Train Maintainer Review

As an apprentice my job means that I follow along with other more experienced workers to see what they are doing and getting the chance to have a go myself on a range of different tasks like the examination of railway assets on rolling stock and fault finding on systems which are more complex to maintain.

In my development I have learned and improved on the following skills: Electrical component installation and isolations or railway stocks Being adaptable and using effective tools to do the task in a new manner which follows the safe working procedures. Communication within a team both face to face and via radio. NVQ in rolling stock BTEC in engineering

I fully enjoy my job. I love coming gin everyday to work on something which has been my passion since an early age. I love working on trains which each carry tens of thousands of people a day. I feel as if my work really makes a difference to the moving of London's people and I hope that by doing the best job I can, our customers can have a more pleasant journey

From the start the apprenticeship has been well structured and organised. You know where you'll be in the coming weeks and booking off annual leave is as simple as sending an email. Because of the work load of the apprentice team in the office it can take a few days for them to reply to your emails however if you need an urgent response there is the apprentice phone number which you can call to query something. There are some times when confusion comes up as you're kept on a need to know basis so that can be frustrating however I've never been in the position of being lost or not knowing where to go or what to do when the time comes.

I get the training I need to do the job and I have been offered extra courses to help me with my assertiveness. I get treated in a kind manner from all staff including my managers however you may come across some depot staff who aren't as thrilled at your presence. I don't take this to heart as once you get to know people situations outside of work you understand why they are who they are. Most people though are a great laugh. Typical lad humour and banter gets you through the day, not that its bad in the first place :)

My training provider funds my apprenticeship and interacts with me to help me complete my goals. They introduced themselves to me when I started and even though they aren't as personal or as knowing of my character and working style as my managers would know they support me in more in-direct logistical ways.

The 6 months that I spent at college gave me abetter understanding of materials, maths and electrical components and circuits. using these areas of interest I can now use fault finding equipment more easily (like oscilloscopes and Multimeters) and I can think of solutions myself rather than having to refer to another worker. Some practices I have learned I feel that I will use soon to help design my own circuits at home for my own DIY projects, however this was never the intention when I learned them. Simply knowing how to use karnaugh mapping to simplify electrical gates means that I may be able to build my own gadgets.

I've been to a few networking/engineering talks and events where you meet people from around the company and also learn about new innovations and systems put in place for the railway infrastructure like new stocks and assets and learning how TfL uses it income to develop the different areas it governs (Roads, Rails, Buses, Trams etc.) My own confidence in myself (or lack of in some areas) means i do not fully appreciate these events as its not the easiest for me to make small talk and its also the reason I don't do any of the other extra-curricular activities.

Yes

As a career, It is so much more fun than any other job I've had. The working shifts are very manageable, and the staff are always friendly and easy to get along with even meeting them for the first time. It does not matter who you are, if you see someone else who is also in TfL uniform you'll get along, its like working in a family. A family where everyone gets paid a decent salary, annual leave period, travel benefits and a nice pension to look forward to in your later life as well as services for your health that you can use right now.

Stand out by making your CV and cover letter look nice. Use defined headings and titles that stand out but still look good in a formal matter. No crazy colours and artwork should be used here (D'ya hear me). Talk about how you are good at working in a team and not how much you can drink on the weekend. Shoiw that you are resilient to the challenges that may come up in day to day activities like a train being on a different road (what we call tracks), or a tool breaking or how you'd overcome another communication error. Man don't want to hear or see your six pack so tell them about your extra-curricular activities and interests instead. TfL is big on community and workman/workwoman/worktrans......workperson relations (basically that you get on with people) so be sure that you're ready to help your fellow worker at any notice and know they'll do the same for you. For the assessment be sure you know about the wiring of a UK plug and know how a simple gear system would work (as in a few cogs connected together and how one turning one way affects the others). Remember that the people who interview you are most likely the managers I have now so even though they look scary, really they are just making sure you're not a time waster. When it comes to your online assessments, it can be helpful to have a pen and paper/notebook next to you and a calculator so you can do 2+2-1=3 (quick maphs) if you need to. Also remember it took me 3 moths to get a response to give me job so if they're taking a bit of time keep calm and carry on.