Job Title: Summer Intern

Duration: Up to 12-weeks Fixed Term Contract

Location: Various (see ‘Location’ section below)

Pay Band: Administrative Officer (24 posts)

The Role:

These operational roles are primarily customer-facing, requiring successful applicants to be full-time office based to provide essential HMCTS services to the public. HMCTS offers a flexible working system in many of its offices, subject to business needs being met. The role includes working in many different departments delivering service to customers in:

• Customer-facing roles, including face-to-face contact with service users

• Preparing papers and files for court, tribunals, hearings and meetings

• Scheduling video hearings and data input onto in-house computer systems

This operational role offers you access to professional standards, skills development to help you continue to improve your development and performance and expand your career.

Key Purpose:

This is a temporary placement to support our courts over the summer period. Successful candidates will work as part of a flexible team to cover a variety of general administrative duties as outlined by their manager. It is not intended that each post will carry out the full range of duties. In some positions, role holders will have regular direct contact with court / tribunal users, including members of the Judiciary, service users, and the legal profession.

Successful candidates would be expected to work a minimum of 10 weeks of the 12-week contract, with annual leave being provided on a pro rata basis. As these placements provide business cover during peak leave periods, they will be office based only and are offered on a full-time basis of 37 hours per week.

Key Responsibilities:

Administration:

• Preparing papers and files for court, tribunals, hearings and meetings

• Producing court/tribunal documents

• Creating and updating records on in-house computer system and data input

• Draft Standard letters and correspondence, minutes, notes, reports, submissions etc., according to guidelines and instructions

Operations:

• Clerking civil and family courts, tribunals and hearings, ensuring papers and materials are available and up to date

• Assisting court users, supporting listing and rota management, checking files

• Resulting courts accurately, interpreting accurately the information required on a court file

• Handling counter (face to face), written and telephone enquiries

• Seek innovative ways to use problem solving tools to continually improve the customer experience

• Modify / adjust information and make decisions to ensure relevant guidance is given to service users

Checking & Verifying:

• Documents, records, accounts, claims and returns for approval, results, statistics, plans etc. against criteria, regulations or procedures

• Ensuring compliance and that administration documentation meets quality standards

• Role holders may be required to cross-check and validate work completed by colleagues

Collecting & Assembling Information:

• For returns, results, accounts, statements, warrants, statistical analysis, reports etc.

• Work may require interpretation of source materials, preparation of bundles, chasing

Communication:

• Communicate and work with the Judiciary, Magistracy, the Cluster Managers, Court staff, and other internal and external stakeholders and suppliers to provide excellent customer service

• To deliver a helpful, prompt, polite and “right first time" service to our internal and external customers

Other duties:

You are required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post.

Essential Skills, Knowledge and Criteria:

• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment

• Excellent communications skills

• Strong IT, administration and organisational skills

• You must be eligible to work in the UK for the entire duration of the internship

Location: Appointment / Preference:

Role availability varies by location. No alternative working arrangements are available, and once placements are confirmed, no location changes can be made. You will be given the option to select up to 3 preferred locations for your placement. Please ensure you only select locations that you would be willing to commute to and work from for the whole duration of the placement. Whilst the post holder will be allocated to a specific office base, there may be a need for flexibility to work on a regular or ad hoc basis at other local HMCTS offices.

We will hold a reserve list for 6 months. The reserve list will be based on the location preference/s, as indicated in your application.  We will appoint in merit list order for each location outlined in the vacancy.  If you are subsequently offered a role from the reserve list for a location preference indicated in your application and decline it, you will be removed from the reserve list for the vacancy, across all locational preferences.

We currently have the following number of vacancies at these locations:

London Pay Range Locations (within M25):

1 post at Dartford County Court, DA1 1DX

National Pay Range Locations (outside M25):

3 posts at Brighton County Court, BN2 0RF

2 posts at Norwich County Court, NR3 1UR

2 posts at Chelmsford County Court, CM2 0PP

2 posts at Luton County Court, LU1 2EN

2 posts at Watford County Court, WD18 0BW

2 posts at Peterborough County Court, PE1 1EJ

2 posts at Guildford County Court, GU1 4PS

2 posts at Bristol Civil and Family Justice Centre, BS1 6GR

1 post at Luton Crown Court, LU1 2AA

1 post at Medway County Court, ME4 4AR

1 post at Canterbury County Court, CT1 1ZA

1 post at Oxford County Court, OX1 1TL

1 post at Milton Keynes County Court, MK9 2DT

1 post at Reading County Court, RG1 1HE

Eligibility and Pre-Employment Vetting Checks:

If vetting checks are not successfully completed by Friday 05 June 2026, provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn as these are short term, time limited roles which cannot be extended to accommodate a later start date. Post holders are expected to commence across June and July 2026, depending on location.

Due to the short nature of the roles, these are not eligible for skilled worker sponsorship, and candidates must have the appropriate right to work at the time of appointment.

Selection Process:

Due to the anticipated high volume of applications, we will be applying a lead criterion at application / sift stage. This will be based on the Experience Question.

The selection process will be conducted on written applications only. No formal interview will be required.

If selected for appointment, we will try to match your selected location preference/s, but if vacancies in those do not exist, we may offer employment at alternative nearby locations.

Application Process:

To apply for this exciting and developmental opportunity, please complete the online application form.

You are encouraged to follow the STAR framework when providing evidence. Further information on Success Profiles, STAR and the required standards for this post (Level 1) can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles