East Coast Recruitment

Silly question but thought it was worth asking. Do they actually recruit for grades which aren't high paid managers? I've never seen any vacancies outside of management grades. Do they use an agency or something?

I asked this before to see if there were any temporary jobs going, and I was told to contact an agency (can't remember which one offhand). This was for onboard catering - think the cleaning is also done through an agency.

I was employed through Springs Personell for a temporary CSA job in Edinburgh Waverley. I've also heard of Railway People (I think that's the name anyway) taking on people for EC. Yes, there are external jobs advertised. I recently got a permanent Travel Consultant position which was external, but I couldn't tell you where from as I was informed of it through my mum who also works at EC! I'd try to get an agency position first because a lot of us were kept on as CSAs and myself as a TC. Good luck, they've been great to work for.

142094 said:

I asked this before to see if there were any temporary jobs going, and I was told to contact an agency (can't remember which one offhand). This was for onboard catering - think the cleaning is also done through an agency.

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Cleaning is outsourced to ISS. They use recruitment agencies for onboard crew but they are in house.

Correct in saying they have had the most rubbish jobs advertised out of all the TOCs so far on there.

Essaora said:

I was employed through Springs Personell for a temporary CSA job in Edinburgh Waverley. I've also heard of Train People (I think that's the name anyway) taking on people for EC. Yes, there are external jobs advertised. I recently got a permanent Travel Consultant position which was external, but I couldn't tell you where from as I was informed of it through my mum who also works at EC! I'd try to get an agency position first because a lot of us were kept on as CSAs and myself as a TC. Good luck, they've been great to work for.

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Edited that for you, I used to work for them!

Do they tend to keep people on permanently when they finish the temporary contract? I presume your performance while on the temp contract comes into it.

NLC1072 said:

Edited that for you, I used to work for them!

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Thanks! Knew it was something like that. There's a guy in the Edinburgh travel centre just now who was taken on through them since there were some staff shortages. He applied for the job I did but unfortunately didn't get it. He admitted he had a bad interview, as EC employment is based on getting a high scoring interview (apparently).

EDIT: Upon googling, there's a Railway People too! Don't know which one EC use though.

Bridge189 said:

Do they tend to keep people on permanently when they finish the temporary contract? I presume your performance while on the temp contract comes into it.

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Hmmn. It depends. They do seasonal employment in EDI/KGX for what they call 'baggage/mobility assists', helping with that stupid luggage check-in system they have going on between the two stations and helping little old ladies onto trains. That goes on for a few months over summer and winter, as well as sometimes Easter/September holidays. That goes through Springs if you're interested. £5.93 an hour no matter your age, working like a dog for less than regular CSAs basically. I did everything a CSA did except despatching, even higher-grade duties such as reception working etc. This year, only myself and one other (as far as I know) got kept on but the year before I think a lot of them did. Depends on staff-shortages in the station. Your performance is definitely a plus. I got noticed doing seasonal work, and word was passed along to the travel centre when I applied so that may have helped. Also, the seasonal work is a great way to get in if you don't have any family in the railway. A lot of job vacancies are passed along to sons/daughters and no one can ever find where they are advertised externally, so getting in through Springs is a bit easier.

Bridge189 said:

Cleaning is outsourced to ISS. They use recruitment agencies for onboard crew but they are in house.

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EDI cleaning is done inhouse. I heard there's a big push to use agencies but the union is fighting it, last I heard.

No I'm not interested in springs vacancies as I already have a job on much better TCs with another operator. I wouldn't mind working for EC though just not on the spring arrangements.

Essaora said:

£5.93 an hour no matter your age

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Suspect that was pre October 1st 2011 as National Minimum Wage is now £6.08 per hour for workers aged 21 and over.

Bridge189 said:

No I'm not interested in springs vacancies as I already have a job on much better TCs with another operator. I wouldn't mind working for EC though just not on the spring arrangements.

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I was under the impression that Spring were just a recruitment agency. Their website seemed to differentiate, and the EC jobs were on the recruitment side.

Anyway, I applied for a CSA role

scotsman said:

I was under the impression that Spring were just a recruitment agency. Their website seemed to differentiate, and the EC jobs were on the recruitment side.

Anyway, I applied for a CSA role

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People prefer to work for the TOC directly rather than through Springs as its half the pay with them with no promise of a permanent job at the end. Was that the 12 week position which is temporary and then possibly permanent? I was under the impression someone got that job recently, or maybe it was just an internal job they got... Can't be sure. Anyways, good luck!

Essaora said:

People prefer to work for the TOC directly rather than through Springs as its half the pay with them with no promise of a permanent job at the end. Was that the 12 week position which is temporary and then possibly permanent?

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It's true that East Coast are up to the same old stupid tricks GNER did in 1997. I thought in today's railway, responsible train companies are grown up enough to not behave like that.

I started under (the original) Intercity East Coast, just before GNER appeared. Mine was the last course of staff employed directly. GNER introduced recruitment via Quest Services Limited, a company related to their Sea Containers parent company. The staff arriving just six weeks after me had no travel passes, shockingly low wages, 16 hour shifts and were treated like dirt. Few were taken on and many, upon the ends of their 6-month contract, were offered a further 6-month contract with Quest.

The new East Coast (2009) company should hang their head in shame.

Essaora said:

People prefer to work for the TOC directly rather than through Springs as its half the pay with them with no promise of a permanent job at the end. Was that the 12 week position which is temporary and then possibly permanent? I was under the impression someone got that job recently, or maybe it was just an internal job they got... Can't be sure. Anyways, good luck!

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35 hr (1 week on/1 week off) and it's permanent "subject to satisfactory performance" where I'd then get my travel concessions etc

Essaora said:

People prefer to work for the TOC directly rather than through Springs as its half the pay with them with no promise of a permanent job at the end. Was that the 12 week position which is temporary and then possibly permanent? I was under the impression someone got that job recently, or maybe it was just an internal job they got... Can't be sure. Anyways, good luck!

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So was I, confused now... Needs some investigating that, unless the other guy is leaving! They were just using Spring to advertise the job, and then for 12 weeks, and then move on to a East Coast contract. But if you've already done 12 weeks, then you go on a EC contract without the annoying 12 weeks rubbish!

I thought EC wanted rid of using agencies that's why they set the jobs site up?

I can't see how they sustain the cost of using them all of the time for frontline staff. I didnt realise it was GNER that started using them, Interesting.

185 said:

It's true that East Coast are up to the same old stupid tricks GNER did in 1997. I thought in today's railway, responsible train companies are grown up enough to not behave like that.

I started under (the original) Intercity East Coast, just before GNER appeared. Mine was the last course of staff employed directly. GNER introduced recruitment via Quest Services Limited, a company related to their Sea Containers parent company. The staff arriving just six weeks after me had no travel passes, shockingly low wages, 16 hour shifts and were treated like dirt. Few were taken on and many, upon the ends of their 6-month contract, were offered a further 6-month contract with Quest.

The new East Coast (2009) company should hang their head in shame.

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Well said buddy couldn't have said better myself however surprisingly back in 2007 I was directly employed by GNER, it was one of the best days of my life.

All the top jobs are advertised on the EC website yet all the non important roles (as the top management see it) are through the agency.

Sort it out EC!

The sad thing is that many people want to work for them and that if they advertised properly they wouldn't need all the agency staff.

Bridge189 said:

The sad thing is that many people want to work for them and that if they advertised properly they wouldn't need all the agency staff.

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I can't speak for the company here but in my opinion stations like Edinburgh, York etc have different staffing requirements at different times of the year like summer, Easter, Christmas - all the times that agency staff are taken on. Why bind someone to a long contract and have to dish out 10-15 quid an hour when an agency can deal with them and when you don't need them anymore then you're free to dismiss them whenever you like. I don't agree with as when I was agency, I was doing the same job for half the pay as my colleagues. EC are trying to streamline before the refranchise. They want to be as efficient as possible and employing hundreds over holidays on full contracts means that they're wasting more money than they need to. Not fair, but the way it works just now is even if someone leaves, their job might not be advertised unless they desperately need it covered.