Trainee probation officer programme

Training salary of £26,475 (during training), moving to £35,130 once in a qualified probation officer role. There is a London weighting allowance of £4,120 which is additional to these salaries.

An extraordinary job. Done by someone like you.

As a probation officer, you can change lives. Working with offenders in the community, in prisons and in courts - you ll support them to get back on track and turn their lives around. You ll also gain a professional qualification with our support, along with a competitive salary, generous leave and great training.

What the role involves

You ll work as a probation services officer while you earn your qualification. Visiting prisons and attending courts, you ll make interventions with offenders that enable them to understand their behaviour and want to change it. You ll help them bring out their potential to build a more positive future and reduce the chance that they ll reoffend. And you ll take pride in helping to make our communities safer places.

Growing your knowledge and skills with a mixture of theory and practical training, you ll also work with victims of crime, colleagues across the criminal justice system, charities and the wider community. You ll learn from different situations every day.

After you ve qualified, you ll be able to apply to become a probation officer with opportunities to keep developing and growing your knowledge, and progress through structured career paths.

Skills and experience

Our people come from a variety of backgrounds, so there s no single type of probation officer. To join, you ll need emotional intelligence, resilience and the ability to stay calm under pressure. You ll also need to be the kind of person who can build rapport quickly and de-escalate potentially volatile situations. As well as being happy to self-manage, you should have passion for and commitment to your work. Excellent report-writing skills are also a must. Lastly, you should have some experience of working with people who ve demonstrated challenging behaviour. It doesn t matter whether its paid or voluntary just that it involves the kind of behaviour we see from offenders.

What you need to apply

To apply, you ll need a recognised Level 3 qualification or above, such as A level, access to higher educational diploma, advanced apprenticeship, applied general or AS level. It doesn t matter what subject your Level 3 qualification is in.

We offer different learning programmes dependant on the level of qualification you hold. These range from 15 months for Graduates with a level 5 qualification to 27 months for our non graduate programme.

If your application is successful, we ll assess your previous education in order to offer you the correct length of the programme 15,21 or 27 months.

What we offer

You ll receive a competitive salary and benefits package, including enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme. You ll also be part of a supportive, diverse and friendly team environment, with support and guidance from your divisional training manager, your line manager and practice tutor throughout your studies.