The C1 Licence, Your Route to Becoming a Paramedic Driver

Ask any paramedic driver why they became one in the first place and they’ll tell you that it’s because it’s an amazingly rewarding career which allows you to earn as you learn. They’ll also tell you that a paramedic driver gets to be part of a team and that camaraderie stays with you for life. In fact, it’s more of a calling than a job as you get to save lives every day.

Training as a paramedic driver takes around 5 years to complete when combined with working on the job part-time and by the time you’ve finished, you’ll have either have a degree or a diploma of higher education in paramedic science.

C1 Licence to become a paramedic driver 

In addition to the medical training required to become a paramedic driver, you’ll also need to hold a C1 licence, which allows you to drive vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes. Every paramedic needs to be able to drive an ambulance and whilst there isn’t a set shift involved, you’ll be asked to take your turn behind the wheel on shift – hence the need for holding a C1 licence.

The best way to get C1 qualified is to register with a reputable driver training centre where you’ll have the opportunity to either learn at your own pace or on an intensive course where you can get everything done in as little as 5 days.

Universities to get your paramedic degree

There are a number of universities around the UK that offer the medical side of your paramedic driver training, so whichever part of the British Isles you are, you won’t be far from a seat of education that can help. For example, you could apply to;

• The University of Greenwich in London
• Edge Hill University in Manchester
• Birmingham City University
• The University of East Anglia in Norwich
• The University of West England in Bristol

This is not an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination, but it does illustrate that high-quality paramedic training is available all around the country.

Interested in Finding Out More?

A paramedic driver can earn as much a £29k per year when fully qualified and up to £36k once more experienced has been gained. So, along with a rewarding career that allows you to do really good things for so many people, you also get to earn a really good salary. It’s not hard to see why becoming a paramedic driver is such a popular career path.

At HGVT, we provide licensed C1 driver training at our 60+ centres all around the UK and if you feel like exploring a new and exciting career as a paramedic driver, we’d love to hear from you. For more information please call our friendly, helpful team on 03308183333 and they’ll talk you through everything. Thanks for reading our blog. We hope it’s shown you that for those with the ambition and dedication to succeed, there are some very exciting career opportunities to be had.