Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest
Salary: Level 6 £32,535
Contract Type: Full-time/ Fixed Term Contract (29 Months)
Working hours per week: 36
Application Deadline: 11/10/2026
Proposed Interview Date(s): 15/10/2026
Reference: 2340
About Us:
Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.
We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.
London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.
The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method.
About the role:
The London Borough of Waltham Forest is offering an exciting opportunity for a motivated and enthusiastic individual to join its Trading Standards Service as a Level 6 Trading Standards Apprentice. This role combines structured academic learning with practical experience, enabling you to gain a recognised professional qualification while earning a salary.
We are seeking someone with a genuine interest in Trading Standards and consumer protection, who is committed to professional development and delivering high-quality public services.
This is a fixed-term position anticipated to last for 29 months.
This apprenticeship offers a unique opportunity to build a professional career while helping to protect consumers, support legitimate businesses and contribute to safer, fairer trading across the London Borough of Waltham Forest.
>> Click here to download the Role Profile <<
Key Responsibilities:
As a Trading Standards Apprentice, you will:
- Assist with investigations into consumer protection, product safety and fair-trading matters.
- Gather, research and analyse information to support enforcement and compliance activities.
- Learn how to prepare reports, witness statements and evidential documents for legal proceedings.
- Support inspections, business visits and engagement with consumers, businesses and partner organisations.
- Contribute to projects aimed at protecting residents from fraud, scams and unfair trading practices.
- Attend study sessions, training events and professional development activities as part of the apprenticeship programme.
Qualifications and Requirements:
To be considered for this position, you should meet the following requirements:
- Be educated to GCSE level (or equivalent), including English and Mathematics at Grade C/Grade 4 or above.
- Be willing to undertake and successfully complete the Level 6 Trading Standards Apprenticeship.
- Be aged 18 years or over.
- Have a strong interest in developing a career in Trading Standards and consumer protection.
- Demonstrate the ability to always maintain confidentiality and professionalism.
- Have experience of independent study and self-directed learning.
- Be able to work effectively under supervision and as part of a team.
- Possess good IT skills and confidence using technology in the workplace.
- Demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Have strong organisational, planning and time-management skills.
- Be able to research information and produce clear, accurate and well-structured reports.
- Be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, email and internet-based research.
- Be willing to learn new skills, follow instructions and take responsibility for your own development.
- Be flexible and adaptable in meeting the needs of the service.
Terms and conditions:
The below terms and conditions apply to this role:
- Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;
- As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.
We are a Home Office–licensed sponsor; however, for this specific role we are not able to provide Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. To be considered, you must already hold a form of UK work authorisation that does not require sponsorship.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Contact Information:
If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Sandra Bennett at sandra.bennett@walthamforest.gov.uk
If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.
To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.
We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.
For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us.
Fraud Awareness Notice:
The London Borough of Waltham Forest only advertises vacancies via our official website and approved recruitment platforms (e.g. Jobsgopublic).
We will never ask for payment or request sensitive personal or financial information as part of our recruitment process.
If you are contacted by a third party claiming to represent the Council, please verify the vacancy via our official careers website before sharing any information.
If you have concerns about a job advert or communication, please report it to:
fraud@walthamforest.gov.uk
Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.
