jobfacts

Ambulance staff (excluding paramedics)

SOC 2020 6132

Ambulance staff transport sick, injured and convalescent persons and give first aid treatment in emergencies and check ambulance vehicles are roadworthy, cleaned and have all the necessary equipment.

Also calledAmbulance care assistantPatient transport service driverAmbulance staffEmergency care assistantAmbulance crewAmbulance officerand 26 more titles
Typical full-time pay£33,5002025 Provisional
People in the job32,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month402↓ 6.8%on last year · 278th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time ambulance staff (excluding paramedics) earn between £28,600 and £40,400 a year.

What full-time ambulance staff (excluding paramedics) earn, 2025
£33,500 typical£25,100lowest 10%£28,60025%£40,40075%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£28,600–£40,400)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£25,100
Lowest 20% earn less than£27,400
25%£28,600
Median£33,500
75%£40,400
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £33,500
Scotland!£37,300
London!£37,000
East Midlands!£33,900
Yorkshire and The Humber!£32,600
East of England!£31,600
Wales!£28,700
South West!£27,200
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £33,500
Scotland£37,300 (small sample)
London£37,000 (small sample)
East Midlands£33,900 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£32,600 (small sample)
East of England£31,600 (small sample)
Wales£28,700 (small sample)
South West£27,200 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £29,100
  • 2024 £31,200
  • 2025 Provisional£33,500
↑ 15% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 402 jobs for ambulance staff (excluding paramedics) are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (3 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026272
Jul 2026Not published
Jun 2026Not published
May 2026488
Apr 2026504
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026486
Jan 2026419
Dec 2025237
Nov 2025398
Oct 2025434
Sept 2025378
Aug 2025429
Jul 2025463
Jun 2025374
May 2025405
Apr 2025416
Mar 2025442
Feb 2025461
Jan 2025450
Dec 2024329
Nov 2024465
Oct 2024450
Sept 2024476
Aug 2024450
Jul 2024491
Jun 2024566
May 2024617
Apr 2024556
Mar 2024460
Feb 2024547
Jan 2024626
Dec 2023484
Nov 2023508
Oct 2023560
Sept 2023462
Aug 2023612
Jul 2023519
Jun 2023948
May 2023748
Apr 2023842
Mar 2023674
Feb 2023653
Jan 2023758
Dec 2022653
Nov 2022842
Oct 2022800
Sept 2022698
Aug 2022774
Jul 2022850
Jun 2022772
May 2022847
Apr 2022685
Mar 2022677
Feb 2022685
Jan 2022843
Dec 2021653
Nov 2021632
Oct 2021669
Sept 2021604
Aug 2021564
Jul 2021729
Jun 2021457
May 2021596
Apr 2021469
Mar 2021641
Feb 2021427
Jan 2021525
Dec 2020435
Nov 2020467
Oct 2020588
Sept 2020490
Aug 2020476
Jul 2020417
Jun 2020445
May 2020461
Apr 2020522
Mar 2020595
Feb 2020630
Jan 2020548
Dec 2019399
Nov 2019499
Oct 2019547
Sept 2019503
Aug 2019450
Jul 2019586
Jun 2019591
May 2019784
Apr 2019445
Mar 2019523
Feb 2019684
Jan 2019732
Dec 2018649
Nov 20181,382
Oct 2018534
Sept 2018539
Aug 2018576
Jul 2018666
Jun 2018966
May 2018638
Apr 2018592
Mar 2018635
Feb 2018470
Jan 2018602
Dec 2017428
Nov 2017515
Oct 2017433
Sept 2017398
Aug 2017388
Jul 2017327
Jun 2017354
May 2017422
Apr 2017376
Mar 2017426
Feb 2017333
Jan 2017380
Is there a shortage of ambulance staff (excluding paramedics)?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthWell above usual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hours worked, change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
27%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for caring personal services, which includes ambulance staff (excluding paramedics). DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London144
South Gloucestershire54
Tewkesbury30
Birmingham24
Somerset17
Bristol, City of15
Aberdeen City14
Newcastle upon Tyne13
Manchester13
Bradford12
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where ambulance staff (excluding paramedics) are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of ambulance staff (excluding paramedics)
6.2%!
26%!
14%!
27%!
20%!
6.2%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–246.2% (small sample)
25–3426% (small sample)
35–4414% (small sample)
45–5427% (small sample)
55–6420% (small sample)
65+6.2% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!21%
Higher education below degree!9.6%
A levels or equivalent!22%
GCSEs or equivalent!30%
Other qualifications!8.3%
No qualifications!7.1%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent21% (small sample)
Higher education below degree9.6% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent22% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent30% (small sample)
Other qualifications8.3% (small sample)
No qualifications7.1% (small sample)

Main employers: other human health activities (67%), hospital activities (14%), regulation of the activities of providing health care, education, cultural services and other social services, excluding social security (11%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
21%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 30%
Apprenticeships
2
from level 3
Apprenticeships take
13 months to 18 months
typically

Routes in

Ambulance care assistant

You can get into this job through:

College

You could take a college course to learn some of the knowledge and skills needed to become a trainee ambulance care assistant.

Courses include:

  • health and social care
  • T Level in Health
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an Ambulance Support Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, with an ambulance service.

This can take between 12 and 18 months to complete and combines on-the-job training and study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other ways in

Volunteering

You'll find it useful to get some health or social care experience before applying for jobs.

For example, you could find opportunities through:

  • NHS Volunteering
  • the British Red Cross
  • St John Ambulance
Apply directly

You can apply directly for jobs.

You'll need:

  • driving experience
  • knowledge of the local area and ability to use a vehicle navigation system
  • experience of working with elderly, sick or vulnerable people

Some ambulance services may ask for 3 or 4 GCSEs, including English and maths at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent qualifications.

What you’ll need

  • have a full driving licence
  • pass enhanced background checks
  • have a good level of fitness

You may need a Category C1 licence or C1 provisional to drive an ambulance, depending on when you passed your original driving test. Check with the service you're applying to for details.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You can search for vacancies on NHS Jobs, or contact your nearest ambulance service trust.

Further information

You can learn more about becoming an ambulance care assistant from Health Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for ambulance care assistant. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Emergency care assistant

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course to give you some of the skills and knowledge you need to become an emergency care assistant.

Courses include:

  • health and social care
  • T Level in Health
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an Ambulance Support Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship with an ambulance service.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other ways in

Volunteering

You'll find it helpful to get some health or social care experience before applying for a job. For example, you could volunteer with:

  • the NHS
  • the British Red Cross
  • St John Ambulance

You can also find opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do it.

Apply directly

You can apply directly to become an emergency care assistant. You'll usually need:

  • driving experience
  • experience in patient care, ideally in the NHS
  • a first aid certificate

Some ambulance services may ask for 3 or 4 GCSEs, including English and maths at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent qualifications.

What you’ll need

  • have a full driving licence
  • pass enhanced background checks
  • have a good level of fitness

You may need a Category C1 licence or C1 provisional to drive an ambulance, depending on when you passed your original driving test. Check with the ambulance service you're applying to for details.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You can search for vacancies on NHS Jobs, or contact your nearest ambulance service trust.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become an emergency care assistant from Health Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for emergency care assistant. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

2 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • helps patients into and out of ambulance
  • drives ambulance or accompanies driver to transport patients to hospitals or other treatment centres and homes
  • ascertains nature of injuries and provides first aid treatment
  • cleans and disinfects ambulance after use and carries out routine care of ambulance equipment
  • replenishes medical supplies in ambulance as necessary
  • checks and maintains vehicles to ensure they are roadworthy

Skills

  • adhere to organisational guidelines
  • apply organisational techniques
  • assess nature of injury in emergency
  • communicate effectively in healthcare
  • comply with legislation related to health care
  • comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice
  • empathise with the healthcare user
  • listen actively
  • maintain order at scenes of accidents
  • operate an emergency communication system
  • operate specialised equipment in emergency
  • position patients undergoing interventions
  • provide first aid
  • tolerate stress

Knowledge

  • emergency cases
  • first aid
  • human anatomy
  • hygiene in a health care setting
  • medical dispatch
  • operational tactics for emergency responses
  • pathogenic microorganisms
  • pharmacology

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Helping and caring for people

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for caring personal service occupations, a group of 16 jobs that includes ambulance staff (excluding paramedics).
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 20%about 466,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.9 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.