GWR - trainee driver Plymouth

[Seejwalker]

https://uk.firstgroupcareers.com/va...r---plymouth--9814-plymouth/9843/description/

 

[tiptoptaff]

Already a thread

 

[olirad]

https://uk.firstgroupcareers.com/va...r---plymouth--9814-plymouth/9843/description/

hi do you have salary for a trainee vs fully qualified GWR train driver

 

[Anon87]

hi do you have salary for a trainee vs fully qualified GWR train driver

Somebody on another thread mentioned it’s £28k rising to £61 over three years/training milestones

 

[irish_rail]

Just be aware some candidates are being offered a manouverer position at 70 percent of the mainline driver salary. Seems you don't get a choice , winners and losers!!!

 

[Anon87]

Just be aware some candidates are being offered a manouverer position at 70 percent of the mainline driver salary. Seems you don't get a choice , winners and losers!!!

Even so, there would eventually be an opportunity to go mainline so it’s not the end of the world

 

[Lankywhale]

Would you have to resit the assessments when a mainline position comes up again?

 

[FGW_DID]

Even so, there would eventually be an opportunity to go mainline so it’s not the end of the world

Would you have to resit the assessments when a mainline position comes up again?

If it’s anything like our Manouverers at Reading TCD, it’s not a straight transition to mainline, they still have to apply for trainee positions just like anybody else but as long as they are in date with their rules, they go straight to DMI. I can only think of one, maybe two,that haven’t passed that, from the masses who have applied for Mainline over the past few recruitment periods. They don’t tend to sit in the Talent Pool either!

 

[Lankywhale]

I would assume, like the driver role, you would be commited to the training and then possibly one or 2 years commitment to the role once qualified before you can apply for another role within the company.

If that's so, it'll be hard to choose what's best.

 

[Kernewek]

Just be aware some candidates are being offered a manouverer position at 70 percent of the mainline driver salary. Seems you don't get a choice , winners and losers!!!

Hi irish,
Seems from reading through forums you are best person to ask re. Plymouth depot. Having been successful at dmi for the Plymouth trainee driver role a couple of weeks ago I was put in the talent pool. While logging in to my application portal this evening I've noticed my application switch to 'trainee depot driver' based at Laira... I'm guessing this is the position you mention above? Do you have any understanding of why certain candidates are being offered this? I'm wondering if this means I'm out of contention for the trainee driver roles at Plymouth. I will try to get hold of HR tomorrow but any info would be much appreciated!
Cheers
(and thanks all for the wealth of invaluable advice on these forums for applicants!)

 

[irish_rail]

Hi irish,
Seems from reading through forums you are best person to ask re. Plymouth depot. Having been successful at dmi for the Plymouth trainee driver role a couple of weeks ago I was put in the talent pool. While logging in to my application portal this evening I've noticed my application switch to 'trainee depot driver' based at Laira... I'm guessing this is the position you mention above? Do you have any understanding of why certain candidates are being offered this? I'm wondering if this means I'm out of contention for the trainee driver roles at Plymouth. I will try to get hold of HR tomorrow but any info would be much appreciated!
Cheers
(and thanks all for the wealth of invaluable advice on these forums for applicants!)

Hi, first well done for getting into the talent pool. Now the bad news, unfortunately the company has seen fit to select some candidates for mainline and others for Laira and the lower money that goes with it. This is apparently done on a points basis, however there are some rather sceptical of this theory (for example of 3 taken on recently internally, the 2 girls got mainline and the one guy got depot, despite having far far more experience) However that may very well be coincidence.
So by the looks of it you are now in the running for the laira drivers role. To put it in perspective, it is NOT a manouverer, it is a full Train driver role, and you will sign all tractions and cover as far as Plymouth station. After 2 years productive you will be able to apply to go into the mainline links and Laira drivers will be prioritised for these when vacancies arise. I wouldn't be surprised if you do less than 2 years productive because they will no doubt be crying out for mainline drivers soon with lots of retirements due. I believe once you go mainline you will still need to wait a further 2 years to get the full salary although I'm not positive on that.
In conclusion, try not to be disheartened, you will still be a fully qualified train driver and with a relatively short progression to go the mainline and drive some of the most scenic routes the UK has to offer. Good luck.

 

[Kernewek]

Thanks Irish; that's great info and appreciate you getting back to me so soon.

Without sounding like I'm undermining my own or anyone else's achievements, I did think they might be offering the depot roles to those who didn't score so highly at the DMI interview. That said, I know how competitive these positions are so well done to those that have/ will make it through the DMI stage and into a pool!

It's good to hear that there's a decent chance of future opportunities to progress to mainline links. Sorry to ask another question (and perhaps a daft one) but does two years productive mean 2 years after passing out from your training period? And as this is a full driver role, would the training be the same as those for mainline? (sorry, that's two questions ).

Thanks again

 

[irish_rail]

Thanks Irish; that's great info and appreciate you getting back to me so soon.

Without sounding like I'm undermining my own or anyone else's achievements, I did think they might be offering the depot roles to those who didn't score so highly at the DMI interview. That said, I know how competitive these positions are so well done to those that have/ will make it through the DMI stage and into a pool!

It's good to hear that there's a decent chance of future opportunities to progress to mainline links. Sorry to ask another question (and perhaps a daft one) but does two years productive mean 2 years after passing out from your training period? And as this is a full driver role, would the training be the same as those for mainline? (sorry, that's two questions ).

Thanks again

Yes the two year period will begin on the day you qualify as a driver so after completion of training.
I believe the training will be virtually the same, except you will do less route learning compared to those going on the mainline and will only learn the depot and Plymouth station. Other than that I believe training should be more or less the same.

 

[Kernewek]

Cool, thanks for clarifying Irish. Will cross my fingers and hold tight for a call now.

 

[Cornish Cannon]

I wanted Plymouth but got offered Laria. I see it as a long term plan and i start in 3 weeks and would rather be in my position than in the pool. Its not guaranteed that i would go mainline in the future but i think my chances will have increased dramatically by being a qualified driver already in the company.

I take it as a positive they wanted to rush me in and offered me a position and not that i didn't get mainline straight away and sit in the pool. Laria i think is unique to other depot drivers as you do get to pass as a qualified driver because of the route to Plymouth Station and not confined to depot.

I'm still super excited and cant wait to start it wasn't all about the money for me.

 

[Stigy]

Can anybody advise what the situation is with the psychometric assessments for GWR depot drivers (or depot drivers as a whole)? The reason I ask is that a friend of mine works for SWR as a depot driver and he had to retake his assessments after 3 years. This struck me as strange as with mainline obviously you don’t have to do this, and since they’re sort of suitability assessments for the role, one would ordinarily be right to assume once you’ve passed these and got a job as a depot driver, that’s it in terms of psychometric assessments?

 

[Kernewek]

Yeah as you say, to be starting so soon is a really positive sign and to be a qualified internal can only be a good thing! All the best with the training!!

 

[irish_rail]

Can anybody advise what the situation is with the psychometric assessments for GWR depot drivers (or depot drivers as a whole)? The reason I ask is that a friend of mine works for SWR as a depot driver and he had to retake his assessments after 3 years. This struck me as strange as with mainline obviously you don’t have to do this, and since they’re sort of suitability assessments for the role, one would ordinarily be right to assume once you’ve passed these and got a job as a depot driver, that’s it in terms of psychometric assessments?

If you get a job at Laira you are a qualified driver who works onto the mainline so will not need to resit those tests.

 

[Stigy]

If you get a job at Laira you are a qualified driver who works onto the mainline so will not need to resit those tests.

I understand that, but all depot drivers are driver grades regardless, hence the need to take all the same entrance assessments as mainline drivers, that’s why I asked.

 

[FGW_DID]

Can anybody advise what the situation is with the psychometric assessments for GWR depot drivers (or depot drivers as a whole)? The reason I ask is that a friend of mine works for SWR as a depot driver and he had to retake his assessments after 3 years. This struck me as strange as with mainline obviously you don’t have to do this, and since they’re sort of suitability assessments for the role, one would ordinarily be right to assume once you’ve passed these and got a job as a depot driver, that’s it in terms of psychometric assessments?

According to the above posts the ‘depot drivers’ at Laira will be passed out as ‘mainline’ anyway but with a very limited route knowledge. The Manouverers at Reading TCD however, if they apply for a Mainline role, they have to apply for a trainee position but will go straight to DMI as long as they are in date with their Rules, so effectively wont have to resit the psychometric assessments.