Probation Officer

Overview

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.

Please note:

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. 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 a DBS.

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.

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 guide you through your studies, and we ll give you the opportunity to make the most of your career as a Probation Officer. 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. Before completing online tests or attending an online assessment centre, it is essential to arrange reasonable adjustment support. Due to practical and logistical constraints, our assessors cannot accommodate requests on the day of the assessment centre. Therefore, we kindly request that you let us know in plenty of time if adjustments are required.

This will help ensure the right support is in place for you when you need it. Applying for reasonable adjustment support has been made simple. Just select  yes  in the application form when it asks if you think you might need it.

Online Assessment Centres (OAC) are scheduled to take place April and early May 2026. Please ensure you re available as it s 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.…