Rail Transition - Robert Jordan

Robert served 9-years in the Royal Air Force as an Avionics Technician; during this time he working on Jaguar and Tornado aircraft systems in both 1st line and 2nd line roles. Like me, Robert also left at a time of perceived financial hardship (2009) and also went straight from working on aircraft to working on trains as a Warranty Technical for Bombardier Transportation (a Train Manufacture & Maintainer – They have since been bought out by a company called Alstom).

Here’s his story, in his words…

During my time in the Royal Air Force, I faced a medical setback due to an early-onset form of arthritis that predominantly affects men. However, that did not stop me from participating in sports and expeditions as soon as I was medically upgraded. But unfortunately, this condition left a permanent mark on my medical records, which I was reminded of as my 9-year point approached. I was informed that my medical history would be reviewed before I could sign on, and this news left me uncertain about my future in the RAF.

Despite my assumptions about staying in the RAF for as long as possible, I began exploring other career options just in case. As my uncle worked in the financial district of London, I became interested in pursuing a career in the financial sector and completed three respected insurance qualifications. By the time I received news that the medical review was complete and I could sign on again, it was too late. I had already seen what else was out there, and I turned in my uniform and ID in January 2009.

I bought a house in Essex, which was on a direct train route to the City, and I started searching for a job. Unfortunately, it was shortly after the financial crash of 2008, and the competition was fierce, with more experienced individuals than me vying for the same roles. I had very little interest in highlighting my RAF credentials, even with my three insurance qualifications.

In March of that year, I broadened my search and began exploring technician roles in the railway industry. Within a week, I received invitations to interview, but I still wasn't too keen on the idea of working in the railway industry. I decided to go to the interviews for practice and to get a job while I waited for the right insurance role to come up. However, to my surprise, a day after my first interview, I was offered the job of a Warranty Technician with Bombardier Transportation working on new fleet of London Overground trains.

I found that half of the technicians and some of the managers were ex-military, making my transition to a new industry easy. The culture, language, and behaviours in the rail industry were very similar to what I had experienced in the RAF. Even the technology, documentation, and methods were similar, though less refined and more locally adapted.

After working for five years as a technician on different fleets and shift patterns, I was convinced to become a reliability engineer on a constant day shift and office hours. Though I enjoyed working on the tools, I thought that I was stepping away from that aspect of the job. But as an engineer, I was still needed for more complicated problems, though I didn't need to be involved in day-to-day repairs. During my time leading the reliability improvement of the class 379s, the fleet became the most reliable Bombardier Electrostar ever and received a golden spanner award for reliability.

As my one-way commute became longer, I started looking for a new opportunity closer to home. After a couple of years of working as an engineer during office hours and getting stuck in rush hour traffic, I found a company that supplied the Wi-Fi on my fleet at the time. The company was just 15 minutes down the road from my house, so I applied for the first job they had and explained my background and knowledge of their system. Within a few months, I started working for the biggest public transport Wi-Fi supplier in the country.

Though everyone at this new company was IT-centric, with knowledge and experience in networking, Wi-Fi, and IT support, I was the odd one out. I had experience working with aircraft and trains, but less IT knowledge. Nevertheless, my experience and knowledge of the industry's language, culture, and methods were precisely what the company needed. Over five years later, I am still performing this critical role, ensuring the company stays relevant in the rail industry, and I still feel more at home when I visit the rail depot.