customer service representative

project manager

engineer

associate project manager

commercial manager

Transport-For-London

The most exciting part of my job as Compliance and Delivery Manager at Transport for London (TfL) was the launching of a high-profile consultation, for example most recently The Mayor’s Transport Strategy, or the Transformation of Oxford Street. This usually involved checking the communication material, advising colleagues on compliance issues, designing the online webpage and survey, co-ordinating stakeholder notification, and finally – publishing the webpage and accompanying documentation on time. 

A typical public consultation launch would be complemented by press releases, customer emails, advertisements, letters, and leaflets which would ideally direct all recipients to our webpage and survey where they would be able to view our proposals and have their say. After this, it was all about being reactive to the effect of our proposals whether it was, dealing with major issues, making rolling corrections or responding to queries.  

After a launch, I would then move on to my next responsibility which was managing our in-house analysis team (which I formed) to ensure every single response and comment we received to a consultation (often in the thousands) was accurately logged and interpreted – using standard (and sometimes new) quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques. This information would eventually be incorporated into a final report (again something I would check before publication) which we would present to the decision makers and once formalised eventually make public. 

I learned a lot about working in a political environment, delivering results to extremely tight deadlines, public policy, the power of clear and concise writing and most importantly ¬– the dynamic (two-way) process and integrity of public participation in decisions that affect all of us. 

The hardest part of my job was defending what we were doing – people tend to think large companies asking them what they think about something is a box ticking exercise, or some cynical public relations operation. Of course, it can be, but it also can be the exact opposite when done right. And that’s what I tried my best to do at TfL. I wanted us to be the company that truly listened to our customers albeit coupled with our confidence and expertise as a transport authority.

The workplace culture at TfL was, I guess, typical of a large public organisation. From the outside it can sometimes be seen as a bland, bureaucratic body but I am very proud to have worked there as it is made up of pockets of people who really care about what they do. The public transport authority of a great city is an easy target for criticism as it should be – but that’s how it will always improve. 
    
The most enjoyable part of my job was helping and advising my many colleagues on the best way to approach a problem. My desk was always a flurry of debate as we tried to find the best approach to whatever problem the day had presented us with. My hard work and time was always reciprocally returned – and that was the most rewarding part of my job. Any job really, I imagine.

I’ve been at the company for 6 months now and I’m happy with the decision I made. I came over from network rail and was there for just over a decade. And so transitioning was always going to be tricky. Id say that my hiring managers and recruiters were very understanding and supportive of the time I needed to make my decision and accommodated where they could. When I started it was a little unnerving as many of my team were working from home. There is the 2 days a week policy but my team didn’t not regiment the days. So meeting them was sporadic and often by chance. We did all meet on teams, but if you are daily new to the work environment or industry this could prove difficult.

I noticed strait away how diverse culturally the offices were. I had come from an organisation heavily dominated by men who worked in london, but wasn’t necessarily from london. I saw women of different races, people of different ages and for someone from the Black community this was very welcoming. 

Immediately as I started my manager set performance goals and signed me up to be professionally recognised. I’m now going through the training to become professionally registered with that institution. Id never had this before. It was very direct and positive. Development and further learning is supported here, although there is a waitlist for somethings it doesn’t get brushed under the carpet. 

There are many offices within TfL dotted around london and they have a pretty good system that ally’s you to enter any offices just using your company ID. The internet auto connects and the printers aren’t to difficult to set up. The dress code depends on what you want to do. I’m a very casual dresser and it’s not bothered anyone. 

Id say on the tech side of things they are getting better. Their internet seems to work fairly ok, sometimes it’s down for a few mins. You can do your work and that’s the most important thing. They have Microsoft 365 and use a lot of sharepoint and MS teams so you’ll fit right in if you have to. 

The travel perks are good. Although I’ll add that it’s only useful in TfL stations and not national rail. An example; you can’t tap out at a station like Selhurst, although within london, it’s not part of the oyster system if you get what I mean. 

TfL is a company that manages other companies in a sense and LU being the most important part of it. Their funding and perks and even some of the contracts for their staff are different. They are very LU focused and this can be frustrating at time. Especially if you’re working in part of a business that isn’t one of the LU lines. You feel like an unwanted step child. 

This has got to be the worst company I have ever worked for, TfL do not care about their employees, working 7 days in a row constantly doing extreme hours is no way to live a life. Some shift patterns would be 7 days of 5am starts, 1 day off, 1 day starting at 9am-5pm then 1 day off then 7 days on again but this time starting at 5pm and finishing at 1am, where is the work/life balance there? Also getting to and from work at those hours is difficult, TfL do offer a taxi service to work and home, but it's more than likely not going to be a direct taxi, you get dropped off at points along the way home and pick up different taxis, a 30 min journey can usually take anything up to 2 hours, for some this is their only option to get home, leaving staff standing in areas like lewisham or Brixton waiting for their connecting taxis for sometimes at least an hour putting them at risk during the early hours of the morning. This company doesn't care for its staff unless they are at the top of the company, thousands of staff apply for the same jobs when they come out so chances of moving up within the company are slim. Benchmarks for exams you have to pass to get to interview stages are ridiculously high, i.e. 97% pass mark to get to the next stage. Public are rude, you are told to not defend yourself if someone goes to hit you otherwise if you do you will be sacked. Staff morale in most stations is generally low. Staff that like the job seem to have been brainwashed into thinking it's a good company to work for, money is ok, but for the hours staff do it should be more. I could sit here all day listing all the things wrong with the company but I would probably need longer than a  day!!! It is a company I would not recommend, the pension is good that is about it, but who wants to live their life working 30 odd years doing those hours? You probably  wouldn't  see much of the pension as probably won't last long after retirement from working all the unsocial hours all your life.

TfL may be seen as a great company to work for, depending on your role and perspective.

If you want to be reasonably well paid, then yes, it is, in comparison to other government and some private organisations. If you want good benefits, the free travel is great and there's a decent pension, provided you stay within the company for the rest of your working life.

Now onto the other things which you will likely only hear from operational staff. You know, the ones who keep London underground from stalling to a complete halt when the ancient trains fail. There is ZERO work/life balance. You will be lied to and abused by members of the public and you will come to hate people, you will live for that ever so distant day off, and be incredibly tired each day at work.

Your only support line are your colleagues, as they live and breathe the same conditions as you. But TfL's 'policy' of moving staff on as soon as or before they even settle, coupled with movement of staff who are desperately searching for a location which offers better shifts and management, means that staff have low morale and low support.

Most staff get stuck because of the benefits. But they are either desperately unhappy with the shifts, brainwashed into thinking it doesn't get any better than this outside of TfL, and complacent in being in a job with union protection, free travel and never having to take your work home with you.

On average, chances of progression are slim (you could end up waiting over ten years for a chance at promotion) if you're lucky enough to be selected (pass rates for assessments and interviews are unreasonably high). The management is a shambles and the politics is ridiculous. That being said, most of the staff are really nice people.

So to sum up, the operational roles in TfL are not great, unless money is your only desire. Also, the benefits are there because the unions fight for them, not because TfL care about their employees. And with the recent changes in the way London Underground work, union strength is waning. You often hear people say it used to be a great place to work, but those days are a distant dream.

Initially thought it was a great company to work for, very diverse yet overtime, cracks appeared. They’re good at taking on a very diverse workforce, of all backgrounds, abilities and disabilities but useless at retaining them as they don’t provide the support required.
Too much uncertainty, clear directions are not provided, so when contract is expiring, you’ve no idea of what the next steps are, nor are management. Apprentice Coaches (managers) are generally inexperienced (this is usually their first foray into management), but there doesn’t seem much support or training for them so they are just as unaware as apprentices are of options and availability of support. 
Very clique, you have to fit in to get anywhere or brown-nose management. Having a disability means you will be forgotten about, your peers will progress ahead of you, because any request for adjustments or support will be passed from pillar to post, meaning you fall behind (this generally isn’t the case if a college/university is providing the training aspect, but if it is private training led, then the responsibility falls to TFL however the policies they have are in place are outdated, the contacts they have to provide support are usually expired and they will constantly pass you back and forth). Occupational Health will do a recommendation of adjustments which must be adhered to, but you must keep a copy as management changes often and they will try to disregard your adjustments. Senior management have been defensive throughout the pandemic when doing monthly updates, talking down genuine concerns or queries. 
I was excited to work for TFL, yet never in my life until working here, did I see my disability as a barrier, as previous employers were always accommodating, yet a company like TFL ruined my self confidence and I stayed far longer than I wanted to because of this. 

Would not recommend as an employer unless to gain experience as a stepping stone to enhancing career at market rates.  TfL tries to justify lower salaries through the benefits it offers but which have been and are still being whittled away over the years.  TfL continues to fall behind other employers on the packages it offers.

Suggest considering other employers who can offer much more than TfL.

I work at the Network Management Control Centre. A real fancy name. I was excited when I first joined this place. It felt like it was a serious and important job. I was wrong. People just worked differently. There is no common standard amongst peers and on how they work. The training was not great. Ongoing training was no better. Supervision is nil. When things are raised (concerns) nothing is done. Stuff just swept under the carpet. The general management and leadership is just really bad. The Senior Management Team like to project a real purpose, but the reality is different. Promotion? People get promoted not on merit, but on the diversity drive TfL promote. It is all about box ticking. Basically, if you have something to offer but do not tick those 'diversity' boxes or are part of the unique clique of management then just forget about it. I'm only still here because no one bothers me or picks up when I do things wrong. I relax. This really is not a serious role or as important as I originally thought. Plus side, the money is great, as are the perks. If you want an easy life and you don't really care about things or life and even tick those boxes then this job is for you. If you want some meaning to your existence then this is not it. I will move jobs when a good alternative arrives.

Managed decline is the truth at TfL. Operational staff can expect no work life balance, shifts that veer from extreme to extreme and take a massive toll on your health. The management is stuck in rigid ways of doing things, meaning nothing ever gets changed for the better. You'll work all hours of day and night with 7 day rosters, 7 nights shifts with just 2 days off to recover, have split rest days taking you from late shifts to early shifts with no time to recover. It's stupid really, as if it was managed better people would be far happier, less stressed, and less unwell. As it is, vast majority are made sick by overwork, even though the actual day to day job is typically very manageable. The money is good, the benefits are great, but you pay for it in your health. And advancement can be a joke - it's very corrupt, people are picked and accelerated ahead of others. There are management cliques who push people they want forward, leaving excellent staff stuck in roles beneath their experience and ability while some very mediocre people get ahead. If I thought there was hope of improvement I'd stay, but as it is I can see it will only get worse so I'm looking to leave after 8 years.

Generally a great company to work for, good benefits like free travel ( not everywhere though so be aware) good pension plans 29 days holiday etc etc.. 

Management is poor as they don't seem to train managers they just pass the job down to the next (favourite) (no interviews done)  person the job of manager before any training is done.

Bitter people who are not happy to work and arrive already complaining, people admit to be working there for their pay check, I have seen so much favouritism in this company its unbelievable, people get away with sleeping on desks and smoking every 20 minutes, Others are aloud to be late 4 times a week whilst some people get called instantly on the first time of being late. too much hierarchy going on as everybody thinks they own the place and their opinion is the right one and the only one that counts as well as their personal needs too much selfishness. I have to sit through my working day listening to people complain all day about other people... Lack of motivation and passion to work from my colleagues. In general if you don't end up working in the office, youll have a better experience, go for station jobs or any other customer related on site jobs where your work is valued.

On a daily basis would work on completing critical work held on workstream plan to ensure all work is completed within set dates on project plan.

Learned all about project planning and management and the importance of understanding possible risks to the project and putting in place solutions to avoid or combat such risks.

Management were very much involved in their own workstreams and ensuring they were on schedule according to the various project plans.

The workstream I worked in was very small and I got on very well with my co-workers and was able to delegate work to them with ease.

The hardest part of the job was meeting to very high demands of my line manager whilst also studying full time towards a BA (Hons) Leadership & Management degree. My degree was my priority but I was also responsible for critical work within our workstream whilst also supervising two members of staff. This at times required working late to complete specific tasks and finding the right balance was very difficult.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Customer service representative 10 salaries reported	£34,654 per year
Project manager 13 salaries reported	£59,808 per year
Engineer 11 salaries reported	£51,773 per year
Associate project manager 7 salaries reported	£39,846 per year
Commercial manager 9 salaries reported	£52,889 per year

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