Assistant Environmental Health Officer - Apprentice
Epsom and Ewell Borough Council
Surrey (KT18 5BY)
Closes in 16 days (Sunday 10 May 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 24 April 2026
Contents
Summary
If you think you might enjoy inspecting food businesses for hygiene, investigating flytips, serving legal notices on landlords to remedy poor housing conditions, taking measurements of pollution, dealing with noisy neighbours or a huge variety of other opportunities, then we'd like to hear from you.
- Wage
-
£25,247 a year
- Training course
- Environmental health practitioner (integrated degree) (level 6)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday.
36 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
-
4 years
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
- Successfully obtain a place on an accredited Environmental Health (Apprenticeship) BSc (Honours) course and undertake the programme of study over the full four years of the degree, which is delivered via a mix of taught and independent learning.
- On days when there are no taught classes at the university, undertake work in the Environmental Health Team, including building on the taught knowledge to develop the practical skills of an Environmental Health Practitioner.
- Assist and support other members of the Environmental Health Team to deliver services such as food safety, health and safety at work, housing, pollution control and community safety.
- To take on a suitable case load of reactive and project work in line with your developing confidence and competence.
- To deliver effective front-line services to the public
- To be a presence in public within the Borough of Epsom & Ewell
- To ensure the council's service provision is of the highest standards.
- To confidently communicate with the general public.
- To ensure compliance with and enforcement of legislation appropriate to the stage of development.
- To assist in the achievement of any annual performance Indicators targets / service delivery plan, and contribute effectively to My Performance Conversations.
Where you'll work
Town Hall
The Parade
Epsom
Surrey
KT18 5BY
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY
Training course
Environmental health practitioner (integrated degree) (level 6)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Provide specialist, professional and technical environmental health advice and guidance to a range of stakeholders such as residents, businesses, property owners, government agencies and partners
- Plan, undertake and lead inspections, audits and other forms of investigations across the breadth of environmental health matters
- Evaluate applications and grant relevant licences and permits eg. environmental permits, HMOs, caravan sites, skin piercing, tattooists etc
- Negotiate with and influence a range of stakeholders in relation to a range of environmental health matters
- Identify, evaluate and communicate environmental health risks and risk management solutions to a range of stakeholders
- Ensure all activities are undertaken in accordance with relevant legislation, guidance and codes of practice
- Infer and apply a range of legislation related to environmental health, eg. the Environment Act, Environmental Protection Act, the Health and Safety at Work Act, Food Safety Act, Housing Act, Public Health Act, Police and Criminal Evidence Act, data protection legislation, anti-social behaviour legislation etc
- Employ a range of research, analytical and problem-solving techniques to resolve environmental health issues through creative and critical thinking, devising practical solutions and applying problem solving strategies
- Critically evaluate and analyse evidence and information
- Formulate judgements and decisions based on the evidence available and applied knowledge eg. on acceptable levels of pollution emissions, water data, acceptable levels of noise etc
- Manage objective measurement and analysis of scientific information to determine the appropriate course of action eg. noise measurement, air emissions etc
- Appraise, implement and communicate relevant interventions eg. enforcement actions
- Produce accurate records and reports and where appropriate, recommend interventions, including the collection and handling of evidence with a view towards legal proceedings
- Assess and deal effectively with difficult and confrontational situations
- Participate in health promotional activities in high priority environmental health areas eg. shisha, smoking, obesity, food safety etc
- Implement effective decision making, exercising discretion, initiative and independence within the scope of own role
- Communicate and influence effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders including spoken and written communication skills, presentation skills, giving advice and guidance / mediating / negotiating and persuading, handling private and sensitive information (eg. data protection)
- Use a range of standard IT packages to undertake for example, word processing activities, produce reports and input / analyse data
- Work as part of a multi-disciplinary and/or multi-organisational team and collaborate to achieve successful outcomes
- Lead activities relating to environmental health matters
- Carry out sampling and collect evidence for monitoring, investigations and/or enforcement purposes in accordance with legislation and current guidance
- Examine and assess compliance with conditions
- Plan, organise and prioritise workload to meet deadlines
- Provide specialist, professional and technical environmental health advice and guidance to a range of stakeholders such as residents, businesses, property owners, government agencies and partners
- Plan, undertake and lead inspections, audits and other forms of investigations across the breadth of environmental health matters
- Evaluate applications and grant relevant licences and permits eg. environmental permits, HMOs, caravan sites, skin piercing, tattooists etc
- Negotiate with and influence a range of stakeholders in relation to a range of environmental health matters
- Identify, evaluate and communicate environmental health risks and risk management solutions to a range of stakeholders
- Ensure all activities are undertaken in accordance with relevant legislation, guidance and codes of practice
- Infer and apply a range of legislation related to environmental health, eg. the Environment Act, Environmental Protection Act, the Health and Safety at Work Act, Food Safety Act, Housing Act, Public Health Act, Police and Criminal Evidence Act, data protection legislation, anti-social behaviour legislation etc
- Employ a range of research, analytical and problem-solving techniques to resolve environmental health issues through creative and critical thinking, devising practical solutions and applying problem solving strategies
- Critically evaluate and analyse evidence and information
- Formulate judgements and decisions based on the evidence available and applied knowledge eg. on acceptable levels of pollution emissions, water data, acceptable levels of noise etc
- Manage objective measurement and analysis of scientific information to determine the appropriate course of action eg. noise measurement, air emissions etc
- Appraise, implement and communicate relevant interventions eg. enforcement actions
- Produce accurate records and reports and where appropriate, recommend interventions, including the collection and handling of evidence with a view towards legal proceedings
- Assess and deal effectively with difficult and confrontational situations
- Participate in health promotional activities in high priority environmental health areas eg. shisha, smoking, obesity, food safety etc
- Implement effective decision making, exercising discretion, initiative and independence within the scope of own role
- Communicate and influence effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders including spoken and written communication skills, presentation skills, giving advice and guidance / mediating / negotiating and persuading, handling private and sensitive information (eg. data protection)
- Use a range of standard IT packages to undertake for example, word processing activities, produce reports and input / analyse data
- Work as part of a multi-disciplinary and/or multi-organisational team and collaborate to achieve successful outcomes
- Lead activities relating to environmental health matters
- Carry out sampling and collect evidence for monitoring, investigations and/or enforcement purposes in accordance with legislation and current guidance
- Examine and assess compliance with conditions
- Plan, organise and prioritise workload to meet deadlines
Training schedule
On-the-job training to be provided by the employer.
Apprenticeship to be delivered by Middlesex University, London.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
A Level in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
Other requirements
This role is subject to a DBS check.
About this employer
At Epsom & Ewell, we aspire to deliver high quality services to our residents. We might be small, but we have big plans to serve our population of 80,000 residents. We are investing in our future, increasing strategic capacity and exploring new ways of working.
This is an exciting time to join our team at Epsom & Ewell Borough Council.
Over the last few years we have developed strong working relationships with partners, become more resilient and collaborative and become more effective and agile in our ways of working.
Our vision and purpose are clear and we work together to deliver an ambitious set of targets, very much focused on our residents’ requirements: keeping the borough green and vibrant; harnessing opportunity and prosperity; building a cultural and creative place; keeping residents safe and well; and being smart and connected - all delivered by an effective council.
Investment in our future means that we have the opportunity to fill several key roles that will enable us to continue innovating in our delivery of high-quality services to our residents.
Successful candidates will be supported to achieve their own professional goals, and be joining a dedicated, friendly and professional team who embrace our ethos of ‘One Team’.
Our small but ambitious authority offers you the opportunity to become involved in a wide range of varied and interesting work. That, together with an enviable array of staff benefits and a rewarding and challenging career is our unique offer to you.
If you have the passion and the drive to make a real difference, we really want to hear from you.
https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- Fully funded tuition fees
- Travel expenses to university
- Paid Student membership fee of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
- 25 days annual leave
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
Once you have completed the salaried four-year apprenticeship and professional pathway, you will be eligible for employment as a fully-fledged Environmental Health Practitioner in a range of public, private and third sector employers with an almost limitless opportunity to make a contribution to public health and public protection. The Covid-19 pandemic showed the value of Environmental Health Practitioners, and the national shortage of suitable individuals makes those with the right training and skills very sought after.
As an Environmental Health Officer, our work is wide ranging and enjoyable and we offer to you the opportunity of joining a profession where the starting salary post qualification is in the region of £35,000 rising to £60,000 for senior management positions.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
Epsom and Ewell Borough Council
Bryony Smart
bsmart@epsom-ewell.gov.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000027264.
Apply now
Closes in 16 days (Sunday 10 May 2026 at 11:59pm)