Job description
Please note that this campaign is targeted to external candidates not currently employed by the Ministry of Justice. If you are directly employed by the Probation Service or wider Ministry of Justice, you may be eligible to apply to the PQiP 18 Internal MoJ Campaign.
Train to be a Probation Officer - By investing in your future, you could transform countless lives.
Salary: £26,475 p.a.
PQiP Start Date: 8th September 2025
For London Probation Delivery Units there is an allowance of £4,249 per annum. London allowance is extended to those staff who are contracted to work in workplaces within the M25 boundary.
What the role involves
Working in probation is a career like no other – you’ll gain the skills and insight to protect the public and reduce reoffending.
As a probation officer, you can change lives. Working with offenders in the community and in prisons, you’ll support them to get back on track and turn their lives around. We are looking for people with empathy and resilience to help people change. The role of a probation officer is rewarding but can be challenging – as you often work with people with complex needs, and no two people are the same. In addition, you’ll be working full-time alongside studying – but you’ll be supported every step of the way.
HM Prison & Probation Service fully fund the Professional Qualification in Probation programme, whilst also paying your salary throughout your studies, so it’s a great opportunity to ‘earn while you learn’ whilst working towards becoming a fully qualified probation officer.
Even as you’re learning, you’ll make a positive impact as you encounter different situations. The decisions and actions you take can be the turning point for offenders– and instead of being part of the system for years to come, you can help them leave criminal behaviour behind for good.
Day to day, you’ll handle everything from visiting hostels, prisons and courts – all to make interventions with people who have committed offences that enable them to understand their behaviour and want to change it. Throughout, you’ll be working with offenders to help them recognise the benefit of education, skills, treatment or maybe counselling to prevent reoffending. You will be working in an environment that supports a range of flexible working options, including the ability to use technology to work remotely, to enhance your work-life balance and support the needs of the business.
You will be allocated some study time toward the required learning components; however, some study will need to be undertaken in your own time and the amount of own-time study varies between individuals depending on learning styles.
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.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .