Trainee & Debt Specialists

Trainee Money & Debt Specialist

2 full-time positions | 37.5 hours per week
Salary: £27,477 per annum
Location:
Taunton, Yeovil or Bridgwater, with some hybrid working available
5% employer pension contribution

Citizens Advice Somerset is looking for two Trainee Money & Debt Specialists to join our experienced and supportive team.

This is an exciting opportunity to build a career in the money and debt advice sector, helping people across Somerset who are struggling with money worries, debt and financial uncertainty.

You don't need to be an experienced debt adviser to apply.
We will provide and fund your professional training
, giving you the knowledge, skills and practical experience you need to become a qualified Money & Debt Specialist.

The training programme
will take about 12 months & you will work alongside experienced debt caseworkers and learn through a combination of formal training, shadowing, practical experience and supervised casework. You'll start by observing and assisting experienced advisers before gradually taking on your own client work as your skills and confidence develop.

It's a challenging and rewarding role where the advice you provide can have a genuinely life-changing impact.

As a Trainee Money & Debt Specialist, you will develop the skills to provide high-quality, accurate and impartial advice to clients experiencing financial difficulties.

Once appropriately trained and supervised, your work will include:

• Providing money and debt advice across a wide range of issues, including priority and non-priority debts.
• Supporting clients with related issues such as welfare benefits, housing, financial matters and income maximisation.
• Helping clients access grants and other financial support where appropriate.
• Identifying urgent situations and taking appropriate action to protect clients from immediate harm or financial difficulty.
• Communicating and negotiating with creditors and other relevant organisations on behalf of clients.
• Drafting professional letters and other communications to clients, creditors and third parties.
• Preparing and presenting cases to relevant statutory bodies and courts, including applications relating to Debt Relief Orders, Breathing Space and bankruptcy.
• Maintaining accurate, detailed and timely case records in line with regulatory and organisational requirements.
• Developing positive, trusting and professional relationships with clients, colleagues, partner organisations and external agencies.
• Contributing to research and campaigns on issues affecting our clients and local communities.
• Providing information and reports to managers and, where appropriate, the Trustee Board.
• Taking part in regular mentoring, supervision and ongoing training to maintain and develop your knowledge and skills.
• Supporting colleagues and, as your experience develops, providing guidance to less experienced staff and volunteers.

Throughout your training, you'll be supported by experienced colleagues and given opportunities to put your learning into practice in a safe and supervised environment.

We're looking for someone who is empathetic, organised, resilient and committed to learning
. You will need to be comfortable working with people who may be experiencing significant financial and personal pressures, while maintaining a calm, professional and non-judgemental approach.

You will have:

• A commitment to completing the required training programme within the scheduled timescales, together with the ability to learn and apply new knowledge in a working environment.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and customer service skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and confidently and support clients in…