Trainee Probation Officer Programme

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS); Neath; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

A government agency in Neath seeks a probation officer to support offenders in the community and courts, aiming to change lives and reduce reoffending. This role involves training to earn a professional qualification while working directly with individuals demonstrating challenging behaviours. An ideal candidate should possess emotional intelligence, resilience, and excellent report-writing skills, and must hold a recognised Level 3 qualification or higher. A competitive salary and benefits package are offered, including training and access to pension schemes.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Local Government Pension Scheme

Training and support

Qualifications

• Must demonstrate emotional intelligence and resilience.
• Experience with challenging behaviour, either paid or voluntary.
• Ability to self-manage and commit to work.

Responsibilities

• Work as a probation services officer during training.
• Intervene with offenders to change their behaviour.
• Visit prisons and attend courts.

Skills

Emotional intelligence

Resilience

Calm under pressure

Report-writing skills

Ability to build rapport

Education

Recognised Level 3 qualification or above

Job description

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 £4,249 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 it’s 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. Under the scheme you would make contributions of around 6.5% of the pay you receive, with employer contributions of around 29.6% of your pay. 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.