BT Job Vacancies

If you are looking for BT job vacancies then you are also looking for a job with the oldest communications company in the world.

Job Vacancies

BT’s main business activities are run from the UK between eight different locations: BT Centre London, Brentwood, Sevenoakes, Birmingham, Leavesden, Leeds, Ipswich and Bristol.

They also operate 31 call centres across the UK, along with 3 additional call centres in India and further operations in 25 countries worldwide.

The best place to look for a job at BT is through their website. They offer a varied range of job-type categories to choose from, along with options to narrow down your search to your preferred location and key working terms.

As well as their pre-defined job roles, BT also offer a number of programmes which help them acquire the best candidates for varying roles within their business.

BT Apprenticeships

These are yearly programmes with school leavers and college students in mind who want to kick-start their career. Apprenticeships are run in four different career areas:

• Customer Service
• Information Technology
• Telecommunications Engineers
• Vehicle Technology
• Undergraduate Placements and Graduate Vacancies

For undergraduates, work placements run throughout the summer for 8-16 weeks or there are longer industrial placements which run from 16-48 weeks which aim to give vital professional experience to those new to the workplace.

For graduates, there are a number of vacancies available each year which provide tailored training and development in order to kick start your career once you have left higher education.

Placement and vacancies run in several different subject streams such as:

• Professional Services and Customer Experience – eg. project management, business improvement, development and management consultancy.
• ICT – technical projects such as software development, research and network engineering.
• Functional Specialist – HR, marketing, Finance, Law or procurement and supply chain.
• Fast Track Leadership Programmes

These are directed at the high flyers of the business world who have a good business background and high levels of achievement both educationally and professionally.

Course runs over period of 3 years, placing you in different roles across the business. BT are looking for people who can make an immediate positive impact on the business area they are placed in.

MBA’s

Each year BT recruit over 25 MBA’s and 30 summer interns, placing them in different roles to thrive on the fresh perspectives brought in by these recruits. The MBA programme is tailored to your individual support and development needs and usually lasts for 12 – 18 months.

Research Fellowship

A scheme which offers researchers the chance to work in an area that they propose usually for a duration of 6 weeks. Whilst keeping the nature of the research relevant to the business, BT hope these schemes will produce innovative and challenging ideas for future business proposals.

Hiring Experience

Whilst BT have many tailored roles and programmes, they are also fully aware that there are highly experienced people out there who perhaps don’t quite fit into the mould of their pre-designed roles. This is why BT are also happy to tailor a role around your skills and will try to find a place for you in their business if they feel your skills and experience are too good to miss out on.

Benefits

As with most large organisations, you expect a certain level of benefits to be offered to staff and BT is no different. As well as the usual holiday allowances, BT also incorporate other benefits which include:

• Flexible working for work-life balance – flexible working hours tailored to your circumstances, these can also include remote or home working options where possible.
• Membership of the BT Retirement Plan – contribution scheme providing pension and life benefits.
• Share-related benefits, including sharesave and profit-sharing.
• Discounts on some BT products and other items such as computer equipment, car products, healthcare, dental care, life assurance, holidays, hotel accommodation and financial planning.
• Interest-free annual season ticket loans

Learning and Development

BT invest a lot into the continued learning and development of its staff. From the start of employment you have your own Development Action Plan tailored to help you succeed and progress. Staff also have access to coaching, networking, mentoring, knowledge-sharing and ‘buddy’ programmes. Regular feedback time with your manager is also encouraged.

Route 2 Learn – BT also have their own online e-learning portal called Route 2 Learn which provides access to training programmes for personal, technical or professional development.

They also run company accredited schemes such as:

• The Institute of Electrical Engineers
• The British Computer Society
• Are a Quality Partner of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

History

The British Telecom or BT brand became more widely known in the 1980’s; however the history of British Telecom dates back as far as 1846 with the introduction of the first telegraphic communications companies, such as the Electric Telegraph Company. Following the introduction of the Telegraph Act of 1868 all telegraphic communications companies passed into the control of the government’s newly formed department, the General Post Office (GPO). With the invention of the telephone in 1876 by Alexandra Bell, a new concept of telecommunications and a new business opportunity for the GPO was introduced. Changes in structure led to the GPO being nationalised and from this the Post Office was formed which was no longer part of the government, Post Office Telecommunications was one of its divisions.

In 1980 the Post Office Telecommunications division was renamed British Telecom, this being the original introduction of the British Telecom brand. The new British Telecommunications Act of 1981 saw further changes when British Telecom was separated from the Post Office, the two were now running as separate organisations.

The 1981 act also introduced competition into the telecommunications market. Up until this act being enforced, British Telecom was the sole provider of telecommunications services and apparatus (yes, even household telephones were produced and sold by British Telecom). The act now allowed alternative companies licensed capability to provide these services and apparatus, British Telecom therefore had to allow third parties access to connect to its exclusive telecommunications systems. In 1982 a licence granted to Mercury Communications, a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless, saw the first alternative to British Telecom emerge onto the market. The monopoly British Telecom had over the telecommunications industry was now beginning to break down.

Further changes were brought about in 1984 with the introduction of the Telecommunications Act which led to the final break down of British Telecom’s monopoly by abolishing the exclusive and privileged access British Telecom had over its telecommunications systems. British Telecom was now required to gain a licence to use these systems in the same way other companies were.

In order to adapt to the enforced changes in the telecommunications market and to react to the newly emerged competition, British Telecom was privatised with the sale of over 50% of its shares to the public and the company’s name changed to British Telecommunications plc.

By 1991 British Telecommunications and Mercury Communications were the only two providers of telecommunications services but further change was brought about by the introduction of the Government’s White Paper, Competition and Choice: Telecommunications Policy for the 1990’s which brought about more open and fairer policies for telecommunications companies to react to the competition. This saw the emergence of flexible pricing plans offered to different types of customers to meet their individual needs.

1991 also saw British Telecom change its trading name to BT. In 1992 BT registered its online domain name BT.com, even to this day it is one of only a few companies to own a two letter domain name.

Despite changes in its structure, ownership and marketplace position, not to mention the ever changing advancements of telecommunications technology, BT is a company that has reacted and still gone from strength to strength. Today the structure of British Telecommunications plc is split into four subsidiaries which are BT Retail, BT Wholesale, BT Global Services and Openreach.