One of the biggest obstacles facing many young people at the start of their career with animals is learning how to drive.

It doesn’t matter whether you see yourself working in zoos, farms, or rescue centres, dreaming of life as an assistance dog trainer, or studying for a role as an equine vet, if you don’t have a licence then some jobs may simply not be open to you.

This week’s blog focuses on driving. It’s a skill that’s rarely mentioned in animal careers advice, but is potentially one of the most important, and also one of the hardest to afford for many people at the start of their working life.

Learning to drive takes time and money

There is currently no minimum number of lessons required to take a driving test in the UK, though this may soon change. The RAC estimates that the average learner needs around 45 hours of professional tuition plus private practice. It puts a good price at £35 to £50 an hour, which comes to roughly £1,575 to £2,250, depending on your location.

That’s without the cost of a provisional licence (£34), a theory test (£23) and the practical test fee (£62 to £75), and of course the small matter of buying and insuring a car.

It is perhaps for this reason that learning to drive is not an option for many young people. In England, only around one in three 17 to 20 year olds hold a full car licence, according to the National Travel Survey for 2025. Among 24 year olds in Great Britain, for every ten who hold a full licence, almost six still have only a provisional one, according to DVLA data for August 2026.

None of this is helped by the waiting time to get a test when you are ready. In September 2026, the average wait for a practical test was 19.7 weeks, the first time it had dropped below 20 weeks since November 2024.

What roles can you get without a licence?

Of over 700 roles listed on Jobs With Animals since June, about 31% named a driving licence in the advert.

By comparison, an RAC Foundation analysis found the average across all sectors to be around 17.4%. The two measures are not identical, but based on our small sample size, the requirement for a licence in animal roles is closer to the care sector (34%) than to the wider UK jobs market.

However, even this doesn’t tell the whole story. Looking at just the 324 entry level roles among them, we judged that around 7 in 10 realistically needed the applicant to have a licence or private transport in order to do the role. In most cases, there is no public transport to the site. Other roles start or finish outside timetabled services, or involve travel between locations.

And this is often the reality of working with animals. Caring for them requires space, and that means a location that is usually away from residential areas and the transport links that they provide. For a lucky few, there may be a zoo or rescue centre within walking distance of their home, but for many it involves driving. This means most non-drivers have to consider their career path more carefully.

Things to consider by area of work

Welfare and rescue

Just over half of the entry level opportunities that we’ve listed in welfare and rescue since June required a driving licence. Roles and responsibilities vary with the size of the organisation, but broadly these jobs are divided into those that are on-site and those that are field based.

For Animal Care Assistants, who mainly work on site, a driving licence is not generally an essential requirement, but the location of the site matters. Many rescues, particularly those with dogs, are away from residential areas, sometimes in rural locations. Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has three centres and represents a good example of the variation you may find between organisations. Its London site is a significant employer of animal care staff and is well served by trains and buses from central London and South London. Its other two sites, at Old Windsor and Brands Hatch, are in rural locations and it would be almost impossible to reach them without private transport of some sort.

Welfare inspectors and animal rescue officers are largely independent, field-based roles, with a lot of travel across a wide area, responding to reports of animal cruelty or neglect. The RSPCA is probably the largest employer of inspectors, and requires them to have a full, current UK car driving licence (usually manual). Elsewhere local authority animal wardens, or licensing inspectors are other roaming roles who oversee and safeguard the welfare of animals. both require a driving licence.

Zoos and wildlife parks

Fewer than a third of the entry level zookeeper roles we’ve listed required a drivers licence but, as with rescue centres, the location of the zoo may be a significant factor. Most zoos and wildlife parks are in rural locations, with sites covering many acres. There are, however, well-known exceptions, including London and Edinburgh, which are easily reachable by public transport (though both also have sister sites in rural locations, at Whipsnade and the Highland Wildlife Park).

Whether a driving licence is needed for a day-to-day keeper role often depends on the species you work with and the size of the site. If you aspire to work with large mammals or carnivores, a vehicle is often needed to transport feed and bedding, safely access enclosures, or drive guests around. In safari parks, keepers generally use vehicles to patrol and observe enclosures, and respond to emergencies.

Roles with other species at smaller sites may not require a licence, though anyone without one may miss out on occasional opportunities to transport animals to or from other collections – zookeeper road trips are great fun. Within any team of keepers, a proportion need to drive, so although a licence is not always an essential requirement, recruiting managers may favour those who have one.

Equestrian

None of the groom and yard staff apprenticeship roles we have listed named a licence as a requirement. That is good news for anyone starting out, but in reality, most yards and stables are in the countryside, and the working day often starts early.

Some riding establishments offer live-in roles for this very reason, which may be a good option for non-drivers, although it’s still worth considering how you’d get to and from the site without a car. Although your commute would be simple, getting off site during your down time is equally as important.

Based on our findings, almost all roles in horse rescue, rehabilitation, rehoming require a licence. In most cases, the requirement is for a manual licence, and experience with a trailer or horsebox can also be beneficial.

Veterinary

Veterinary work is generally the best place to start without a licence. Only one of the 43 entry level veterinary roles we reviewed required one, and many practices are in towns and cities.

Practices often employ animal care assistants or student vet nurses, though non-drivers should always check routes and shift patterns against local services. The obvious exceptions are practices specialising in equine care or farm animals, which tend to be in more rural locations.

Working animals and training

Almost every entry level role we’ve listed with assistance dog organisations required a licence. Guide Dogs regularly offers entry level Academy roles for mobility specialists and trainers, which ask for a UK or EU licence that includes manual cars. Canine Partners and Autism Dogs trainer listings also asked for one.

Of the site based roles, Guide Dogs regularly recruits Dog wellbeing Technicians at most of it’s sites across the UK, but specifies that the role involves transporting dogs regularly. Non-drivers are expected to demonstrate how they would meet the travel requirements. That’s not an outright no, so worth considering if you do not drive.

Wildlife and conservation

This is where an advert that does not mention a licence is least reliable. Less than a third of roles we’ve listed specify the need for a licence, but nearly all require work across multiple location.

Rangers, wardens and reserves officers may be required to work across several sites, often lone working, with tools and equipment. Reserves are rarely on a bus route and sometimes a car is central to the role. Traineeships, internships and apprenticeships are less likely to specify the need for a licence, but they too are often based at rural reserves and estates, so it is worth asking before you apply.

Farming and agriculture

Similar to zoo or equestrian work, farming of livestock often involves the movement of large animals, feed and bedding, so the ability to drive is a definite advantage even if the role doesn’t specify it and the farm is easy to reach. City farms and farm parks do sometimes provide entry level opportunities without the need for a licence and may be worth considering.

Pet care

Similar to vet practices, dog grooming salons are often located in easily accessible places and regular offer apprenticeship opportunities. Beyond that, the sector is evolving, with larger doggy day care or dog walking business often requiring employees to drive and collect/drop off to owners. This is one area where we’ve noticed employers specifying a minimum age of applicant due to vehicle insurance – something we come on to now…

The over-25 problem

Passing your test does not always get you through the door. perhaps as a result of small business struggling to balance the books, we’ve recently seen a number of entry level listings that specify a minimum age for driving the company vehicle because its insurance does not cover younger drivers for its ambulance.

For a job that involves driving an ambulance or a van, the insurance reasoning is easy to understand. For a young person who has paid for lessons, waited months for a test and passed, it is still a closed door.

Is it legal? Under the Equality Act 2010, an employer can treat people differently because of age only if it can show the approach is a proportionate way of achieving a legitimate aim. The employer has to be able to justify it, and an arbitrary age limit would not meet that test. Whether an insurance-based limit does will depend on the facts of the role. We can’t say whether any particular advert complies, and this is not legal advice. If you think a requirement is unfair, ACAS can explain your options.

What if driving is not an option?

Not everyone can drive, and for some people that will not change. People with a disability or chronic health conditions may not be able to hold a licence, or have been told to stop driving for a fixed period.

It is not always a bar. DVLA assesses each person’s condition and can decide that someone may drive with a shorter licence, with adaptations to the car, or not at all. People who need adaptations can have an independent assessment of what they need.

For those who cannot drive, a licence listed as essential closes the door on a job they may be perfectly able to do. Alan Milburn’s interim review of young people and work found that 29.6% of disabled young people are not in education, employment or training, compared with 8.7% of their non-disabled peers.

If an advert asks for a licence

A requirement that applies to everyone but puts disabled people at a disadvantage can be unlawful under the Equality Act 2010, unless the employer can show it is a proportionate way of achieving a legitimate aim. An employer also has a duty to make reasonable adjustments. Again, we can’t say whether any particular advert complies, and this is not legal advice.

If you see an advert that asks for a licence and you cannot drive, ask the employer the question the advert does not answer: is the licence essential, or is the real need to get to different places? It may be that a colleague could drive for the journeys that need it, or that a taxi would do. Employers can help by saying in the advert whether a licence is essential or whether another way of travelling would do.

Help with getting to work

Getting to work is a separate problem, and there is help. Access to Work, a government scheme, can pay towards extra travel costs to and from work if you cannot use available public transport because of a disability or health condition. You can apply if you are in paid work, about to start, or have a job interview. It only covers the extra costs caused by your disability and does not cover travel if you can use public transport.

Tips for non-drivers

There is no easy way round this obstacle. Building a career with animals is easier with a licence. At the same time, it is not impossible without one – you just have to be willing to be more creative in how you meet the requirements of the role, be prepared to walk a bit further, and accept that sometimes the train is going to be delayed. Also…

• Look at where licences are least often asked for. In our entry level listings, veterinary roles were by far the least likely to mention one. Remember that a role with no licence in the advert can still be hard to reach without a car.
• Read the wording. “Essential” and “desirable” mean different things. If an advert is unclear, a short email asking whether a licence is essential, or whether you could travel to work another way, costs you nothing.
• Check the location before you apply. Some adverts give a rural location or the lack of public transport as the reason they want a licence. Look at a map and a bus timetable first, so you know whether the job is workable without a car.
• If you are learning, book your own test. Since 12 May 2026 only the learner can book or change their own driving test. The current waiting time for a test is nearly 20 weeks, so book it early, even if you’re not currently ready.
• Keep the long view. A licence opens up more roles, but it is not the entry ticket to the whole sector. More than two thirds of the entry level listings we reviewed did not mention one. Focus on what you can do and make a plan for what you can’t. You don’t have to achieve everything at once.

Where to look next

You can search current vacancies on our Jobs page and enter your postcode to see the nearest roles first. Our career guides cover the main routes into the sector. To book a test, use the official DVSA service on GOV.UK. For advice on age requirements at work, contact ACAS. For help with travel to work if you are disabled, see Access to Work on GOV.UK.