Ying Cen Tee

"At first glance, the personality titles were quite a surprise but the detailed descriptions match me well!Coach: In my role, I have to understand people's (maintainers, manufacturers, or passengers) requirements and consider how people will interact with my designs. This often requires creative solutions. I get a great sense of pride when I see my solutions implemented on an in-service train. Coordinator: I love being organised! I always plan my workload to make sure I deliver my work on time. Working in a team means that the work I deliver could impact someone else's work. Where required, I am always more than happy to help others whether that is sense-checking an idea or giving suggestions. A collaborative systems approach helps integration. Quality Controller: I always try to do my work to the best of my ability down to the details, especially when it comes to creating calculations and drawings. When I check drawings or calculations, I like to fully understand and challenge any parts that I do not follow. The calculations I do are often driven by standards that follow a certain process. Part of my work is on the running dynamics of trains, which is ensures the safe running of trains on the tracks. I have a responsibility to be careful and thorough with my analysis. "

"On a top-level, my job is to design new trains. Each system integration engineer is assigned certain systems. My work has a strong mechanical emphasis but an understanding of electronics and electrical is also required. I am responsible for toilets and vehicle dynamics. For toilet systems, I work with the suppliers, manufacturing, procurement, and other engineers to make sure that we have a suitable toilet made in the required time. I have to communicate with all parties, make sure the correct parts are being bought, and check technical drawings and reports. For vehicle dynamics, I create drawings to show train movements, do weight calculations and write justifications for the performance of the train based on my analysis. My favourite thing about my job is finding solutions to challenging problems, whether it requires a creative design or an intense spreadsheet.The current starting salary for a graduate rail engineer is around £28,000. "

"I had decided my direction quite early on. I was fortunate enough to have friends and family who told me about engineering and how it would suit my interests. I love mathematics and design; engineering was a perfect harmony of the two! I chose my GCSEs and A-levels knowing I wanted to study engineering. I studied Mechanical Engineering at university. since my GCSEs, I tried to get work experience in any engineering field I could find. I emailed companies, asked for contacts, and applied for openings. I interned with construction companies, design companies, and transportation companies to get a better understanding of engineering. At university, I did rail research and decided to find a job in that field. After university, I started my graduate role. In my graduate role, I rotated across departments in the company. This included a four-month placement in our Italian office. After my scheme, I was given my current role. I have been inspired by many people, in particular, my design and technology teacher at school who encouraged me to dream big with my designs, and one of my mentors during my internship that showed me the importance of being involved in the full design process. "

"I am an avid badminton player, and I used to play competitively. I enjoy crafting. I have dabbled in woodworking, crocheting, and origami but also love to learn new techniques and skills!I also love languages, I learnt Spanish and French in school and I started learning Italian and Japanese as these are two other common languages used in my company. I was lucky enough to get sent to our Italian office for a few months and these language skills were very useful!"

"My day depends on the projects I have been working on. At the moment, I am assigned on I mostly find myself in the office (or at home) but occasionally will go to depots if I need to test or observe the physical train components. Most days, I exchange emails and have meetings to discuss with suppliers, customers, and colleagues. I usually work in spreadsheets to do calculations and write reports to record my findings. I also check and sign off drawings from suppliers, this involves checking how the drawing fits in with other train system drawings. "

"A-levels: Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Further MathsDegree: Mechanical Engineering MEng (Hons) from University of Warwick"