whether this is through formal or informal arrangements and we’ll always carefully consider requests and accommodate them where we can.

For most of our roles, we are able to offer hybrid working arrangements to enable you to deliver your work from a mixture of home, in the office or out on site.

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Health and wellbeing

Mental health support

We’re invested in the financial, physical, mental and social wellbeing of our people. As well as our collaboration with Mind, the mental health charity, we have Mental Health First Aiders and Champions across the organisation to support you and promote good mental health and wellbeing.

We also offer financial wellbeing courses, resilience training, menopause awareness resources as well as lunchtime yoga and meditation classes to all employees.

Staff networks and inclusive culture

We have a range of thriving staff networks who help us in our work to provide an inclusive culture and can provide peer support. You could choose to join our:

• Disability Network
• Gender Network
• Neurodiversity Network
• Pride Network (LGBTQI+)
• Race Network
• Social Mobility Network

Of course, some people choose to join more than one.

Employee assistance programme

Confidential practical help and counselling on a wide range of issues including marital and family problems, bereavement, health or psychological problems, is available 24 hours a day through our employee assistance programme.

Occupational health service

If you are experiencing poor mental or physical health, we may be able to request advice from our occupational health service providers, who are experts in the relationship between health and work.

Free eye tests

We'll reimburse you the cost of eye tests if you use a computer screen for your work. We'll also contribute to the cost of glasses or contact lenses if the test shows that a new prescription is needed for your job.

Social activities

Join our Historic England Sports and Social Club for access to various activities from yoga, scrabble, quizzes, go-karting to five-a-side football as well as fun and unusual events, theatre trips and some unique 'access all areas' site visits.

Office facilities

Changing and shower facilities are available at our larger offices with bike parking facilities at many of our locations.

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Learning and development

We recognise that our employees and their experience and knowledge are our most important asset and support continuous professional development in your field.

We provide varied training and knowledge-sharing opportunities including a lunch and learn programme, training to improve your personal resilience, impact and productivity, and a comprehensive management and leadership skills programme.

Our Learning Hub gives you access to a variety of online learning opportunities from the latest tips to use technology effectively, to themes like wellbeing, mental health and 'Engaging with people of faith'.

Personal development leave

We want to give you the opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills in a way that might not ordinarily be available through on-the-job experience. Therefore, after five years of service, we can offer you the opportunity to develop yourself in a way that would not be available through experience at work or more conventional training programmes.

Financial wellbeing courses

We offer financial awareness and wellbeing courses including money coaching sessions and information sessions about savings, mortgages and loans through to insurance and investments. We also hold financial planning in retirement sessions to help with planning for the future.

Subscriptions to professional bodies

As specialists in our field, we understand it is essential to stay up to date with professional bodies, therefore we will reimburse a professional or similar subscription if it's relevant and essential to your work.

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Financial benefits

Pension scheme

Although people who work at Historic England are not civil servants, we are able to provide access to the Civil Service Pension Scheme. In addition to the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have made a start on planning for your retirement, the scheme offers very generous pension provisions which include the following key features:

• A defined benefit pension scheme that provides a guaranteed pension that is not subject to the performance and fluctuations of the stock market
• Member contribution rates among the lowest in the public sector
• Historic England contributes between 26.6% and 30.3%
• Life assurance of at least two times basic salary
• Generous pension provisions for partners and dependents
• An index-linked pension
• Access to early retirement options (subject to actuarial reduction)
• The option of a tax-free lump sum on retirement
• Tax relief by paying lower National Insurance contributions
• Access to partial retirement options
• Ill health retirement benefits
• Various ways of boosting your pension, including the right to buy Added Pension

Commuting loans and cycle to work scheme

We know getting to work can be expensive, so we help towards the cost of travel to work in the form of interest free loans to our employees. Commuting loans are available for trains and coach season tickets and car parking. Or take advantage of our cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme that lets our people save on the cost of buying a bike and accessories for cycling to work. 

Discounts

We have partnered with Mylifestyle for our discounts and benefits programme. Mylifestyle offers discounts at hundreds of online and instore retailers. Through the platform or app you can get money off food shopping, technology, holiday, top brands and retailers, gyms, hotels, high street stores and gift cards. You can also use it to access discounted cinema and theatre tickets, as well as restaurant vouchers.

Free entry to English Heritage sites

On joining Historic England you'll be entitled to free entry into all English Heritage sites for you, another adult and up to six children (under 18 and within the family group) as well as discounts across English Heritage products, souvenirs, publications, on English Heritage Gift Membership and holiday cottages. You'll also be able to claim free entry at other heritage sites in Wales and Scotland.

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