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Post by ibus246 on Apr 13, 2020 22:09:34 GMT
Hello all. Erm... I just applies to Stagecoach London for their trainee role. And so far I got accepted for their final assessment. I am 18, but I dont have any driving experience as I only got my license about 4 months ago. Is there a point of continuing my application? I say go for it. You won't know until you try. I've (surprisingly) not heard before of any requirements for car driving experience at Stagecoach, and I know a few people who have started there with less than 1 year car driving experience - so my advice would be go for it, ace the assessments, don't worry about how much experience you have or haven't got, and see how far you go (hopefully to a full time bus driver!) You won't regret it - it can be tough but I love working on the buses. The family-esque culture I've found is quite unlike any other sector I've been in. It's very rewarding and motivating. Is driving the actual bus easy? |
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Post by LT 20181 on Apr 15, 2020 1:18:20 GMT
Okay, now, I have been thinking about this for some time. I'm not sure how (un)realistic this'll sound, but let's see what people think.
I'm currently in my second year at uni (well, I was until the lockdown came). I'm studying Business Management with Accounting. When I graduate (hopefully by the next year or two), I'm thinking about pursuing a career with my degree in the London bus industry. With my degree which I'm hoping to graduate with, if I want a career with an operator like the RATP Group, what sort of job placements would I be, you know, offered with?
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Post by Alex on Apr 15, 2020 2:34:02 GMT
Okay, now, I have been thinking about this for some time. I'm not sure how (un)realistic this'll sound, but let's see what people think. I'm currently in my second year at uni (well, I was until the lockdown came). I'm studying Business Management with Accounting. When I graduate (hopefully by the next year or two), I'm thinking about pursuing a career with my degree in the London bus industry. With my degree which I'm hoping to graduate with, if I want a career with an operator like the RATP Group, what sort of job placements would I be, you know, offered with? No, it's not unrealistic to ask this but remember, if you got a job in bus management the modern arena is a cut-throat industry. These feelings of being an enthusiast and being a good person would be tossed to the wind. You're dealing with an industry which thinks taking one minute off one dead run on one trip on weekdays saves half a shift over the year - where could it all end up if we do this several times? Being petty and penny-pinching is the only way someone will succeed these days in management. Don't even think about cleaning buses or shelling out for PPE....... Go for it, but really, good intentions and a keen attitude won't wash with modern day operators. |
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Post by LT 20181 on Apr 15, 2020 2:36:13 GMT
Okay, now, I have been thinking about this for some time. I'm not sure how (un)realistic this'll sound, but let's see what people think. I'm currently in my second year at uni (well, I was until the lockdown came). I'm studying Business Management with Accounting. When I graduate (hopefully by the next year or two), I'm thinking about pursuing a career with my degree in the London bus industry. With my degree which I'm hoping to graduate with, if I want a career with an operator like the RATP Group, what sort of job placements would I be, you know, offered with? No, it's not unrealistic to ask this but remember, if you got a job in bus management the modern arena is a cut-throat industry. These feelings of being an enthusiast and being a good person would be tossed to the wind. You're dealing with an industry which thinks taking one minute off one dead run on one trip on weekdays saves half a shift over the year - where could it all end up if we do this several times? Being petty and penny-pinching is the only way someone will succeed these days in management. Don't even think about cleaning buses or shelling out for PPE....... Go for it, but really, good intentions and a keen attitude won't wash with modern day operators. Thanks for that  |
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Post by Alex on Apr 15, 2020 2:40:46 GMT
Thanks for that No worries, what I've said probably ties in with business ethics and what's being told to people - sure that some more learned bus professionals will be along soon to give a bit more meat to the bones  |
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Post by TB123 on Apr 15, 2020 8:39:12 GMT
Okay, now, I have been thinking about this for some time. I'm not sure how (un)realistic this'll sound, but let's see what people think. I'm currently in my second year at uni (well, I was until the lockdown came). I'm studying Business Management with Accounting. When I graduate (hopefully by the next year or two), I'm thinking about pursuing a career with my degree in the London bus industry. With my degree which I'm hoping to graduate with, if I want a career with an operator like the RATP Group, what sort of job placements would I be, you know, offered with? No, it's not unrealistic to ask this but remember, if you got a job in bus management the modern arena is a cut-throat industry. These feelings of being an enthusiast and being a good person would be tossed to the wind. You're dealing with an industry which thinks taking one minute off one dead run on one trip on weekdays saves half a shift over the year - where could it all end up if we do this several times? Being petty and penny-pinching is the only way someone will succeed these days in management. Don't even think about cleaning buses or shelling out for PPE....... Go for it, but really, good intentions and a keen attitude won't wash with modern day operators. Your bottom comment couldn't be further from the truth. I work at a "modern day" operator, and I've done pretty well from having "good intentions" and a "keen attitude" - bit of a sweeping generalisation there and certainly one that isn't always true. |
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Post by TB123 on Apr 15, 2020 8:42:56 GMT
Okay, now, I have been thinking about this for some time. I'm not sure how (un)realistic this'll sound, but let's see what people think. I'm currently in my second year at uni (well, I was until the lockdown came). I'm studying Business Management with Accounting. When I graduate (hopefully by the next year or two), I'm thinking about pursuing a career with my degree in the London bus industry. With my degree which I'm hoping to graduate with, if I want a career with an operator like the RATP Group, what sort of job placements would I be, you know, offered with? Go-Ahead bus grad scheme is the one you want to aspire to get into if you want a bus industry one - it's a really good scheme, you get a really good exposure at all levels of the business from commercial management to driving and cleaning buses. They do typically like applicants to have a full driving license as it's expected you'd do your PCV Test. But a grad placement at Go-ahead would likely involve rotations at both London and provincial subsidiaries and that experience of differing environments would be of enormous help in furthering your career. Feel free to drop me a message if you want any more info about it 😊 |
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Post by LT 20181 on Apr 15, 2020 10:26:13 GMT
Okay, now, I have been thinking about this for some time. I'm not sure how (un)realistic this'll sound, but let's see what people think. I'm currently in my second year at uni (well, I was until the lockdown came). I'm studying Business Management with Accounting. When I graduate (hopefully by the next year or two), I'm thinking about pursuing a career with my degree in the London bus industry. With my degree which I'm hoping to graduate with, if I want a career with an operator like the RATP Group, what sort of job placements would I be, you know, offered with? Go-Ahead bus grad scheme is the one you want to aspire to get into if you want a bus industry one - it's a really good scheme, you get a really good exposure at all levels of the business from commercial management to driving and cleaning buses. They do typically like applicants to have a full driving license as it's expected you'd do your PCV Test. But a grad placement at Go-ahead would likely involve rotations at both London and provincial subsidiaries and that experience of differing environments would be of enormous help in furthering your career. Feel free to drop me a message if you want any more info about it 😊 I’ll have a think about it. Thanks 😊 |
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Post by Alex on Apr 15, 2020 11:30:07 GMT
Your bottom comment couldn't be further from the truth. I work at a "modern day" operator, and I've done pretty well from having "good intentions" and a "keen attitude" - bit of a sweeping generalisation there and certainly one that isn't always true. That's a really decent post, I'm pleased that things aren't as bad as they seem. I work for a public transport operator (not buses) and have three in-laws on the buses (two are drivers and one is an engineer) but sadly my own experiences and those I hear about from my in-laws are very negative. Good intentions and a keen attitude (worded from earlier) generally - in my experience - get you treated like a doormat. I'm glad it's not like this everywhere  The post about the Go-Ahead scheme is very positive, where I am there is a heavy use of graduate managers, which on a personal note I am not keen on (I think more consideration should be given to people 'working their way up'). However, if we are going to have grad plan people, it would be a real bonus if they were interested and knew a bit about transport before they started the role - with this in mind I wish our poster well. |
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Post by YY13VKP on Apr 15, 2020 13:36:25 GMT
Okay, now, I have been thinking about this for some time. I'm not sure how (un)realistic this'll sound, but let's see what people think. I'm currently in my second year at uni (well, I was until the lockdown came). I'm studying Business Management with Accounting. When I graduate (hopefully by the next year or two), I'm thinking about pursuing a career with my degree in the London bus industry. With my degree which I'm hoping to graduate with, if I want a career with an operator like the RATP Group, what sort of job placements would I be, you know, offered with? I'm in the same position as you here, being in the second year of uni. Quite a few transport operators offer graduate schemes, most notably Go-Ahead which is certainly one I have my eye on. Go-Ahead's bus graduate scheme will have you working in all parts of the bus industry, starting with driving and basic engineering and then rotating through other parts of the business, and the aim of the scheme is that successful graduates eventually become assistant operating managers within garages. You would also expected to be rotated around different companies within the Go-Ahead group too. I know quite a few people within GAL who have successfully completed the grad scheme and have gone on to become assistant operating managers. Arriva also run a graduate scheme which I understand is similar to what Go-Ahead offer. RATP do offer a graduate scheme it seems, however I can't view the website for some reason, which can be found here: ratpdev.co.uk/ratp-dev-uk-graduate-scheme/Did you get the option to do a placement year as part of your course by any chance? These would have really boosted your chances of securing a graduate role, and work experience also helps. Not many bus operators offer placement opportunities sadly (although bespoke placements can be arranged), and there aren't very many in airlines too as most of my friends at uni found out but there are opportunities in rail, and in August I will be joining a certain London based train operating company which I am really looking forward to  . |
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Post by TB123 on Apr 15, 2020 13:46:37 GMT
At Go-Ahead you've also got the benefit of the management development programme - so if you were to join the business in a part-time role or in an entry level position without being a graduate, you would also get the chance to move forward your career. That's partly what motivated me to join the company, they are big on developing their employees.
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Post by LT 20181 on Apr 15, 2020 13:52:51 GMT
Okay, now, I have been thinking about this for some time. I'm not sure how (un)realistic this'll sound, but let's see what people think. I'm currently in my second year at uni (well, I was until the lockdown came). I'm studying Business Management with Accounting. When I graduate (hopefully by the next year or two), I'm thinking about pursuing a career with my degree in the London bus industry. With my degree which I'm hoping to graduate with, if I want a career with an operator like the RATP Group, what sort of job placements would I be, you know, offered with? I'm in the same position as you here, being in the second year of uni. Quite a few transport operators offer graduate schemes, most notably Go-Ahead which is certainly one I have my eye on. Go-Ahead's bus graduate scheme will have you working in all parts of the bus industry, starting with driving and basic engineering and then rotating through other parts of the business, and the aim of the scheme is that successful graduates eventually become assistant operating managers within garages. You would also expected to be rotated around different companies within the Go-Ahead group too. I know quite a few people within GAL who have successfully completed the grad scheme and have gone on to become assistant operating managers. Arriva also run a graduate scheme which I understand is similar to what Go-Ahead offer. RATP do offer a graduate scheme it seems, however I can't view the website for some reason, which can be found here: ratpdev.co.uk/ratp-dev-uk-graduate-scheme/Did you get the option to do a placement year as part of your course by any chance? These would have really boosted your chances of securing a graduate role, and work experience also helps. Not many bus operators offer placement opportunities sadly (although bespoke placements can be arranged), and there aren't very many in airlines too as most of my friends at uni found out but there are opportunities in rail, and in August I will be joining a certain London based train operating company which I am really looking forward to . We do have the option to do placement years in my course, but it wasn’t something that I paid much attention to this year because it was only recently when I realised what it was I wanted to do. Getting a placement year will definitely be something I’ll focus on when I go back in September for the next year. |
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Post by Gellico on Apr 15, 2020 22:28:18 GMT
I'm in the same position as you here, being in the second year of uni. Quite a few transport operators offer graduate schemes, most notably Go-Ahead which is certainly one I have my eye on. Go-Ahead's bus graduate scheme will have you working in all parts of the bus industry, starting with driving and basic engineering and then rotating through other parts of the business, and the aim of the scheme is that successful graduates eventually become assistant operating managers within garages. You would also expected to be rotated around different companies within the Go-Ahead group too. I know quite a few people within GAL who have successfully completed the grad scheme and have gone on to become assistant operating managers. Arriva also run a graduate scheme which I understand is similar to what Go-Ahead offer. RATP do offer a graduate scheme it seems, however I can't view the website for some reason, which can be found here: ratpdev.co.uk/ratp-dev-uk-graduate-scheme/Did you get the option to do a placement year as part of your course by any chance? These would have really boosted your chances of securing a graduate role, and work experience also helps. Not many bus operators offer placement opportunities sadly (although bespoke placements can be arranged), and there aren't very many in airlines too as most of my friends at uni found out but there are opportunities in rail, and in August I will be joining a certain London based train operating company which I am really looking forward to . We do have the option to do placement years in my course, but it wasn’t something that I paid much attention to this year because it was only recently when I realised what it was I wanted to do. Getting a placement year will definitely be something I’ll focus on when I go back in September for the next year. I am also in the same position, second year however studying Chemistry so a little different. I almost had a summer placement organised in the industry however given the current situation this sadly hasn't come to fruition  . Many others in my year have also lost out on placements or simply given up trying across all sectors. Nevertheless it is an avenue I am still actively seeking. Placements really are key and given the slightly reduced workload of 3rd year I have hopes a part time, once a week placement may be ideal. It is nice to know of several people in my exact same position, happy to talk at anytime about it |
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Post by Eastlondoner62 on Apr 15, 2020 22:55:20 GMT
We do have the option to do placement years in my course, but it wasn’t something that I paid much attention to this year because it was only recently when I realised what it was I wanted to do. Getting a placement year will definitely be something I’ll focus on when I go back in September for the next year. I am also in the same position, second year however studying Chemistry so a little different. I almost had a summer placement organised in the industry however given the current situation this sadly hasn't come to fruition . Many others in my year have also lost out on placements or simply given up trying across all sectors. Nevertheless it is an avenue I am still actively seeking. Placements really are key and given the slightly reduced workload of 3rd year I have hopes a part time, once a week placement may be ideal. It is nice to know of several people in my exact same position, happy to talk at anytime about it Getting placements in any sector is proving to be difficult these days sadly. However it's important to not give up searching, it's going to be harder once we get out of this Coronavirus mess too Might also give you a warning  The workload of a 3rd year at Uni is not reduced at all, you have far less contact hours but you cannot afford to spend time away from education - even for a placement sadly. It can be done however, it's why placements tend to be recommended in the early years more. Although you might be fine with the once a week one as you say. A lot of the time you'll probably be spending doing your dissertation which can take hours and days on end. |
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Post by 6HP502C on Apr 17, 2020 0:49:51 GMT
Okay, now, I have been thinking about this for some time. I'm not sure how (un)realistic this'll sound, but let's see what people think. I'm currently in my second year at uni (well, I was until the lockdown came). I'm studying Business Management with Accounting. When I graduate (hopefully by the next year or two), I'm thinking about pursuing a career with my degree in the London bus industry. With my degree which I'm hoping to graduate with, if I want a career with an operator like the RATP Group, what sort of job placements would I be, you know, offered with? You're already ahead of a significant proportion of the competition by having an idea of where you want to apply for. What type of career are you after in the industry? First bit of advice. If it's not too late, apply to do a year's industrial placement. I was on a 3 year course and it wasn't a problem to switch to a 4 year sandwich course after securing a year in industry placement. Make sure Student Finance handle it properly if you use them. Those with privileged backgrounds are taught how to kick start their careers. From first year they'll be doing experience days at the type of firms they're interested in, internships between semesters, summer internships and sometimes a 3rd year industrial placement. All whilst constantly swatting up on topical matters happening in their industry of choice. There are many benefits to doing these things. When it comes time to join the graduate scheme competition, the experience makes for a strong CV. The topical knowledge and depth of understanding of the industry will impress recruiters. And being in the workplace environment allows for networking. Once you build a reputation for being intelligent and competent, you'll find that helps to open doors at the start and throughout your career. Transport firms tend to be on the lookout for rising stars with their graduate schemes. They'll be looking for future managers, leaders and directors, which is entirely achievable if that's what you want and you play the game right. One way to progress is to move around a business. Showcase your talents. Meet people. Get a reputation which makes it clear that you'll be an asset to the teams you want to work in. Graduate schemes are designed to expose you to all areas of the business. As has been stated, if you apply for the likes of Abellio, Arriva, Go-Ahead Group, First, National Express, Stagecoach etc you will probably do placements at divisions all over the UK. Some will allow you to do bus and rail but I'm sure there will be an option to just do buses if that's where you want to go. It's a 24/7 industry so you'll do rotations where you work shifts and some where you work office hours learning about the white collar side of things. |
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. Many others in my year have also lost out on placements or simply given up trying across all sectors. Nevertheless it is an avenue I am still actively seeking. Placements really are key and given the slightly reduced workload of 3rd year I have hopes a part time, once a week placement may be ideal.
The workload of a 3rd year at Uni is not reduced at all, you have far less contact hours but you cannot afford to spend time away from education - even for a placement sadly. It can be done however, it's why placements tend to be recommended in the early years more. Although you might be fine with the once a week one as you say. A lot of the time you'll probably be spending doing your dissertation which can take hours and days on end. 
