Trainee Probation Officer - Professional Qualification in Probation North West (Intake 16 - External Campaign)

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 16 Internal MoJ Campaign.

Train to be a Probation Officer - By investing in your future, you could transform countless lives.

Salary: £24,228 p.a. 

Please note as part of the 3-year probation service pay deal there is a planned pay increase in October 2024 which will make the starting salary £26,475 p.a

For London Probation Delivery Units there is an allowance of £4,126 per annum. London allowance is extended to those staff who are contracted to work in workplaces within the M25 boundary.

What the role involves  

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. 

What you’ll need

As part of the Probation Service, we support people on their road to rehabilitation. It involves working closely with all kinds of offenders often with complex needs, including those who’ve committed violent and sexual offences, or struggling with their mental health or substance misuse. As a Probation Officer, you need to be resilient as this can often make their behaviour challenging. Not everyone is ready to change, and you will experience setbacks. However, through our PQiP training programme, you will learn the tools needed to address such behaviours, engage with people and support them to make positive changes. You’ll also work with victims of crime, colleagues across the criminal justice system, charities and the wider community.

Level 3 Qualification

To be eligible for the non-graduate PQiP programme, you need to have a level 3 qualification (or higher) e.g. A Level, Advanced apprenticeship, AS Level, International Baccalaureate Diploma, Level 3 NVQ.  A full list can be found on the website.

This will be a 27-month learning programme which will involve completion of a level 4 module and the required knowledge modules within the first 12 months and in the final 15 months you will complete your level 5 Diploma in Probation Practice and a Diploma in Community Justice as well as your level 6 Professional Qualification in Probation.

Level 5 Qualification

To be eligible to apply to the graduate PQiP programme, you must hold a valid Level 5 qualification, or above, such as an honours degree, a foundation degree, a diploma of higher education, a Level 5 vocational qualification or a higher apprenticeship. It doesn’t matter what subject your Level 5 qualification is in.

To be eligible for the 15-month PQiP programme, you need to have studied knowledge modules on at least three of the following four topics as part of your degree (or equivalent):

Understanding Crime and Criminal Behaviour, The Criminal Justice System, Penal Policy and the Punishment of Offenders & Rehabilitation of Offenders.

If your level 5 qualification doesn’t include these subjects, you’ll most likely study the 21-month PQiP programme where you will complete the required knowledge modules and go on to study the required level 6 elements to qualify as a Probation Officer.

Please note: You must be able to provide a certificate for your qualification, this should be an award certificate for a completed qualification or a Level 5 exit award where the full qualification has not been completed.  For the Level 5 the qualification must comprise of at least 120 credits (of which 120 must be attained at level 5), which is transferable to evidence a second-year study at university or equivalent.  If your certificate does not state the level, or the number of credits attained at Level 5, please check with the education provider who issued your certificate and provide written confirmation to support that you hold a valid qualification to present at the assessment centre. If you are not able to provide confirmation and or it is later found that your qualification does not meet the requirements, your place could be withdrawn.

If you have not yet undergone your award ceremony or have still not received your certificate in time to present at the online assessment centre, you can instead produce a valid transcript as evidence, or a letter of confirmation of your pass mark from your education provider.

If you have previously started a placement on any PQiP programmes, and you are re- applying within 12 months of leaving the programme, your application needs to be agreed via the regional Probation Learning Lead.

Please refer to Skills and qualifications you need – Prison and Probation Jobs for minimum eligibility requirements.

Pre-employment checks

If your application is successful, you will need to undergo and clear pre-employment checks, this also applies to existing employees of HMPPS and will include Enhanced Level 2 vetting.

Once in post as a trainee probation officer, as part of your role, you will require access to the multi-agency ViSOR database, and you will therefore be required to undertake Non-Police Personnel Vetting (NPPV) Level 2.

Proof that you have been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years is required to complete the NPPV2 vetting process. If you do not successfully pass NPPV vetting, you will be unable to access the ViSOR database and may not be able to fulfil the full requirements of the role/complete the PQiP qualification/may be redeployed to another role.

In the unlikely event where failure occurs, an internal investigation may be commissioned to understand the reasons for NPPV failure and if/where we can redeploy you. If this is not possible, we will be required to terminate your employment.

For pre-employment checks, including vetting and health checks, the onus is on candidates to provide correct and up to date documentation promptly when requested during the application process. Candidates who fail to engage with the pre-employment checks process early on, may not clear in time to join on the fixed start date.

All of our positions are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, which means all spent and unspent convictions are examined as part of the vetting process. As part of this, you must declare all convictions, cautions and absolute or conditional discharges – however long ago they occurred. More information is available here. This should not deter candidates with any criminal history from applying as all cases are always considered on their individual merits before a decision is reached.  

The Probation Service encourages applications from people with lived experience and we believe this can make a difference to our service user outcomes. A conviction does not necessarily mean you cannot become a Probation Officer. However, failure to disclose information will put an end to your application, as we expect a high level of integrity from all those who we employ.

What we offer

You’ll be part of a supportive, diverse and friendly team environment – the perfect place to study towards your Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP). We will sponsor and guide you through your studies, and we’ll give you the opportunity to make the most of your career as a Probation Officer.

You’ll receive a competitive salary and benefits package. We offer a generous annual leave allowance of 25 days plus eight public holidays and Local Government Pension Scheme.  In addition, we offer opportunities for your onward career progression.

Upon successful completion of the programme, you will become a qualified Probation Officer on a starting salary of £35,130 p.a. plus London Weighting Allowance where applicable.

During the PQiP application process, you will be asked to rank your preference of Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) within your chosen Probation region. This is the geographical area where your office will be located. Please ensure you are happy with the PDU preference you select, as once your training begins, we may not be able to facilitate moves to other PDUs or regions.

When you complete the programme, you will gain a Professional Qualification in Probation. Prior to qualifying you will be contacted to discuss your Probation Officer role offer. Depending on the level of vacancies available within your region you may need to go through a location preference exercise or need to apply to a role via fair and open recruitment.  It is important to note the location of your job offer may not be where you have completed your training in accordance with business need.

Talks are ongoing between the Probation Service and recognised trade unions on proposals to introduce a business need requirement which, subject to the outcome of those forthcoming talks, may result in a requirement for new PQiPs to remain within the region in which they have trained for at least two years post-qualification. As part of these proposals, we would ensure that compassionate or reasonable adjustment transfers continue to be considered in accordance with Probation Service policy. If implemented, such criteria would not affect your right to apply for promotions during the period outside of your region.

Who we are.

As part of His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), The Probation Service plays a vital role in the criminal justice system working with over 230,000 offenders, serving community sentences and pre/post-release from custodial sentences. As well as the management of offenders, we’re responsible for taking preventative measures that protect the public, support victims and reduce the risk of reoffending. Together with the police, prisons and courts, we help people turn their lives around and help our communities feel safer.

To find out more, visit   Overview of the probation officer role – Prison and Probation Jobs

We abide by the Civil Service Code’s standards of behaviour.

Our recruitment processes are driven by the principle of a fair and open competition leading to appointments based on merit (as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles).

If you have any questions about the Civil Service Commission or our Recruitment Principles, we recommend contacting the Civil Service Commission directly.

If you feel we haven’t upheld those principles throughout your application and want to make a complaint, first contact the Ministry of Justice. If their response is unsatisfactory, contact the Civil Service Commission

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Additional Information

Disability support

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. If you require reasonable adjustments to undergo your OAC, these must be requested when prompted during the application process and agreed by the Reasonable Adjustment Team.  Assessors are unable to grant reasonable adjustments on the OAC day.

Online Assessment Centres

Online assessments centres (OAC) are scheduled to take place at the beginning of May 2024.

Please ensure you’re available as its unlikely there will be alternative dates available. The assessment is a half-day online event, and you’ll need access to a laptop or computer with a webcam/built in camera and mouse.  Assessments cannot be undertaken using a tablet, Chromebook or smartphone. You will be required to log in to an online candidate portal, via a platform called Sova, to access your assessment materials and will be required to join a virtual room with your camera on, via Sova, for the duration of your online assessment.

There may be an opportunity to undertake the interview in Welsh language, pending the availability of a Welsh-speaking assessor.

This is a full-time (37 hr week) post.  There may be some part-time learning placements available in your region for applicants who hold a level 5 qualification and are therefore eligible to be placed onto the graduate PQiP programme, but on a part-time basis. (Learners who hold a Level 3 qualification are not eligible to be placed onto the PQIP learning programme on a part-time basis)

The part-time option requires a minimum commitment of 0.6FTE (22.2 hours) and 0.8 FTE (29.6 hours) maximum. The working days will not be fixed but there will be a requirement for learners to attend live University and Learning and Development events on their non-working days (if they fall on an NWD). The part-time PQiP course could take up to 30 months to complete.

If you are successful, you’ll be included in the allocations to vacancies for the next intake.  Allocations are based on merit from your assessment scores in conjunction with your PDU choices, vacancies are based on business need.

You may be allocated to a prison to undertake your trainee probation officer programme, and this may be a Public Sector Prison, or a privately run prison by secondment.

The PQiP university study begins twice yearly in March and September, although there may be an opportunity to join as a trainee Probation Officer before the course begins.

The location you are originally based at when you join the service may not be your final base due to transition work that our estates are undertaking over the next four years. As part of the Probation Reform Programme the Estates Programme is delivering a 4-year modernisation strategy. This will create sites which will be modern and create the right atmosphere for staff and service users and enable smarter working.

If you are not quite successful in the assessment process for our PQiP programme there may be an opportunity to join the probation service in a probation services officer role. To be considered for this alternative role please tick the box on your PQiP application form, this does not guarantee we will be able to consider you, but it does let us know you’re interested should the opportunity arise.

Please note that the Technical Requirements section of the attached JD is not applicable in this case, as this campaign is for PQiP trainee probation officers.

HMPPS welcome applications from ex members of the armed forces, for further information visit the following link Career Transition Partnership.

We are aware that there are websites in operation offering assistance to candidates with PQiP assessments – please note that these are not official websites, nor are they endorsed by the His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service. Plagiarised applications will not be progressed.

Feedback can only be provided for candidates who reach the online assessment centre stage and is contained within the results letter.