Hi anais and welcome to the forum
An IVA is fine for a serving police officer - I am already dealing with a lot of policemen and women. Your employer does not need to know about the IVA, but you may find it more comfortable to mention it to your Force's Welfare Officer - perhaps anonymously at first and different forces do have differing policies.
You ought to be able able to change your mortgage deal whilst in an IVA, so long as you are not needing to borrow more than 85% of the value of your property. Interest rates will probably be loaded, however, given the fact that you will have an IVA on your record.
Most IPs will work on a no-win no-fee basis for you, so shop around and find someone who operate in this manner to represent you.
Northern Rock have a fairly tight acceptance criteria for IVAs, and a lot will depend upon the amount you have borrowed, the number of repayments you have already made, and the return you are able to offer. Take advice on this specifically from the IP you choose to represent you.
Regards, Melanie Giles, Insolvency Practitioner for over 20 years.
To have me propose an IVA for you, please visit:
http://www.melaniegiles.com/ivaEnquiry.asp
See customer feedback at:
http://www.iva.com/iva_companies/IVA_Advice_Bureau.asp