We spoke to Katie Lowe, trainee probation officer, about her advice to current and prospective students on how to be successful on the trainee probation officer programme. Katie is on the 21-month programme, studying at the University of Portsmouth and will complete her qualification in December 2024.
1. Use Your Study Days Effectively
My biggest tip is to use your study days effectively. If you can, turn your work notifications off because you will get distracted. Put your out-of-office message on during your study days to make sure that you're able to have this separation. Although I sometimes do work outside of my study day, I ensure to plan my study day each week to make the most of it. University work comes in peaks and troughs so use less busy periods to get ahead.
2. Manage Your Time Well
I've learnt a lot about time management and organisation during the programme. Make sure you use your Outlook calendar. It will be your best friend. Write down every date you need to remember and put all your deadlines in your calendar in advance. You will do a lot of report writing, so you will need to meet tight deadlines. Practise writing concisely and under time constraints.
3. You Need Perseverance and Patience
When I first applied to the trainee probation officer course, I didn’t receive an offer, but I decided to keep going. I knew it was a tough process, but I was determined to succeed and luckily when I reapplied in April 2022 I got in. The application process was quite extensive, however. I got through the first stage of the recruitment process in September and then attended the assessment centre which was held online due to COVID. The assessment centre involved half a day of role plays, written reports, and an interview. A few days after the assessment centre I found out that I was successful and received my offer in December 2022, following the vetting process. If you’re applying, make sure you are well-prepared and understand what is required at each stage of the process. Persistence is key and remember that any setbacks can help you be successful in the future.
4. Build Confidence
Confidence is crucial, especially when you're shadowing other probation officers and need to show that you can interact with people effectively. You need to show that you have the confidence to speak to different types of people and build rapport.
5. Seek Support When Needed
There's always help available if you need more support. Use the resources available to you, whether through the university, where you’ll have your personal tutor and lecturers, or through the Probation Service, where you’ll have your line manager and supportive colleagues.
6. Embrace the Challenge
Don't enter the trainee probation officer programme with complacency. It's a challenging programme that requires dedication and self-motivation, but it is also rewarding. With the trainee probation officer programme you can go in so many directions. It opens all these doors for you in terms of career options. The organisation, time management, confidence and communication skills you learn will help you throughout your career. Personally, I want to work with youth offending teams.
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