Trainee Probation Officer Programme

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

Job summary

A public service organization in Westhoughton is seeking a probation officer to support offenders in changing their lives. The role offers a competitive salary starting at £26,475 during training, increasing to £35,130 upon qualification, along with generous leave and a supportive environment. Candidates require a recognized Level 3 qualification or above and should possess strong emotional intelligence, resilience, and report-writing skills. This job promises personal growth, career progression, and the opportunity to make communities safer.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Pension Scheme

Support for professional qualification

Generous leave

Qualifications

• You need emotional intelligence and resilience to support offenders.
• Excellent report-writing skills are essential for documentation.
• Experience in managing challenging behaviour, whether paid or voluntary.

Responsibilities

• Support offenders to change their behavior and reintegrate into society.
• Work collaboratively with victims, charities, and criminal justice system.
• Deliver interventions to help offenders understand and improve their actions.

Skills

Emotional intelligence

Resilience

Calm under pressure

Rapport building

Report writing

Experience working with challenging behavior

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.