Dynamonic
Member
Well done to all of you who sat Stage 2 today! It was a great afternoon.
Now the wait begins!
Good luck to you all!
Now the wait begins!
Good luck to you all!
At the moment the wait is about 2 - 2.5 years for Derby, probably quicker at Notts. Things could speed up or slow down. A lot depends on how many external qualified drivers the company takes on. This year they took on a lot of qualified drivers (quite a few from freight) which really slowed things down. That’s why some depot drivers are leaving for freight and vacancies have arisen at the depots. Depot driving is a great job and a good grounding for eventual mainline duties; of course, you’ll actually be driving on the mainline on every shift, just not very far! The course is a full mainline course just without a massive load of route learning. And yes, it is true as well that some drivers are happy to stay as depot drivers - it’s good money without as much pressure as full mainline duties. You don’t have to make a song and dance about it though. When the mainline (internal) slots are advertised (which are allocated by seniority), you just don’t apply, thus keeping your seniority if you want to go for it next time. Obviously any safety of the line, disciplinary issues or excessive sick leave WILL hold you back.
Building a newspaper tower and speed dating!! It was all about how you interact with your colleagues and a quick interview at the end. Fingers crossed!!What did it all involve?
Is there any chance of getting to anther EMT depot, such as Boston or Norwich if you're a depot driver at Nottingham or Derby? Or do they only take on fully qualified drivers for those depots?
Building a newspaper tower and speed dating!! It was all about how you interact with your colleagues and a quick interview at the end. Fingers crossed!!
Is there any chance of getting to anther EMT depot, such as Boston or Norwich if you're a depot driver at Nottingham or Derby? Or do they only take on fully qualified drivers for those depots?
It’s not that grotty mate, the toilets are separated by a wall and at least most of our cabs are bigger than those closets!Work's shared out in a similar manner at Notts, but also with an eye on getting everyone home at a decent time (the bulk of the work - setting up the station, where most of the units are stabled overnight, ready for the morning - is done by about 0200 normally, with start/finish times reflecting that).
Rest day pattern: long weekend (Fri-Tues incl.) every third weekend, Wed/Thu (and one extra Fri every 24 weeks!) off in between, and a few extra Sundays off too (as well as every third Sunday off as part of the long weekends, that is).
(and we spend most of our working life up and around the station, not shoved in a grotty cabin down the sidings and forgotten about )
Sophisticated indeed! Agreed that the small end of a dogbox is a definite downside...It’s not that grotty mate, the toilets are separated by a wall and at least most of our cabs are bigger than those closets!
Yeah harder bit to call was the speed interviews though!
Dan
To those already working as a depot driver, how long after your training do you drive completely alone and are completely left to it?
how many speed interviews did you sit? how long did they last?
any intel out there on when the stage one assessment will come up in Jan?
For those sitting in Jan don't expect the same questions we just had. The speed interviews that took place for the qualified jobs advertised a few months ago were completely different questions.
Arrrrgggh the frustration of getting the death email! Contributed to the group tasks and didn't pause on any of the speed questions and it just wasn't good enough!
I've seen reference on here that they are testing again in the new year, will a fail this time prevent me from trying again then does anybody know?
Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that Wantacab. I've not heard anything just yet myself. (I was in the PM session. Which were you in?)
The tests being conducted in the new year will be for the other group of people, who are currently waiting to sit their Stage 1 assessments, so you will need to wait for the next recruitment drive and apply again. (These are typically annually)
Luckily, you shouldn't need to do your Stage 1 again next time. (If you apply within 2 years)
Sorry to hear that Wantacab. Did you get any specific feedback at least?
And don’t worry about feeing bitter, it’s human nature and you have every right to in my opinion as this stage seems ridiculous for driver positions quite frankly! So to be rejected at this stage must be a bitter pill to swallow!
So sorry to hear that.I think the frustration is exasabated because I reached the dmi two years ago. I demonstrated in my CV and the initial questions that I have worked in a team environment for many years which is also very safety critical. The group interview is not an exact science at all as many people could be unlucky that the managers weren't watching at the times they were contributing. It seems a crazy additional stage that isn't required but I've got to bite the bullet I suppose. By the way I said all this before I was rejected as well
Strange how some have found out today and most of us on here haven't- maybe they're sifting through and will carry on tomorrow?
Dan