Trainee Probation Officer - Professional Qualification in Probation South West 20 External

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 20 Internal MoJ Campaign.

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

Salary: £26,475 p.a. 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: The role of a probation officer is rewarding but can be challenging. As a probation officer, we support people on their road to rehabilitation, working with offenders in the community and in prisons. You often work with people with complex needs, including those who’ve committed violent and sexual offences, or struggling with their mental health or substance misuse. You will be working full-time alongside studying and supported every step of the way.

What you’ll need: To be eligible to apply you will need to have right to work in the UK. We cannot sponsor Trainee Probation Officers via the Skilled Worker visa route. If you hold limited right to work in the UK, you will need to consider your options for obtaining and/or maintaining your right to work in the UK.

• 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.
• 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. 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.

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 and DBS. 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.

What we offer: We will guide you through your studies, and 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.

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.

Disability support: As a Disability Confident employer, the MoJ is committed to ensuring that everyone can demonstrate their skills, talent, and abilities. Offering reasonable adjustment support to candidates when they apply for one of our jobs is just one way we do this.

Online Assessment Centres: Online assessments centres (OAC) are scheduled to take place April/May 2026. 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.

Additional Information: 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)

Campaign live date: Monday, 19th January 2026

Closing date: Monday, 16th February 2026 (23:55 pm)

If you require assistance, please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am-6pm) or e-mail MoJ-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com. Please quote the job reference 13334.