Check if you’re eligible
Pre-employment screening is a series of checks we carry out to ensure we comply with current legislation and to help us make informed employment decisions.
If your application is successful, you will need to undergo HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Enhanced Level 2 vetting (opens in a new tab).
You must declare any convictions, cautions and absolute or conditional discharges (GOV.UK, opens in a new tab) regardless of how long ago they occurred. All our roles are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, which means we check all spent and unspent convictions during the vetting process.
This should not deter you from applying, as we consider everyone on their individual merits before making an employment decision. Having a conviction does not necessarily mean you cannot work for the Probation Service. However, failure to disclose information will halt your application as we expect a high level of integrity from our employees.
The Probation Service encourages applications from people with lived experience, as we believe they can make a positive difference to the outcomes of the people on probation we work with.
Find your programme facilitator job and apply online
Want to be part of a diverse team, making an impact? Our programme facilitators are people just like you.
Application process
The first stage of the recruitment process involves completing an application form.
Complete a short online application form
Shortly after applications close, your application will be reviewed and sifted.
If your application is successful, you will be invited to interview/ assessment. The assessment will consist of two activities:
- A presentation with some follow up questions
- An interview relating to the role of a facilitator
You’ll need to enter important personal details, including your right to work in the UK. We use these to check you’re eligible to be a programme facilitator.
We’ll assess your experience and your behaviours using the Civil Service Success Profiles framework (GOV.UK, opens in a new tab).
You’ll be asked to complete 2 behaviour-based questions and one experience question. You might find it helpful as part of your preparation to think about the structure of your responses for the behaviours assessed. A common approach you might consider using is the ‘STAR method’:
Situation – describe the situation you had to deal with
Task – explain the task you needed to complete
Action – outline the actions you took to complete the task
Result – confirm what happened as a result of your action and what you learnt from the experience
To learn more about the STAR method visit the National Careers Service (opens in a new tab).
There’s a 250 word limit for each question, so you may find it helpful to draft your responses in a Word document before putting your final answers into your application form.
Our Reasonable Adjustments Scheme supports individuals who may face disadvantages in the job assessment process due to a diagnosed or undiagnosed disability, long-term condition, or even a short-term need arising from an illness or injury. As part of the application form you can let us know if you would like reasonable adjustments support in the assessment process. Find out about reasonable adjustments.
If your application is successful, we’ll invite you to attend an assessment process.
This assessment process has been designed to reflect the reality of the programme facilitator role. It will assess you to see if you have the behaviours and strengths we’re looking for.
The assessment will involve:
- a facilitation exercise
- an interview
The facilitation exercise will measure how well you can present information and communicate with a group. You will be provided with the topic in advance of the assessment process so you can prepare. On the day of the assessment process after you have delivered your exercise you will be asked some follow-up questions to reflect on your experience. This assessment helps us to assess your communication and interaction skills which you will use in the role when delivering programmes.
The blended interview covers a mixture of behaviour-based and strengths-based questions. Behaviour-based questions will explore your past experiences and achievements. Strength-based questions will focus on what motivates and energises you.
Tips for applying
Applying for any job can be difficult. We’ve put together some tips to help you:
- do your research – find out about the Probation Service and familiarise yourself with our work
- read the job profile and pay particular attention to the job purpose and the skills needed – show how your abilities match what we’re looking for
- tailor your answers to meet the specific requirements outlined in the job description, rather than copying and pasting from another application
- think about how you can demonstrate, from your past experiences, that you have the qualities needed to become a programme facilitator – such as collaborating with others or meeting difficult deadlines
- check and check again – use a spell checker, get a friend to read your application and give yourself time to proofread and edit your application
- plagiarised applications will not be progressed