A career as a signaller

[RailwayRookie]

From peoples experience. If successful on interview how long is it until course start dates? I presume a medical and references are also needed after being offered a job?

I ask because my interview is tomorrow, I have 2 holidays booked before Christmas. Panicking now if this may put them off hiring me.

One of the questions they will ask is if you have any holiday booked and it shouldn't affect your suitability for the role.

For reference with me:
Interview mid June,
Offer mid July,
(on-boarding checks, DBS, Medical etc)
Start date November,
IST January

The time frame can differ obviously but as people have said all over this forum. It's a long process.

 

[Badger27]

Surely you would give up your holiday to accept your dream job? It may be possible to delay your start but i really wouldn't count on it, they might just move onto the next person. See if you get the offer first though!

It’s a £4000 cruise for my 40th Your right though, wait to see if I get the offer before I worry too much.

 

[CoachB]

From peoples experience. If successful on interview how long is it until course start dates? I presume a medical and references are also needed after being offered a job?

I ask because my interview is tomorrow, I have 2 holidays booked before Christmas. Panicking now if this may put them off hiring me.

In all honesty it could be several months from offer to start dates. Mine was 4 months and the date is only confirmed after medical, Dbs checks, right to work and previous employment have all been done.

To be honest and blunt if you get offered the job and IST falls in your holidays be prepared to move those holidays or lose the job as IST places are like gold dust and if you can't make it on the course date mentioned when accepting the job it's another potential 3 month wait for the next one, which they won't wait for.

 

[Badger27]

Another question….

The box I am applying for is Dumfries. Well the advert says Dumfries anyway.

Anyone have any knowledge of this box to help in my interview? I have googled and to be honest there isn’t much out there besides info on the building itself.

Thanks

 

[CoachB]

Another question….

The box I am applying for is Dumfries. Well the advert says Dumfries anyway.

Anyone have any knowledge of this box to help in my interview? I have googled and to be honest there isn’t much out there besides info on the building itself.

Thanks

The advert is for grade 2 trainee signallers based in Dumfriesshire.

You won't get assigned to a signal box, you have to apply for any vacancies that come up internally.

 

[Badger27]

The advert is for grade 2 trainee signallers based in Dumfriesshire.

You won't get assigned to a signal box, you have to apply for any vacancies that come up internally.

The advert is for grade 2 trainee signallers based in Dumfriesshire.

You won't get assigned to a signal box, you have to apply for any vacancies that come up internally.

Advert says Dumfries and must live within 50 minutes for commute?

 

[CoachB]

Advert says Dumfries and must live within 50 minutes for commute?

Aye it's badly worded as if it's was for dumfries signal box the wage would be sitting higher and it would say it's for a grade 4 box as that's the wage for grade 2 signallers.

I only know as I seen the internal vacancy and they're looking for grade 2 trainee signallers

 

[Badger27]

Aye it's badly worded as if it's was for dumfries signal box the wage would be sitting higher and it would say it's for a grade 4 box as that's the wage for grade 2 signallers.

I only know as I seen the internal vacancy and they're looking for grade 2 trainee signallers

No problem, thanks. Interview today at 3.

 

[godfreycomplex]

No problem, thanks. Interview today at 3.

Good luck!

 

[CoachB]

No problem, thanks. Interview today at 3.

Good luck

 

[Badger27]

Wasn’t as fluid as I hoped on interview. Can only wait and see now. Fingers crossed

 

[Swanseajack91]

Wasn’t as fluid as I hoped on interview. Can only wait and see now. Fingers crossed

Good luck bud, the wait after the interview is almost as bad as the interview itself. its easy to look back in high sight and pick apart the interview!

 

[CoachB]

Wasn’t as fluid as I hoped on interview. Can only wait and see now. Fingers crossed

They'll understand things not being as fluid as at the end of the day you're under pressure to sell yourself.

Plus you always come out of an interview thinking you could of done better.

All the best and hopefully you're not left waiting too long

 

[BrummieBobby]

It’s definitely 12weeks after the advert closed, went through it myself last year, you need to request from LOM an application for 12 week grade entitlement form, then submit to LOM/HR, takes a while to sort but they backdate it!

I would also add that if you are already a signaller and claim the grade but then fail to pass out the new, higher grade box, NR are entitled to claim any grade entitlement pay back from you.

I know of one person who has fallen foul of this in the past at the location I am based at, there are probably others, but it rarely seems to get mentioned.

 

[Badger27]

They'll understand things not being as fluid as at the end of the day you're under pressure to sell yourself.

Plus you always come out of an interview thinking you could of done better.

All the best and hopefully you're not left waiting too long

I asked about where it would be and they said there are positions coming up in this area for grade 2. I would have to apply whilst at signalling school. Shifts would be 7-7, 35 hours a week.

Fingers crossed and waiting game now.

 

[txxx]

Hi everyone. 1st time posting but have been reading the thread for months.

i applied to be a g2 signaller in march this year, passed my online assessments passed interview had medical and have been given a start date of october and an employee number. i have recently given in my notice at my job as was told to wait till i’ve passed medical etc to be sure. Anyway, i received an email this morning saying due to quality assurance i must re take the online tests and they need to be vigilated.
has anyone else had this?

i know i passed 1st time but im still worried as the dot test was difficult and i just hope i can perform the same, if not and i fail them then i wont have the position. I don’t see why this couldn’t have been checked earlier in the process.

Has anyone else heard of this happening at this stage of the process?

thank you ☺️

 

[Ducatist4]

I'm aware of a successful applicant who got his friend to sit the online tests for him. Maybe NR have realised this is becoming an issue?

 

[Badger27]

I'm aware of a successful applicant who got his friend to sit the online tests for him. Maybe NR have realised this is becoming an issue?

Maybe randomly audited

 

[txxx]

I'm aware of a successful applicant who got his friend to sit the online tests for him. Maybe NR have realised this is becoming an issue?

yea i do understand that, just seems unfair to do it so late. i took them like 5 months ago and am now having to re do. if i hadn’t of put in my notice i wouldn’t be so nervous

 

[Ducatist4]

Yes i get that, its not a great situation to be in! I'd be getting on the phone to your LOM or HR if I were you.

 

[nom de guerre]

I've attached the relevant page from the terms and conditions Red Book.
View attachment 163424

OK, so who here has debated the meaning of “from the date of advertisement” with their route HR folk?

 

[Csb362]

OK, so who here has debated the meaning of “from the date of advertisement” with their route HR folk?

I didn’t need to debate it that’s when mines was applied from, came as a very pleasant surprise to me

 

[Open_G]

Has anyone done their TCB add on a significant time after completing AB IST? I’ve got mine coming up (date TBC) and am a bit concerned that all of the lesser used rules I studied hard to get through IST but are now getting a bit rusty. How did you find it? As opposed those who went straight onto the conversion course.

 

[CoachB]

Hi everyone. 1st time posting but have been reading the thread for months.

i applied to be a g2 signaller in march this year, passed my online assessments passed interview had medical and have been given a start date of october and an employee number. i have recently given in my notice at my job as was told to wait till i’ve passed medical etc to be sure. Anyway, i received an email this morning saying due to quality assurance i must re take the online tests and they need to be vigilated.
has anyone else had this?

i know i passed 1st time but im still worried as the dot test was difficult and i just hope i can perform the same, if not and i fail them then i wont have the position. I don’t see why this couldn’t have been checked earlier in the process.

Has anyone else heard of this happening at this stage of the process?

thank you ☺️

Sounds like it's just a random check just to make sure it was you that sat the tests. You won't have to perform the same as they will accept a margin or error given the tests complexity

 

[Trackboy]

Morning everyone, Can someone please share the roster for West Hampstead psb G9.

Also would like to know how many workstations do they have and grades in the same box.

Thanks.

 

[Jordan4321]

Has anyone done their TCB add on a significant time after completing AB IST? I’ve got mine coming up (date TBC) and am a bit concerned that all of the lesser used rules I studied hard to get through IST but are now getting a bit rusty. How did you find it? As opposed those who went straight onto the conversion course.

Hi pal

I done mine about a little while after my AB course, from my experience the first week was a major struggle mainly getting back into the swing of things but as long as you revise in the evenings same as AB it’s fine, they’ll go over any rules that’ll come up again and the NX observation is a doddle in comparison so don’t stress about that too much at all, just revise same as you did in AB if you can pass AB you can definitely pass TCB just take it serious as it definitely isn’t an attendance course

 

[RailwayRookie]

Hi pal

I done mine about a little while after my AB course, from my experience the first week was a major struggle mainly getting back into the swing of things but as long as you revise in the evenings same as AB it’s fine, they’ll go over any rules that’ll come up again and the NX observation is a doddle in comparison so don’t stress about that too much at all, just revise same as you did in AB if you can pass AB you can definitely pass TCB just take it serious as it definitely isn’t an attendance course

Just to add to this, you may end up converting on a VDU panel instead of NX, I had a VDU and it was also a doddle.

Have a quick refresh of things before going back and make sure you revise each evening. My conversation focused on the differences between AB and TCB for the same situation so we got told what to 'forget'.

 

[Open_G]

Just to add to this, you may end up converting on a VDU panel instead of NX, I had a VDU and it was also a doddle.

Have a quick refresh of things before going back and make sure you revise each evening. My conversation focused on the differences between AB and TCB for the same situation so we got told what to 'forget'.

Thanks both

 

[Supercoss]

Morning everyone, Can someone please share the roster for West Hampstead psb G9.

Also would like to know how many workstations do they have and grades in the same box.

Thanks.

Four workstations-
Kentish Town
West Hampstead
Luton
Bedford
12 hour shifts 7 & 19 change, all workstations Grade 9
Shift Manager grade 10, also TRC on ops floor
typical week 3 x 12 hours consecutive day / night spread over different days each week plus 4 consecutive days / night with Sunday working. Fairly new facility that opened at end of June this year following rebuilding work.

 

[Trackboy]

Four workstations-
Kentish Town
West Hampstead
Luton
Bedford
12 hour shifts 7 & 19 change, all workstations Grade 9
Shift Manager grade 10, also TRC on ops floor
typical week 3 x 12 hours consecutive day / night spread over different days each week plus 4 consecutive days / night with Sunday working. Fairly new facility that opened at end of June this year following rebuilding work.

Thanks for detailed answer.