FAQs
General recruitment:
I’m having trouble with my job application on NHS Jobs; can someone help?
We’re sorry to hear you’re having trouble with your job application on NHS Jobs. 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.
I’ve applied for a role within your service; when will I hear back?
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
Thank you for applying for a role with NEAS; we look forward to working with you soon!
What kind of pre-employment checks do you make?
We would ask for three years previous employment references, driving license check (if applicable), enhanced DBS check (if applicable to the role), and verification of identity including proof of address and right to work in the UK and occupational health check.
If I get shortlisted, what are the next steps?
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 of the necessary details of location and logins for a Teams call.
Role-specific:
Are you currently recruiting paramedics/clinical care assistants/ambulance care assistants?
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 adhoc basis, oftentimes 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.
Do I need to have my C1 license to apply for a role as a clinical care assistant or paramedic apprentice?
Yes. You must have a full, UK-eligible, C1 driving license on application for a clinical care assistant or paramedic apprentice role.
Alternatively, we will accept a provisional C1 license with a completed C1 theory test at the 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 deductions.
I have points on my driving license; can I still apply?
Yes, you can still apply if you have points on your license, however, if you have been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, we would not be able to proceed with your application.
Do I need to have any healthcare experience to apply for a health advisor or ambulance care assistant role?
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 below links to our role summary pages:
Health advisor: Health Advisor - North East Ambulance Service - NHS Foundation Trust (neas.nhs.uk)
Ambulance care assistant: Ambulance Care Assistant - North East Ambulance Service - NHS Foundation Trust (neas.nhs.uk)
How long is the training to become a health advisor?
The training for full time 111 and 999 roles is a five-week course followed by two weeks on grad bay. Part-time training is seven weeks.
I don’t have a degree; what opportunities are available for me at NEAS?
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 does not 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 do not require a degree to achieve.
I’m an armed forces veteran; are there any roles suitable for me within NEAS?
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 here: Veterans of Armed Forces - North East Ambulance Service - NHS Foundation Trust (neas.nhs.uk)
I’m a paramedic science student; what roles are there at NEAS for me?
When you qualify as a paramedic upon graduation of your degree, you become a newly-qualified paramedic (NQP). Each year we bring in a new cohort of NQPs from across both the region, but also 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:
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) with those years of additional experience. From there, you can develop or specialise however you wish; whether you go into accute 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.
I’m disabled; are there any suitable roles for me at NEAS?
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.
Work experience and volunteering
Do you provide work experience?
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide work experience at the moment, but this is something that we’re looking into for the future.
If you are looking for work experience in a medical role similar to that of our paramedics, clinical care assistants, ambulance care assistants, and scheduled care crews, we recommend volunteering with us at NEAS or with St John’s Ambulance.
For more information about our volunteering roles at NEAS, please follow this link: Volunteering Opportunities - North East Ambulance Service - NHS Foundation Trust (neas.nhs.uk)
For more information about St. John’s Ambulance please visit: First Aid Courses, Advice & Volunteering | St John Ambulance (sja.org.uk)
Are you currently recruiting volunteers?
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.
Keep up to date with our volunteering vacancies on social media and through NHS Jobs:
For more information about our volunteering positions, please follow this link: Volunteering Opportunities - North East Ambulance Service - NHS Foundation Trust (neas.nhs.uk)
