Tom Flower

Tom Flower completed his undergraduate degree in 2022. He studied Geography BA with Industrial year at the School of Geography here at Leeds. He is currently an Amended Traincrew Diagrammer at Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR).  

During his time at Leeds, Tom completed a placement year at Govia Thameslink in their train planning department and was offered a trainee position after graduating. After just a couple of months he moved into the role of Amended Traincrew Diagrammer. He said “This job involves changing driver diagrams (the content of their shift) due to amendments to the timetable. Amendments can include engineering works, major events and industrial action. I have to liaise with other departments and trade unions to ensure the diagrams are fit for purpose and they’re published to be rostered to the drivers.  

“It's a very rewarding job as it’s problem solving all the time. Once you’ve fixed something or made an efficient plan, you feel very good about yourself.” 

Reflecting on how his time at Leeds helped him in his career, Tom said “A Geography degree is a very well-rounding degree. Of course, it provides studies for many careers in transport, urban planning, policymaking and politics. However, it is also well known that geographers end up in all sorts of careers. I think that’s something to be celebrated as you don’t know where you could end up but as a Leeds geographer you’ll learn to be inquisitive, a team-player, able to analyse data and situations, be comfortable presenting and, probably most importantly, adaptable.” 

Choosing Leeds 

Tom chose Leeds as he wanted to study at a university that had a campus close to a vibrant city. He said “I liked Leeds a lot because of the city itself. That was important to me when choosing where to study. I wanted to have the benefits of city life without feeling overwhelmed by the size of it. I wanted to study somewhere that had a campus but wasn’t completely detached from the city. I wanted to explore somewhere new that I’d never been to or had any connection to. I wanted to live in a city that had plenty of access to green space.” 

I wanted to have the benefits of city life without feeling overwhelmed by the size of it. I wanted to study somewhere that had a campus but wasn’t completely detached from the city.

Fieldwork 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic Tom was unable to travel overseas but was still able to take part in some fieldwork. He shared “I still wanted to partake in some fieldwork of some kind and Stuart Hodkinson and Asa Roast offered a British cities module, so I chose that. Whilst naturally disappointing to swap the French Riviera or a Boca Juniors game for trips to Manchester, Bradford, Hull, Edinburgh and London, I thoroughly enjoyed this module as it was extremely interesting, I learnt a lot about UK urban planning, politics and history, and I was surrounded by a great group of people who were like-minded in getting the most out of their degree and passionate about urban geographical studies.  

“What I really appreciated and loved from this module was the flexibility in the assessment. We were given complete freedom on choosing our topic of study and the way in which we presented our findings. My final work submission was in the style of a Guardian long-read article/picture essay, however some of my peers chose to submit podcast episodes or video essays. I think the module (and assessment) perfectly resembled what studying geography is about: the broadness of the discipline and conveying research through different methods.” 

Student life at Leeds 

 

There are more than 300 student-led clubs and societies at Leeds so you'll find something whatever your interests. Tom Joined the university football team saying “The outstanding aspect of my time at Leeds was my involvement with the university football club. I was lucky enough to get into the society and it was a fantastic experience. I was voted in as transport secretary in my second year (which probably helped me get my placement) and then as secretary in my final year. To be involved so closely with one of the main sporting societies at the university was/is a privilege and I am also so glad I had that network of people that you connect with at least 3 times a week and bond over the beautiful game.” 

I was voted in as transport secretary in my second year (which probably helped me get my placement) and then as secretary in my final year.

Find out more  

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