About

Careers in transport vary and you can find opportunities in air, rail, road and shipping.

Careers advice

• Prospects – transport and logistics
• The guide to careers in logistics and transport - from CILT UK

Air

• CILT UK - careers in aviation
• Royal Aeronautical Society - careers in aerospace and aviation
• L3 Commercial Training Solutions - aviation careers and sponsored pilot training
• Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) – information on air traffic careers
• The Honourable Company of Air Pilots - pilot careers

Rail

CILT UK looks at careers in rail transport.

Road 

CILT UK also provides information about careers in the bus and coach industry.

Shipping

CILT UK covers careers in the shipping sector, which also includes ports and inland waterways.

Maritime UK includes maritime careers in leisure, ports and inland waterways.

Port Skills and Safety describes careers in ports and harbours, and Careers at Sea has lots of job profiles.

Transport planning

CILT UK gives careers in travel planning and sustainable transport information.

Industry news

Soucres of news include Transport Xtra and World Cargo News. 

For the aviation industry, read:

• Pilot Career News
• Flyer
• Professional Pilots' Rumour Network (PRUUNE)

Digital Ship looks at maritime IT developments.

Professional bodies 

These represent people working in the sector, providing training and networking opportunities. They often provide careers support for students and graduates. 

They also provide development for people already working in the sector. Follow them on LinkedIn, or visit their websites for news, contacts, work experience and vacancies.

The main professional associations for this sector include:

Transport (general)

• The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK)(CILT UK) 
• Institute of Transport Administration (IoTA) 
• Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (CPT) 
• British International Freight Association (BIFA) – trade association
• Freight Transport Association (FTA) 

Air

• Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) 
• Royal Aeronautical Society
• Guild Of Air Traffic Control Officers (GATCO) 
• The Honourable Company of Air Pilots
• British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA)  
• British Helicopter Advisory Board (BHAB) 

Rail

• The Institution of Railway Operators
• Rail Freight Group (RFG) 
• Young Rail Professionals 

Road

• Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation
• The Highways Agency
• Road Haulage Association (RHA) 
• BVRLA -  trade body for the vehicle rental and leasing sector

Shipping

• Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) 
• UK Chamber of Shipping
• Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) 
• The Nautical Institute
• Associated British Ports
• British Marine Federation
• International Harbour Master Association (IHMA) 

Transport planning

• People 1st - Sector Skills Council covering passenger transport
• Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) - research, consultancy and product testing for all aspects of transport
• Transport Research Foundation
• Transport Planning Society (TPS) – includes careers section

Find professional bodies outside the UK on GoinGlobal by selecting ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each of the individual country guides.

Making contacts

Making contacts can be helpful for success in this sector. Some jobs in this field come through networking and speculative applications. You could start with:

• social media, particularly LinkedIn and Twitter, which is useful for making contacts, finding employers and opportunities
• Newcastle alumni on LinkedIn – find out what they did after graduation and contact them for advice

Events

Recruitment fairs, open days, talks and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts. Regular events organised by the Careers Service include Employer & Sector Insights and Recruitment Events.

Related sectors

You may also be interested in Logistics, Engineering or Armed Forces, Law Enforcement and Public Protection.

Or see our other Explore Occupations pages for more options.

Roles & Skills

The following job profiles include descriptions of typical duties, entry requirements and case studies.

Air cabin crew

• Prospects
• TARGETjobs

Airline pilot

• Prospects
• Careers in Aerospace
• British Air Line Pilots Association (BALPA) - how to become a pilot
• The Guardian: High flyers videocast

Air traffic controller

• Prospects
• CAA - includes approved training organisations
• The Guardian: How do I become an Air Traffic Controller?

Helicopter pilot

• National Careers Service profile
• British Helicopter Association: Careers

Freight forwarder

• Prospects
• CILT UK

Merchant Navy officer

• Prospects
• The Merchant Navy Training Board
• Maritime UK

Passenger transport manager

• Prospects
• CILT UK
• National Careers Service - road transport manager

Port/harbour operations manager

• Port Skills and Safety - careers in the port sector
• The Guardian: How do I become a harbourmaster? 

Shipbroker

• Wake Marine

Supply chain manager

• Prospects

Tall ship captain

• Classic Sailing

Transport planner

• Prospects
• TARGETjobs
• CILT UK
• The Guardian: Pedal power videocast – a career in sustainable travel

Skills employers look for

Employers in this sector look for skills including:

• communication, interpersonal and team working skills
• an ability to work well under pressure and remain calm in challenging situations
• high levels of concentration
• time management, planning and organisation 
• problem-solving, decision-making and using initiative
• leadership and people management

Gaining Experience

Many larger companies in the transport sector will offer opportunities for work experience, including summer internships or year placements.

Internships and placements

Examples of transport organisations offering advertised work experience include:

• Network Rail
• Airbus Group
  

For the aviation industry - Talent View Aviation,  has first jobs as well as graduate roles, and opportunities to be seen by employers across the UK industry.

TARGETjobs Logistics, transport and supply chain lists more internship and placement schemes.

Use MyCareer - to search for work experience opportunities and voluntary roles in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts.

Also see Internships, placements & shadowing for more advertised opportunities.

Finding work experience

For work experience in smaller companies, or specific areas of work, try contacting companies or individuals working in the sector.  

Be clear about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. 

Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

Find organisations on MyCareer - click on ‘search organisations’ under the Vacancies tab. 

More resources to find companies are in Finding Jobs.

If companies or individuals are unable to offer work experience, you could gain insight by arranging an informational interview or work shadowing.

Finding Jobs

Competition is strong, especially for entry-level positions. Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and also research employers for speculative applications.

Vacancy sites

Transport (general)

• Search for vacancies on MyCareer
• CILT UK: Logistics and Transport jobs
• Jobs in Transport
• Careers Service Vacancies Online - search under logistics and transport
• TARGETjobs – Logistics, transport and supply chain
• Totaljobs.com – transport jobs
• Milkround: Logistics & Transport jobs and schemes for graduates
• Careers-Guide.com – transport and logistics jobs by region
• Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) - three-way partnerships involving a business, a graduate and an academic institution. Graduates work on research projects while gaining industrial experience with an employer. Projects are competitively paid, with funding for personal development, and typically last 1-3 years. View current opportunities

Air

• Talent View Aviation - first jobs, graduate roles and other opportunities and the chance to be seen by employers across the UK aviation industry
  
• Royal Aeronautical Society - jobs board 
• Aviationjobsearch.com
• Flightglobal.com
• Cabincrew.com
• NATS -  UK provider of air traffic control services

Rail

Railwaypeople.com and Jobs-in-Rail.co.uk provide details of vacancies.

Shipping

British Marine Federation: Jobs and All cruise jobs give details of posts in shipping.

Transport planning

Transport for London (TfL) and Transport Planning Society: Job Opportunities list opportunities.

Specialist recruitment agencies

CIHT Jobs specialise in transport roles while Red Recruit cover shipping and freight.

McGinley Support Services recruits for roles in airports, rail and roads for the Infrastructure sector of the construction industry. 

Finding companies

Not all jobs are advertised. You could also approach companies or find work through networking in the industry.

Find companies that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. 

Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show you’re keen.

Find organisations on My Career - click on ‘search organisations’ under the Vacancies tab. 

Air

Careers in Aerospace has a company directory, and the International Air Transport Association lists international airlines.

Freight

The British International Freight Association has a member directory.

Shipping 

• Careers at sea -  shipping and ship management companies
• British Port Association - member directory
• The Chamber of Shipping  - companies in the shipping industry
• United Kingdom Major Ports Group  - list of members
• Ship Safe Training Group – member companies

See Graduate jobs for more vacancy sources.

See Researching Employers for more ways to source and research companies.

Find jobs and additional vacancy source websites outside the UK on GoinGlobal.