Working on buses and coaches
Some jobs in Britain particularly need employees who can speak at least two languages. Working on a long-distance coach is one of these jobs, especially when they go to destinations on the continent. As for the ones that run in Britain, you may find that being a Polish speaker gives you an advantage over other candidates for the same job, as there are so many Poles living in the UK!
This week the focus is on phrases that you will need to use, rather than phrases you might hear.
We'll be stopping shortly.
You'll need to change coaches when we get to Bradford.
The journey will take/last six hours.
There's a lot more traffic than usual, so we may arrive slightly later than planned.
You can't take that with you. It'll have to go in the luggage hold.
That's too big to take as hand luggage.
This ticket isn't valid on this coach. It's for another company.
This is an open return. You need to go to the ticket office to confirm the return date.
The coach has a toilet by the centre doors.
The air-conditioning control is above your head. There is also a reading light for when we turn the coach's lights of during the night.
If you need to call one of us, please use the red button overhead.
Please remember that this is a no-smoking coach.
There is no smoking on any part of this coach, including the toilet.
There are smoke detectors which will set off an alarm in the driver's cab. We will have to stop if the alarm goes off.
We'll be bringing a refreshment trolley round in about half an hour.
We're coming up to a service station where you can stretch your legs or get something to eat.
We're stopping here for forty minutes.
Take your valuables with you when you leave the coach.
Could you all remain seated until the coach has come to a halt, please.
We're coming up to the border. Please have your passports ready.
When a passenger reports a fault in a piece of coach equipment, such as a noisy air-conditioning unit:
They're taking the coach in for repairs next week. I'm afraid we can't do anything about it until then.
When a passenger is worried about missing a connection:
We can phone ahead and ask them to hold the coach for you.
On a ferry:
Remember the staircase number for this part of the deck.
You may also hear the word stairwell instead of staircase.
You will not be allowed to return to the coach during the crossing.
The crossing will last two hours.
Please remember to listen to safety instructions before the ferry sets sail.
One point you need to consider if you want to work on a coach is security. Coach travel is one of the cheapest ways of getting from one city to another. Some of the people who take advantage of this are not the world's safest or most socially responsible people. Expect to find heavily drunk passengers on a regular occasion. On some occasions you might find a combination of extreme nationalism and alcohol, which won't make your job any easier if they see your name badge or hear your accent. The law is there to keep you safe, but its main use is in arresting people after a crime and not before it. Always get support from another member of staff if you have to deal with badly behaved customers and make sure you know the emergency number (999) for calling the police. You can usually expect help from other passengers if things start to get really nasty.
Don't be surprised either if you are asked to cover up religious clothing and jewellery (unless you are a Muslim, in which case expect to have a red carpet put in front of you everywhere you go). Some companies have extra regulations about the sort of symbols its staff can wear and how large they can be, and others are more relaxed about it.