James funds medical studies by driving

TPN HGV driver James Sayer has been working towards being a doctor for 10 years – and can finally apply to medical school.

James joined the Fire Service from school, and after becoming the youngest UK driver qualified to drive a blue-lit fire truck, he also started working for TPN Partner York-based YDL.

“I loved the medical training we received in the Fire Service,” he says. As he wasn’t qualified for medical school, James used his HGV driving salary to finance his way through a paramedic degree at Sheffield Hallam and then a Masters in forensic anthropology to qualify in chemistry.

29 year old James is now applying for a place at medical school at UK universities. He will still need to fund his tuition fees so is continuing to drive to build up his savings. “I’ll find a way,” he says. “I’ve worked so hard to reach this point. I’m very grateful that I could do flexible shifts for YDL all the way through university."

“Driving is a fantastic career opportunity for so many people,” he says. “It’s allowed me to earn good money while studying, and gave me the discipline to treat my studies as a full-time job.

“I would recommend it to anyone who needs flexible, or part-time work while they progress in other ways. It develops responsibility, initiative and grit, and it pays much better than most part-time work available to students.”

TPN MD Mark Kendall says: “We congratulate James on his huge successes so far and wish him every success in the future."