London Underground - Customer Service Supervisor 2 - Full Time (External)

[bluegoblin7]

In an unusual move, London Underground are now recruiting externally for Customer Service Supervisor 2s (CSS2).

Customer Service Supervisor 2 - Full Time - External

Click the link provided to see the complete job description.

tfl.taleo.net

• Join TfL as a Customer Service Supervisor and Keep London Moving!
  
  Lead. Support. Deliver.
  
  We’re seeking a confident, customer-focused leader to ensure smooth, safe, and efficient operations at our stations. If you thrive in dynamic environments and take pride in service delivery, we want to hear from you.
  
  As a Customer Service Supervisor (CSS), you’ll have a vital role in the day-to-day safe operation of London Underground stations. Key responsibilities can include managing incidents, directing and overseeing the day-to-day activities of station colleagues, engaging with operational control teams to ensure the efficient running of the train service and providing our customers the best possible service as they travel around the network.
  
  Please note that applying for this role means you have read and understood this advert and any associated links.  Please read the job description carefully.
  
  This recruitment campaign is to recruit to a waitlist for permanent opportunities as they arise.  We will be offering roles on an ongoing basis over the next two years.
  
  
  Candidates who are internal TfL employees or on our current waitlist for CSS2 FT positions (under any campaign number) are not eligible to apply to this external campaign. The usual process will follow for internal member of staff.
  
  
  
  Salary: £52,346 pa
  
  
  
  Working Hours:  As a CSS, you'll play a vital role in ''Keeping London Moving''. For this reason, you would be expected to work on a varied shift pattern which will include early starts (07:00) and late finishes (23:00), weekends and public holidays. This is a full-time position, working 37.5 hours per week and you will be required to work on any day of the year.  You will be required to work a rotational shift pattern covering 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Basic shift patterns are 0700 - 1500 hrs, 1500 - 2300 hrs, and 2300 - 0700 but these vary by location. Please note we are unable to offer a fixed shift pattern.
  
  We know that this may mean sometimes having to turn down invites from friends and family and so in return for your service, you'll receive 37 days of annual leave a year as well as many other benefits.
  
  
  
  Location: You will be assigned to a group of stations as determined by the business and could be required to work at any of the number of stations within that Cover Group. The vacancies will be mainly in the West London area and some locations will involve lone working. You will be called to training when a vacant position is identified.
  
  
  
  Contract Type: LU Permanent
  
  
  
  Closing date for Applications: Wednesday 15th October 2020 @ 23:59hrs.
  
  
  
  Please note: Due to the expected high response to these vacancies, we reserve the right to close this campaign once we have a suitable pool of applicants, which could be prior to the published application closing date.  If you wish to apply for this role, we strongly advise you do this quickly, as on previous campaigns we have closed before the advertised closing date.
  
  
  
  About us
  
  
  
  London Underground, better known as the Tube, has 11 lines covering 402km and serving 272 stations across the London.
  
  The Tube handles up to five million passenger journeys a day. At peak times, there are more than 543 trains whizzing around the Capital.
  
  Transport for London leads the way as a unique public service and an inclusive and flexible organisation, committed to developing you. We treat our staff with the same commitment we give our customers; their satisfaction is a measure of our success.
  
  
  
  About you
  
  
  
  As a Customer Service Supervisor, you’ll have a vital role in the day-to-day safe operation of London Underground stations. Key responsibilities can include managing incidents, directing and overseeing the day-to-day activities of station colleagues, engaging with operational control teams to ensure the efficient running of the train service and providing our customers the best possible service as they travel around the network.
  
  We are looking for friendly, reliable, helpful people and a genuine passion for delivering outstanding customer service. We are looking for confident people who can quickly take in information about our services, become experts on their local working areas and always promotes a positive image.
  
  If you get a real buzz from helping people and are passionate about assisting customers, come help us demonstrate that "every journey matters" and ensure that our customers remain at the centre of everything we do here at London Underground.
  
  
  
  The role
  
  
  
  To deliver a world class service in all customer-facing areas of London Underground Stations, including responding to incidents effectively and ensuring the safe use of assets within the station environment. Delegate responsibility for either the operation of a small station or a specific area within a larger station, including staff deployment.
  
  
  
  Key Accountabilities
  
  
  
  • Customer service: deliver world class service by proactively providing assistance to customers, including those with special requirements, including service information, general help and advice on ticketing.
  • Ticketing: provide proactive support and advice to customers at Ticket machines including through using staff-enabled functionality. Responsible for the availability of ticket machines including floating, servicing and consolidating cash.
  • Incidents and emergencies: respond to and manage operational incidents in line with London Underground’s rules and procedures to ensure the safety of customers and staff and to be able to restore service as quickly as possible.
  • Operational support: responsible for opening and closing stations and the safe and efficient operation of the station environment. This includes managing access and the programme of station and security checks, performing SATS duties, taking steps to prevent congestion and assist customer flow. Identify and resolve faults and hazards locally wherever possible.
  • Staff deployment: deploy staff effectively to maximise their visibility and service provision to customers and reduce the risk of station closures. (Deployment not applicable at all stations) Using appropriate technology to support the effective deployment of staff.
• 
  
  You would also be expected to assist with taking steps to alleviate congestion, prevent overcrowding and assisting customer flow and evacuation where necessary, whilst providing a welcoming presence throughout the station, and ensuring there is safety at the core of everything you do.
  
  
  
  To be eligible for this vacancy, you should
  
  ·      Be 18 years old and over and be eligible to work in the UK
  
  ·      Be prepared to work anywhere in London.
  
  · Be able to work a variety of shift patterns including Nights, weekends and public holidays
  
  TfL is currently unable to provide sponsorship to candidates for this role as the Home Office’s eligibility criteria for sponsorship will not be met. TfL keeps its approach under review in line with changes to UK immigration rules. We are also unable to provide advice or guidance on individual immigration queries and advise candidates to check the Government’s website for further information.

Headlines:

• £52,346 pa
• 24/7 shift pattern (unlike CSAs this role regularly works nights)
• Generally based outside of zone 1 on smaller stations, often lone working
• All usual TfL benefits
• Not open to any internal applicants or anyone on a CSS waiting list (CSS was previously recruited externally for Night Tube and FT a few years ago)

Good luck!

 

[Zb0905]

I’ve never seen this before wow I am going to apply why could this be external tho ?

 

[Mawkie]

In an unusual move, London Underground are now recruiting externally for Customer Service Supervisor 2s (CSS2).

And be mindful of the closing date...


Edit: The photo says "Closing date for applications: Wednesday 15th October 2020 @23.59hrs" and is a screenshot from the advert.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Sep 2025 ==

I’ve never seen this before wow I am going to apply why could this be external tho ?

Simply put, they haven't been able to recruit enough successful applicants from internal campaigns for the last 14 months at least.

 

[AM107]

Isit the same process as CSA2? Online assessment, AC1, roleplay/SBI

 

[Zb0905]

Isit the same process as CSA2? Online assessment, AC1, roleplay/SBI

Read it

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Sep 2025 ==

And be mindful of the closing date...

View attachment 188949
Edit: The photo says "Closing date for applications: Wednesday 15th October 2020 @23.59hrs" and is a screenshot from the advert.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Sep 2025 ==


Simply put, they haven't been able to recruit enough successful applicants from internal campaigns for the last 14 months at least.

I would if thought station supervisor is popular

 

[bluegoblin7]

And be mindful of the closing date...

View attachment 188949
Edit: The photo says "Closing date for applications: Wednesday 15th October 2020 @23.59hrs" and is a screenshot from the advert.

Now changed on the advert! I did wonder how many would notice but thought I’d leave it for those with an eye to detail.

Isit the same process as CSA2? Online assessment, AC1, roleplay/SBI

Broadly, yes. The assessments (and benchmarks) are to a higher standard and the exact skills will obviously be different too.

As mentioned, this has come out largely because there just aren’t the internal applicants applying for CSS2 nowadays - most hold out for Train Operator. CSS can be an incredibly rewarding and varied job - particularly at more ‘remote’ stations with more complex track layouts - and there’s still plenty of opportunities for progression, both on the stations tree or elsewhere in ops.

The responsibilities are a significant step up from CSA2/1, along with the shift patterns, but it’s a great - and rare - way into LU without starting at the bottom. I know a lot of fantastic Supervisors and ex-Supervisors who have gone on to wonderful things.

 

[Zb0905]

Now changed on the advert! I did wonder how many would notice but thought I’d leave it for those with an eye to detail.


Broadly, yes. The assessments (and benchmarks) are to a higher standard and the exact skills will obviously be different too.

As mentioned, this has come out largely because there just aren’t the internal applicants applying for CSS2 nowadays - most hold out for Train Operator. CSS can be an incredibly rewarding and varied job - particularly at more ‘remote’ stations with more complex track layouts - and there’s still plenty of opportunities for progression, both on the stations tree or elsewhere in ops.

The responsibilities are a significant step up from CSA2/1, along with the shift patterns, but it’s a great - and rare - way into LU without starting at the bottom. I know a lot of fantastic Supervisors and ex-Supervisors who have gone on to wonderful things.

Would you say it’s better to start at Csa before going to supervisor kinda like missing out on going up the ladder

 

[AM107]

Would you say it’s better to start at Csa before going to supervisor kinda like missing out on going up the ladder

Why would it better to start at a lower salary and role? Why not jump all the way and skip the ladder

 

[bluegoblin7]

Would you say it’s better to start at Csa before going to supervisor kinda like missing out on going up the ladder

Why would it better to start at a lower salary and role? Why not jump all the way and skip the ladder

I don’t think there’s a straight answer to this, to be honest. If you feel you can do the job and take on the responsibilities of Supervisor go for it - you’ve got nothing to lose.

But it will be harder to get into if you don’t have any relevant experience and you still have to pass the training and complete a probationary period - there is, potentially, a lot more to lose if things don’t work out as you won’t have the safety net of falling back to CSA (like internal staff) or a more ‘average’ external role as is often the case for CSAs.

You don’t need to be an expert in railway operations or indeed necessarily have experience of being a supervisor (be that supervising staff, a shop or anything else) and it’s perfectly achievable for external candidates, but the learning curve will be a lot greater and people should be prepared going in to that.

 

[bramling]

Now changed on the advert! I did wonder how many would notice but thought I’d leave it for those with an eye to detail.


Broadly, yes. The assessments (and benchmarks) are to a higher standard and the exact skills will obviously be different too.

As mentioned, this has come out largely because there just aren’t the internal applicants applying for CSS2 nowadays - most hold out for Train Operator. CSS can be an incredibly rewarding and varied job - particularly at more ‘remote’ stations with more complex track layouts - and there’s still plenty of opportunities for progression, both on the stations tree or elsewhere in ops.

The responsibilities are a significant step up from CSA2/1, along with the shift patterns, but it’s a great - and rare - way into LU without starting at the bottom. I know a lot of fantastic Supervisors and ex-Supervisors who have gone on to wonderful things.

Have to say it appears rather revealing that internal applicants don’t seem to want CSS2. Does that suggest that people don’t really want to find themselves at a station potentially on their own and have to deal with massive amounts of challenging passenger-related issues, and potentially in the middle of the night too?

What this suggests is LU is not doing enough to make roles sufficiently attractive to quality people, either in terms of remuneration and/or the working conditions.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Sep 2025 ==

I don’t think there’s a straight answer to this, to be honest. If you feel you can do the job and take on the responsibilities of Supervisor go for it - you’ve got nothing to lose.

But it will be harder to get into if you don’t have any relevant experience and you still have to pass the training and complete a probationary period - there is, potentially, a lot more to lose if things don’t work out as you won’t have the safety net of falling back to CSA (like internal staff) or a more ‘average’ external role as is often the case for CSAs.

You don’t need to be an expert in railway operations or indeed necessarily have experience of being a supervisor (be that supervising staff, a shop or anything else) and it’s perfectly achievable for external candidates, but the learning curve will be a lot greater and people should be prepared going in to that.

Agree with the above - it’s perfectly do-able, albeit a much steeper learning curve, and likely at times to be a learning curve that isn’t always fully supported by the company. But there’s a risk of ending up in a role that’s not suitable, at least in the CSA role people can see what the supervisor role is like and be able to get some idea whether it is or isn’t for them.

 

[Zb0905]

Have to say it appears rather revealing that internal applicants don’t seem to want CSS2. Does that suggest that people don’t really want to find themselves at a station potentially on their own and have to deal with massive amounts of challenging passenger-related issues, and potentially in the middle of the night too?

What this suggests is LU is not doing enough to make roles sufficiently attractive to quality people, either in terms of remuneration and/or the working conditions.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Sep 2025 ==



Agree with the above - it’s perfectly do-able, albeit a much steeper learning curve, and likely at times to be a learning curve that isn’t always fully supported by the company. But there’s a risk of ending up in a role that’s not suitable, at least in the CSA role people can see what the supervisor role is like and be able to get some idea whether it is or isn’t for them.

Yeah that’s true there must be a reasons Csa have declined in numbers when applying for css maybe it’s juts too stressful at times and it’s not really worth it but that’s juts my guess

 

[BostonGeorge]

CSA1 is now approximately £42,000pa, they don't have to work nights, they don't have to do lone working and they can nominate locations close to their homes. For an extra £10,000pa, they could apply for CSS2 and they will have to work nights, work on their lonesome and risk being plonked in the arse end of nowhere with an almighty commute and being stuck in that location for an entire year before being able to nominate a group closer to their home.

What CSA's really want to do is apply for CSS1 because it's a more attractive role for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, CSS1 is seldom recruited - CSS1 positions are filled almost entirely by CSS2's who have nominated to move up to that grade.

Thus for many CSA's, this external CSS2 recruitment campaign is a kick in the balls because many feel they are being forced down the path of applying for a seriously inconvenient CSS2 position just so they can one day get to their desired CSS1 position.

There's another issue, too. Many applicants aren't meeting the benchmark in the CSS assessment, but this assessment is designed for internal applicants. There's lots of knowledge of the London Underground rules and procedures required to pass the scenario based assessment. The external assessment will have to be completely different because obviously it cannot be based around LU rules and procedures. This risks there being an enormous gulf in the benchmark between both the internal and external assessments. Barely failing to meet the benchmark in the internal assessment could still be a million miles better than just about meeting the benchmark in the external assessment, if you get my drift. I would prefer to see TfL helping those internal candidates get over the line than employing those who know absolutely nothing about the organisation or the role.

Opening up internal applications to CSS1 would also help, as would guaranteeing internal applicants they would be within a reasonable distance of their home.

 

[Harlequinuk]

So as with any industry, they struggle to fill nights so have external recruitment. So the internal candidates dont want that so whinge because they can get their own way.

 

[bluegoblin7]

Agree with the above - it’s perfectly do-able, albeit a much steeper learning curve, and likely at times to be a learning curve that isn’t always fully supported by the company. But there’s a risk of ending up in a role that’s not suitable, at least in the CSA role people can see what the supervisor role is like and be able to get some idea whether it is or isn’t for them.

Absolutely - I agree with this a lot. There will almost certainly be a lot more learning to be done outside of work time to reach the required standard, and indeed with how the Underground can be there's likely going to be more resistance from staff to new external supervisors until the individual can 'prove' themselves. I don't necessarily agree with that - and thankfully CSS2s generally are lone working - but that is likely the reality.

Personally if I was starting out my career now I wouldn't be pinning all my hopes on CSS2 and would prefer to be going via the CSA2 route, but that's with the benefit of over a decade of experience.

CSA1 is now approximately £42,000pa, they don't have to work nights, they don't have to do lone working and they can nominate locations close to their homes. For an extra £10,000pa, they could apply for CSS2 and they will have to work nights, work on their lonesome and risk being plonked in the arse end of nowhere with an almighty commute and being stuck in that location for an entire year before being able to nominate a group closer to their home.

It's certainly fair to say that a lot of CSS2 locations aren't necessarily desirable places to work - the west end of the Central line springs to mind - and applicants should be very aware of this. CSA2s will get a lot of really good, busy, zone 1 and 2 experience, whereas this is at the other end of the spectrum. On the flip side, you're more likely to get experience of things like taking track access or assisting with failures which can be really useful to move on to other grades.

There is certainly some disparity between the different rates of pay for the grades (although this is by no means unique to Stations, and I'm currently working on a big project to address this within Service Control with my rep hat on) but equally I do think that LU staff can sometimes be their own worst enemies. In most other organisations you have to do some less desirable elements of a job to gain experience and climb the ladder, and there is absolutely an attitude on LUL nowadays from some that this is somehow a bad thing. I appreciate that personally I got very lucky in spending time at a station I enjoyed working that and then fill into a (sadly no longer available) role that I love, but even that hasn't been without hard work and times of doing things because that's what's needed rather than necessarily what I want to be doing. A job is a job.

Anyway... getting off topic a little bit so I'll leave it there.

 

[bramling]

So as with any industry, they struggle to fill nights so have external recruitment. So the internal candidates dont want that so whinge because they can get their own way.

What then happens of course if the external candidates become internal ones after a few months, which if the objective is just to get a batch of new people devoid of baggage essentially then puts things back at square one.

Really TFL need to realise that they are no longer in a situation where they have massive numbers of high-quality candidates lining up eagerly to fill their roles. Who really wants to be stuck on their own at somewhere like Finchley Central or Northolt where every time you do a station check you’re running the risk of interfering with the local drug dealing?

TFL need to do more to make these roles attractive, especially in terms of working conditions. They can no longer be fussy expecting people to travel long distances to fit around the business, for example, as it seems potential good candidates are increasingly willing to say “thanks but no thanks”.

 

[Zb0905]

What then happens of course if the external candidates become internal ones after a few months, which if the objective is just to get a batch of new people devoid of baggage essentially then puts things back at square one.

Really TFL need to realise that they are no longer in a situation where they have massive numbers of high-quality candidates lining up eagerly to fill their roles. Who really wants to be stuck on their own at somewhere like Finchley Central or Northolt where every time you do a station check you’re running the risk of interfering with the local drug dealing?

TFL need to do more to make these roles attractive, especially in terms of working conditions. They can no longer be fussy expecting people to travel long distances to fit around the business, for example, as it seems potential good candidates are increasingly willing to say “thanks but no thanks”.

Yes this is exactly the point like you’ve never worked for London underground before you come in you do the nine weeks intensive training and they throw you all the way in example I don’t know Epping by yourself yeah you’re gonna have the training but are you really gonna have that insider knowledge as if you started as a customer service assistant two, and you’ve got the basics to a T I was talking to a Csa today and he was saying exactly what blue goblin was saying there isn’t really a desire for Csa 1 to go to CSS. It’s just not desirable anymore and it’s too much stress. Anything goes wrong you’ll lose your job so the plan for people internal is to do train operator, which is a more desirable job. It’s a shame really if Tfl made that role attractive they would get more people internally instead of externally

 

[Harlequinuk]

What then happens of course if the external candidates become internal ones after a few months, which if the objective is just to get a batch of new people devoid of baggage essentially then puts things back at square one.

Really TFL need to realise that they are no longer in a situation where they have massive numbers of high-quality candidates lining up eagerly to fill their roles. Who really wants to be stuck on their own at somewhere like Finchley Central or Northolt where every time you do a station check you’re running the risk of interfering with the local drug dealing?

TFL need to do more to make these roles attractive, especially in terms of working conditions. They can no longer be fussy expecting people to travel long distances to fit around the business, for example, as it seems potential good candidates are increasingly willing to say “thanks but no thanks”.

Yes this is exactly the point like you’ve never worked for London underground before you come in you do the nine weeks intensive training and they throw you all the way in example I don’t know Epping by yourself yeah you’re gonna have the training but are you really gonna have that insider knowledge as if you started as a customer service assistant two, and you’ve got the basics to a T I was talking to a Csa today and he was saying exactly what blue goblin was saying there isn’t really a desire for Csa 1 to go to CSS. It’s just not desirable anymore and it’s too much stress. Anything goes wrong you’ll lose your job so the plan for people internal is to do train operator, which is a more desirable job. It’s a shame really if Tfl made that role attractive they would get more people internally instead of externally

So the same as every other industry right now. This isnt the 1990`s anymore, its a race to the bottom for wages/ T&C`s.

 

[Mawkie]

So the same as every other industry right now. This isnt the 1990`s anymore, its a race to the bottom for wages/ T&C`s.

But the railway isn't the same as every other industry. It's folly to pretend it is - indeed that's the reason TfL is in the state it's in! They brought in a load of people from other industries who thought they had sufficient 'transferable skills' to apply them across multiple roles within TfL and LU. These skills always boil down to 'cost savings'.

Of course, when it comes to management, we always hear that businesses 'have to pay the highest wages to attract the best people' - why doesn't that apply across the grades?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Sep 2025 ==

Anything goes wrong you’ll lose your job so the plan for people internal is to do train operator, which is a more desirable job.

I've never felt as vulnerable in a job as I have as a train operator. The chances of making a mistake of any kind whilst driving a train is fairly high. LU recognise that mistakes can happen, but are quite rightly insistent that the Rule Books are followed to the letter immediately after an incident. For every job on the railway, a thorough understanding of all the Rule Books is essential.

As they always say, "It's a hard job to get; easy job to lose."

 

[Harlequinuk]

But the railway isn't the same as every other industry. It's folly to pretend it is - indeed that's the reason TfL is in the state it's in! They brought in a load of people from other industries who thought they had sufficient 'transferable skills' to apply them across multiple roles within TfL and LU. These skills always boil down to 'cost savings'.

Of course, when it comes to management, we always hear that businesses 'have to pay the highest wages to attract the best people' - why doesn't that apply across the grades?

And every other industry will say exactly the same thing - they are different to the rest. Thing is, they arent different. Each industry needs a certain skill set, defined by the sector they are in, all wrapped up in compliance, safety, process , customer service etc. But the core skills are the same.

 

[Alex_09]

I applied for this job yesterday and got an email today to complete online assessments secure fit and call centre dilemmas. Anyone done these? Cheers

 

[Zb0905]

I applied for this job yesterday and got an email today to complete online assessments secure fit and call centre dilemmas. Anyone done these? Cheers

I have done the call centre ones for the csa obviously but never the secure fit

 

[Alex_09]

I have done the call centre ones for the csa obviously but never the secure fit

I’ll get them done tomorrow I don’t want to click on the link in case it starts the assessment

 

[bramling]

Yes this is exactly the point like you’ve never worked for London underground before you come in you do the nine weeks intensive training and they throw you all the way in example I don’t know Epping by yourself yeah you’re gonna have the training but are you really gonna have that insider knowledge as if you started as a customer service assistant two, and you’ve got the basics to a T I was talking to a Csa today and he was saying exactly what blue goblin was saying there isn’t really a desire for Csa 1 to go to CSS. It’s just not desirable anymore and it’s too much stress. Anything goes wrong you’ll lose your job so the plan for people internal is to do train operator, which is a more desirable job. It’s a shame really if Tfl made that role attractive they would get more people internally instead of externally

I wonder how long before LU goes down the mainline route with their station staff, in other words agency / security.

Be interesting to see somewhere like Burnt Oak staffed by Serrano Safeguard Officers!

 

[Zb0905]

I wonder how long before LU goes down the mainline route with their station staff, in other words agency / security.

Be interesting to see somewhere like Burnt Oak staffed by Serrano Safeguard Officers!

Honestly I won’t be surprised if they start hiring agency staff

 

[AM107]

Hi does anyone know the stages of the Supervisor role? I have just completed the online assessment I was wondering what the next steps would consist of.
Thanks!

 

[Zb0905]

Hi does anyone know the stages of the Supervisor role? I have just completed the online assessment I was wondering what the next steps would consist of.
Thanks!

Next is role play and interview

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Sep 2025 ==

Hi does anyone know the stages of the Supervisor role? I have just completed the online assessment I was wondering what the next steps would consist of.
Thanks!

Also how did you find the secure fit test was it hard ?

 

[Barksdale]

Closing date has been revised to tonight @11:59pm..

 

[AM107]

Next is role play and interview

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Sep 2025 ==


Also how did you find the secure fit test was it hard ?

No AC1 written assessment for supervisor role??

 

[Zb0905]

Closing date has been revised to tonight @11:59pm..

Two minutes left

 

[Zb0905]

No AC1 written assessment for supervisor role??

Nope