Requirements

Probation officer - requirements

As a probation officer, you’ll work with offenders to help with their rehabilitation and keep them away from crime. You’ll also work closely with the police, victims and other probation officers to keep communities safe. Keep reading to learn more about a career in this field.

Know what you'll need to land a job below.

What qualifications do you need to be a probation officer?

A social work degree will go a long way. Subject areas to consider include:

After your degree, you’ll have to complete probation officer training through the Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP). This usually lasts 15 or 21 months, depending on your prior qualifications.

Please note this is a beta version. We'll continue to improve our suggestions here so that we show you the most relevant subjects.

Do you need a postgraduate qualification to be a probation officer?

You won’t usually need a postgraduate qualification to be a probation officer, but having one will likely increase your knowledge and employability.

Examples of taught MAs and research degrees at postgraduate level include MAs in:

Criminal Justice
Criminology
Social Work

What skills do you need to be a probation officer?

As well as patience and empathy, you’ll need to show passion for helping others and an ability to work in stressful situations.

Hard skills usually include:

Counselling
Social behaviour
Report-writing
Safeguarding
Knowledge of the criminal justice system

Soft skills include:

Communication
Leadership
Interpersonal skills
Motivational skills
Organisation

Do you need work experience to be a probation officer?

You’ll need previous experience of working with people who display difficult behaviour before working as a probation officer. In general, the quality of the work experience is more important than the amount you’ve done. Relevant work experience includes working for prison visiting services, victim support services and youth offending teams.