HMRC – Customer Service Apprenticeships

Read about how our Customer Service Apprenticeship offers the fantastic opportunity to work within our Customer Service Group at HMRC, while learning and gaining a nationally recognised qualification.

This is essential work, and our telephony and digital services support customers on behalf of the entire department.

About our Customer Service Apprenticeships

Who we are, what we do

As one of the UK’s largest customer service organisations, we put our customers at the heart of everything we do. Our Customer Services Group (CSG) is a dynamic and vital part of HMRC, handling millions of customer interactions each year—whether through telephony, post, or digital services.

From compliance and enforcement, to tax credit payments, debt management, and tax queries, our expert team ensures every customer receives the best possible experience.

With opportunities for growth, development, and a strong sense of community, we offer a career where you can take pride in making a real difference.

HMRC colleague sitting at a desk with a laptop and phone, smiling at the camera.

The apprenticeship

Our Customer Service Apprenticeship is your opportunity to earn while you learn, gaining valuable skills and hands-on experience while working towards a nationally recognised qualification. Over 18 months, you’ll develop practical expertise as a Customer Service Practitioner, becoming the first point of contact for our customers via telephone, email, and web chat.

With structured training, dedicated coaching, and off-the-job learning time, we’ll support you every step of the way. Your can-do attitude and passion for helping people will be key as you learn to navigate conversations and deliver clear, efficient service.

Upon completion, you’ll not only achieve a qualification but also gain eligibility to join the Institute of Customer Service, opening doors to a rewarding career—whether here at HMRC, elsewhere in the Civil Service, or in any customer-focused organisation.

We take pride in our inclusive, supportive environment, offering a strong work-life balance and plenty of growth opportunities. Ready to take the first step? Come and join us!

3 people sitting around a desk with a laptop.

What we’re looking for

No experience is necessary we’ll fully train you, but we would like you to be comfortable talking on the phone and discussing debt with our customers.

You’ll also need to be comfortable writing up notes, as this is mainly a phone-based role. We are looking for individuals with the drive and passion to make a difference to people’s lives, and need people:

With great verbal and written communication skills in English.
Dedicated to providing brilliant customer service.
With a can-do attitude and passion for supporting people.
With a resilience to work in a demanding and rewarding environment.
With the ability to provide information quickly and clearly.
Comfortable in handling various types of conversations.
To have basic maths skills.

Watch Chanice to see how her Customer Service Apprenticeship kick started her career.

Show video transcript

00:00 [Text on screen: It’s developed my skills and my confidence has really grown too – Chanice, Customer Service Officer, HMRC]
00:02 [Chanice, Customer Service Officer, HMRC] I entered the world of Estates through a Customer Service Apprenticeship which gave me the opportunity to earn whilst I learn. But on top of that it developed my skills, and my confidence has really grown too. I've been able to get stuck into some real hands-on pieces of work and trusted to deliver small projects. I even led an Estates Customer Service drop-in surgery which allowed me to network with other colleagues to understand their needs and feedback any issues to the rest of my team. My 18 month apprenticeship is coming to an end and I'm proud to say that I've already secured a full-time contract in the team. I'm excited to see what the future holds and I'm really happy with the career path that I have chosen.
00:43 [Text on screen: Discover skills for life. Apply for an HMRC Apprenticeship today.]

Here at HMRC we use Civil Service Success Profiles, this means we’ll assess you against ‘Behaviours, Ability and Experience’ when you apply.

The behaviours we are assessing on for this apprenticeship are:

Managing a Quality Service
Delivering at Pace
Communicating and Influencing

Here is a rundown of what to expect during the application:

1.An eligibility form which allows us to check you meet the required qualifications for the role.

2.An application form which tells us what appeals to you about the role.

3.An online customer service test.

4.A video interview.

5.The training provider eligibility check.

To be able to apply for this apprenticeship you’ll need to:

Have lived in the UK/EEA for at least 3 years before starting.
Have the right to live and work in the UK, with a valid passport/birth certificate and NI number.
Be out of full-time education (or finishing this academic year).
Not be doing another apprenticeship or receiving DfE funding for another course.
Be able to work at least 30 hours a week (or have an extended apprenticeship if part-time).
Meet the programme’s entry requirements (including any prior learning and qualifications).
Be gaining new skills in your role.

Under 19? You’ll need GCSE’s grade C/4+ in Maths and English, or have functional skills level 2 (or be willing to take extra qualifications during the apprenticeship).

We know interviews can be a bit daunting, and we want to support you in the process. Watch our video for hints and tips to help you master your technique!

Show video transcript

00:00 [Text on screen: Master your video interview. People. Purpose. Potential]
00:03 We know video interviews can feel a bit different, but with some preparation you can really shine.
00:06 [Text on screen: What to expect]
00:10 This won’t be a live chat, you’ll be recording your answers for our team of accessors to review later. Our team will seek to understand how you approach situations, your skills and your potential to become a fantastic customer service advisor. Our questions will focus on three Civil Service behaviours, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, and Communicating and Influencing.
00:37 [Text on screen: reliability, positive attitude, effective communication, analytical thinking, decision making] Civil Service behaviours are all about how you do things, not just what you know. Think of them as the qualities or good working habits that we think make a great team member and a problem solver.
00:51 [Text on screen: Preparing for your interview]
00:55 [Text on screen: Make notes. Review job description. Match skills and experience. Achievements I’m proud of. Why I want this job. Why I’d be great.] Give yourself a few days before the interview to review the job description and consider how your skills and experience meets the role requirements. Note down relevant achievements you're proud of. You can take these examples from across your education, projects, volunteering, community activities, sports clubs, social settings or previous jobs. Think back to what attracted you to this role and why you think you'd be a great fit.
01:23 [Text on screen: The STAR method]
01:25 Your behaviour based interview questions will ask for examples of past experiences to demonstrate your skills and potential. The STAR method helps you structure your answers clearly and effectively and helps to make full use of the interview timings to showcase your skills. STAR stands for S situation, T task, A action and R result. Situation, set the scene by briefly describing the context of your example. Task, clearly explain your responsibility, task or goal. What did you need to achieve? Outline any challenges or obstacles you faced. Action, this is the most important part. Describe the specific actions that you took. What steps did you take? How did you approach the task? Why did you approach the task in this way? Who did you talk to? What considerations did you have to take into account? Focus on your actions, not the teams. And Result, explain the results of your actions. What was achieved? What was the outcome? What was the positive impact of your actions? What did you learn? If possible, use numbers to quantify your results.
02:42 [Text on screen: What does this look like in practice?]
02:44 [Text on screen: Example of Team Work using STAR method. S: Situation – Setting scene] Here's an example of using the star method situation. Set the Scene. During my final year at school, our class was assigned the task of organising a charity event. We decided to hold a bake sale to raise money.
03:00 [Text on screen: Example of Team Work using STAR method. T: Task – Explain what your task was] Task. My specific task was to coordinate the bake sale. This involved planning the event, organising the bakers and ensuring we raised a significant amount of money.
03:14 [Text on screen: Example of Team Work using STAR method. A: Action – What steps did you take?] Action. I began by creating a sign up sheet to gauge interest among my classmates. I then scheduled a planning meeting to discuss dates, times and responsibilities. I delegated tasks, ensuring everyone had a clear role. I created advertising posters and communicated to the school about the event. During the sale, I helped to manage the sales and ensure everything ran smoothly.
03:37 [Text on screen: Example of Team Work using STAR method. R: Result – What did your actions achieve?] Result. The bake sale was a success. We raised £200 for the shelter, exceeding our initial goal. I received positive feedback from my classmates and teachers. I learned the importance of clear communication, delegation and teamwork in achieving a common goal.
03:55 [Two people filming themselves to practise. One using a laptop, the other using a mobile phone on a stand] Practise makes perfect. Practise using the STAR method with your examples from your experiences. Ask friend, family member or careers advisor to help you practise or practise alone until you feel comfortable.
04:11 [Text on screen: Recording your interview]
04:12 [Text on screen: On the day] Check your device is fully charged or plugged in. Check your internet connection, camera and microphone. Find a quiet, well lit place to record the interview, closing windows if you can. Dress as you would for a face to face interview. Position your camera at eye level. Do not use AI to generate your responses. We want to assess your authentic answers.
04:37 [Text on screen: Tips for success!] Read each question presented on screen carefully before answering. It's fine to take a short moment to think about your best example for the question before giving your response. It's OK to have some water handy. Make use of it if you need it. It's fine to have some brief notes to refer to, but don't read from the script. Show your skills. You may have limited work experience, but you do have skills. Think about communication, teamwork and problem solving. Be positive, let your enthusiasm shine through. Look at the camera, it creates a connection. Smile, it shows confidence. Speak clearly and take your time. Relax, take deep breaths. Be yourself. We want to see your genuine personality. If attending the interview is nerve racking, a mindfulness exercise, short walk or even a stretch may help beforehand. Do factor this in if you need to. One last thing, if you're a school leaver, we understand you may have limited work experience, but we value the skills you've gained in school and from other activities. We are looking for potential. Just remember, take time with your application and good luck.
06:01 [Text on screen: People. Purpose. Potential.]

Getting my career started – my apprenticeship

I’m Lucie. I started an apprenticeship in HMRC straight from school, and it has given me a great start to my career! I have gained amazing work experience as well as an A-Level equivalent qualification, which has given me great skills to progress my career. When I was leaving school, I wasn’t aware of the career opportunities within HMRC, but I knew I didn’t want to sit in a classroom anymore, I wanted to gain work experience and earn while I learn.

I have grown my confidence at work whilst doing an apprenticeship and gained strong communication skills. I have created a great network of colleagues, and every day is different!

Throughout my journey as an apprentice, I have felt really supported and I’m now looking to progress my career to be a degree apprentice at HMRC.

Any challenges I have faced in my apprenticeship I have been able to get support from my learning coach and have been able to succeed confidently, completing with a distinction. My advice to anyone thinking about an apprenticeship would be to just do it, the skills it gives you are invaluable. You will gain confidence, meet new people, and experience something new.