Stuart Ross Communications Placement

Stuart Ross Communications Placement

Creating inclusive opportunities for the next generation of communicators

Bursary

A bursary of £25,294 pro rata, per annum. (in line with London Living Wage)

Location

Up to 50 per cent of time can be spent undertaking the internship from home over a 4-week period. Hybrid working arrangements may alter subject to business requirements. This internship benefits from regularly being in the office.

Internship overview

The Stuart Ross Communications Internship is a diversity initiative targeted at increasing the number of people from under-represented groups entering in the Public Relations, Communications and Marketing industries.

The programme has been highly successful, and our interns have gone on to work in Communications both the public sector and private sector organisations, including to some senior positions in organisations as varied as the NHS, Network Rail, Government Communication Service, the Arts Council and TfL.

What we offer

You will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow. Rewards vary according to the business area but mostly include:

• Free travel on the TfL network for you and a nominee who lives in the same household
• Discounted national rail and Eurostar travel
• Minimum 28 days Annual leave (Pro rata dependent on role) plus public and bank holidays.
• Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme
• Retail, health, leisure and travel offers & many more

Duration

11 months. Full-time, Monday to Friday.

Entry requirements

Applications for joining TfL in 2026 are sought from candidates with specific protected characteristics who are:

• From Black, Asian or other minority ethnic backgrounds and/or
• People with a disability (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) and/or
• Individuals from a disadvantaged socio-economic background
• All candidates must be at least 18 years of age by the internship start date. The start date is 7-Sep-2026.

Additionally, they must be either:

• A graduate with a minimum 2:2 in any degree, or an undergraduate on track to achieve this, OR
• 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.

The opportunity for those from ethnic minorities and/or having a disability to apply for the scheme is aligned with the positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010. This allows for an employer to take certain actions where people who share a protected characteristic, such as being of a certain ethnic minority, are under-represented in participating in a particular activity. The Government guide to Positive Action in the Workplace sets out further detail on Section 158 ((General) positive action) of the Equality Act at Sections 8-9.

As a public sector body, TfL is required by Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 to advance the Public Sector Equality Duty, by which we must not only take steps to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation on grounds of protected characteristics, but must also seek to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not share it.

Successful candidates must have the right to work in the UK for the duration of the scheme, as at the start date. This role is not eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa scheme. If you do not have the right to work in the UK, or only have a right to work here for a limited time which is lesser than the duration of the scheme, you should be aware that TfL will be unable to sponsor you for this role.

Please Note: We only allow one application for any of our Graduate schemes per year. Any subsequent applications will be withdrawn.

Start Date

7-September-2026

What will I be doing?

You’ll learn the essential skills you need to start your career in the communications industry in a fast-paced environment. 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 part of the team, you’ll be involved from the outset in key projects, creating campaigns, influencing how customers use London’s transport network and helping to shape TfL’s reputation.

During your 11-month internship, you will collaborate with teams across the organisation and gain a solid understanding of London’s transport network as well as building your skills in several specialities such as Public Relations, Public Affairs and Marketing.

You will be based in one of three teams, below, and will have the opportunity to undertake a placement in another area.

TfL Press Office

One of the UK's busiest press offices where you'll gain all the essential skills you need to start your career in Public Relations. 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 Public Relations skills needed 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 to tackle sexual harassment on public transport, Art on the Underground or Poppy Day.

TfL Customer Directorate

This team champions and is the voice of TfL’s customers, through marketing, customer information, behaviour change, and income generating campaigns. From day one you’ll be involved in beginning to end of campaigns, learn how to use the best channels to inform customers and influence their travel behaviours and be involved in using customer feedback, research and data to problem-solve customers’ frustrations and provide best-in-class customer experience and information.

TfL External Relations

This includes Government Relations and Stakeholder, Advocacy & Engagement who are responsible for building and maintaining productive partnerships with customer and representative groups, businesses, charities, politicians and many others. During your time you will be provided with all the skills necessary for a career in Public Affairs, including developing relationships with key stakeholders, monitoring events and third-party positions on transport and related issues, responding to casework, ensuring feedback informs how we improve our policies and services and briefing senior TfL officials in preparation for meetings, events and speeches.

Sustainability

Intrinsic to TfL’s work ethos we operate in a sustainable way to protect and regenerate the natural world. Our communications teams play a pivotal role in telling this story.

What training and support will I get?

You will be supported with a wide range of on-the-job practical experience and placements as well a combination of training, mentoring, and networking.

You'll also receive one-to-one guidance throughout the programme from your:

• Placement manager: Responsible for your day-to-day management and support with your development
• Scheme sponsor: A senior manager who acts as a technical and professional adviser and has line manager responsibility
• Buddy: Usually a previous intern or graduate
• Development adviser: Supports your professional development through providing career coaching and career progression at TfL.

We are also a Disability Confident employer and operate a transparent recruitment process that removes barriers for candidates with a disability. Please let us know if you require reasonable adjustments for any stages of the application process or, if successful, to undertake the internship.

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 their 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

What do we look for?

Our core values are extremely important to us, and we desire candidates who are:

• Caring about our colleagues, our customers and our work
• Open to each other, to new ideas and to working together
• Adaptable to diverse needs and willing to innovate

Application process

The application process consists of 5 steps, including online assessments which will need to be completed within an allocated time frame. We highly recommend that you read through this document thoroughly so that you can familiarise yourself with the process.

If you already hold your qualification certificates, please upload copies of these to your application. If you are due to sit final exams or need to replace any certificates, these must be provided at a later stage.

You will receive information and guidance around each assessment stage as you progress through your application.

Please pay close attention to emails and deadlines provided noting you have 1 week to complete online assessments and we cannot re-issue these tests once the deadline passes.

Assessment centres for graduates and intern roles will take place from December-January, please note that many roles only have 1 assessment day and we are unable to guarantee alternative dates. We are conducting assessment centres in person and virtually (role dependent).

Our city. Made better by you.

TfL is a place that’s open to your ideas. Where you can make a tangible impact and see the positive results of your work on the people and places around you. It’s a place where you can thrive and achieve. Where you’re encouraged and enabled and empowered to feel pride in the work you do. The clue is in the name, really. We work together for a better London. A better place for everyone. Constantly improving and enhancing how we operate to shape a city of the future.

Inclusive recruitment process

We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We want to represent the city we serve, which will help us become a more innovative and efficient organisation. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. We are a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria.

In High Volume campaigns including Graduate, Apprentice and Intern recruitment the minimum criteria we set is achieving a pass mark in our first stage assessments, adopting a proportionate approach as part of the Disability Confident scheme.

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments for any stages of the application process.

Contact us

Contact the recruitment team by:

Phone: 0203 005 1680 (Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 17.30)

Email: EarlyCareersCampaigns@tfl.gov.uk

How to apply

To apply for this role and to find out more, please click on the apply button. Please note that applications may close before the application deadline, so apply early to avoid disappointment.