Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How do I apply for roles with NEAS?

A. All of our roles are advertised on NHS Jobs or Health Jobs UK and you can apply through these websites.

Q. What are the benefits of working for NEAS?

A. There are a range of benefits available to staff, including:

  • Generous Unsocial Hours Payments, (if applicable to the role).
  • Access to the NHS Pension – one of the best employer-contribution pension schemes available.
  • Excellent holiday allowance (27 days initially, going up to 29 days after 5 years of service, and 33 days after 10 years of service).
  • Overtime will often be made available, which can further enhance your earning potential.
  • Continuous training and development opportunities, with a meaningful career pathway up to senior management and beyond.
  • Cycle to work scheme.
  • Home electronics discount.
  • Interest free travel pass.
  • Access to a Blue Light card, which offers a large range of discounts for products or services.
  • Staff recognition awards.

Q. What kind of pre-employment checks do you make?

A. We ask for your three years previous employment references, a driving licence check (if applicable), an Enhanced DBS check (if applicable to the role), and verification of your identity including proof of address and right to work.

Q. How long does it take to clear me and get a start date?

A. This can vary depending on what checks we’re waiting for. If your references and DBS checks come back quickly and your Occupational Health Slip is returned ‘fit to work’ then we will give you a start date. We would never ask you to hand in your notice with any current employer until you are fully cleared.

Q. What references do you ask for?

A. We ask for your three years previous employment references.

Q. If I have points on my driving licence, can I still apply?

A. Yes, you can apply with points on your licence. However, if you’ve been convicted of driving under the influence of drink or drugs, we will not be able to proceed with your application.  

Q. Can I apply with a CV?

A. For some roles we might ask for a CV and a shortened version of the application form on NHS Jobs. All of our jobs are advertised on NHS Jobs and the details we require will be available.

Q. I’m a student and would need time off for my placements – is that possible?

A. We don’t offer time out for placements or work around study. 

Q. I’m a student, can I work longer hours out of term time?

A. If you have a student visa and have the standard RTW, then you can only work 20 hours during term time. However, you can do overtime outside of term time if available.

Q. I’m having trouble with my job application on NHS Jobs, can someone help?

A. We’re sorry to hear you’re having trouble with your job application. For all recruitment related queries, please contact our recruitment team at recruitment@neas.nhs.uk.

Our recruitment team monitors their inbox Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. Out-of-office-hours queries will be handled the following working day. If you have not heard back from the team after a couple of days, please contact us on social media and we will forward on your query.

Q. Are you currently recruiting paramedics, clinical care assistants or ambulance care assistants?

A. Throughout the year we open recruitment for a number of our operational roles including paramedics, clinical care assistants and ambulance care assistants.

These opportunities become available on an ad-hoc basis, often as a result of additional funding. Because of this, and the nature of the service’s needs, we can’t say when we will be opening these roles in advance.

The best way to know whether we’re currently recruiting is by following us on social media where we post a weekly vacancies bulletin every Friday, and by turning on job notifications on NHS Jobs. This way, you’ll be the first to know when a vacancy is live.

Q. What qualifications do I need?

A. Depending on the role you have applied for, the qualifications will be stated in the Job Description. As an example, for most Band 3 roles we would ask you to be educated to GCSE level or equivalent with a minimum of three, including maths and English (at grade C or above) or equivalent relevant experience in a similar role.

Q. Do I need to produce my qualification certificates?

A. Yes, we will ask for sight of your original certificates if you’re successful and the role requires qualifications.

Q. I’ve applied for a role within your service, when will I hear back?

A. When applicants hear back on their applications is dependent on the demand of the business and recruitment team, and the quantity of applications we receive.

For roles such as health advisors, we can receive hundreds of applications per round, all of which need to be checked before we can proceed with the recruitment process.

We always aim to get back to you within a couple of weeks of the closing date, however, please be patient if you do not receive a response straight away.

Please double check NHS Jobs before contacting us. This is the first way we will contact you with an update about your application.

If after a month you still haven’t heard back from us, please contact the Recruitment Team at recruitment@neas.nhs.uk.

Q. If I get shortlisted, what are the next steps?

A. The Recruitment Team will contact you with the next steps and invite you to either an interview or assessment centre face-to-face or on Teams. They will give you all the details of the location or login details for a Teams call.

Q. How will you contact me?

A. Initially we will contact you through NHS Jobs to inform you if you have either been successful or not at this stage. We might then contact you via your mobile or email address to update you on next steps.

Q. I want to be a paramedic, how do I do that?

A. To become a paramedic you will need to obtain your degree in Paramedic Science which will take three years. 

Sunderland University and Teesside University run these courses and we provide placements for these students, but you would need to self-fund the course fees.

We also have other operational apprenticeship roles such as CCA/ACA’s and also health advisor call taker roles which you may be interested in. Once you are a staff member and have completed any apprenticeship you may have signed up for, we run an Apprenticeship Paramedic Course funded by the Trust and at present only available to staff members which you can apply for as a way of career progression.   

Q. Do I need to have a driving licence to become a clinical care assistant?

A. Yes. At the time of application you will need preferably a full C1 entitlement on your UK driving licence, or alternatively we will accept provisional C1 with a completed C1 Theory test at time of application. The Trust will support successful candidates through their C1 Practical Driving Test only - reimbursement of the cost will be paid back through salary deduction.

Please note, you will be required to submit evidence of this and if you are unable to supply this information your application will not be progressed.

Q. Do I need to have any healthcare experience to apply for a health advisor or ambulance care assistant role?

A. No. Whilst having experience in a healthcare setting will help boost your application, it isn’t necessary for applying for a health advisor of ambulance care assistant role.

For more information about the qualifications needed for each role, follow the links below to our role summary pages:

Health advisor

Ambulance care assistant

Q. How long is the training for health advisors?

A. Depending on the role you choose, training is five weeks plus two weeks Grad Bay for full time 111 and 999 roles and part time training is seven weeks.

Q. Do you have any bank roles?

A. At present the bank roles we have are for paramedics and assistant paramedics. We are looking into expanding the bank roles but at the moment they are only available for paramedic roles.

Q. I don’t have a degree, what opportunities are available for me at NEAS?

A. Whilst our clinical roles, such as paramedics, require specialist qualifications and/or degrees in order to qualify, a number of our roles don’t. For example, our clinical care assistant role does not require a degree but can be an entry into further study such as the paramedic apprentice scheme, should the postholder wish to qualify at a later date.

Similarly, our health advisors also don’t need to have a degree, and with their experience, are also eligible to train as paramedics should they wish.

Our paramedic apprentice scheme is currently internal only. However, it doesn’t matter how old you are, where you are from, or what previous roles you have had prior to joining NEAS, when it comes to applying for the scheme. Anyone who fits the scheme’s criteria can apply.

If you don’t wish to train as a paramedic, there are lots of opportunities within our EOCs, management, and support services that don’t require a degree to achieve.

Q. I’m an armed forces veteran, are there any roles suitable for me within NEAS?

A. Many of our operational colleagues have an armed forces background. The skills and work ethic your career in service has given you are absolutely transferrable to both operational and non-operational roles within the Trust.
For more information, please read our dedicated armed forces veteran page.

Q. I’m a paramedic science student, what roles are there at NEAS for me?

A. When you qualify as a paramedic, you become a newly-qualified paramedic (NQP). Each year we bring in a new cohort of NQPs from across the region and the rest of the country. If you’ve studied elsewhere in the country and would like to apply for a role at NEAS, we offer a relocation package to help you set up your new life in the North East. For more information about this, please contact our recruitment team at recruitment@neas.nhs.uk.

For the first two of years after qualifying you will be known as an NQP, which is a Band 5 role in our service, before moving on to become a qualified paramedic (Band 6). From there, you can develop or specialise however you wish, whether you go into acute or emergency care, train with HART, or go into research, strategy or leadership.

We work closely with Sunderland and Teesside University who provide paramedicine degrees, as well as work alongside medicine students at Newcastle University.

Q. I’m disabled, are there any suitable roles for me at NEAS?

A. Depending on your disability, we have a number of roles available at NEAS that are suitable for you. Some of our operational roles such as paramedics or clinical care assistants require the lifting of patients which may not be suitable for you. However, we still have a number of roles in our EOCs and in support services which you may be interested in.

In addition to this, we are a Disability Confident Leader (Level 3) and have an active disabled staff network which has regular meetings. Our equality, diversity, and inclusion team also often hold sessions across the service for disabled people and allies covering physical, learning, and invisible disabilities and conditions.

Q. Do you have any Apprenticeship roles and what qualifications, or skills will I need?

A. We have apprenticeship roles for clinical care assistants and ambulance care assistants. These vacancies are regularly advertised throughout the year.

Q. Do you do work experience?

A. At this time we don’t have the infrastructure in place, however, it is something we are looking into for the future.

Q. Are you currently recruiting volunteers?

A. Similar to our operational roles, our volunteering positions availability is subject to needs and resources of the Trust. Throughout the year, we recruit for a number of our volunteering positions including community first responders (CFRs), ambulance car service drivers, and hospital porters.

For more information about our volunteering positions.

Q. Can I do observation ride-outs?

A. Generally we don’t have the facility to be able to offer this and Covid has also limited activities. This may be something we can introduce in the future.

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