Bailiff
Bailiffs collect debts or give notices, summons and court documents.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
Your work will depend on the type of bailiff you are.
You could:
- visit and write to people who owe money to ask for payment
- offer money advice
- arrange for people to repay what they owe
- attend court to ask for permission to enter properties
- give court documents
- take items and arrange to sell them at auction
- keep accurate records
Working environment
You could work in a court or in an office.
Your working environment may be physically demanding and you'll travel often.
Career path and progression
With experience you could lead a team of bailiffs.
You could also become a senior manager or move into business development.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- the ability to work well with others
- knowledge of public safety and security
- sensitivity and understanding
- legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
- thinking and reasoning skills
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
How to become
You can get into this job through an apprenticeship or applying directly.
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
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
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This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.