South Western Railway: Its More Than Just a Job - Suzanne Shares Why a Career as a Train Guard is a Lifestyle Choice

This as-told-to article is based on an interview with Suzanne Hurworth, a South Western Railway guard based in London. We discuss Sue’s role and experiences at SWR, what a typical day looks like, training and career progression opportunities offered, the skills needed for the role and the type of support she offers to passengers. The article has been edited for length and clarity.

Can you describe a typical day in the life of a train guard for SWR?

We do quite extreme shifts, especially here at Wimbledon as we're a depot. Shifts can start as early as four am or as late as five pm.  On arrival at the depot, we sign in and collect our schedule card which details which route we’ll be working that shift.  

It’s a strong customer facing role so there’s lots of different types of interactions with passengers. We’re assisting passengers with accessibility needs like ramps, communicating with those who have language barriers, and support passengers with learning difficulties. We deal with the occasional difficult passenger, but we don’t take it personally and just focus on the job at hand.

It’s also a safety-critical role; we’re responsible for checking the train positions and ensure that it stopped correctly on the platform, we operate the doors, ensure the train is fully accommodated and the dispatch corridor is clear. When we’re satisfied that all is clear, that’s when you hear us guards blowing our whistle. It’s a systematic a process, its set in stone and there’s no wriggle room.

What kind of skills and personal qualities do you think are essential to be a successful train guard?

Because it’s a customer service role having a strong people skills is essential.  When you're walking through the train you could get asked a range of questions or you could be asked  to assist passengers in different ways so you need to be accessible and approachable. You also need to be patient to make people feel comfortable and be willing to assist whichever way you can. The ability to remain calm, quick thinking and problem-solving skills are good to have.

I also really enjoy the flexibility of the shift work, for example, going to the gym during the day means I get a quieter gym environment. Being able to adapt to irregular shift patterns is important, it impacts your social life so you need to be able to plan ahead.

What made you choose to work for SWR?

I was a bar manager for a music venue, which was good fun but after wanted to try something different.  A friend suggested looking at the SWR career website, I searched and saw a position for a Metro Guard and thought I’d love to do that as its customer-based, and my last role was customer-based which I really enjoyed. When I first applied, I passed everything on the medical except for the hearing test. I did get that fixed but, in the meantime, you can't reapply for the same role within a six-month period so I joined the gate line at Waterloo, It gave me a great insight into working with SWR.

How does SWR support its train guards in their professional development and career progression?

We first receive about six weeks of classroom training where all potential scenarios are run through, along with which procedure we should follow in response to the incident. We also have a written assessment at the end which helps solidify and trust our training to the point it becomes instinctual. Once I'd done my first year as a guard, I applied to be a coach. We do a two-day course where we’re taught the skills to coach colleagues in the same role. This is where we take new colleagues under our wings and show them the ropes. Before they go out on their own, they spend five days with their coach. They might spend time with two or three different coaches, so they get a varied experience of different working styles. This training method is also available to experienced guards, perhaps someone who's been off track for a while and they're having a phased return. A coach might go out with them for a couple of days until they get their confidence back.

SWR is committed to diversity and inclusion. In your experience, how does this commitment manifest in your daily work environment and interactions with colleagues and passengers?

We encounter a large amount of people from many different backgrounds. For example, there are a lot of passengers who are tourists, so there are language barriers. I often use Google Translate on my mobile to help communicate with them, it’s a priceless tool.

We also have passengers with learning difficulties, so I will talk to them in a calm manner and make them feel comfortable with me first, then find out where they’re going and how they can be supported with their journey. I don't assume anything with passengers and rather keep myself accessible and approachable to everyone. I find this often gives them the self-confidence to travel on their own afterwards.

For someone considering a career as a train guard, perhaps from an underrepresented group, what advice would you offer based on your experience at SWR?

To a certain extent, I am from an underrepresented group. At Wimbledon when we’re fully staffed, we have about 44 guards and only 3 of us are female, so it’s very male dominated industry. There is a woman's network at SWR that you can join if you want to, it offers support with progression and an opportunity to meet and share lived experiences. Personally, I've never felt any different to any of my colleagues just because I'm a female. But I will admit there's probably times when an awkward passenger might not get as upset with me as much compared to tall male counterpart. But I’d say to anybody coming into this job, regardless of gender, ethnicity or age, it's a lifestyle choice. It’s not a Monday-to-Friday, it impacts your life differently but all in all it’s ultimately a rewarding role.

Are you interested in becoming a SWR Guard - Apply Here! 

Interview conducted and written by a VERCIDA team member for SWR and VERCIDA.