How to become a probation officer
Official title: Probation officers
Also called: Probation officer, Youth justice officer, Chief probation officer, Community payback officer, Community service officer
Probation officers work to rehabilitate offenders. They supervise, counsel and help them before trial, during any prison or community sentence and on release from prison
Main tasks
- Produces pre-sentence reports to the court about an individual’s crime, their personal circumstances, the suitability of sentencing, the likelihood of re-offending and the future risk to the public
- Enforces court orders and serves the public by providing a wide range of supervision programmes for those in receipt of a community sentence
- Draws up probation plans with offenders and helps them follow it, advises them on any work and helps them with any family or social problems
- Works with prisoners in giving advice on problems such as drug and alcohol abuse, addressing training needs, finding work and getting accommodation
- Keeps accurate and comprehensive records
How to become one
Candidates are recruited with a variety of academic qualifications or with relevant experience. In England and Wales all candidates must complete a two year Diploma in Probation studies. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, entry requirements are the same as for social workers. Background checks including a DBS check are required.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship (England): Youth justice practitioner (level 5). England. Typically 25 months. Skills England standard ST0878.
- University: Social Work & Community degrees, Offered by 14 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £44,476 a year
- About 17,800 people work in this job now, and about 20,000 are projected by 2035. (+12.2%)
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Questions people ask
How do I become a probation officer?
Candidates are recruited with a variety of academic qualifications or with relevant experience. In England and Wales all candidates must complete a two year Diploma in Probation studies. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, entry requirements are the same as for social workers. Background checks including a DBS check are required.
How much does a probation officer earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £44,476 a year (Office for National Statistics).
Is a probation officer a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 12% by 2035, from about 17,800 to about 20,000 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become a probation officer?
Usually. 100% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.