Mini Bus Driver

Would you like to join a team, making a difference to young children and have fun.

What is bank work like at Honeypot:

Flexible    Shifts Friday afternoon of 3-4 hours, Sunday afternoon 3-4 hours, Saturday during the day ( accompany children on visit to local castles and museums etc) and week days during school holidays

Fun           Join the team, collecting the children who are excited to come for a holiday and fun.

Benefits      Uniform, meals supplied on day trips, holiday pay 

Impact         Watching children have fun, play and be active

Are you a calm, confident driver, at ease driving a full size minibus between Southampton and a variety of southeast locations . Do you have a clean UK driving licence with D1 classification (typically issued pre-1997)? Do you enjoy the sound of excitable children singing badly? Then you could be just who we are looking for!

We're recruiting a Minibus Driver to join our fantastic small team at Honeypot House in the New Forest, where we deliver residential respite breaks for amazing young carers between 5 and 12 years of age from London and across the south of England.

You'll be collecting our children from designated pick-up points and delivering them safely to Honeypot House, and at the end of their break you'll take them back. You'll be a vital part of our team and the public face of Honeypot when meeting children and parents at the beginning and end of their breaks.

Together with a travel chaperone you'll be responsible for all aspects of the safe and happy transport of our brilliant young guests. As driver you'll be responsible for pre-departure minibus safety checks, navigation, and keeping the chaperone updated with progress so they in turn can keep parents and the team at Honeypot House informed. At rest stops you'll assist the chaperone with the safe navigation of children to and from facilities. At all times you'll be responsible for the safe, courteous and comfortable operation of the minibus.

If you're friendly, patient, calm under pressure and good with children, we would love to hear from you. If you have MiDAS training, some level of mechanical knowledge and have experience of driving a minibus or other large vehicle, that’s even better!

Please visit http://www.honeypot.org.uk to learn more about our charity and our work.

Please note this role will be contracted on a zero hours basis, with shifts typically offered out quarterly to achieve full coverage of required drives in the rota. Drives are typically 3 to 7 hour round trips. During term time we drive on Fridays typically starting at 12:00-14:30 depending on distance, and on Sundays starting 14:00-15:00. In school holiday time days vary, with pick-up shifts starting about 3 hours earlier and departure time for take-home shifts remaining 14:00-15:00.

This role requires an enhanced DBS check with children's barred list; MiDAS training will be provided if not already in place.

Key Responsibilities

• Driving & Safety:
  • Safely transport children and staff to/from Honeypot House within a range of journeys which include motorways and residential roads to pre described pick up and drop off points and on occasional outings.
  • Conduct pre/post-journey safety checks (e.g., tyres, lights, fluids).
  • Ensure the minibus is clean, well-maintained, and adequately fuelled.
  • Ensure dash cam is operational and all journeys are recorded and reported to Operations Manager
• Compliance:
  • Adhere to Health & Safety standards and Child Protection guidelines.
  • Maintain a valid and relevant driving license (Pre-97 or PCV) and MIDAS training.
  • Report accidents/incidents and complete necessary documentation.
• Administrative Duties:
  • Maintain journey records, including mileage and attendance logs.
  • Participate in team meetings and service improvement discussions.
• Collaboration:
  • Work alongside a travel chaperone to ensure children's safety and comfort.
  • Assist travel chaperone with parental information and guidance if required, assist with comfort breaks for children.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Essential:
  • Full clean driving license (Pre-97 or PCV).D1 on driving license
  • Experience in passenger transport.
  • Strong communication skills and ability to work as part of a team.
  • Punctuality, reliability, and a calm compassionate approach.
  • DBS clearance and satisfactory references will be obtained by the charity
• Desirable:
  • MIDAS and First Aid certification.
  • Experience in basic administrative tasks