Traffic and transport engineers
- Introduction — What you need to know and why
- Where are traffic and transport engineering jobs located in the UK?
- Outlook for traffic and transport engineers and technicians in the UK
- What types of jobs are available for traffic and transport engineers?
- What are the earnings for a traffic and transport engineer?
- Working as a traffic and transport engineer in the UK
- Important information for your CV
Introduction — What you need to know and why
This page is designed to provide traffic and transport engineers with all the information they need to successfully transfer their career in transportation engineering to the UK.
The information below will tell you everything you need to know:
- where you will be able to find work
- what sorts of projects you will work on
- how much money you can earn
- technical specifications that you should be aware of
Where are traffic and transport engineering jobs located in the UK?
Quality engineering employment opportunities are available UK-wide. Generally speaking, the bigger the city the bigger the demand but the state of the industry is such that jobs can also be found in many smaller regional towns.
Traffic and transport jobs may be found in such locations as:
- Central London
- Greater London (just outside the M25)
- Edinburgh
- Manchester
- Birmingham
- Portsmouth
- Southampton
- Exeter
Tip: If you have a preference for a particular part of the UK, make your wishes clear to the recruitment consultants you are dealing with.
Outlook for traffic and transport engineers in the UK
Traffic and Transport is a huge and industry in the UK. Since 1836 when London's first railway put countryside towns within easy reach of the city, civil engineering and increasingly now transport engineering has been a critical factor to London's sustained economic strength. The continual addition of new infrastructure and the evolution of the dynamic elements of traffic management will ensure traffic and transport engineering maintains an important role long into the future.
So if you're looking for an overseas engineering position in Civil and Traffic and Transport engineering, rest assured that you are very much in high demand!
Developing your career in transportation engineering within the UK will arm you with extremely valuable skills for the future.
Scope
The scope of the UK's Roads and Highways as well as Public Transport is impressive in size and diversity and this is reflected in the number of civil – traffic and transportation engineering jobs available.
The UK's need to both maintain old and develop new infrastructure is fuelled by a strong and globally-influential economy; the increasing demands of an expanding population.
Traffic and transport engineering projects in the UK include:
- Highway tunnel schemes
- Motorway extension and widening
- Real time passenger information systems
- Highway lighting and traffic signal schemes
- Road user pricing projects
- Lane rental projects
Most large traffic and transport projects (such as highway design and construction) exist in the private sector. The Highways Agency is an Executive Agency which oversees all UK highways and is responsible for contracting private construction and engineering firms.
The private sector also generates many projects in association with developer led work, such as subdivision for housing.
Public sector work limited to smaller council projects, though there are quite a high number of these and many councils are comparatively large.
Prospects
As with all types of engineering jobs in the UK, if you are moving from overseas it is preferable to have 2 years experience.
Graduates may be able to find suitable employment, however an employer who is investing in your training may require a time commitment which, depending on your visa situation, might be more than you can guarantee.
Traffic and transport engineers with 2 - 6+ years experience will find a greater range of opportunities available to them in both contract and permanent positions.
Recruitment
Recruitment agencies play a critical role in the UK's engineering industry. A recruitment agency’s business is built on its ability to provide quality candidates for employers while simultaneously facilitating the candidate’s development and career progression.
WORKgateways manages a network of the best engineering recruitment agencies to help you reach your potential.
To find your perfect traffic and transport engineering job:
- Register with recruitment agencies up to 2 years before you plan to travel to the UK. In order to find the best job for you, recruitment agencies will contact you for further confirmation before submitting your CV to potential employers.
- Begin applying for jobs about three months before you arrive. If you register with an agency, your recruitment consultant will begin the process of arranging interviews around three months before your arrival.
- Aim to be in contact with 2-3 recruitment agencies who you feel comfortable with. (This may mean you need to register with more then 3 recruitment agencies or apply to jobs over a period of time!) Since Traffic and Transport is very specialist you will find recruitment consultants who deal mainly in this area along with Roads and Highways positions.
- If your travel plans or arrival date changes, make sure you inform your recruitment consultant immediately.
- Learn how to get the most out of your WORKgateways UK job search in our FAQs.
Would you prefer the freedom of temporary engineering employment with a CAD contract job or perhaps you are looking to develop you career in transport engineering? Whatever you’re looking for, specialised engineering recruitment agencies can help you find it.
What types of jobs are available for traffic and transport engineers?
Traffic and transport engineering position titles in the UK include:
- Traffic engineer
- Highway engineer
- Pavement engineer
- Transport modeller/planner
- Project manger
- Site manager
- Lane rental engineer
- ITS consultant
- CAD technician (usually Auto CAD programme jobs)
- Infrastructure engineer
All of these positions exist within both the public and private sector and may be performed under either a contract or permanent basis.
What are the earnings for traffic and transport engineers?
Traffic and transport engineering jobs are well payed in the UK. As is always the case, your earning power will correspond to your experience.
This hierarchy can be used as a general guide for all specialties which fall within the category of traffic and transport engineering:
| Grade | Experience (yrs) | Salary Range £/hr (Contract) | Salary range p/a (Permanent*) |
| Graduate | - | NA | £20-22K + benefits |
| Consultant | 1-6+ | £17-24 | £20-35K + benefits |
| Senior | 6-10+ | £24-28 | £25-40K + benefits |
| Principal | 10-15+ | £26-35 | £40 - 45K + benefits |
| Associate | 10-15+ | NA | £45 - 55K + benefits |
| Associate director | 15-20+ | NA | £50 - 55K + benefits |
| Director | 15-20+ | NA | £50 - 70K + benefits |
New arrivals to the UK should not expect to earn premium contract rates immediately. Employers are aware that you will need to adjust to the specifics of working in the UK and may need some extra training. Often, you can re-negotiate your contract rates after your first 2 or 3 months in the UK.
Working as a traffic or transport engineer in the UK
Standards — the Eurocodes
As with the British Standards, the Eurocodes standards provide the common everyday design principles and rules for the design of structures and component products.
Since 2004, the Eurocodes have been (slowly) introduced throughout the UK and are new to everyone. As different sections of the code are consecutively rolled out there is a co-existence period for each section. (For example — BS 594 : Part 1: Specification for constituent materials and asphalt mixes has been superseded by,BS EN 13108-4 : 2006 : Bituminous mixtures - Material specifications - Part 4 : Hot Rolled Asphalt) By 2010 the Eurocodes will completely replace the existing national standards.
The introduction of the Eurocodes represents a significant challenge to the UK traffic and transport engineering industry. It also, however, represents an exciting opportunity for overseas workers gain valuable experience in what will fast become one of the most used standards in the world.
Software and applications
Apart from the more senior roles working as a traffic or transport engineer in the UK will require you to have experience in the use of industry specific software.
Common software software used in the UK includes:
- AutoCAD
- 12D (Highways, Traffic or Drainage)
- MapINFO
- AutoTrack
- AutoSIGN
- CorelDRAW
- Micro Drainage Windes
Transport Model Applications used in the UK include:
- ARCADY
- LINSIG
- PICADY
- TRANSYT
- VISSIM
- SATURN
- TRIPS
- CUBE
- EMME/2
- VISUM
- CONTRAM
Training for new software packages is usually offered for those taking on a new position (particularly in permanent roles).
Your qualifications in the UK
An appropriate engineering degree or diploma from an approved tertiary institution will usually be recognised in the UK. Make sure you remember to bring a copy of your degree certificate with you.
While there are UK-specific qualifications in traffic and transport engineering which you may later wish to attain, you do not require them in order to commence working.
Important information for your CV
Be sure your CV includes a list of the jobs you have worked on throughout your career in transportation engineering, including specific details on the scope of the projects and your responsibilities within them.
Information such as project value, type of project and a basic description of the work required will ensure that the full depth of your experience is communicated to specialised engineering agencies and future employers.
Be sure to list your experience in reverse-chronological order (i.e. most recent experience first please!)
Use dot points where possible as these enable the reader to quickly scan and understand your experience and abilities.
Example
| Mar 2006 — Present | Main Roads, Country Engineer (Traffic Operations) |
||
| Responsibilities: |
| Software: | TRANSYT (Advanced), TRIPS (Intermediate) |
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