Solicitor Apprentice - Bristol

About the job

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it's really like to work at HMRC. At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve. We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us and we offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career at HMRC accessible to you. Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role.

About HMRC Legal Group

Across HMRC Legal Group we provide legal services to the whole of HMRC. This includes:

• The conduct of independent reviews of decisions made by HMRC which are requested by customers under the legislative provisions.
• The conduct of tribunal and civil litigation on a full range of services.
• Work on new legislation.
• Drafting of statutory instruments and other legal documents.
• Legal advice to ExCom and staff.

This is an exciting opportunity to work for HMRC Legal Group while training to be a solicitor. You can expect to be fully involved in a range of interesting legal work and receive high quality training in a supportive and inclusive working environment, culminating in a solicitor role upon successful qualification and performance in role. The apprenticeship is comprised of an off-the-job training programme alongside on-the-job learning in Legal Group. The training programme will be provided via a digital learning platform and study leave will be in line with Education and Skills Funding Authority (ESFA) requirements. As an apprentice, you can expect to spend 20% of your working time studying and the rest in post. Applicants should be aware of the rigour of the qualifications and be prepared to also study in their own time. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to work in different areas of law, developing different aspects to their legal practice by rotating seat placements during their apprenticeship.

Your office location is contractual so if you are successful, there is an expectation that you will attend that office location 60% of contracted hours as required by the business. You need to consider how you will meet this requirement before you apply and discuss any concerns with the vacancy holder before accepting any role.

Person specification

Successful candidates will have:

• strong written and oral communication skills.
• an ability to work well with colleagues, including support staff and other professionals in a collaborative environment.
• an understanding of the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion and why they matter in the legal profession.
• skills in gathering, evaluating, and interpreting information from various sources.
• the ability to identify problems and find solutions.
• a strong attention to detail.
• an ability to adapt and be resilient.
• IT skills and be comfortable using technology.
• an ability to manage their time effectively.

Essential Criteria: You must hold the GCSE's (or equivalent), and one of the higher Qualifications, as listed below to be eligible to apply. Provisional grades will be accepted at the initial application stage. As the recruitment process progresses, candidates will be required to provide their final results to confirm their eligibility. If your final results do not meet the essential criteria on which your application was based, your application will be rejected at that stage.

Important Information: If you hold qualifications in law or equivalent, please refer to the Solicitor Apprentice (Law Graduate) vacancy also currently on Civil Service Jobs. This role will require you to work a minimum of 30 hours per week as per training provider requirements which we will confirm in the application. Successful candidates will receive appointment letters that hold a training clause advising completion of the apprenticeship is a condition of employment. Successful completion of the apprenticeship will see you awarded with an LLB, the SQE qualification and qualifying work experience to become eligible to be a qualified solicitor. HMRC will fund training and assessment costs associated with your apprenticeship. If you withdraw from the apprenticeship, are withdrawn by the provider, or leave HMRC before completing the programme, HMRC may require you to repay some or all of the Training Costs incurred.

All successful applicants are expected to start their employment and workplace learning on 4th January 2027 with their academic study starting in mid-January 2027. Candidates with a law degree that was completed more than 5 years ago, or who have a CILEx L6 qualification, are still expected to start their employment and workplace learning on 4th January 2027 but will commence their academic study from March 2027. HMRC welcomes applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, taking into account our operational and customer service needs.

Qualifications

Please show us on your application, in the CV section, that you hold the Qualifications below:

• Five (5) GCSEs or equivalent between A* - C (9-4) including English and Maths
• ABB at A level (128 UCAS points); or,
• A qualification equivalent to ABB at A level such as BTEC Level 3; or,
• A relevant Level 3 apprenticeship programme; or
• A CILEx Level 3 qualification.

If you do not provide your qualifications, as listed above on your application, we will be unable to verify that you meet the required criteria, and your application will not progress to the next stage.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions, Working Together, Delivering at Pace.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £31,096, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £9,008 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days. Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues' Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary. Family friendly policies. Personal support. Coaching and development.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience. As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following: After submission of the first stage of your application, you will be invited to complete 3 tests, in the order of: Civil Service Judgement Test, Civil Service Verbal Test and Civil Service Work Strengths Test. If you successfully pass each test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.