Apprentice Debt Officer

Summary

Apprenticeships are an exciting way to develop your career. At Southampton City Council we’re keen to invest in people, apprentices are a valuable part of our workforce and the future of the council. We are looking for a confident and conscientious individual to undertake the role of Apprentice Debt Officer.

Wage

£24,027 a year

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At SCC we are committed to paying Foundation Living Wage as a minimum. Your salary as an apprentice will be £24,027 (pro rata) annually and may increase in line with any national rise in Foundation Living Wage.

Training course

Advanced credit controller and debt collection specialist (level 3)

Hours

Monday - Friday, Shifts to be confirmed

37 hours a week

Start date

Thursday 19 June 2025

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you’ll do at work

To work to achieve targeted results, dealing with all aspects of customer payment, invoicing and debt recovery contributing to the targets and objectives of the team in respect of individual performance, quality and customer service
To deliver a proactive and practical response to customers who are experiencing financial difficulties with the management of their tenancy and rent arrears
Helping to create awareness of the Government’s Welfare Reform Programme and making every effort to obtain rent owed through a preventative approach rather than to evict the tenant
To deliver a front line service on behalf of Social Services, dealing with queries relating to care charging and invoice calculation, interpreting information within the Care Director and Business World systems, understanding how this will impact on the billing process and issuing instructions to other relevant departments that will correct the account within the terms of Council policy and legislation
To understand the principles of County Court proceedings and the requirements for processing possession claims against tenants

Where you’ll work

Civic Centre
Southampton
Hampshire
SO14 7LY

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

College or training organisation

FAREPORT TRAINING ORGANISATION LIMITED

Your training course

Advanced credit controller and debt collection specialist (level 3)

Equal to A level

Course contents

Your training plan

Studying towards the Level 3 Advanced Credit Controller and Debt Collection specialist Apprenticeship Standard
Internal induction programme when starting employment with us
Training schedule has yet to be agreed. Details will be made available at a later date

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE or equivalent in:

English and Maths (grade 4 and above)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
IT skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Customer care skills
Problem solving skills
Presentation skills
Administrative skills
Analytical skills
Team working
Initiative

About this company

Being part of the Southampton City Council team requires people who are willing to take personal responsibility for delivering excellence, to work with others to achieve the best possible outcomes, to embrace change and new opportunities, to make the most of the resources available to us and to think and act in the best interests of our customers. Southampton City Council are responsible for providing a number of services to the residents of Southampton including waste, housing, benefits, libraries, community support, marriages etc. and our aim is to give our customers the best service possible.

https://www.southampton.gov.uk/jobs/ (opens in new tab)

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

Upon completion you will be a qualified Credit Controller and Debt Collection Specialist
Although we can’t guarantee you a permanent job at the end of your apprenticeship, we will support you to apply for suitable roles within the council, and help make sure you are ready for a wider job search

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

Southampton City Council

Leah Whitcher

Leah.Whitcher@southampton.gov.uk

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000312685.

Apply now

Closes in 8 days (Sunday 13 April 2025)

When you apply, you’ll be asked to sign in with a GOV.UK One Login. You can create one at the same time as applying for this apprenticeship.

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.

Company’s application instructions

You will be required to complete an online application form and if shortlisted attend a panel interview.

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