Prisons and Probation

Probation officers

• manage offenders to protect the public and reduce potential reoffending
• work with offenders in custody, courts, and in the community
• interact with the police, victims and prison service colleagues
• liaise with relevant statutory and voluntary agencies
• some may manage residential premises for offenders and ex-prisoners
• manage and enforce the conditions of community orders

Prison officers

• supervise and manage prisoners, keeping the prison safe and secure
• conduct searches on prisoners, staff and visitors
• respond and manage the day-to-day challenges prisoners can present
• keep detailed records and timely reports, to maintain decency, safety and security

Have a look at Prison and Probation, Prospects and targetjobs job profiles to find out what roles in this sector involve and how to get into them.

These are some of the job profiles available:

• Prison officer
• Prison governor
• Prison instructor
• Youth justice worker
• Youth offending team officer
• Probation officer

You can read more about related roles on Work With Offenders.

• emotional intelligence and empathy
• resilience and self-confidence
• the ability to stay calm under pressure and think on your feet
• great communication and the ability to build rapport quickly
• the ability to de-escalate potentially volatile situations
• teamwork

Starting salaries for prison officers are usually between £30,000 and £40,000. Probation service officers usually start around £25,000.

To get an idea of typical starting salaries use the following resources:

• our Discover your Earning Potential Pathway offers access to The Pay Index. This shows you how salaries vary across different roles, industries and locations
• job profiles, such as those listed on Prospects or targetjobs
• vacancy sites such as Glassdoor and LinkedIn

For information about how to negotiate a salary, visit Handling job offers.

• browse our Work Experience and Graduate Employment directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed
• use LinkedIn’s Alumni tool to find out what Newcastle graduates are doing now. You could ask to connect with them, to gain advice and insights into their career. See Newcastle Alumni on LinkedIn to help you get started or watch our quick tutorial on Getting inspiration from others [3:13]
• attend alumni events, such as Newcastle Develop, to hear directly from our graduates
• sign up for mentoring support with Graduate Mentor and The 1 Hour Project. These aim to match students with industry professionals who can provide invaluable insights. Register to be connected for a one-hour meeting
• attend recruitment events and employer and sector insights. Hear about graduate jobs, placement schemes, build your network and ask questions

Searching for reviews online can be a useful way to get an idea of what to expect from certain roles or employers. Reviews are written by employees with different opinions about what makes a good employer.

Use the following review sites for inspiration and insight into the recruitment process:

• RateMyPlacement placement year reviews written by students.
• The Job Crowd – graduate job reviews
• Glassdoor – company reviews from employees

Read career guides for this sector, such as:

• Jobs in the prison and probation service
• HM Prison and Probation Service
• Gov.uk Probation Workforce Strategy 2023-2025
• Working for HM Prison Service
• Serco – prison officer careers
• G4S – getting a job as a prison officer

Use online magazines and journals to follow news from your industry. Reading about trends and developments is important for applications and interviews.

Examples include:

• HMPPS News and Communications
• Gov.uk: Reoffending and rehabilitation news
• Work With Offenders News
• NAPO Magazine
• The Guardian: Prisons and Probation
• BBC: HM Prison Service
• Prison and Probation Ombudsman

Search for and attend recruitment events to hear directly from professionals in the industry.

See also our recruitment events and employer & sector insights.

Use social media to find industry insights

Join sector-specific groups on LinkedIn to keep up to date. Posts often include news, events and opportunities. You can also find useful insights on careers on X and TikTok. Treat these with caution, as not all content may be accurate.

Find out more about how to use social media for your career.

Consider joining a relevant professional body/industry network

Professional bodies often:

• run networking events
• have specialist groups you could join
• post vacancies on behalf of their members
• have member directories, useful for speculative applications

Key organisations include

• Prison Officers Association (POA)
• National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO)
• Probation Institute
• Skills for Justice

Government departments and public bodies

England and Wales

• National Probation Service
• HM Prison Service
• Youth Justice Board for England and Wales

Northern Ireland and Scotland

• Northern Ireland Prison Service
• Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI)
• Scottish Prison Service
• Justice Directorate (Scotland)

Finding professional bodies worldwide

GoinGlobal’s country guides include details of professional bodies. Find them under ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each individual country guide.

You can volunteer in a prison, or work with ex-offenders, disadvantaged people and deprived communities. There are also many charities working in this sector.

Use the resources below to apply for advertised opportunities or find organisations to contact.

North East

• Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) – recruit prison volunteers in the North East
• Go volunteer in the Students’ Union can help you find a relevant volunteering opportunity within Newcastle. They have links to a wide variety of local charities and not-for-profit organisations

UK wide

• NACRO – opportunities to volunteer with young offenders
• Prison Reform Trust - directory of organisations supporting people affected by imprisonment
• Clinks: directory of services - organisations and projects working with people with experience of the criminal justice system
• use the Charity Commission register to search for relevant charities
• gain related experience with Community payback teams, Youth offending teams or victim support

Other volunteering opportunities can help you develop relevant skills. For example, volunteering Citizens Advice can help you develop essential advice giving skills.

For more opportunities see our Volunteering page.

You may also be interested in our Community, Advice and Guidance page for information on youth work.

Work shadowing and prison visits can give you:

• an insight into what the role involves on a day to day basis
• experience of the working environment
• opportunities to reflect on these experiences in job applications and interviews
• a demonstration of your your motivation and commitment to working in the sector
• the chance to consider if this type of work is right for you

How to arrange work shadowing and visits:

1. Identify local prisons, young offender institutes and probation services using:
• Gov.UK's Probation finder
• Justice.gov.uk to search for prisons by region
2. Identify a contact name to address your cover letter to. Call or email to find out who handles recruitment within the organisation. Or, find a key contact in the department you want to work in.
3. Send them a tailored CV and cover letter. Express your enthusiasm for the sector. Show that you have researched them.
4. Follow up your speculative application with a phone call, or email, around a week later. This shows you are serious and motivated.

If your application was unsuccessful, ask for feedback or advice, and keep trying!

The Careers Service runs flexible term-time and summer internships with local employers and on campus. NCL internships are aimed at all students, from any stage.

These internships may not be directly relating to prisons or probation, but will allow you to develop useful transferable skills.

Search for these under Vacancies on MyCareer. Type in ‘NCL internship’ into the text search box.

You can find these advertised throughout the academic year. Full-time summer opportunities are advertised from around March.

Access GoinGlobal for internships in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:

• additional vacancy websites
• CV, application and interview advice
• advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world

If you’re looking for inspiration, try searching our NU Work Experience Directory. You can see where our students have had internships and placements in the last five years. To see all results in a search category, keep the search field blank.

Prison officer graduate scheme

Unlocked Graduates is a two-year Leadership Development Programme for graduates interested in prison reform. The programme combines frontline work experience, study towards a master’s degree and the chance to publish research. Recruitment takes place on a rolling basis.

Probation officer training programme

To become a probation officer you’ll need to complete the Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP). The trainee probation officer programme usually lasts 15 months for graduates and combines work and study. Applications usually open in early spring and September.

Search the external sites below for opportunities:

• HMPPS: Prison and Probation Jobs
• Civil Service Job Search
• Community Care Jobs - youth offending team vacancies
• Justice Jobs
• Probation Board for Northern Ireland
• Work with offenders: jobs

You can also explore our resources:

• MyCareer - search for graduate schemes and graduate jobs in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts
• Graduate Jobs – lists graduate vacancy sites

See International jobs for details of overseas vacancy sites.

Access GoinGlobal for job adverts in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:

• additional vacancy websites
• CV, application and interview advice
• advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world