Anyone in UK tech with a conviction – how’s it affected you?
Posted by DolphinSignalJr@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 84 comments
Hi all,
I’m in the UK and just trying to get a realistic idea of how a criminal conviction impacts working in tech.
If anyone’s been in that position and doesn’t mind sharing:
What kind of role are you in?
Did the conviction come before or after you got into tech?
Has it actually made things harder (jobs, promotions, background checks, etc.)?
Just looking for real experiences rather than guesswork.
Happy for people to DM if you’d rather keep it private.
Cheers
Fine_Energy_8868@reddit
Responding on my ALT account because my main is quite vanilla.
I have convictions for violence including use of firearms. I have multiple arrests since as recently as 2017 for more serious offences that have gone nowhere because I was innocent but with long protracted investigations. I also work in tech with critical national infrastructure.
Convictions date from 2007 to 2010 and I attained security clearance in early 2013 and have held that since. I have been denied police clearance so cannot work on police sites. I'm also a youth group leader and DofE assessor. I also, do the STEM outreach in schools for my company. I have two DBS on the update service. One completely blank and one showing all my misdeeds because certain things drop off even and enhanced DBS. My work knew about all of this before they hired me as do the youth groups obviously. The scary thing is is when I go to a youth group I can see if they've actually checked that my DBS is current. No one has.
So. Hiring difficulties. I've found it to be no more than an awkward conversation, which if you are open, honest, candid, Frank And just plain explaining that you're not that person anymore. Most people don't have a problem with it. My job also know about my social media accounts including my reddits and my accounts on swinging websites. Such is the nature of my job. When I was a different person being hired was hard but now is not a problem and only affects certain contracts like the police. Defence is not a problem. It would probably be more of a problem if it was something like touching kids. On the plus side, fresh vetting comes back quicker and tends to last longer. I don't know why. Maybe it's because they have more information on me.
My advice if you're concerned about things: volunteer for a youth group that requires an enhanced DBS. The DBS will come to you first so you will get to see what's on it first. You can then decide whether to share that with the organisation or withdraw your application. With regards to hiring, always be open and honest unless the convictions are spent. Once hired, don't bring it up.
Whatever it is, chance is our is not the end of the world but you do have to screw the nut and sort your life out. Don't hang around with losers, sort your finances out. I found my shoddy past credit was more of a problem!
Timely_Gift_597@reddit
Thanks for posting an incredible answer! Did you ever face any issues with the 'Google DBS check', presuming you have had some negative stuff written about you online.
It seems like most prospective employers will google a person before inviting them in for an interview and reject you there and then. Has your experience been different to this?
DolphinSignalJr@reddit (OP)
Wow, best reply on the whole thread! Really appreciate your advice and wisdom. Mine is pretty much a criminal damage charge but since it was 3 people, Feds have decided to add violence disorder to it. I’m currently employed and have been for a while, if I’m lucky and get a suspended sentence, I think I’ll be okay with continuing with my job. Just the fact that it’ll take the sentence +4 years to become spent so can’t really leave and try apply to other jobs for 6 years.
zviiper@reddit
Feds? Foreign convictions may not appear on a UK DBS unless they've been shared with British authorities.
DolphinSignalJr@reddit (OP)
Sorry, meant police lol. This is in UK.
Timely_Gift_597@reddit
There are some incredible answers here on this post, but after scanning through, it seems like no one has mentioned the 'Google DBS check'. Doesn't this alone hinder your chances almost completely as most companies usually google a person before inviting them in for an interview. It's just a suggestion and hope someone here can provide me with more light on the matter.
boldstrategy@reddit
What type of tech? For a global tech firm or working in a tech area? They are two very different background checks
xxxxsteven@reddit
It is spent now. It doesn't affect me
PepsiMaxSumo@reddit
I don’t have one but I work for a company that does quite deep background checks.
From what I understand, it depends on the conviction. Got cause with a bit of weed 20 years ago, or shoplifting as a kid? Not going to be an issue.
Anything remotely related to violence, fraud or recent theft. Not a chance.
JohnnySchoolman@reddit
Any conviction that is spent under the rehabilitation of offenders act won't come up on a CRB check anyway.
So a discharge is spent immediately. A caution is spent after 3 months. A sentence of 1 year is spent 1 year after the sentence; and A sentence of up to 4 years is spent 4 years later.
There is no obligation to declare a spent conviction apart from a few limited circumstances such as relevant convictions when working with vulnerable persons, or sensitive government or police work.
In reality even relatively serious crimes are unlikely to net you a 4 year custodial sentence. Certainly not possession of weed of theft.
I know a guy who got done for fraud at his job and didn't even get a custodial sentence for it.
Beautiful-Control161@reddit
Ive got a fraud conviction. 1 year suspended sentence in 2011 and I have security clearance for gov work
NeitherBag4722@reddit
Me too plus a conviction for driving without a licence and Possession of Class B. All are spent but I declared all three when I applied for the job and subsequently when I applied for a high security clearance., which I got.
Kooky-Grapefruit-941@reddit
Wouldn't a full check bring it up still?
PepsiMaxSumo@reddit
I’d imagine this is why the company I work for use a background check company that holds records going back ~50 years.
Every local paper, news story, public court info etc is saved by them and databased. Anything that matches your name is found, checked to see if it’s actually you and all matches sent over to HR to review.
So even if it was spent 40 years ago, if it was publicly posted somewhere, they’ll know.
Electrical_Bet_9699@reddit
How does this fit in with ROA 1974? How do they make decisions based on Daily Mail headlines?
Do they have any other morally and ethically questionable policies?
PepsiMaxSumo@reddit
No idea, but I work for government.
JohnnySchoolman@reddit
Okay, well government departments are different because there are specific exceptions in the regulations that as I discovered through some work related matters even extended to contracted companies work on behalf of those agencies.
Did you declare your convictions on application, because if I was a hiring manager I would be happy to overlook a lot of issues
PepsiMaxSumo@reddit
I don’t have them personally, however was once cautioned and questioned which I did declare.
I just have been involved in hiring people and know of some that haven’t made it past the final searches.
Electrical_Bet_9699@reddit
Yeah. That’s not how it works bro. It doesn’t help people like the OP when people make statements like this which are uninformed and imaginative.
Temporary-Zebra97@reddit
All depends on the level of vetting, some of the third party vetting companies especially the US ones use OSINT tools.
Then it's down to risk appetite and levels of vetting required.
PepsiMaxSumo@reddit
Nothing imaginative or uninformed about it.
If you have ever had a fraud or financial crime conviction, the regulator can bar you from working with finance institutions. Finance institutions have to do due diligence on their suppliers suppliers, meaning you can be banned from working 2 companies downstream with either of those convictions.
JohnnySchoolman@reddit
I'm not sure thats legal TBH.
Suspicious-Case3861@reddit
Waffle
PepsiMaxSumo@reddit
Nice troll
No_Ring_3348@reddit
So this is a very questionable practice and I would very, very strongly advise your employer to use the proper BPSS -> CTC application process that the government provide. It will also be cheaper and the government will knock the employer back if there is no need for them to vet their personnel in such an intrusive manner.
PepsiMaxSumo@reddit
I work for government
No_Ring_3348@reddit
Now that raised a cynical little smile. Surely quangos (to use the correct term) have ready enough access to BPSS services? I hope procurement for this contract was done properly 😇
PepsiMaxSumo@reddit
Quango isn’t the right term, a closer term would be ‘state owned private company’ than ALB, but we get referred to as an ALB by gov so used that.
Trust me, procurement would’ve been done very well with the public scrutiny my part of gov gets hahaha
Beer-Milkshakes@reddit
Has to depend on the total of the fraud surely?
Spiriting away 10k? Criminal scum! Spiritual away 10 million? How did you do it????
Specimen_E-351@reddit
How common do you believe it is that people have managed to fraudulently acquire 10 million pounds but also want to work in tech for the wage?
hairychris88@reddit
It was obviously a joke
Specimen_E-351@reddit
Jokes usually have some sort of truthful kernel to them that makes them humorous.
PepsiMaxSumo@reddit
No. Anything remotely related to fraud, doesn’t even have to be fraud itself. I’d probably say anything loosely related to financial crime would be an instant no to where I work.
We have finance clients, I’m not completely sure of due diligence requirements but it’s done on suppliers suppliers these days so anything that could cause a DD issue is no bueno.
TrumpGrabbedMyCat@reddit
Pretty sure they're just joking, lol.
Fines are for the poor, along those lines.
insomnimax_99@reddit
IIRC even fare evasion convictions can cause issues in finance, because it’s considered to be a dishonesty/fraud conviction.
PepsiMaxSumo@reddit
Doesn’t shock me at all, it is fraud even if it’s seemingly nothing major.
I know of one applicant who failed background checks as they falsified a guarantor on a tenancy agreement and got caught.
Additional-Guard-211@reddit
Yes thats my understanding too. When doing this check, a police officer actually goes through and decides if something is relevant to the check or not. So you could get 1 person with certain thing appearing on one and not the other. I assume there must be some specific guidance on this that they follow.
DaveBeBad@reddit
Not personally, but some friends and colleagues have criminal records. A boss had one for indecent exposure (urinating outside on a night out 30 years ago). He still got security clearance.
abcdefghabca@reddit
Still got it for weed, cocaine possession, banned from driving cos refuse to give blood
X2seraphim@reddit
I’m not sure about the tech sector but I had Developed Vetting and cleared with slightly worse than that.
DolphinSignalJr@reddit (OP)
What charge did you have?
X2seraphim@reddit
Affray, ABH, Criminal damage and disorderly conduct. It was a one off someone tried to rob me and I got carried away.
DolphinSignalJr@reddit (OP)
Damn that is a lot. How long ago were the offences?
X2seraphim@reddit
About two years before my DV.
WheresMyAbs98@reddit
I don’t work in tech
However, I received a conviction at 17 which showed up on an enhanced DBS check when I began training and working as a Therapeutic Radiographer for the NHS.
I was upfront and honest with my employer and everything was fine for me.
Whatever the job - honesty is the best policy in this scenario.
DolphinSignalJr@reddit (OP)
What was the nature of your conviction?
WheresMyAbs98@reddit
It was in relation to class A drugs.
I was young at the time of the conviction and there had been a fairly significant gap between the time of conviction and working for the NHS. Along with being upfront, these factors more than likely helped my case.
SouthCulture6230@reddit
I work for a large company that does enhanced DBS checks. I know people that have spent convictions for minor drugs offences that got jobs here, and people with historic, but violent criminal convictions that have jobs here too. I think it depends on the employer and the length of time since the conviction that makes the difference.
Least you can do is apply and see what happens I guess. Good luck
JobAnxious2005@reddit
Odds are that any big company is a no no
Finance, legal especially
MLF1994@reddit
Hard to say without knowing the nature of the charge. I did some work for the MoD which required an eDV check alongside a friend of mine who had been convicted of ABH when he was 19. He was upfront about it, answered all questions honestly, and it didn't really pose much of an issue in the end.
That said, getting into a scrap as a teenager is going to be viewed very differently and is a lot less likely to affect your prospects than say, a fraud conviction in your 30s. You are going to struggle a lot more if your conviction is of an "untrustworthy" nature.
FourCats44@reddit
eDV and SC and everything like that (the advice I got given) is they already have the answer to the question, they are just checking to see if you are going to say it.
It's more about identifying weaknesses/blackmail issues - if you aren't willing to admit you did xyz at this stage, you aren't trusted in case someone tries to take advantage of you down the line.
Drath101@reddit
Based off his previous post he's facing down a current charge of violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon as we speak, so probably not great
MLF1994@reddit
Aye it's probably worth mentioning that my mate's conviction was long spent by this point, which changes things massively.
Drath101@reddit
They'll definitely look at the whole circumstances as you say. If I'm being honest, recently married with a mortgage and stable, secure, good job and still got involved in a VD, and POW, probably isn't going to reflect well. I'd be prepared to work in another field for a while
mrtopbun@reddit
NSV vetting is a bit different to a company deciding they arent happy with your criminal history though, its more a risk management and honesty exercise than anything.
FourCats44@reddit
Depends on the employer more than the role.
You apply to NFU mutual (insurance) with a financial conviction, no chance.
You apply to a school with a conviction involving children - no chance
Flip them over, a school cares less about fraud and an insurance company cares less about a child based conviction. They still care and are likely to discount you because of it, but it's not the slam dunk no that it otherwise would be.
ComprehensiveFix9228@reddit
Had a conviction long before Uni.
Always dreamt of a job on the medical field.
But no Unj could have me. I settled for tech.
Did a BSc and and MSc. Landed my first tech role in 2018. 3 companies later now I’m a senior analyst.
I have always declared the conviction when filling application forms. I have never been asked about it any further.
So I’d say go for it. There are companies where that is irrelevant as long as you can do what you’re hired for.
The conviction has not affected anything at all.
Apart from that I’m not a medical Dr something .
DolphinSignalJr@reddit (OP)
Nice to know! Would you mind sayibg that the conviction was for?
Still-BangingYourMum@reddit
It all hinges on few things. What the conviction was for. What sentence did you get. Have you been in trouble since. And how long ago it happened.
In my case, at 17 I was convicted for burglary. I got six months prison. It was an open prison so no locks, fences or gates etc. I learnt alot about myself there. I learned how to trust my instincts and to spot people who were lying to me or trying to scam me. I learnt how I could talk to people and actually say things that made sense and not make situations worse. I was given the job of bicycle maintenance and food trolley maintenance and repair. No training at all just me in a 30x20 foot outhouse, full of tools and placed in that job purely on trust. Plenty of opportunity to just ride out of the place if wanted too. My partner in crime got exactly the same sentence as me and we both were in the same place, he didn't last a month before absconding, he was caught back home a few days later and sent to Bedford prison and had 30 days added to his sentence.
Most importantly I learned about me and how I interacted with people I learned to trust myself.
That was way way back in 1987, since that time. I have held jobs as night shift factory manager in an industry that I had never worked in, took me 18 months, I've worked as a spray painter running a paint shop with no experience and only 2 weeks to prove myself. Customers were top level luxury brands like, Cartier, Chanel, Tom Ford etc. I've worked for a company that used to build mine and ied detectors for the British Army and a few other companies along the way. One of which I can't even talk about.
I was always open and honest in my interviews. Never over promising but always over delivering. I made it my clear that any job I was ever given, it would get done on time and be ready when I said it would.
So yes you can get a sentence for what ever crime it was, but you need to be honest and open about it and prove that you have learned from your past mistakes and moved on, but I would also say it is dependant on what you did to get sentenced.
Good luck.
yorkspirate@reddit
Props to you man. Stories like yours and to a certain extent mine show its possible to turn past mistakes and poor choices into a net positive instead of being held back or it hanging over you for the rest of your life
Still-BangingYourMum@reddit
Thank you, sometimes it takes a stupid decision to follow a friend who turned out to not be who he said he was, to make stupid choices and to face the repercussions of those poor decisions and choices.
The upside is that I found my footing very quickly and moved myself in a wholly new direction, a direction that bought me new friends, genuine friends. Friends that I am comfortable with and friends who we all look out for.
I took my punishment and turned myself around. It took me 6 months but it reset my life and I am happy with how my life has progressed from making that stupid choice.
Sometimes we all need a kick up the arse to open our eyes and to give us that spark that's been missing. Without going to open prison, I wouldn't have changed from my old ways and wouldn't have the wonderful wife and family I have now.
OmegaMaster8@reddit
Never had a conviction. However, I worked for a start up tech company and never got a background check.
Soofla@reddit
Do remember the key point that in most cases, you only need to declare conviction if asked.
I know two people working in tech with convictions. One applied with CV and covering letter. Was never asked about convictions at any stage and was offered. He subsequently saw an official application form that did ask the question - but he'd never been asked to fill one in.
Another had his CV picked up by.an agency. They never asked him and neither did the company he went to interview at.
Don't get me wrong. Plenty of jobs in tech will require a DBS. But plenty don't, and more so in an industry that does a lot of "CV plus covering letter" applications over application forms.
yorkspirate@reddit
Not sure how tech industry would make it any different but I've been jail few times and my enchanted dbs certificate has a few things on - it didn't stop me being a good Sam nah responder during Covid (one of my convictions was still active aswell with probation etc) and as I currently work as a tradesman on contracts for live hospitals I have to have one every year and it's never been an issue.
I learnt very quickly that the biggest thing isn't the conviction but how you handle telling them, I was always upfront with employers and explained the situation and how I was making amends. Basically dont let it be a surprise or hope it's not mentioned. the police may decide they have to share pnc information about arrests and investigations because it's relevant to the role but that's normally when working with vulnerable adults or kids
I have a fraud one/going equipped to obtain goods by deception but the rest are mainly driving offences. You can request your pnc history aswell which lists every interaction with the police even if it went nowhere so you can be
BellendBuilder@reddit
On a standard DBS, anything that is past the rehabilitation of offenders statute, so a spent conviction, won’t show up on a standard pal.
I’m a multi-business owner and have dedicated tech guys working for me. I also have a criminal record for violence.
TheEchoplex@reddit
I've worked at 2 different startups and never had a background check
Distinct-Audience-65@reddit
In Tech? In the UK ? Name and shame the companies, because no way.
Never seen this.. ever.
Are you sure?
Frustib@reddit
I’m assuming you are alluding your brother earns 6 figures. He’s in tech?
bartread@reddit
I can only speak from the hiring side. Company I worked at a couple of years ago, we'd run background checks on employees so would expect convictions to come up.
I actually had one applicant, who was otherwise strong, tell me they had a conviction for fraud. I consulted with our HR team, and they told me it would probably be an issue if they were applying for the finance team, but not for tech, unless I was concerned about it, which I wasn't. In general convictions were to be treated on a case by case basis.
I can't say this goes for everyone but my view on convictions is that, if you've paid the penalty mandated by the court (prison, fine, whatever), the conviction doesn't directly relate to the job (e.g., fraud and finance), it's not for a violent or sexual crime that might make you a risk to your colleagues, and it's not a crime that you keep repeating over and over again (e.g., 25 convictions for burglary running up to pretty much the present time), then you've paid your debt to society and it's not going to factor against you. People make mistakes and they deserve a second chance.
As I say, not everyone thinks like this, and I can certainly imagine situations like, "well, I've got these two candidates who are qualified for the role but one has a conviction and one doesn't so I'll hire the one without."
So I think you'll be able to get a job, but it might take longer, and you might not be able to be as choosy about what you do, or you might have to accept a more junior or less well paid role. Once you've been in stable employment for two or three years what's happened before that is going to start mattering a lot less, and eventually your convictions (depending on exactly what they are) will become spent, and then hopefully they stop mattering at all.
Healthy_Spite_2334@reddit
my brother went to Prison, i went to university. Guess who makes 6 figures.
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
Frustib@reddit
I’m assuming you are alluding your brother earns 6 figures. He’s in tech?
Healthy_Spite_2334@reddit
no he was promoted up from being a labourer to now hes a regional director of running plants in his industry, not going to be too specific he's really well known at what he does but not for what he has done.
jakedaboiii@reddit
You sound spiteful so username checks out
YoSumo@reddit
Nacro could be a useful resource/service for people in this position:
https://www.nacro.org.uk/
zorba-9@reddit
Most companies that have support contacts to other companies will ask for a disclosure form, and a panel checks your convictions against the job applied for, and they will say you have unspent convictions or not, you could have been done for pissing in the street, breach of the peace or assault, theft, etc., your employer won't know, if you apply to work in a prison, home office or with kids/vulnerable people or security you will be asked to provide an enhanced disclosure which tells them why you can't be employed in that type of job they still won't learn what you were convicted of, so there are jobs you would avoid applying for.
wrinexel@reddit
There are North Korean hackers with completely made up credentials getting jobs at big tech companies because they cut a lot of corners in their background chcks. All tech companies want to know is if you can pass their technical interview. Always deny criminal records and don't give them a reason (poor performance/too much yapping) to order a DBS check.
Note if you are working with government/schools/etc obviously no way of getting out of DBS in those circumstances
444stonergyalie@reddit
With the amount is scams and fraud in tech I imagine they’ll be quite thorough
Sepalous@reddit
For the vast majority of roles and convictions if your conviction is "spent" you don't have to declare it and it won't be revealed on a DBS check. I doubt having a criminal conviction will affect your future at all.
whizzzzzzz@reddit
Most of the ones I have worked in have done full DBS checks and depending on the conviction, it might well have caused an issue.
Some would have thrown out the application straight away regardless of the crime, others would have wanted to know more before acting. One sod of a manager used to get uppy with points on licence for failing to insure etc as he thought if they were that rubbish with keeping things up to date, they would not have been someone he wanted working for him.
I guess it would have depended on the industry the IT was in to.
I do know of one chap who did some "refunds" on card machines ( around 80k ) while at company sites and he seems to be working in IT roles still after he was escorted from the building. Maybe they didnt press charges / covered it up, not sure.
AdonisCarbonado@reddit
Depends on the SC required for the role. Violence was not an issue in my personal experience. I was generally a contractor though not a permanent employee.
CottonShirtWithStain@reddit
mate with fraud conviction here, stayed in support then dev, stuck at smaller firms and startups, finance and big corp roles were a hard no once dbs came up, lots of awkward withdrawals. everything’s just harder now, even normal jobs are a slog
PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit
I run a small software company, currently our main client is in healthcare, so Enhanced DBS and Disclosure Scotland checks are a thing.
After I got into tech. Before I got the current client.
Yes. We lost some contract opportunities because as soon as the conviction was mentioned it was a no-go. Once it's spent it won't be nearly as much of an issue.
That's fair.
I am actually responsible for reviewing adverse criminal records checks in a volunteering role I do. So I've been on both sides of the coin with this. Obviously some convictions are worse than others, but providing it's not totally incompatible with the role, just be honest and open about it and how you've reflected on it. Some employers will rule you out without even hearing your side of things, you have to accept that. But many more are surprisingly open minded about things. They want to know it won't be a repeated issue, or a problem for their work. If you can assure them of that, you're a big step forwards.
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