Prison instructor
Instructional officer
Prison instructors teach prisoners new skills to help them find work after their release.
Salary range: £20,000 to £31,000
How to become a prison instructor
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
College
You’ll need a recognised teaching qualification or be willing to work towards one. Qualifications include:
- Level 3 Award in Education and Training
- Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training
- Level 5 Education and Training Diploma
You’ll need access to 100 hours of teaching practice. You’ll also need experience and a level 3 vocational qualification in your subject area or trade.
You may find it useful to do qualifications in assessment, like the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement.
Entry requirements
You may need:
- GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
More information
Apprenticeship
You can complete a learning and skills teacher higher apprenticeship.
You’ll need a qualification in the subject you want to teach. Employers will be looking for relevant up-to-date industry experience.
You’ll also need to show ability in English, maths and IT.
More information
More information
Further information
You can find out more about teaching qualifications from FE Advice.
Find out more about the role from Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You’ll need:
- knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to enjoy working with other people
- customer service skills
- sensitivity and understanding
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to work well with others
- to be flexible and open to change
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Restrictions and requirements
You’ll need to:
You would also need to meet the usual Prison Service entry requirements, which include nationality and security checks. See Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service for more details.
What you’ll do
Day-to-day tasks
Your day-to-day duties may include:
- finding out the skills and training needs of each prisoner
- planning training sessions
- preparing teaching materials
- providing group or one-to-one instruction
- updating prisoners’ individualised learner records
- supporting prisoners working towards qualifications
- making sure prisoners are supervised at all times
- keeping the working area safe
- making sure tools and materials are counted to avoid security risks
- searching prisoners, known as a ‘rub down’ or ‘pat down’
Working environment
You could work in a prison.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time and physically and emotionally demanding.
Career path and progression
You could become a senior or principal officer, or move into other areas of training or instructing.
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