Apply to be a wholetime firefighter

• be eligible to work in the UK
• be 18 years old before 1 November 2025
• have a full UK driving licence (manual)
• have a GCSE pass at grade C or 4 (or above), or have attained Functional Skills (Level 2) in Maths and English.
• meet the vision and hearing criteria

If you do not have these, you can complete the required Maths and English qualifications at Colchester Institute, either in classroom or online. Go to their website to find out more: www.colchester.ac.uk/course/functional-skills-english-mathematics/

You can register your interest with them here: www.colchester.ac.uk/functional-skills-application-enquiry-form/ 

Disclaimer:

Please note; if your residential address falls within a devolved area of England, you may not be eligible for Adult funding to undertake your Functional Skills qualifications free of charge.

The areas affected by this are: Greater London, Cambridge and Peterborough, Tees Valley, West of England, North Tyne, Sheffield, West Yorkshire, Liverpool, Greater Manchester and West Midlands. 

If you believe your residential postcode falls into any of these devolved areas, please inform us as part of your application so that we may run the appropriate checks prior to confirming your course start with Colchester Institute.

For any queries in relation to Adult Functional Skills funding, please contact us at functional.skills@colchester.ac.uk 

For more information and advice:

• Take a look at our updated FAQ page to make sure you’re fully informed, meet the entry requirements and understand the role.
• Sign up to our wholetime mailing list to keep up to date with the recruitment process: essex-fire.gov.uk/signup
• Check our fitness page so you can continue working on your fitness and use our firefighter fitness plan to structure your training.
• Join our dedicated recruitment Facebook group to stay up to date with all the latest information: facebook.com/groups/joinessexfire
• Follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn 
• Find out about the latest incidents we have attended.