Interview with Josie Such for Escape

21 September 2017

Age: 27

Job: Aircraft Mechanic

From: Essex

 

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Tell us a bit about yourself…

I’m Josie, I'm 26 and I'm from Southend in Essex. I perform base maintenance on large civilian aircraft and have done that for the past eight years. I found that I liked engineering as a child, I was interested in mechanics and how things worked and liked getting hands on. An ambition of mine was to get my own classic mini to rebuild, so I saved up my money and bought one.

 

Were you always interested in engineering as you went through education?

During school I was always interested in Design and Technology – it was my best subject. I loved the hands on approach and getting to design and make projects. I then went to college and studied a BTEC National Diploma in Engineering, my time studying made me realise that I wanted to pursue engineering as a career. I have always had this fascination with flight and space so I knew that the Aviation Industry was going to be the field best suited for me. I was an Air Cadet, at Southend Airport and the hangars next door was where I applied for my apprenticeship and was a successful applicant after completing the selection process. I completed my apprenticeship and became qualified after 4 years. The first year you are in a college environment performing all the hand skills and when it’s out of term time you go to the hangar and start working and gaining experience as a mechanic. The following 2 to 4 years, you have day release back to college once a week for the theory side.

 

What sort of aircraft have you worked on?

So the aircraft I work on are the large aircraft that you would take to travel on holidays, such as the Boeing 727, 737, 757 and 767 I recently have been working on the Jumbo jet (747) – which was great to work on. I have also worked with the Airbus A320 family and A330. Unfortunately the company where I started my career with went into administration so I had to move on to bigger and better things, so I found myself working at KLM Norwich and a Company based at Cambridge airport.

 

There aren’t many women in engineering, have you found that tough?

To be honest I don't feel out of it because I am kind of like a boy trapped in a girl’s body! I have only really had boy mates and have only ever surrounded myself around males. I’ve got my sister and she's my best friend but on the whole I have always been around males so for me that environment is not alien, it’s where I feel at home. You don't  really see any other girls so if there is one it’s a bit of an ‘oh who is this alien creature? How do I deal with this one?!’. That's me out of my comfort zone, if I see another girl. Sometimes it has it’s struggles and you have the stereotypes and some of the older generation males kind of look at you and think ‘Mmm not so sure’ and you have to earn their respect and show you are not that useless and you can do your job and you can do it well.

 

Does it bother you having to prove yourself all the time?

No, not really because it’s kind of a bit satisfying when you get to show them what you can do. They give you all the hassle and comments but when you win them over and it’s a real achievement. Some days I’ll be honest, you go home and you are a bit down because you kind don't feel like you fit in, it can become overwhelming but on a whole I am proud of it and you dig deep and carry on, on the whole it’s good being a woman in engineering and each year that goes by it will become less of a stigma.

 

This show combines engineering with a sense of adventure, how are you feeling about that side of the show?

For me I love adventure, I love the simple things, I don't like materialistic stuff. I am not a hotel person, I’m a camper. I do like a bit of snowboarding and surfing, I want to try and live life to the full.

 

Are you a dominant person who will lead the group or are you happy to follow?

I am a bit in the middle. I don't really like being the boss but some times if there are people who will shy away from things then I like to do what we need to get the job done. I am quite driven and if nothing is happening I won’t be afraid to voice my opinions, but I think with groups you are always going to get strong characters and quiet characters. I think this is what makes the group dynamic so interesting. If they were all the same I don't think you would get anywhere. I think it will make it more fun and interesting to find out where you are in the group and sometimes the quiet ones have the best ideas you just need to make sure everyone finds their voice.

 

How are you feeling about working with Ant?

I don't know who Ant is. I’m really sorry. Yeah I don't know who he is. I keep hearing this word ‘Ant Ant Ant’ as if I should know, but I don’t. I didn't watch the programme he’s been in. But I'm sure he's a great guy and I'm excited to meet him.

 

Did you not do any research on him?

No, I am going into this with an open mind and just going to wing it. I think that is going to be more exciting. I think if you over plan stuff and analyse things then what you may have planned might not be what's going to happen, so I think that what is going to be exciting is not knowing.

 

Are you quite a tough character?

Yes I can be a tough character and I do also have got an emotional side. When you are in the settings I am you are constantly surrounded by testosterone so you can’t be weak. I think I am pretty hardy. It takes a lot to break me down. The only thing that does break me down is myself, it’s not other people as such.

 

How will you cope if you’re in a cold environment?

I haven't got a lot of meat on me so I do feel the cold but I believe in the outfit I am going to be wearing is going to help. I think the cold and the wet if anything is the thing that is going to get to me. The whole lack of eating and drinking - I don't starve myself or anything like that but if I am working hard on a project I can go hours and my body’s needs are in the back of my mind. I totally forget about that, I just get the job done and afterwards I’m like, ‘Crap, when was the last time I drunk something? When was the last time I ate something?’ but obviously this is a long process, so I will have to keep the fuel up. But I don't get ‘hangry’ or whatever the term is used now. I can run on empty for a while.

 

How do you cope under pressure?

At my work we have quite a lot of pressures on us, commercial pressures, time pressures and I do like to thrive under that. I do pretty well with pressures I don't get stressed, I just take a breather re-assess the situation and try again. I think if I wasn't good at stress by now it would have shown through in my work, it would have affected it.

 

There is a lack of women in engineering, what do you think needs to be done to change that?

It's hard because girls would want to have to do it in the first place no point in forcing anyone to do anything if its not a passion. I have gone to schools and done a workshop where I talk to girls about what I do. You will see that glint in someone’s eye and you know that's what they want to do. You want to make them feel welcome, so if they do want to do it - they can, nothing is stopping them. Just a word of advice though, don’t listen to the boys when you first start out, just ignore them and their comments. As my mum says they are just jealous! If anything it drives you to become better because you are constantly put aside as being the weaker one of the group, so you want to prove them wrong and it is a bit more of a sense of achievement when you do. I want to get across that if it is a passion and is what you want to do then the majority of them will find their way if they are into it. Don't let anyone step in your way.