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Train manager/ Commercial guard/ Conductor vaccines query

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PudseyBearHST

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Are these jobs (all same job but different companies have different job titles for them) full time only or is it possible to be a guard part-time? Only reason I ask is because I currently am going to University full-time and I would like to be a guard particularly on the HSTs because sadly in 3 or so years time when I am available to become a guard or train driver, the HSTs will have been replaced by then:( I am only 18 years old and big fan of trains which is quite odd because so so few young people appreciate trains in this day and age. But I have had free train travel (British rail pass and South West Trains) for my whole life that my interest in trains, and in particular the HST, has grown. My Grandfather was a senior long distance conductor on these very HSTs on the Great Western line 35/40 years so I would be very happy if I could do the same.
So do train companies recruit part time train manager/ guard/ conductors or only full-time?

*vacancies not vaccines :)
 
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notadriver

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Are these jobs (all same job but different companies have different job titles for them) full time only or is it possible to be a guard part-time? Only reason I ask is because I currently am going to University full-time and I would like to be a guard particularly on the HSTs because sadly in 3 or so years time when I am available to become a guard or train driver, the HSTs will have been replaced by then:( I am only 18 years old and big fan of trains which is quite odd because so so few young people appreciate trains in this day and age. But I have had free train travel (British rail pass and South West Trains) for my whole life that my interest in trains, and in particular the HST, has grown.
So do train companies recruit part time train manager/ guard/ conductors or only full-time?

No they don't but London Underground were taking on part time drivers. I think some TOCs use agency staff at stations on the barriers. Or you could become a weekend rail replacement bus driver which is what I do.
 

PudseyBearHST

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Just realised it should say vacancies not vaccines:D
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
No they don't but London Underground were taking on part time drivers. I think some TOCs use agency staff at stations on the barriers. Or you could become a weekend rail replacement bus driver which is what I do.

Ok Thanks for your help and I'll definitely look into it and think about applying:D
 

CatfordCat

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I have seen some TOCs advertise for part time gateline / station / ticket office staff - e.g. doing just morning or afternoon peak (don't know how well this would fit round studying)

I've not noticed any advertising for weekend only staff but some might.

I have never seen adverts for guard / conductors on a part time basis.

At the possible risk of stating the obvious, rail replacement bus / coach drivers are not employed by the train companies.

Generally speaking, a TOC will either have an in-house team which organises rail replacement services, or will outsource this - sometimes to another subsidiary of the group (e.g. most First TOCs go through First Rail Support, Southern / Thameslink GN and South Eastern rail replacement services are mostly arranged via a team within Go-Ahead's london bus operation.)

These organisations then sub-contract the work out to bus / coach operators - sometimes (as Go-Ahead London do) covering what they can in house and contracting the rest out. Each sub-contract can be as little as one coach on a one-off journey.

You can - in some circumstances - drive buses / coaches at age 18, but you're limited (from memory) to either 16 seaters or full size vehicles on 'domestic hours' work - which is services of less than 35 miles until you're 21 (or it may now be 25). In other words, bus not coach.

Not all bus operators will even consider taking on 18 year olds and putting them through the PCV training / test, those that do will generally want you to work full time for at least 2 years after passing (or they will want something towards training costs)

Having said that, I've today seen something to suggest Reading Buses are seeking university students as trainees for part time driving (presumably evening / weekend) jobs.

Rail replacement control / customer service work (it depends which company you're with what the balance of control / customer service is) tends to be peaked at weekends

people doing that are a mix of full time transport workers doing it as overtime, people who are semi-retired or have other jobs, and some students. This may be a way in to transport work (although bear in mind much of it will involve either early starts or late finishes) - and some experience of customer facing work / solving practical problems is likely to be an advantage.

The controllers tend to be employed by the likes of First Rail Support on a casual basis.

If you want to give a clue where you are, I may be able to point you in the direction of local rail replacement provider/s.
 

tsr

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Funnily enough I believe FGW (as they were then) advertised for part-time conductors at Redhill a little while ago. Obviously that limits the routes (Redhill is at the very far East of the GWR network) and I don't think Redhill conductors ever find themselves being Train Managers on HSTs.

There were also part-time vacancies for train managers working charter trains out of Stewarts Lane (Battersea) not so long ago.

Do be aware that working part-time on the railway is not always compatible with university hours, of course, and that any agency work can crop up when the hours are unpopular and need covering, or at anti-social times around bank holidays and weekends when there are engineering works. That said, especially for casual non-safety-critical customer service work, you may find something suitable via an agency. I did back when I was at uni, though I was mainly working around the holidays.

I know sometimes it can be maligned and/or misused suggestion on these forums, but you could also enquire at a preserved/heritage railway. Often they will have a variety of onboard crew volunteer vacancies and it is probably more likely you can find a guard's role with limited hours.
 

RJ

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Having said that, I've today seen something to suggest Reading Buses are seeking university students as trainees for part time driving (presumably evening / weekend) jobs.

Good luck to them! The garage I work at tried that many moons ago and it was a travesty as a lot of them kept calling in sick at short notice or simply not turning up. Hope they vet for people who are ready to take the workplace seriously.

That said I was a weekend bus driver during most of my time at university and still am almost 5 years on. Also did a job on board trains on weekends only and there are ticket offices out there which might offer weekend only shifts. Agencies are also a good start for flexible hours. The Underground advertises for weekend staff occasionally but otherwise, not seen many weekend railways jobs advertised and certainly none for TOC guards.
 
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flappy8

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Good luck to them! The garage I work at tried that many moons ago and it was a travesty as a lot of them kept calling in sick at short notice or simply not turning up. Hope they vet for people who are ready to take the workplace seriously.

That said I was a weekend bus driver during most of my time at university and still am almost 5 years on. Also did a job on board trains on weekends only and there are ticket offices out there which might offer weekend only shifts. Agencies are also a good start for flexible hours. The Underground advertises for weekend staff occasionally but otherwise, not seen many weekend railways jobs advertised and certainly none for TOC guards.

Seems odd considering it costs about 20million quid for me to insure my daughter on a 1.2 Corsa!
 

LowLevel

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We do have part time guards but you have to get a full time job first then make a case and apply to the functional director to do a job share with someone. It's possible but a lot of jumping through hoops.
 

PudseyBearHST

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Thanks for all the help!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
We do have part time guards but you have to get a full time job first then make a case and apply to the functional director to do a job share with someone. It's possible but a lot of jumping through hoops.

Which company has part-time guards? Which company do you work for?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Funnily enough I believe FGW (as they were then) advertised for part-time conductors at Redhill a little while ago. Obviously that limits the routes (Redhill is at the very far East of the GWR network) and I don't think Redhill conductors ever find themselves being Train Managers on HSTs.

There were also part-time vacancies for train managers working charter trains out of Stewarts Lane (Battersea) not so long ago.

Do be aware that working part-time on the railway is not always compatible with university hours, of course, and that any agency work can crop up when the hours are unpopular and need covering, or at anti-social times around bank holidays and weekends when there are engineering works. That said, especially for casual non-safety-critical customer service work, you may find something suitable via an agency. I did back when I was at uni, though I was mainly working around the holidays.

I know sometimes it can be maligned and/or misused suggestion on these forums, but you could also enquire at a preserved/heritage railway. Often they will have a variety of onboard crew volunteer vacancies and it is probably more likely you can find a guard's role with limited hours.

I actually go to the University of Surrey in Guildford and Redhill is 2 or 3 stops away. I catch the Reading-Gatwick Airport train. But yes, as you pointed out, its a thames turbo local stopping service rather than a train manager for a HST

Also thats a good point you mdd about preserved/heritage railway. I'll definitely look into that.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I have seen some TOCs advertise for part time gateline / station / ticket office staff - e.g. doing just morning or afternoon peak (don't know how well this would fit round studying)

I've not noticed any advertising for weekend only staff but some might.

I have never seen adverts for guard / conductors on a part time basis.

At the possible risk of stating the obvious, rail replacement bus / coach drivers are not employed by the train companies.

Generally speaking, a TOC will either have an in-house team which organises rail replacement services, or will outsource this - sometimes to another subsidiary of the group (e.g. most First TOCs go through First Rail Support, Southern / Thameslink GN and South Eastern rail replacement services are mostly arranged via a team within Go-Ahead's london bus operation.)

These organisations then sub-contract the work out to bus / coach operators - sometimes (as Go-Ahead London do) covering what they can in house and contracting the rest out. Each sub-contract can be as little as one coach on a one-off journey.

You can - in some circumstances - drive buses / coaches at age 18, but you're limited (from memory) to either 16 seaters or full size vehicles on 'domestic hours' work - which is services of less than 35 miles until you're 21 (or it may now be 25). In other words, bus not coach.

Not all bus operators will even consider taking on 18 year olds and putting them through the PCV training / test, those that do will generally want you to work full time for at least 2 years after passing (or they will want something towards training costs)

Having said that, I've today seen something to suggest Reading Buses are seeking university students as trainees for part time driving (presumably evening / weekend) jobs.

Rail replacement control / customer service work (it depends which company you're with what the balance of control / customer service is) tends to be peaked at weekends

people doing that are a mix of full time transport workers doing it as overtime, people who are semi-retired or have other jobs, and some students. This may be a way in to transport work (although bear in mind much of it will involve either early starts or late finishes) - and some experience of customer facing work / solving practical problems is likely to be an advantage.

The controllers tend to be employed by the likes of First Rail Support on a casual basis.

If you want to give a clue where you are, I may be able to point you in the direction of local rail replacement provider/s.

I live in Slough so 15 minutes away from Reading as you mentioned. So I guess that is something for me to consider.
 

Sprinter153

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Funnily enough I believe FGW (as they were then) advertised for part-time conductors at Redhill a little while ago. Obviously that limits the routes (Redhill is at the very far East of the GWR network) and I don't think Redhill conductors ever find themselves being Train Managers on HSTs.

I have fond memories of working out of Redhill, nice little depot. They only work GTW-RDG and RDG-BSK and sign 150/0 and 165/6 stock. There is no part time working at RDH though, though I believe there are a couple of staff on flexible working. We have a part time guard at my current depot but that's down to him winding down to retirement on a flexible working plan, not as an actual part time role.
 

tsr

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I have fond memories of working out of Redhill, nice little depot. They only work GTW-RDG and RDG-BSK and sign 150/0 and 165/6 stock. There is no part time working at RDH though, though I believe there are a couple of staff on flexible working. We have a part time guard at my current depot but that's down to him winding down to retirement on a flexible working plan, not as an actual part time role.

Yep, I thought as much about their routes. Didn't think they had anything to do with HSTs/180s etc. But I could have been absolutely sure they advertised for a part-time role a couple of years ago. Could it perhaps have been misunderstood by HR to mean that flexible hours were especially relevant/feasible at this depot?

Obviously GWR at Redhill is pretty tiny as depots go, and you'd be lucky for a vacancy to come up there at exactly the time you want anyway. Certainly seems a happier depot than the Southern one there at the moment, though! (Which isn't exactly a large one either.)
 
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