jobfacts

Care escorts

SOC 2020 6137

Care escorts accompany and transport adults and children between their places of residence and other destinations and act as chaperones for under 16s engaged in theatrical, television and film productions.

Also calledBus escortBus attendantSchool bus escortDriver support workerChild escortSchool escortand 12 more titles
People in the job16,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month431↓ 7.9%on last year · 275th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
Typical pay by regionUK median —
Yorkshire and The Humber!£16,800
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, —
Yorkshire and The Humber£16,800 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 2 years
  • 2023 £25,900
  • 2024 £29,000
↑ 12% since 2023

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 431 jobs for care escorts are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026452
Jul 2026426
Jun 2026Not published
May 2026438
Apr 2026430
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026397
Jan 2026493
Dec 2025215
Nov 2025512
Oct 2025425
Sept 2025520
Aug 2025527
Jul 2025479
Jun 2025446
May 2025453
Apr 2025378
Mar 2025384
Feb 2025514
Jan 2025453
Dec 2024284
Nov 2024421
Oct 2024652
Sept 2024515
Aug 2024490
Jul 2024453
Jun 2024425
May 2024475
Apr 2024402
Mar 2024339
Feb 2024407
Jan 2024454
Dec 2023351
Nov 2023547
Oct 2023308
Sept 2023495
Aug 2023327
Jul 2023563
Jun 2023589
May 2023563
Apr 2023410
Mar 2023459
Feb 2023403
Jan 2023617
Dec 2022399
Nov 2022469
Oct 2022489
Sept 2022393
Aug 2022473
Jul 2022436
Jun 2022403
May 2022504
Apr 2022339
Mar 2022430
Feb 2022334
Jan 2022528
Dec 2021325
Nov 2021450
Oct 2021441
Sept 2021417
Aug 2021354
Jul 2021470
Jun 2021452
May 2021473
Apr 2021328
Mar 2021377
Feb 2021225
Jan 2021287
Dec 2020281
Nov 2020300
Oct 2020481
Sept 2020318
Aug 2020274
Jul 2020206
Jun 2020159
May 2020160
Apr 2020222
Mar 2020276
Feb 2020326
Jan 2020302
Dec 2019198
Nov 2019218
Oct 2019254
Sept 2019264
Aug 2019265
Jul 2019246
Jun 2019251
May 2019270
Apr 2019191
Mar 2019256
Feb 2019242
Jan 2019258
Dec 2018190
Nov 2018225
Oct 2018287
Sept 2018256
Aug 2018239
Jul 2018207
Jun 2018244
May 2018207
Apr 2018145
Mar 2018195
Feb 2018192
Jan 2018249
Dec 2017135
Nov 2017204
Oct 2017214
Sept 2017256
Aug 2017246
Jul 2017226
Jun 2017308
May 2017312
Apr 2017294
Mar 2017306
Feb 2017214
Jan 2017258
Is there a shortage of care escorts?
Not high

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

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
27%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for caring personal services, which includes care escorts. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London117
Birmingham19
West Suffolk17
Liverpool17
Sefton16
Manchester15
Breckland13
Shropshire13
West Northamptonshire13
Kirklees12
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where care escorts 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 care escorts
n/p
n/p
n/p
46%!
41%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–34Not published
35–44Not published
45–5446% (small sample)
55–6441% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!16%
Higher education below degree!13%
A levels or equivalent!14%
GCSEs or equivalent!44%
Other qualifications!15%
No qualifications!28%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent16% (small sample)
Higher education below degree13% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent14% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent44% (small sample)
Other qualifications15% (small sample)
No qualifications28% (small sample)

Main employers: urban and suburban passenger land transport (22%), other passenger land transport nec (20%), taxi operation (16%), primary education (14%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
16%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 44%
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • transports clients safely and securely between approved destinations
  • supports and secures chair bound clients
  • organises toilet and meal stops, as appropriate
  • supervises contact between parents and separated children
  • communicates with colleagues and maintains accurate records
  • supervises and accompanies children who are taking part in a theatrical, television or film production

Skills

  • accompany people
  • apply first response
  • assist clients with special needs
  • assist disabled passengers
  • assist social service users with physical disabilities
  • buy groceries
  • evaluate older adults' ability to take care of themselves
  • iron textiles
  • keep company
  • make the beds
  • monitor patient's health condition
  • prepare ready-made dishes
  • prepare sandwiches
  • provide in-home support for disabled individuals

Knowledge

  • disability care
  • disability types
  • first response
  • older adults' needs
  • food allergies
  • hearing disability
  • mobility disability

Suits people who like

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

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for caring personal service occupations, a group of 16 jobs that includes care escorts.
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.