How to become a bailiff
You can get into this job through an apprenticeship or applying directly.
Apprenticeship
You could do a credit control and debt collection specialist advanced apprenticeship before getting a job as a bailiff.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
More Information
Direct Application
Your employer will train you so you can apply for jobs without much experience.
You may find it useful when you apply for jobs to have experience dealing with people in difficult situations. For example, this could be through working in sales, the military, the prison service or the police.
To work as a bailiff or enforcement officer for the courts, you might need GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English and maths.
Bailiff General Certificate
Before you can collect debts from someone on your own, you need to get a Bailiff General Certificate. If you do not have a certificate, you'll need to work with someone who does.
To get a certificate you'll need to:
- prove to a judge you're a 'fit and proper person' without a criminal record or debt
- know about bailiff law
- give a £10,000 bond to the court - you can take out an insurance policy to cover this
- get references from 2 people
Training
You can get:
- debt collection training from the Chartered Institute of Credit Management
- high court enforcement officer training from the High Court Enforcement Officers Association