Police, prison and probation careers: pay, routes in and how to join

These are the jobs people assume need a degree, a spotless record and a family connection. Mostly they need none of those. What they do need is that you are 18, that you pass vetting and that you can handle people at the worst moment of their lives without losing your temper. That last one is the actual bar, and it is not taught at school.

Covers policing, HM Prison and Probation Service roles across England and Wales. Police pay figures are the national rates following the 4.2% award; forces in and around London pay more. Rules and figures change — confirm with the force or service before you build a plan around them.

Start here

• £31,163 to start · why London differsWhat policing and prisons pay
• Four police routes, prison, probationEvery route in
• Life experience counts hereJoining with no experience
• Competency-based, and how to answerAssessment and interview
• Response, wing, caseloadA day in the life
• Vetting, and what ends applicationsYour application
• You cannot join yet — the two-year planIf you are 16 or 17

The one hard rule

You must be 18. Not 16 with consent, not 17 with a parent's signature — 18, in every force and every service on this page. That is the single biggest difference between this guide and the Armed Forces, and it is why our page for 16 and 17 year olds is a two-year plan rather than an application guide.

The second rule people get wrong: you do not need a degree. Policing has a route for degree holders and a route for people without one, and both end with the same warrant card. Prison and probation entry roles ask for no degree at all.

The roles these guides cover

Nine roles on this board sit across policing, prisons and probation:

• Job rolePolice officer
• Job rolePolice community support officer
• Job roleChief inspector
• Job roleScenes of crime officer
• Job roleFingerprint officer
• Job rolePrison officer
• Job rolePrison governor
• Job roleProbation officer
• Job roleProbation services officer

What they are really selecting for

Every one of these services runs a competency-based process, and they are all looking for versions of the same four things.

That you stay calm when someone else is not. Being shouted at, lied to or spat at without escalating is the job, several times a week.

That you treat people the same regardless of what you think of them. Prisoners, suspects, offenders on licence — all are entitled to the same standard from you. Somebody who cannot do that is a liability rather than an asset.

That you write clearly and accurately. Vastly more of these jobs is written record than anyone expects, and it ends up in court.

That your integrity holds up. Vetting is thorough, it looks at your finances and your associations as well as your record, and it continues after you join.

Start with what these jobs pay, or every route in if you already know which service you want. If you are not 18 yet, the two-year plan is the page to read. Or browse all 737 job roles explained.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0