The Ministry of Justice is launching a New Year recruitment drive for HM Prison and Probation Service staff and is stressing the ability to make a difference to people’s lives – above the salary on offer.
Its Extraordinary Jobs campaign, which will begin airing on TV and radio later this month, aims to show the reality of life working in prison and probation roles – including daily challenges, teamwork, and the opportunity to help others.
The campaign comes as HMPPS is looking to recruit more than 1,000 new probation officers and address persistent recruitment-and-retention difficulties in the Prison Service. The MoJ said the New Year drive would offer opportunities to “thousands of people”.
Starting salaries for roles in probation are £26,475, while prison-officer pay starts from £33,746 .
The MoJ recently secured a temporary exemption to beefed-up immigration rules for foreign nationals working in UK prisons, which would have required them to earn a minimum salary of £41,700 to qualify for a visa or extension.
The Prison Officers Association had warned that the increased salary requirement could have resulted in the loss of 2,500 prison officers mostly recruited from Africa.
‘People are looking for more than just a pay packet’
The MoJ said research commissioned in support of its new recruitment campaign indicated that 39% of adults in England and Wales plan to change jobs this year.
It added that more than three-quarters of those who said they are seeking a new career want a role that contributes to positive change in the community.
Justice secretary – and deputy prime minister – David Lammy said roles at HMPPS would give people a chance to contribute to such change.
“People across the country are looking for more than just a pay packet – they want purpose,” he said.
“In our prisons and probation service, that purpose is clear: helping people rebuild their lives, reducing reoffending and making our communities safer.
“Every day, prison and probation officers perform some of the most vital – and often most overlooked work in Britain. They give people a second chance and help stop others becoming victims in the first place.
“So if you’re searching for a new direction this year, I’d urge you to consider one of these extraordinary careers. You’ll be making a real difference where it matters most.”
Trading places: ‘The most rewarding thing I’ve ever done’
As part of its Extraordinary Jobs campaign launch, the MoJ highlighted former currency trader Simon Knell, who swapped high-value money roles to join the Prison Service eight years ago.
Simon Knell Photo: MoJ
He now works as a “new colleague mentor” at HMP Maidstone in Kent.
“After years in finance, I wanted something with more meaning, something that actually made a difference to people,” Knell said.
“It can be a tough environment, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. As an officer you might be a teacher, counsellor, or first responder all in one day. And as a mentor, I help new recruits find their confidence and purpose in the job.”
Knell said his family initially had safety concerns about his decision to work in the Prison Service, but came to understand it was “not as daunting as people imagine”.
“It’s about communication, trust and professionalism,” he said. “I’ve worked with some amazing people, both staff and prisoners. No two days are the same. It’s challenging, but it’s also the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I’m so glad I took the leap.”
Rising probation headcount offsets prison-officer plunge
HMPPS is committed to hiring 1,300 new probation officers by April this year, on top of 1,000 recruited in 2024-25. However a National Audit Office report published in October said the service had previously underestimated the number of probation officers that would be required to provide sentence-management tasks by around 5,400 staff.
In December 2024, the public-spending watchdog noted that “the number and experience” of prison staff was impacting HMPPS’s ability to accommodate additional prisoners at a time of crisis in the prison system.
It said that officer retention was also a struggle, with a decreasing number of officers in band 3-5 with two or more years’ experience.
According to HMPPS’s most recent quarterly workforce update, it had 64,733 full-time equivalent staff in post at the end of September, a year-on-year decrease of 468 FTEs.
The figures show that the number of FTEs working in public sector prisons decreased by 1,161, but the reduction was offset by an increase in Probation Service personnel and staff working in other roles.