Trainee Firefighter

This role has a starting salary of £30,384 per annum, based on a 42-hour working week. Once you have successfully completed your basic training and achieved competence, your salary will increase to £38,881 per annum, plus a Surrey Allowance of £1,690 per annum.

This is a fixed-term apprenticeship contract lasting 18–24 months, leading to a Level 3 Operational Firefighter qualification.

Our Offer to You

• Contributory pension scheme
• Generous annual leave (entitlement increases with service and grade)
• Flexible and agile working options where role-permits
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for personal, family and financial support, including counselling
• In-house Occupational Health & Physiotherapy support
• Personal development: mentoring, coaching, shadowing and secondment opportunities
• Peer Support Networks including Mental Health First Aiders and Wellbeing Champions
• Enhanced family-friendly benefits (maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental leave and premature baby support)
• Travel benefits (Cycle to Work scheme, salary‑sacrifice vehicle leasing, car‑share options, interest‑free loans for bikes)
• Shopping and lifestyle discounts (Blue Light Card, MySurreyExtra, Costco and IT discounts)
• Sports clubs & gym access at stations (football, golf, running etc.)
• Life assurance & will‑writing service and access to Firefighters\’ Charity support

About the Role

During the apprenticeship you\’ll attend a non‑residential training programme at Wray Park Training Centre, Reigate (RH2 0EJ). Typical days combine classroom‑based learning, practical drills and realistic incident simulations designed to build firefighting, rescue and community‑safety skills.

You will develop physical fitness, operational techniques, incident command basics, community safety delivery and evidence‑gathering for your apprenticeship portfolio (Information Communication Technology (ICT) capability required for portfolio work). After qualification you will join a station watch and work one of our shift patterns (224, Adapted 224 hybrid, or Day Crewed), responding to emergency incidents, conducting routine checks, and delivering community safety activities.

Your Application

To be considered for this role you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Aged 17 years and 6 months at point of application (and 18 years old by the start of training)
• Hold a valid UK driving licence
• Reside in Surrey, or within 10 minutes\’ drive of the Surrey border
• Hold, or be prepared to attain, a full or provisional LGV licence
• Have, or be able to achieve, Maths and English Level 2 (or be prepared to complete these during your apprenticeship)
• Basic ICT skills to build and manage your apprenticeship portfolio

Candidate Journey

• SHL psychometric test – online behavioural/aptitude assessment.
• Fitness Tests – multi‑stage fitness assessment (pass/fail).
• Physical Tests – role‑related physical assessments.
• Medical – occupational health medical assessment (conditional offer stage).
• Referencing checks – employment and/or character references.
• DBS – enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check.
• Course Start – successful candidates start the apprenticeship course. (Anticipated courses in March, May and September 2026)

Surrey County Council and Surrey Fire and Rescue is committed to employing people with disabilities and wish to encourage more applications from people with disabilities. If you are considered to be disabled under the Equality Act definition and have demonstrated that you meet the minimum/essential criteria for the post, you will be guaranteed an interview.

Contact Us

If you have questions about the role, flexible working, transferable skills or require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please contact the recruitment team.

For an informal discussion email: sfrs.recruiting@surreycc.gov.uk
(Please note this inbox is not monitored at weekends.)

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 09 November 2025.

We anticipate a high level of interest in this role. If we receive a large volume of applications, we may close the advert earlier than the stated closing date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click Apply Online to submit .