Criminal record checks for engineers; in 2026 and beyond

Prospective criminal record engineer said:

Do all civil engineers need security clearance at some point in their careers? 

To balance out the comments above (which are all correct), many positions don't require this. In fact I'd guess - but it is only a guess - that the majority don't. As a professional engineer (although not a civil engineer) I've never had a formal criminal record check in my employment, or a security clearance check, neither have I ever needed to ask for one to be done on the many engineers I've employed over the years.

I probably have been asked when I've applied for positions if I have any convictions spent or unspent. Just be honest here, if you hide it and it's then found out later it could be grounds for dismissal - whether it's relevant to your position or not.

Like Mark I have had multiple checks done for voluntary positions.

Prospective criminal record engineer said:

Because it seems that there has been an increase in firms performing enhanced DBS checks, despite not being legally entitled to.

Be careful that you're going by fact and not hearsay here. The guidance on eligibility is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dbs-eligibility-guidance Any employer can carry out a Basic DBS check. It would seem unlikely the ineligible employers are performing enhanced checks, I'm not clear how they would do this. 

Best advice: Become the best engineer you can, then good employers will find ways to employ you (even if they need to keep you away from certain tasks). 

Prospective criminal record engineer said:

Do all civil engineers need security clearance at some point in their careers? 

To balance out the comments above (which are all correct), many positions don't require this. In fact I'd guess - but it is only a guess - that the majority don't. As a professional engineer (although not a civil engineer) I've never had a formal criminal record check in my employment, or a security clearance check, neither have I ever needed to ask for one to be done on the many engineers I've employed over the years.

I probably have been asked when I've applied for positions if I have any convictions spent or unspent. Just be honest here, if you hide it and it's then found out later it could be grounds for dismissal - whether it's relevant to your position or not.

Like Mark I have had multiple checks done for voluntary positions.

Prospective criminal record engineer said:

Because it seems that there has been an increase in firms performing enhanced DBS checks, despite not being legally entitled to.

Be careful that you're going by fact and not hearsay here. The guidance on eligibility is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dbs-eligibility-guidance Any employer can carry out a Basic DBS check. It would seem unlikely the ineligible employers are performing enhanced checks, I'm not clear how they would do this. 

Best advice: Become the best engineer you can, then good employers will find ways to employ you (even if they need to keep you away from certain tasks).