There's plenty of reasons to get onboard with a career at TransPennine Express (TPE). While we're working towards the best possible rail network for the North and Scotland, we're also working towards becoming the best employer in our industry.
At TransPennine Express, it's our goal to help people reach their full potential. Our northern routes, have northern roots, meaning we don't just serve communities across northern England and Scotland, we are one. If making folks crack a smile helps you feel at home, and raising standards is your second nature, we'd love to have you hop onboard.
Ready to launch your future and build hands-on experience with one of the UK's most exciting rail operators? As part of our Express Start programme, we have one apprenticeship opportunity available within our Commercial Team. Over the two-year programme, you'll spend your first 12 months building expertise in a dedicated business area before broadening your experience through placements across other teams from month 14.
Revenue Protection Apprentice – Making Every Ticket Count
A Revenue Protection Apprentice helps protect revenue and ensure fairness across the railway by supporting ticket inspection, compliance, and customer engagement activities. Success requires strong communication, confidence, attention to detail, problem-solving, integrity, and sound decision-making. The role balances customer service with responsibility for upholding ticketing standards.
The Express Start Programme is your gateway to the rail industry. Over two years, you'll gain hands-on experience across a range of teams, developing expertise in customer service and operations while discovering how different parts of the business work together. From stations and customer relations to customer operations and beyond, you'll build valuable skills, broaden your experience, and explore potential career paths.
Along the way, you'll grow your confidence, communication, and problem-solving abilities, supported by colleagues who are passionate about helping you succeed.
At TransPennine Express, we believe in creating space for everyone to thrive — just as they are. So, if you're ready to be yourself, raise the bar, pull together as part of a great team, and make someone's day, your journey starts here.
Why our apprenticeships stand out:
- Learn on the job: You'll gain real experience while studying — and get paid while you do it.
- Explore your options: Our Express Start programme gives you the chance to experience different roles across the business. You'll work with different teams, in different environments, to discover what suits you best.
- Work on real projects: You won't be making tea or sitting on the sidelines — you'll be part of the action, contributing to key projects and seeing the impact of your work.
- Be treated like a team member: At TPE we Pull Together. Apprentices are respected and supported like any other colleague — your ideas matter here.
- Grow your skills: From technical know-how to confidence, communication, and teamwork, you'll build a toolbox of skills for future success.
- Connect and grow: You'll join a community of other apprentices to support and share best practice with each other, learn new skills designed to help you grow personally and professionally.
- Learn from the best: You'll be supported by experienced professionals who know the industry inside out.
- Open doors: With support, training, and career guidance, your apprenticeship could be the first step to a full-time role — and a future with real progression.
- Make a Difference: You'll be part of a company that helps connect millions of people across the North and Scotland. What you do here matters — and you'll feel proud of it.
About the apprenticeship
An apprenticeship is a fantastic way to earn while you learn and gain a recognised qualification. You'll be supported by a professional training provider who will guide you throughout the duration of your studies. You'll have time set aside from your working week to complete your learning.
You will develop both business administration and customer service skills with placements in an office environment and in customer facing settings.
What does apprenticeship training look like?
You will attend workshops (usually virtual), meet with your tutor for feedback and to discuss progress, use an online platform to complete pieces of work and put this into practice in your day-to-day work activities.
How long the study lasts.
Around 12-15 months. We're here to give you the best possible learning experience — with time set aside each week for study and plenty of chances to apply what you're learning in real-world situations. In return, we expect you to be committed to your own growth, stay on track with your learning and ready to make the most of every opportunity.
Need to know information:
- This role involves shift working, including early starts, late finishes, weekends and bank holidays. Shift patterns for colleagues aged 16–17 will be scheduled in accordance with UK young worker regulations and apprenticeship requirements.
- You must live within a 60-minute commutable distance from our York Office, George Stephenson House, YO1 6HP, evidence may be requested as proof of residence.
- Contracted hours for this role will be 37 hours per week, over a 7-day week with shift patterns, based primarily at York, you will also spend tie at our Head Office, in Manchester City Centre (a short walk from Oxford Road station), with time at our stations and depots in line with the apprenticeship role offered. Travel across our network is encouraged to support with your development and understanding of the various roles within TPE and how a busy train operating company operates.
- Where there may be occasional opportunities to work from home once you've settled in, the apprentice role is primarily based on-site. This means spending most of your time either at our offices, visiting depots or stations, or engaging directly with customers on platform or on our trains. This will offer you valuable hands-on experience allowing you to apply your learning in real-world settings and build essential skills like problem solving, communication and teamwork. These experiences are crucial for your professional growth and will help you develop a strong foundation for your career.
- You must be able to pass a drug and alcohol screening requirement for the role.
Key Dates:
- Interviews will be scheduled on 13 August (Thursday)
- Salary £17,500 (increases in year 2, in line with National Minimum Wage)
- Start date 28th Sept 2026
What we're looking for!
We're looking for a friendly, enthusiastic, responsible, and helpful team player with a passion for problem solving and delivering excellent customer service. You'll have good IT skills and an interest in new systems - here at TPE we use a full range of Microsoft Office 365 applications.
You'll need to be self-disciplined and committed to putting pride and effort into everything you do. You'll find yourself learning lots of new and interesting things, but you'll have the ability and mind set to deal with anything that comes your way. As you will be working with a variety of different colleagues, we are looking for someone with effective communication skills and a helpful team player with a passion for problem solving. Being able to spot problems and think creatively will benefit you in this position, a keen eye for detail is also a must.
What we offer
- Excellent career prospects.
- A personal development plan
- Structured training and development
- Competitive salary paid on 4-weekly basis
- Up to 25 days paid annual leave plus bank holidays
- Free TransPennine Express rail travel for you and your dependants*.
- Travel discounts of up to 75% off other train operating companies including international rail travel after 1 years' service*
- Friends & family rail travel offers*
- Free & Confidential Employee Assistance Program and Wellbeing Portal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help you with any finance, family, health, or wellbeing issues you have.
- Option to join Final Salary Pension Scheme
- High street discounts and a cycle to work scheme*
- Terms and conditions apply
Goings places has never felt better!
At TransPennine Express, it's our goal to help people reach their full potential. We offer the opportunity to not just join the transformation of the rail industry, but to lead it. Our values are designed with every team member in mind; whether it's ensuring you feel free to be yourself at work, or encouraging everyone to pull together and support each other. We promise to value our people for the individuals they are. Whichever department becomes your destination, from the tip of the train, to the tail, our only focus is heading at full speed into the future. So, if making people crack a smile helps you feel at home, and raising standards is second nature to you, we'd love to have you onboard.
