Applications for this job are now closed
Thank you for your interest in applying for this TfL Internship Scheme.
We’d like to remind you that you must ensure you are eligible for this scheme before applying. Please read through the eligibility criteria below carefully and ensure that you are eligible before applying.
This application will also contain a series of questions to establish whether or not you are eligible. It is important that you take great care in reading and answering these questions as we will not be able to revert your application if an error is made.
Please Note: We only allow one application for any of our Internship schemes per year. Any subsequent applications will be withdrawn
Stuart Ross Communications Internship
The only communications internship where you will be working on projects affecting millions of people across the capital every day.
Entry requirements
You must be of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (as defined below) background and either an undergraduate or recent graduate on track to receive, or have already achieved, a 2:2 in any degree; or be a non-graduate with no more than one year’s paid experience in the communications industry – such as public relations, public affairs, marketing, stakeholder engagement, media, or other related fields.
Referring to the eligibility criteria in the Job Description, please ensure you have listed all relevant qualifications and grades obtained including expected results and the date of when you expect to receive these by.
Please attach proof of your qualifications (if available) when making an application.
Job overview
The Stuart Ross Communications Internship is a diversity initiative targeted at students of Black, Asian and minority ethnic background, defined as having some African, Afro-Caribbean, Asian or other non-white heritage You must be studying, have recently graduated, or be a non-graduate who has no more than one year’s paid experience in the communications industry.
These groups are under-represented regionally, and nationally, in communications, public relations, public affairs and marketing, which is why we created the Stuart Ross scheme.
The scheme was set up in 2006 with the creation of internships in our busy press office to help address the lack of diversity in the PR industry. In 2016, the internship was renamed the Stuart Ross Internship after TfL's former director of news Stuart Ross, who passed away in January 2016 after a battle with cancer. Stuart was a passionate supporter of the scheme from its inception and was a key part of its success.
Due to the success of the scheme and TfL’s continued commitment to diversity, in 2018 TfL expanded the scheme to include new diversity internships in communications and marketing to help address the severe underrepresentation of people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities in those industries. We now run these three different internships under the name of the Stuart Ross Communications Internship.
What will I be doing?
Working in a fast-paced public relations, public affairs or marketing environment, you’ll learn the essential skills you need to start your career in these industries. You will have the opportunity to develop your written and verbal communication skills to reach a range of different audiences, including customers, the media, businesses, stakeholder groups and politicians. As a central part of the team you’ll be involved in key projects from the outset, creating campaigns, influencing how customers use London’s transport network and helping to shape TfL’s reputation.
Throughout your time, you will work collaboratively with other teams across the organisation and gain an understanding of London transport as well as building your skills in communications, public relations, public affairs and marketing.
You will be based in one of three areas and may have the opportunity to undertake placements in the other areas. If you are invited to the assessment centre, we will invite you to express a preference for which team you are interested in:
The TfL Press Office
Based in one of the UK's busiest press offices, you'll get a sense of what working in a high-pressured PR environment is like and the essential skills you need to start your career in PR. From the beginning of your internship, you'll be involved in handling the big stories of the day affecting TfL as well as delivering dedicated stories and campaigns. You’ll learn the full range of PR skills that you’ll need to work in the industry, from writing press releases, dealing with journalists and crisis handling to generating ideas for high profile campaigns and organising media events. These could include campaigns like ‘Together against Hate’ tackling hate crime and abuse, Art on the Underground and the Recovery Campaign to support London as it recovers from the pandemic.
The TfL Customer team
This team ensures a joined-up approach to identifying what’s important to our customers. This includes delivering marketing, customer information and behaviour change campaigns that reach our fare-paying customers, road users and people who walk or cycle. This team also works to influence day-to-day travel behaviour during disruption, major events and engineering work to ease congestion on the transport network. Working within our customer teams you will learn how to use customer feedback and extensive research to tackle customers’ key frustrations. You will also learn how we use a range of communication channels to influence our customer behaviour.
The TfL External Relations team
External Relations includes our Government Relations and Stakeholder, Advocacy & Engagement teams who are responsible for our engagement and building and maintaining productive partnerships with customer and representative groups, such as London Travelwatch, businesses, charities, politicians and many others. An internship in this team will provide you with all the skills for a career in public affairs. This includes building relationships with key stakeholders, politicians and organisations, monitoring events and third party positions on transport and related issues, responding to stakeholder casework, ensuring stakeholder feedback informs how we improve our policies and services and briefing senior TfL officials in preparation for meetings, events and speeches.
Where can this career take me?
The internship can be done by non-graduates, recent graduates or current students as a year in industry. The programme has been highly successful and our interns have gone on to work in communications or public relations roles in organisations such as the Metropolitan Police, Crossrail Ltd, Marks & Spencer, NHS, local government and the Arts Council, as well as TfL.
Interns who have gone on to work for TfL have progressed in the organisation to roles including Senior Press Officer, Head of Press for Campaigns, Head of Press for Tube and Senior Advisor.
What training and support will you get?
Whilst on the scheme, we’ll support your technical development through a wide range of on-the-job practical experiences and placements. We will also support your professional development through a combination of classroom-led training courses, online training courses, mentoring opportunities and structured networking opportunities with scheme alumni. You will receive one-to-one support throughout the programme from your scheme sponsor and your Line Manager.
What do we look for?
Everything we do as an organisation is to ensure that our evolving city remains future proof for millions of Londoners. Our talented interns form a vital part of that vision, so it’s important that we find the best people to help us do this. We’re looking for people who are;
- Motivated to learn and gain experience during the internship at TfL
- Passionate about a career in communications, public relations, marketing or public affairs
- Team players who thrive on working with other people, as well as working independently
As a member of the team, we’ll give you responsibility and the opportunity to contribute to TfL’s success from day one. If you are excited by inspiring and influencing the future of London and are up for a challenge, then this is the career path for you.
