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GBRF Stockport/Manchester trainees

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Claire-r

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4 Oct 2019
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42
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Hampshire
Oh I'm ready!! I believe there's training starting at the beginning of April but our group is looking at summer, if they get a training scheme authorised for then that is. But yeah it's a waiting game, hopefully not too long.
I’m happy to wait and be patient because all good things come to those who wait. Whether the interview was successful or unsuccessful, it was a good experience.
 
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Railway123321

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England
Hello everyone, i have an interview for the trainee train manager role at Stockport coming up, and was just wondering if anyone could give me any advice/hinters as to what types of questions are asked and where i should focus my preperation? I really want to give this interview my all so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks!
 

Dr. Pepper

Member
Joined
26 Jan 2020
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36
Location
Stockport
Hello everyone, i have an interview for the trainee train manager role at Stockport coming up, and was just wondering if anyone could give me any advice/hinters as to what types of questions are asked and where i should focus my preperation? I really want to give this interview my all so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks!
It's good that they're still going ahead with the hiring process on target. Presumably all two metres apart!

I'd say to you, get to know the company on the website. I take it you've passed the stage two mmi? Its not as much of a Spanish Inquisition, more common sense, some of what you said in your mmi and about you in general.

Im in the talent pool now after passing the medical with a possible summer training start. So I'm glad things are still moving forward and it might actually happen in summer! Good luck, relax and enjoy.
 

Railway123321

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Joined
28 Jan 2020
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Location
England
It's good that they're still going ahead with the hiring process on target. Presumably all two metres apart!

I'd say to you, get to know the company on the website. I take it you've passed the stage two mmi? Its not as much of a Spanish Inquisition, more common sense, some of what you said in your mmi and about you in general.

Im in the talent pool now after passing the medical with a possible summer training start. So I'm glad things are still moving forward and it might actually happen in summer! Good luck, relax and enjoy.
Hey Dr pepper, thank you so much that's really useful. Yep passed MMI etc - I didn't make it very clear and should have said, i don't actually have a date for my interview! They just said they can't do it at current due to avoiding non essential contact, and once they're able to continue they will give me my date.... so in reality it could be months!

Good luck and i hope you get a date to start soon.
 

Dr. Pepper

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26 Jan 2020
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Location
Stockport
Hey Dr pepper, thank you so much that's really useful. Yep passed MMI etc - I didn't make it very clear and should have said, i don't actually have a date for my interview! They just said they can't do it at current due to avoiding non essential contact, and once they're able to continue they will give me my date.... so in reality it could be months!

Good luck and i hope you get a date to start soon.
Ah OK, at least it will come at some point, you're still in it! A good old waiting game, forget it and it'll come quicker and be a nice surprise when the email lands. Thanks to a dodgy diet in a far away place we're all in limbo in every aspect of life! At least the zombies haven't risen yet.
 

LRV3004

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17 Mar 2015
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Has anyone had any further info? I had my medical at the beginning of the month. I was told I'd passed everything, however the drugs screening needed to be done at the lab. I've heard absolutely nothing since. Should I assume no news is good news? I'm not going to e-mail them as their HR department is probably working from home at the minute.
Also, given the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, one would assume all recruitment has been placed on hold?
 

Dr. Pepper

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Location
Stockport
Has anyone had any further info? I had my medical at the beginning of the month. I was told I'd passed everything, however the drugs screening needed to be done at the lab. I've heard absolutely nothing since. Should I assume no news is good news? I'm not going to e-mail them as their HR department is probably working from home at the minute.
Also, given the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, one would assume all recruitment has been placed on hold?
I think it'll be knocked back until it all picks up again. You actually don't hear from the medical even though it says you both get a report in the letter. I had to email hr to find out. Probably working from home I reckon, most people are.
 

Claire-r

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4 Oct 2019
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Location
Hampshire
Does anyone know if GBRF will still be proceeding with this role this year? Thank you
Hi I have spoken to a member of the HR team and last week was the first week they’ve managed to return to work. Obviously the workload is going to be huge and prob piled up but they will work through what they can and try to get things moving. I would say your probably looking at Jul/August before training can start and need to work out the number of people they can train safely at a 2 meter distance which this would probably continue for a while. It’s now just a matter of waiting and see what happens
 

LRV3004

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17 Mar 2015
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433
I e-mailed last week asking for an update although I knew what the response would probably be! Not had a reply yet however. Good that they've finally gone back and hopefully we'll all hear something soon! They can only take on so many at a time so hopefully they can arrange a suitable and socially distanced method of training; I imagine working from home as a train driver is somewhat tricky!
 

Railway123321

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28 Jan 2020
Messages
71
Location
England
I e-mailed last week asking for an update although I knew what the response would probably be! Not had a reply yet however. Good that they've finally gone back and hopefully we'll all hear something soon! They can only take on so many at a time so hopefully they can arrange a suitable and socially distanced method of training; I imagine working from home as a train driver is somewhat tricky!
Any luck with a reply? :)
 

Claire-r

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4 Oct 2019
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Location
Hampshire
My guess is, I think, that before any training can resume, there needs to be a risk assessment done so the company can work out a plan to try and get people back into training as safely as possible. I know a lot of managers have their work cut out at the moment trying to comply with new regulations that have been put into place and for some companies this can take weeks. A, I making sense?
 

Dr. Pepper

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26 Jan 2020
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Stockport
Heard through a driver friend at another company that classroom learning might be restarting around the end of July/early August.
 

Dr. Pepper

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Joined
26 Jan 2020
Messages
36
Location
Stockport
Let's hope we hear something soon then eh?!
Yeah I hope so, I've not had a reply to an email I sent so far. I'm just going to wait now. Nothing we can do. I note they seem to have expanded their operations and signed up for more work and rolling stock etc so they still need drivers.
 

C001

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30 Aug 2019
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Heard through a driver friend at another company that classroom learning might be restarting around the end of July/early August.

Need hotels and restaurants to open up first really for courses to go ahead.
 

LRV3004

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Need hotels and restaurants to open up first really for courses to go ahead.
Very good point - forgot about lodgings! Should have seen this sooner given the fact we have lodging turns at my current place!!!
 

LRV3004

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433
From what I've been hearing, it's looking likely that nothing's going to happen till next year at the earliest now. A friend of mine who was also successful at getting one of the jobs got a reply to an e-mail that they sent stating that they don't envisage any courses starting this year now.
 

Claire-r

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4 Oct 2019
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Location
Hampshire
I am now just awaiting my medical. Does anyone know whereabouts the medical takes place and how long it takes? I rang a couple Of weeks a go and spoke to someone in the HR department to find out hw I did at the interview because 3 months went by and heard nothing but was expected due to lockdown. I am now waiting to have medical so I take it I passed the interview.
 

Dr. Pepper

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Joined
26 Jan 2020
Messages
36
Location
Stockport
I am now just awaiting my medical. Does anyone know whereabouts the medical takes place and how long it takes? I rang a couple Of weeks a go and spoke to someone in the HR department to find out hw I did at the interview because 3 months went by and heard nothing but was expected due to lockdown. I am now waiting to have medical so I take it I passed the interview.
So something is moving along then hopefully?! Did they say anything about post medical and any thoughts on training. Friend at Freightliner still reckons this year might still happen for training with hotels open now but there was a pool before ours so they'll be knocked on. Mine was with Medigold in Salford. I think it was about an hour or so.
 

Dr. Pepper

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Stockport
In fact I've just been told classroom training starts again at Freightliner next week for some so companies are moving forward again!
 

LRV3004

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17 Mar 2015
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433
I've already had my medical pre-lockdown. Mine was done in Liverpool. Quite fortunate really as my girlfriend lives in Upton so I stayed over with her the night before! A friend of mine who was also successful at this post got an e-mail a few weeks back saying that it isn't expected that any more training courses won't be being held this year. I'm hoping this isn't the case, but I've now subsequently applied to another operator who recently advertised for trainee drivers at two locations within reach of where I live. Protection of my psychometric test pass results remains my priority!
 

YingYing

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2 Mar 2020
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143
Location
Manchester
I'm in a bit of an odd situation because when I applied I had only sat the stage 1 OPC assessments. I was still invited to an interview in February, it went really well and they said they'd likely put me through the stage 2 etc and they'd be in contact in the next few weeks. Well, in that time Covid hit and I've not heard since. Of course in the grand scheme of things I'm not very high up the priority list for them but not knowing where I stand is a bit frustrating. Like LRV3004 I've continued applying elsewhere because what else can I do during lockdown :)
 

Claire-r

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4 Oct 2019
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Location
Hampshire
So something is moving along then hopefully?! Did they say anything about post medical and any thoughts on training. Friend at Freightliner still reckons this year might still happen for training with hotels open now but there was a pool before ours so they'll be knocked on. Mine was with Medigold in Salford. I think it was about an hour or so.
They told me I will have a medical soon but training likely to start next year. I’ll call them again
 

TeaTrain

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13 Aug 2014
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443
I applied to this as well but never heard anything back. I got the trainee driver at TPE but have been at home the entire time waiting to start!

Seems the whole railway is in the same position right now.
 

LRV3004

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17 Mar 2015
Messages
433
Could be worse - we could be in the same situation as those poor souls at Grand Central who were waiting to start at Blackpool.....☹️
 
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