TFL Fleet Engineering Apprentice Interview

[randomname234]

Hi,

Gonna do my interview for a Fleet Engineering Aprenticeship tommorow but i wrote my lines today, gonna memorise them but was wondering what people think. Is there anything i should change? Any tips you have for assessment day? Is it realistic for a 21 year old with 2 months mcdonalds experience who is considering dropping out of UCL to work at TFL to get an apprenticeship?

My draft interview.

WHY WORK FOR TFL

22.1 million passengers travelled on the london underground in march 2021. 2.5 times the estimated population of london.
With over 500 trains travelling through 402km of track on 11 different lines serving 270 stations,
theres no wonder they call the london underground the life blood of london.

Thats why i chose to apply for an apprenticeship with tfl.

My enjoyment in life comes from working for others which itself motivates me further,
an example would be my 2 A*'s and 2 A's i achieved which was only possible by working for my teachers instead of myself
On the london underground it would be for the doctors and the cleaners relying on the tube to keep london moving.

My biggest personal reason is to fulfill my dream of becoming a london underground train operator,
from a young age, i looked forward to the sound of incoming trains,
the headlights emerging from the tunnel and the speed as they arrived at the platform.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS APPRENTICESHIP AND WHAT MAKES YOU SUITED TO THE ROLE

The fleet engineering apprenticeship is the one that suits me best
because of the hands on experience i will be getting with the london underground trains.

Working with trains directly also gives me an edge when i apply to become a train operator in the future
as i will have many of the required skills to diagnose and repair any faults with the train.

I achieved A*s in Maths and Further Maths and A in Chemistry and within 6 months, an A in Physics.
This proves that not only am i fast learner
but i also have many of the skills that a fleet engineer would use giving me a headstart during the apprenticeship.

Furthermore, i was on the school council at secondary school and was part of a team whilst working at mcdonalds.
both gave me invaluable experience in working as a team such as putting forward ideas
or supporting team members with any struggles they encounter.

Lastly, i have proficiency in Python programming language which is something i picked up in secondary school and
continue to use to this day as a hobby.
This particular skill would assist me in the computing part of the fleet engineering apprenticeship.

Many thanks for reading.

 

[Rab Smith]

If I had to choose a criticism, and I would find it difficult, is that you are saying you're joining one part of the business to jump to another as soon as possible. Engineering training is expensive and fitters are difficult to replace. On the other hand, you are being honest about how you want to progress with the company, absolutely nothing wrong with that.
As all railway people will tell you, getting that first foot in is the golden key. Once you are in, the railway world is your oyster.
I wish you all the luck in the world and hope your hard work pays off!

 

[randomname234]

Thanks, i'll amend the point about the train driver

 

[SA91]

Instead of saying "On the london underground it would be for the doctors", might be better to say "healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists" as that's more inclusive of all healthcare professionals.

"an example would be my 2 A*'s and 2 A's i achieved which was only possible by working for my teachers instead of myself", This statement is very altruistic but it won't have a negative impact if you were to also make it about you. Could include the fact you also enjoyed the subjects themselves, thus didn't feel like a chore to learn them. Moving onto "
I achieved A*s in Maths and Further Maths and A in Chemistry and within 6 months, an A in Physics.
This proves that not only am i fast learner". Can expand on this further by saying something along the lines of, it's not just about getting to the end point, but also how you reach that end point / solution and you appreciate the process. Is it done efficiently etc? As with maths, you get most of the marks from the working out as opposed to the final answer if I'm correct.

With the part about getting into the train ops progression, the other member worded it nicely. Try not to make yourself sound like an enthusiast, but passionate about the job at hand.

With regards to you asking if you've got a good chance, as long as you have your honest reasons for leaving UCL to get into TFL, that should suffice. This is a big sacrifice from your end, giving up a potential degree from a prestigious university to pursue this role - this is what you have to sell to them (in an honest way). Don't sell them BS, they'll smell it from a mile away. Be open and honest. If you're a likeable person, then this will naturally come across in the interview (which it does to me from what you've posted).

All the best with the interview.

 

[randomname234]

Thanks so much

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Aug 2021 ==

Well that was awkward, thought i had a minute a question but they give 2 minutes a question, ended up waffling at the end.