|
Post by 6HP502C on Aug 22, 2018 22:24:07 GMT
I thought I'd start a thread which serves as a resource for people interested in working in the world of London's buses. Maybe vacancies can be shared and discussed and those already in can share experiences and tips for those interested? From asking around, it seems it's commonly believed that the only way to get into a company is through doing front line customer service roles and working your way up. Whilst this is one career path, it isn't the only one nowadays. Aptitude and experience gained from other jobs are marketable, allowing sideways or even upwards movement. A few companies have graduate and/or apprenticeship schemes too. There are a wide range of jobs within the bus industry. Within bus operators, there are drivers, engineers, mechanics, schedulers, bid compilers, various grades of service control staff, performance management, garage operations and staff management, business developers, commercial managers and various other roles. Within TfL, there are various teams working for the buses. Some services are provided by employment agencies on a zero hours basis which may suit some who are studying, looking for extra income or just want to work on a flexible basis - BODS surveying, customer service, pilots and drivers for rail replacement, cleaning and shunting are a few examples. So here are the vacancies links for TfL and the contracted bus service operators and I will post links to some vacancies that are live at present. Transport for London - tfl.taleo.net/careersection/external/jobsearch.ftl?lang=en#Abellio London - apply.abellio.com/vacancies/?d=3Arriva London - arrivabusjobs.co.uk/search-careers/?id=185051CT Plus - hctgroup.org/jobsGo-Ahead London - www.goaheadlondon.com/careersMetroline - www.metroline.co.uk/recruitment/current-vacanciesRATP London - www.ratpdevlondon.co.uk/careers.htmlStagecoach London - www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/national/careersSullivan Buses - www.sullivanbuses.co.uk/html/sb8jobs.htmlUno - www.unobus.info/index.shtml
|
|
|
Post by 6HP502C on Aug 22, 2018 22:30:50 GMT
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Aug 23, 2018 11:01:23 GMT
Several of those TfL posts have vanished from the system.
|
|
|
Post by 6HP502C on Aug 23, 2018 11:38:49 GMT
Blimey - the BSC and NTC roles were advertised until the 31st August! Presumably many external applications had been received in the last 3 days.
Goes to show it's imperative to get applications sorted and submitted promptly once they're posted on the website.
|
|
|
Post by abellion on Aug 23, 2018 12:29:18 GMT
Question - How do you learn how to drive a bus? Do you have to go online/go to the bus garage?
|
|
|
Post by YY13VKP on Aug 23, 2018 12:29:24 GMT
This is a brilliant idea, but wouldn't it be better if we had a dedicated board for jobs and careers on the forum?
|
|
|
Post by 6HP502C on Aug 23, 2018 22:05:59 GMT
Question - How do you learn how to drive a bus? Do you have to go online/go to the bus garage? It's the same process as for driving a car. You need to do a hazard perception and theory test, then lessons in a bus at least 10m long before passing a test in such a vehicle. To drive for hire and reward i.e in public service, you need an additional qualification called a Certificate of Professional Competence, which involves a theory and practical test which is very difficult to fail. This lasts for 5 years. You can either be paid to obtain these qualifications by signing up with a bus operator who offers a training programme, or you can pay somewhere between £1,200 and £2,000 to do it all with a driving school. With regards to the CPC, you need to do 35 hours of training every 5 years to retain the qualification. I take annual leave and cough up my own funds for the training sessions which I have to source myself. But if working for companies who are interested in keeping their staff qualified, they will provide this training for you in paid time.
|
|
|
Post by vjaska on Aug 24, 2018 0:14:08 GMT
Shame the bus passenger surveyor position is temporary as I'd probably of applied for it especially with my experience with customer service.
|
|
|
Post by NWBusConnoisseur on Aug 26, 2018 15:50:33 GMT
Are there any part-time roles someone like me could take which can be balanced with Sixth form/college? Especially since I'm planning to do Engineering in Uni, this kind of experience works for me.
|
|
|
Post by YY13VKP on Aug 26, 2018 22:07:04 GMT
|
|
|
Post by YY13VKP on Aug 26, 2018 22:25:14 GMT
Are there any part-time roles someone like me could take which can be balanced with Sixth form/college? Especially since I'm planning to do Engineering in Uni, this kind of experience works for me. Unfortunately not. I was in the exact same position as you and had a look around but couldn’t find anything part time. Most roles require either a full time working pattern or experience. Garage roles also require you to be aged 18 or over due to health and safety reasons and the majority of them are full time. I would suggest however that if you have work experience included in your course, take that route as it could land you in a part time role or build contacts for a job in the future. I would say though, for engineering (should you still wish to enter the field when you finish school) there are plenty of engineering apprenticeships that you could go into, which you could have a paid job and learn at the same time rather than going to Uni and getting into debt. All London bus companies and TFL offer them (I believe), and at the end of it you are more likely to land a job than someone who has spent years in a classroom in Uni. The only thing I’d say against them though is that they only offer level 3 qualifications. If you’re really wanting to get that degree though (like I am), unless a degree apprenticeship in engineering is on offer then take the uni route and apply for a place on an engineering graduate scheme once you finish. They’re also quite hard to get into too. I applied for an apprenticeship at TFL earlier this year, it was a Level 6 degree apprenticeship but got as far as the assessment centre. But over time, more apprenticeships will open up which might appeal to you. When do you leave school?
|
|
|
Post by NWBusConnoisseur on Aug 26, 2018 22:48:54 GMT
Are there any part-time roles someone like me could take which can be balanced with Sixth form/college? Especially since I'm planning to do Engineering in Uni, this kind of experience works for me. Unfortunately not. I was in the exact same position as you and had a look around but couldn’t find anything part time. Most roles require either a full time working pattern or experience. Garage roles also require you to be aged 18 or over due to health and safety reasons and the majority of them are full time. I would suggest however that if you have work experience included in your course, take that route as it could land you in a part time role or build contacts for a job in the future. I would say though, for engineering (should you still wish to enter the field when you finish school) there are plenty of engineering apprenticeships that you could go into, which you could have a paid job and learn at the same time rather than going to Uni and getting into debt. All London bus companies and TFL offer them (I believe), and at the end of it you are more likely to land a job than someone who has spent years in a classroom in Uni. The only thing I’d say against them though is that they only offer level 3 qualifications. If you’re really wanting to get that degree though (like I am), unless a degree apprenticeship in engineering is on offer then take the uni route and apply for a place on an engineering graduate scheme once you finish. They’re also quite hard to get into too. I applied for an apprenticeship at TFL earlier this year, it was a Level 6 degree apprenticeship but got as far as the assessment centre. But over time, more apprenticeships will open up which might appeal to you. When do you leave school? I finish A-Levels in Summer 2020 (I'm starting in September this year). Oh well, it was worth an ask. My sixth form does have work experience support so I may consult them in the future for similar roles but for now I might just stick to retail for extra cash.
|
|
|
Post by YY13VKP on Aug 26, 2018 22:58:54 GMT
Unfortunately not. I was in the exact same position as you and had a look around but couldn’t find anything part time. Most roles require either a full time working pattern or experience. Garage roles also require you to be aged 18 or over due to health and safety reasons and the majority of them are full time. I would suggest however that if you have work experience included in your course, take that route as it could land you in a part time role or build contacts for a job in the future. I would say though, for engineering (should you still wish to enter the field when you finish school) there are plenty of engineering apprenticeships that you could go into, which you could have a paid job and learn at the same time rather than going to Uni and getting into debt. All London bus companies and TFL offer them (I believe), and at the end of it you are more likely to land a job than someone who has spent years in a classroom in Uni. The only thing I’d say against them though is that they only offer level 3 qualifications. If you’re really wanting to get that degree though (like I am), unless a degree apprenticeship in engineering is on offer then take the uni route and apply for a place on an engineering graduate scheme once you finish. They’re also quite hard to get into too. I applied for an apprenticeship at TFL earlier this year, it was a Level 6 degree apprenticeship but got as far as the assessment centre. But over time, more apprenticeships will open up which might appeal to you. When do you leave school? I finish A-Levels in Summer 2020 (I'm starting in September this year). Oh well, it was worth an ask. My sixth form does have work experience support so I may consult them in the future for similar roles but for now I might just stick to retail for extra cash. This is something I regret not doing while I was in college, as the only part time roles available for 16-18 year olds in education really were in retail. Hopefully it'll be a different story for university though, and if you're looking for extra cash especially, don't make the same mistake I made. It depends on your timetable though and how many days off from school/college you get during the week. If you're doing A Levels then it might not be recommended if you don't get that much time off as they're really hard so I hear from my friends and you'd need to spend more time studying than working. I did a BTEC at college and had two days off a week, I could have found a part time job then, but at the same time I spent my time on coursework and my whole day used to be taken up by it. The majority of people in my class though held part time jobs. I would highly recommend having work experience in the industry though during your time in sixth form, depends on what you want to do and what company you get to see all aspects of how a bus company works. Work experience is not formally offered though through bus companies, so you would have to contact each company to see what they have on offer. I believe all companies do offer work experience so I'm sure you'll find something you'd enjoy
|
|
|
Post by NWBusConnoisseur on Aug 27, 2018 10:45:31 GMT
I finish A-Levels in Summer 2020 (I'm starting in September this year). Oh well, it was worth an ask. My sixth form does have work experience support so I may consult them in the future for similar roles but for now I might just stick to retail for extra cash. This is something I regret not doing while I was in college, as the only part time roles available for 16-18 year olds in education really were in retail. Hopefully it'll be a different story for university though, and if you're looking for extra cash especially, don't make the same mistake I made. It depends on your timetable though and how many days off from school/college you get during the week. If you're doing A Levels then it might not be recommended if you don't get that much time off as they're really hard so I hear from my friends and you'd need to spend more time studying than working. I did a BTEC at college and had two days off a week, I could have found a part time job then, but at the same time I spent my time on coursework and my whole day used to be taken up by it. The majority of people in my class though held part time jobs. I would highly recommend having work experience in the industry though during your time in sixth form, depends on what you want to do and what company you get to see all aspects of how a bus company works. Work experience is not formally offered though through bus companies, so you would have to contact each company to see what they have on offer. I believe all companies do offer work experience so I'm sure you'll find something you'd enjoy Okay, thanks for the advice. I would've only been available on weekends and due to revised A-Levels I have to be in every weekday but I only have small coursework on one subject (as it's mostly exams now) which enables me to work on weekends. Once I get the opportunity to do so, I will contact operating companies for weekday work experience and see what they say. Thanks again for helping
|
|
|
Post by 6HP502C on Aug 30, 2018 18:04:04 GMT
|
|