Jobs within this section
► Logistics and Freight Transport
Logistics and freight transport involves moving goods by air, sea, road and rail. The work can be in a small firm with just a few vehicles working on small local contracts right up to multinational companies with huge and complex supply chains. The jobs can include: Shipbrokers who arrange the contracts for transport on ships, air brokers doing this for air freight. Transport managers ensure that goods travelling by road do so in the most cost effective way. Within each transport type the role of freight forwarder ensures that the best price is paid for the transportation and the delivery is coordinated.
For more information visit:
Skills for Logistics - www.skillsforlogistics.org
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport - www.ciltuk.org.uk
Institute of Transport Administration - www.iota.org.uk
British International Freight Association - www.bifa.org
The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers - www.ics.org.uk
The Baltic Exchange - www.balticexchange.com
Transport Planning Society - www.tps.org.uk
Road Haulage Association - www.rha.net
Aitport baggage handlers ensure that the luggage people take on holiday with them is correctly loaded and unloaded from their flight. Bag tracking systems are now computerised so that a bag loaded on one continent can travel across the workd changing planes several times and make it to the destination airport with the traveller.
For more information visit:
British Airways - www.britishairwaysjobs.com
Civil Aviation Authority - www.caa.co.uk
Birmingham International Airport - www.birminghamairport.co.uk
Manchester Airport - www.manairport.co.uk
Newcastle Airport - www.newcastleairport.com
Durham Tees Valley Airport - www.durhamteesvalleyairport.com
Most people come into contact with air cabin crew as the well turned out customer focused people to ensure that flights are pleasant and safe. They fly out with the passengers and may have to spend hours or days in other countries during turnaround. Cabin Crew are responsible not only for the care of passengers, greeting them on arrival and serving food and drinks; but also for providing treatment for minor illness or injury. Personal appearance is very important as is manner and customer service skills.
For more information visit:
British Airways - www.britishairwaysjobs.com
First Choice Airways - www.firstchoice4jobs.com
Virgin Atlantic - www.virgin-atlantic.com
BMI - www.flybmi.com
Thomson Fly - www.thomsonfly.com
Easy Jet - www.easyjet.com
Ryanair - www.ryanair.co.uk
Vacancy Information: www.cabincrew.com
Air traffic control is a highly skilled role. Air traffic control in the UK is operated by NATS and is part of an international system for flight guidance. There are 3 main roles which monitor and control the planes whilst in the air: area controllers monitor planes in the air, approach controllers manage the approach for landing and aerodrome controllers manage the planes around the airstrip once it has landed. Entry is via aptitude test and competition is high.
For more information visit:
NATS - www.natscareers.co.uk
Modern airports are like large shopping complexes with a number of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. The jobs available are mainly retail, hospitality and catering. There are airside jobs such as baggage handler, flight operations staff, firefighters, cargo handlers and ground staff. Like any large business there are also opportunities in administration, cleaning and management. Airports which handle international flights have immigration staff and HM revenue and Customs.
For more information visit:
BAA - www.baa.com
British Airways - www.britishairwaysjobs.com
Go Skills - www.goskills.org
Royal Aeronautical Society - www.aerosociety.com
Airline pilots fly aeroplanes and helicopters on commercial, charter and private flights. It is very expensive to train as a pilot and at each level of qualification a number of flying hours must be undertaken. Some specialist bursaries are available and some commercial pilots begin their training in the armed forces. It is a very technical job as pilots have to monitor a huge amount of instrumentation in the cockpit which records internal and external conditions, the also have to have continuous contact with air traffic control.
For more information visit:
The British Air Line Pilots Association - www.balpa.org
The Air League Educational Trust - www.airleague.co.uk
British Airways Recruitment - www.britishairwaysjobs.com
British Helicopter Advisory Board - www.bhab.org
British Women Pilots’ Association - www.bwpa.co.uk
The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators - www.gapan.org
Royal Aeronautical Society - www.aerosociety.com
Civil Aviation Authority - www.caa.co.uk
British Balloon and Airship Club - www.bbac.org
► Driving Instruction and Examining
Driving instructors are mainly self-employed or franchised to a driving school. They teach people how to drive safely and following the rules of the road. It is important that you are a safe and experienced driver, have patience and can remain calm particularly when dealing with nervous and inexperienced drivers. Driving examiners are employed by the Driving Standards Agency and have to meet quite strict application criteria.
For more information visit:
Driving Standards Agency - www.dsa.gov.uk
Driving Instructors Association - www.driving.org
Motor Schools Association of Great Britain Ltd - www.msagb.co.uk
Drivers keep Britain’s road freight and passengers moving. They drive the articulated lorries, large goods vehicles, buses, vans and taxis that move people and goods from place to place. They often have to have a special licence or permit to drive commercially. In freight transport the drivers usually operate on set routes, they may load and unload the vehicles and maintain records and delivery information. Drivers who transport passengers also need to have good customer skills, take payments and follow routes.
For more information visit:
Skills for Logistics - www.skillsforlogistics.org
Go Skills - www.goskills.org
Driving Standards Agency - www.dsa.gov.uk
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency - www.dvla.gov.uk
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport - www.ciltuk.org.uk
Road Haulage Association - www.rha.net
Highways Agency - www.highways.gov.uk
Moving house or relocating a business is a complex task. Everything must be safely packed up at one place, transported and unpacked at the new place. Removal companies involved in this work may range from a single operative in a van doing local work to large multivehicle companies who can move you to another part of the country or to another country altogether. Removers have to be strong to lift heavy pieces of furniture, able to dismantle and assemble items, able to pack delicate china or glass items and good with customers as moving is sometimes very stressful.
For more information visit:
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport: www.ciltuk.org.uk
United Kingdon Warehousing Association: www.ukwa.co.uk
Skills for Logistics: www.skillsforlogistics.org
► Delivery and Courier Services
Couriers and delivery drivers are involved in moving packages and mail items from and to customers. This can be anything from a new washing machine to a business contract. One example is items that are purchased online or by mail order, sent by truck from a warehouse to a despatch centre, the delivery driver is the final stage in getting it to the customers’ door. Delivery firms often have a contract for work with the supplier Air couriers may transport specialist goods by plane and be paid on a job by job basis. Motorcycled or bicycle couriers may operate over short distances for example in a city; picking up documents and packages from companies and delivering them to customers, many are self employed or may be employer by the supplying company.
For more information visit:
The Despatch Association: www.despatch.co.uk
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport: www.ciltuk.org.uk
United Kingdon Warehousing Association: www.ukwa.co.uk
Skills for Logistics: www.skillsforlogistics.org
Taxi Drivers may driver either licenced Hackney Cabs or Minicabs which work from Taxi Ranks or Private Hire Vehicles which have to be pre booked through a dispatcher. The hours can be long and unsociable as most taxi business takes place in the evenings and at night when there is little public transport.
For more information visit:
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency - www.dvla.gov.uk
London Taxis - www.thelondontaxi.co.uk
Licensed Taxi Drivers Association - www.ltda.co.uk
For more information visit:
Domino’s - www.dominos.co.uk
Pizza Hut - www.pizzahut.co.uk
Britain has a strong network of railways which carry millions of passengers safely to their destinations each year. Since deregulation the station and the rail network is are run by Network Rail and the trains are run by franchised companies. Jobs on stations could include: station officer, greeter for less able passengers, train dispatcher, ticket seller, catering staff and station manager. There are also opportunities to work in the train control room on scheduling, signalling and fleet control. On trains the conductor is responsible for the safety of passengers; there is also usually a ticket collector and steward or catering staff. The train driver drives the train alone so must be really alert and safety aware. Away from the trains there are many miles of track which has to be inspected and maintained, so there are many opportunities in engineering and track maintenance at both technician and graduate level.
For more information visit:
Go Skills - www.goskills.org
Network Rail - www.networkrail.co.uk
Eurotunnel - www.eurotunnel.com
London Underground Ltd - www.tfl.gov.uk
EWS - www.ews-railway.co.uk
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport: www.ciltuk.org.uk
Working in ports and on waterways in usually outdoor work which can involve shifts and early starts, safety is very important. It involves working on the docks and on vessels (ships and boats). The sort of jobs available include pilot who takers ships safely in and out of harbour, harbour master who makes sure that the vessels move safely and maintains the environment of the harbour, stevedores who load and unload goods, marine operatives, and administrative and management posts.
For more information visit:
Port Skills and Safety Ltd - www.portskillsandsafety.co.uk
British Ports Association - www.britishports.org.uk
British Waterways - www.britishwaterways.co.uk
Environment Agency - www.environment-agency.gov.uk
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport: www.ciltuk.org.uk
The merchant Navy is the name given to the ships of all sizes who service business and industry worldwide. It can include super tankers who transport fuel and oil, passenger ferries, cruise ships, bulk carriers and container ships, support vessels from the Royal Fleet Auxilary for the Royal Navy and small container . Like the Royal Navy there is a rank structure for ratings and officers and a uniform. Officers or ratings may specialise in engineering, computerises systems navigation, catering, and finance.
For more information visit:
Careers at Sea/ Merchant Navy Training Board - www.careersatsea.org, www.mntb.org.uk
The Royla Fleet Auxiliary are the support vessels used to service the needs of the Royal Navy and small container. The provide ths ships with fuel, food and supplies whever they are in the world. Like the Royal Navy there is a rank structure for ratings and officers and a uniform. Officers or ratings may specialise in engineering, computerises systems navigation, catering, and finance.
For more information visit:
Royal Fleet Auxiliary - www.royalnavy.mod.uk
Cruise ships are like enormous floating hotels, so any jobs you would find in a large hotel you may also find on the ship alongside the job roles involved in running a ship which are explained in the section on the Merchant Navy. The sort of roles available include: singers, musicians, dancers and speciality acts such as magicians to provide the cabaret, entertainment officers, croupiers, guest speakers, youth or play workers and social hosts to provide activities for the guests; chefs, kitchen staff, waiting staff, bar staff for the restaurants and bars; beauticians, fitness professionals, spa therapists, hairdressers and retail staff for additional services and cabin stewards.
For more information visit:
Carnival UK- www.carnivalukgroup.com
International Cruise Services- www.cruiseservices.co.uk
Merchant Navy Training Board- www.mntb.org.uk
Steiner Training Ltd- www.str.co.uk
VIP International- www.vipinternational.co.uk
Harding Brothers- www.hardingbrothers.co.uk
► Diver
Commercial divers work in a variety of roles: inspecting underwater equipment, construction work, maintenance on underwater structures such as oil rigs police searches, inspecting the hulls of ships, etc. Inshore diving is on inland water or in the sea up to 12 miles from land, offshore diving is sea diving outside this 12 mile limit. Diving can be a very dangerous job and it can be very tiring. The type of diving you do really depend on the sort of work you are involved in: air diving (scuba) is used for work at less than 50 metres. Deep sea diving depths of more than 50 metres using an air and helium mix. This sort of diving requires decompression treatment for hours or days afterwards so you must be medically fit.
For more information visit:
The Association of Diving Contractors: www.adc-uk.info
The international Marine Contractors Association: www.imca-int.com
PADI International Ltd: www.padi.com
► Postal Delivery
When a letter comes through your door will have undertaken a journey that has taken it through a number of staff at the Royal Mail. A postman or woman collected it from a post-box or business, transported it to the sorting office, a mail sorter has sorted it so that it can be sent to the right part of the country (or world) it has been transported to that part of the country sorted into the delivery round and delivered by a postman or woman. All of this takes people to sort, transport and deliver. Because the letter has to arrive within just a couple of days, postal workers may sort at night and drivers may drive day and night. There are other opportunities in the postal service in dealing with customer enquiries.
For more information visit:
Post Office Jobs: www.postoffice.co.uk
Warehousing is the way we move handle and store goods between suppliers and retailers. Good examples of warehousing in action are companies like Amazon who store and supply millions of items each week or Argos where you order from a catalogue and the goods are brought to you from a warehouse. But warehouses are also used for food so may be refrigerated or high value goods so have to have additional security. The sort of jobs available are in: stock control ensuring stock numbers are monitored, fork lift truck driving to move goods, pickers and packers to put up individual orders, administration, health and safety, etc.
For more information visit:
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport: www.ciltuk.org.uk
United Kingdon Warehousing Association: www.ukwa.co.uk
Skills for Logistics - www.skillsforlogistics.org
