Working for LU

So yes. I've applied for a job with LU, helping get the tourists to places at stations and making sure people know where they're going.

For some reason, applying for a job with LU provokes strange reactions from my friends.

Geoff, naturally is very excited. He advises me not to mention the fact that we've set the world record for travelling to all the stations (www.geofftech.co.uk/tubechallenge/tube7.htm - I'm the one with no hair) when I go for my final interview and gets turned on by the prospect of me getting my copy of LU's internal magazine/newsletter (I suppose he reads enough corporate crap in Ariel every month so he needs a change of scenery).

My ex-girlfriend-who-I-live-with (yes, it can be done successfully) is also very excited and thinks I should mention the tube challenge to show that I know about the tube (but my argument against that is that I didn't need to do the challenge to know all about it anyway).

Now, I'm somewhere in the middle. I don't want to voluntarily mention it but then again I've got a slight urge to tell them. What do I do? Is it best to just get the job on the strength of my undeniable charisma and fantastic customer service skills or do I play the geek card and make them think I'm a 'nutter'?

Anyway, the interview is on Saturday at West Kensington station (which is where these things take place) and should I successfully pass I'll be off to the training centre to learn how to climb a ladder and step over a rail whilst carrying up to 4kg of equipment. I would also need to prove I can see with both eyes and have perfect hearing.

I would also receive the magic all-zones Oystercard (muhahahahah) and never have to pay to travel round London ever again (unless I get a taxi or one of those rickshaw deathtraps from outside Covent Garden but you know). I've already got an all-zones travelcard paper ticket but I have to pay for it. Plus you get 38 days' holiday a year including Bank Holidays.

And, of course, once I've been there a while (6 months I think, I'm not entirely sure how it works at the moment) I can apply to become a driver (sorry, 'Train Operator') which is what I REALLY want to do. Naturally, Geoff wets his pants over this too and no doubt if I ever became a 'Train Operator' he'd pester me to let him ride in the cab with me (sorry sir, it's more than my job's worth - against regulations - what would the unions say etc etc).

Now, of course, there are drawbacks. If you're on the early shift, it's up at 4am or something and if you're on lates you finish at 1.30am or thereabouts and have drunk twats to deal with. And with earlies you can't get the tube to work cos it's not running so it's the nightbus or the bike. (I think I'm going to get a bike because then I can ride through red lights and kill commuters - fantastic). But it's all part of the job and I'd rather do shiftwork than 9 to 5 to be honest since a few of my previous jobs have been early starters and I've always been an early person (up at 8am at weekends - I just can't do lie-ins).

Despite getting sent a message by Capita (who administer the online applications so I wasn't full of confidence it would go tits up) saying that my 'application was expiring on the 31st of August' they're still advertising for station staff since they always need them - either the turnover must be high or they're just increasing the staff levels for better service. So if you fancy a go yourself, apply!

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/jobs-customer-services.shtml

(They've got to give me the job now - I've just given them a free ad!) :-)

I'll let you know what happens.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Anonymous Monday, September 13, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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