LNER - Apprentice Driver - Kings Cross & Newcastle (05/09/24)

[Gillson123]

I’ve received an email saying they apologies for the wait, if you haven’t received a rejection email, it’s either still under review or are waiting for further interview dates.

Anyone else in the same boat?

Yep just got this as well, fingers crossed we get the interview confirmation soon.

 

[charles123]

I’ve received an email saying they apologies for the wait, if you haven’t received a rejection email, it’s either still under review or are waiting for further interview dates.

Anyone else in the same boat?

Yes I got the same email, got very excited when I seen the email notification then realised it's just a case of waiting longer!

 

[5hunter]

I’ve received an email saying they apologies for the wait, if you haven’t received a rejection email, it’s either still under review or are waiting for further interview dates.

Anyone else in the same boat?

Just received it too.

 

[kcol91]

I’ve received an email saying they apologies for the wait, if you haven’t received a rejection email, it’s either still under review or are waiting for further interview dates.

Anyone else in the same boat?

I've received the same one today too! Hopefully hear more soon

 

[johnmcjohnson]

Received the same one. Heard murmurings that the interview is merely a formality, should you get one, and they already like you. Anyone else heard similar?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Feb 2025 ==

Just got an invite to interview for Newcastle next week!! They were really using the whole 4 months to go through applications! Good luck to everyone else.

Have you had your interview? How did it go?

 

[blourd]

Received the same one. Heard murmurings that the interview is merely a formality, should you get one, and they already like you. Anyone else heard similar?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Feb 2025 ==


Have you had your interview? How did it go?

I think it went ok. Some of the questions threw me slightly and they didn't ask a lot of the questions that I was expecting. Just hope my answers were 'STAR' enough.

They seemed to be marking each answer on a scale of 1-5 so I assume there is a certain 'pass mark' for the interview. And they will send more people to psychometrics than positions they have available due to so many people failing at that stage.

I will wait and see for now. She mentioned there is a course starting in April, another in summer and probably in October too so certainly worth keeping your hopes up if your application is still in progress.

 

[LlekNai]

I think it went ok. Some of the questions threw me slightly and they didn't ask a lot of the questions that I was expecting. Just hope my answers were 'STAR' enough.

They seemed to be marking each answer on a scale of 1-5 so I assume there is a certain 'pass mark' for the interview. And they will send more people to psychometrics than positions they have available due to so many people failing at that stage.

I will wait and see for now. She mentioned there is a course starting in April, another in summer and probably in October too so certainly worth keeping your hopes up if your application is still in progress.

What were the questions that threw you and why did they throw you?

 

[Gillson123]

I think it went ok. Some of the questions threw me slightly and they didn't ask a lot of the questions that I was expecting. Just hope my answers were 'STAR' enough.

They seemed to be marking each answer on a scale of 1-5 so I assume there is a certain 'pass mark' for the interview. And they will send more people to psychometrics than positions they have available due to so many people failing at that stage.

I will wait and see for now. She mentioned there is a course starting in April, another in summer and probably in October too so certainly worth keeping your hopes up if your application is still in progress.

Thanks for the update and the information, and good luck!

 

[johnmcjohnson]

I think it went ok. Some of the questions threw me slightly and they didn't ask a lot of the questions that I was expecting. Just hope my answers were 'STAR' enough.

They seemed to be marking each answer on a scale of 1-5 so I assume there is a certain 'pass mark' for the interview. And they will send more people to psychometrics than positions they have available due to so many people failing at that stage.

I will wait and see for now. She mentioned there is a course starting in April, another in summer and probably in October too so certainly worth keeping your hopes up if your application is still in progress.

Thanks for that. Fingers crossed for you! Let us know when you hear back. Ha.

 

[blourd]

What were the questions that threw you and why did they throw you?

I'm not going to tell you the questions it's just not the done thing. To be honest I can't even remember them exactly. They were just slightly more outside the box than what I had prepared for.

The whole thing was reasonably relaxed though and they seemed genuinely interested in my answers. I just hope I didn't relax too much and stray too far from the answer format they wanted.

 

[Snowman84]

I'm not going to tell you the questions it's just not the done thing. To be honest I can't even remember them exactly. They were just slightly more outside the box than what I had prepared for.

The whole thing was reasonably relaxed though and they seemed genuinely interested in my answers. I just hope I didn't relax too much and stray too far from the answer format they wanted.

Hey, any follow up from your interview? Did they say when they would let you know

Still a waiting game for me

 

[johnmcjohnson]

I'm not going to tell you the questions it's just not the done thing. To be honest I can't even remember them exactly. They were just slightly more outside the box than what I had prepared for.

The whole thing was reasonably relaxed though and they seemed genuinely interested in my answers. I just hope I didn't relax too much and stray too far from the answer format they wanted.

Just out of curiosity, how many people were on your interview panel? Do you remember how many questions you were asked aswell?
I’ve got an interview next week.

 

[blourd]

Hey, any follow up from your interview? Did they say when they would let you know

Still a waiting game for me

Heard nothing yet. They did say it could be a few weeks, depending on if they decided to tell people as they were going through the interviews or wait until all interviews were finished and then tell everyone at the same time. Hopefully they decide the former.

Just out of curiosity, how many people were on your interview panel? Do you remember how many questions you were asked aswell?
I’ve got an interview next week.

It was 2 people, a driver manager and also someone from recruitment. I would say around 10 questions, not a huge amount but I think they were more interested in the detail of the answers.

 

[JT7988]

Afternoon all, is anyone here due to start the course in April? If so, drop me a DM. Thanks.

 

[blourd]

I didn't get through. Good luck to everyone else.

 

[LlekNai]

I'm not going to tell you the questions it's just not the done thing. To be honest I can't even remember them exactly. They were just slightly more outside the box than what I had prepared for.

The whole thing was reasonably relaxed though and they seemed genuinely interested in my answers. I just hope I didn't relax too much and stray too far from the answer format they wanted.

For future reference, "it's just not the done thing" couldn't be further from the truth on the railway. Train drivers look after each other. We help each other when we can.

I've been unsuccessful as well, but I've got a train driving job already ‍♂️

Good luck with future endeavours.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Feb 2025 ==

For future reference, "it's just not the done thing" couldn't be further from the truth on the railway. Train drivers look after each other. We help each other when we can.

I've been unsuccessful as well, but I've got a train driving job already ‍♂️

Good luck with future endeavours.

That was meant to be a shrug not the symbol for female

 

[blourd]

For future reference, "it's just not the done thing" couldn't be further from the truth on the railway. Train drivers look after each other. We help each other when we can.

I've been unsuccessful as well, but I've got a train driving job already ‍♂️

Good luck with future endeavours.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Feb 2025 ==


That was meant to be a shrug not the symbol for female

If you want to tell everyone the interview questions go ahead. I've never seen it done anywhere else on this forum and I don't really know why you would want to give someone else an advantage over you for such a competitive job.

 

[LlekNai]

If you want to tell everyone the interview questions go ahead. I've never seen it done anywhere else on this forum and I don't really know why you would want to give someone else an advantage over you for such a competitive job.

It's not giving someone an advantage, it's helping your potential future colleagues and as far as am I'm aware it's similar to my current employer where as long as you achieve the score, you continue to the next stage so it's not as if someone would be taking a job off you. Genuinely mate - train drivers look after each other.

I'm awaiting feedback as I did have access to the questions and was very well prepared, I thought I did extremely well but received a rejection e-mail.

 

[blourd]

It's not giving someone an advantage, it's helping your potential future colleagues and as far as am I'm aware it's similar to my current employer where as long as you achieve the score, you continue to the next stage so it's not as if someone would be taking a job off you. Genuinely mate - train drivers look after each other.

I'm awaiting feedback as I did have access to the questions and was very well prepared, I thought I did extremely well but received a rejection e-mail.

Still not sure I agree with you entirely but I do see where you're coming from. Do most/all TOCs work on a scoring system like LNER? Seems a little odd to me that it's all just based on a 'pass' mark. If I showed up in jeans, t-shirt and flip flops but had the right answers would I still get through?

I don't feel so bad if you were that well prepared and still had a rejection. I thought I did pretty well too and I think my experience covers all the attributes they want. Anyway, I shall keep trying. If you want to DM me any other company's interview questions I'm all ears

 

[Italia4945]

Handing out the questions for a safety-critical role like train driving isn’t assisting your future colleagues, it is completely undermining the process.

These stages like interviews aren’t there for show, they exist to make sure the people who pass genuinely have the skills and mindset needed for a job where lives are at stake. Giving someone the answers is not levelling the playing field it is putting unprepared people in a role where mistakes can have serious consequences.

You are right, Train drivers do look out for each other, but that starts after you have proven you deserve to be there, not by trying to game the system and sneak through

If you perceived yourself as doing well but still got rejected, maybe the issue was you. If you really care about standards and fairness, the last thing you should be doing is trying to game the system.

Instead of blaming the process, maybe take a step back and ask yourself whether you are approaching this the right way. Because if you think giving out the questions is acceptable, then maybe this role just isn’t for you.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Feb 2025 ==

Handing out the questions for a safety-critical role like train driving isn’t assisting your future colleagues, it is completely undermining the process.

These stages like interviews aren’t there for show, they exist to make sure the people who pass genuinely have the skills and mindset needed for a job where lives are at stake. Giving someone the answers is not levelling the playing field it is putting unprepared people in a role where mistakes can have serious consequences.

You are right, Train drivers do look out for each other, but that starts after you have proven you deserve to be there, not by trying to game the system and sneak through

If you perceived yourself as doing well but still got rejected, maybe the issue was you. If you really care about standards and fairness, the last thing you should be doing is trying to game the system.

Instead of blaming the process, maybe take a step back and ask yourself whether you are approaching this the right way. Because if you think giving out the questions is acceptable, then maybe this role just isn’t for you.

@LlekNai

 

[johnmcjohnson]

I had my interview yesterday. Blourd was right; the questions did throw me slightly so not sure how well I’ve done. I had some guidance from a current LNER instructor driver and even that was a little bit off from the questions I got asked. My gut feeling is that it’ll be a rejection. Hopefully hear back next week.

I did ask what they wanted in an apprentice and they said it was more about the non-technical skills a person has, as those are the things they can’t teach you. I drive trains now in a depot and am a trained signaller completing IST last year and I didn’t get the vibe from chatting with them informally after the interview that either of those things will sway things for me.

One glimmer of hope may be that they’re hiring 16 this year for Newcastle and have offered 4 positions as of yesterday. 2 of those had literally zero rail experience. So plenty spaces still available for this years courses (April, July and October they told me).

I’m just really hoping I came across well enough for them to want to give me a chance! Everything crossed! I’ll post when I hear back.

 

[Bumblebeeman]

Handing out the questions for a safety-critical role like train driving isn’t assisting your future colleagues, it is completely undermining the process.

These stages like interviews aren’t there for show, they exist to make sure the people who pass genuinely have the skills and mindset needed for a job where lives are at stake. Giving someone the answers is not levelling the playing field it is putting unprepared people in a role where mistakes can have serious consequences.

You are right, Train drivers do look out for each other, but that starts after you have proven you deserve to be there, not by trying to game the system and sneak through

If you perceived yourself as doing well but still got rejected, maybe the issue was you. If you really care about standards and fairness, the last thing you should be doing is trying to game the system.

Instead of blaming the process, maybe take a step back and ask yourself whether you are approaching this the right way. Because if you think giving out the questions is acceptable, then maybe this role just isn’t for you.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Feb 2025 ==


@LlekNai

I couldn't agree more with you. The process is there to ensure the strongest and most suitable candidates rise to the top. Of course, nothing is perfect and there will always be the odd exception.

People who "game the system" in the recruitment process tend to be the same individuals who "game the system" once employed. I've seen first hand individuals game the sickness policy, find excuses to get out of performing their duty, showing up late for duty etc etc. And of course, they never accept responsibility

 

[pga2878]

Morning, is there anyone left on this forum still waiting for Kings Cross?

 

[johnmcjohnson]

Got my expected rejection email. Ha.
I knew as soon as I left I hadn’t said what they wanted to hear. Very flawed process in my opinion, especially with that totally objective scoring system, but I’ll persevere.
Good luck to everyone else waiting on emails!

 

[jacky84]

Morning, is there anyone left on this forum still waiting for Kings Cross?

Still waiting to hear back from my Video Interview since Oct last year

 

[Neatro]

Got my expected rejection email. Ha.
I knew as soon as I left I hadn’t said what they wanted to hear. Very flawed process in my opinion, especially with that totally objective scoring system, but I’ll persevere.
Good luck to everyone else waiting on emails!

It's not really objective, if anything they gave you a hint that most of it is experience with non-technical wording used as well.

Now you know what to expect for next time.

 

[blourd]

It's not really objective, if anything they gave you a hint that most of it is experience with non-technical wording used as well.

Now you know what to expect for next time.

They give you a score out of 5 on each question so it seems likely there is a 'pass mark' you need to reach to progress. So if there's no leeway for their personal opinions I'd say that's pretty objective.

You might have the experience and they like you and think you would probably make a good train driver but if you don't hit the mark they have to reject you.

Possibly an odd way to do it but it obviously works for them.

 

[Neatro]

They give you a score out of 5 on each question so it seems likely there is a 'pass mark' you need to reach to progress. So if there's no leeway for their personal opinions I'd say that's pretty objective.

You might have the experience and they like you and think you would probably make a good train driver but if you don't hit the mark they have to reject you.

Possibly an odd way to do it but it obviously works for them.

I guess we just see tests differently then, I'd expected all parts of the assessment to be scored otherwise it's open to how the person assessing you feels about you.

For example I failed my first MMI but I knew from feedback that my answers weren't strong enough, didn't contain the wordings they were looking for and I didn't follow STAR very well.

So next time I made sure to explain my answers following STAR, included wording they were looking for and was relevant to the questions and I passed even though I used exactly the same examples.

I'm sure you'll get it next time.

 

[blourd]

I guess we just see tests differently then, I'd expected all parts of the assessment to be scored otherwise it's open to how the person assessing you feels about you.

For example I failed my first MMI but I knew from feedback that my answers weren't strong enough, didn't contain the wordings they were looking for and I didn't follow STAR very well.

So next time I made sure to explain my answers following STAR, included wording they were looking for and was relevant to the questions and I passed even though I used exactly the same examples.

I'm sure you'll get it next time.

I get that the psychometrics and MMI have to be scored like any other test. But I would have thought the whole point of the DMI is for them to see how they feel about you. The driver manager is using their experience and opinion on whether you would be good for the job or not as most people applying as trainees likely have little to no driving experience.

LNER might add or take off extra points based on their opinions so it might be more subjective than it seems, but I don't know. They obviously didn't think I was right this time so I'll take what I learned forwards and keep trying in the future.

 

[Horizon22]

I get that the psychometrics and MMI have to be scored like any other test. But I would have thought the whole point of the DMI is for them to see how they feel about you. The driver manager is using their experience and opinion on whether you would be good for the job or not as most people applying as trainees likely have little to no driving experience.

LNER might add or take off extra points based on their opinions so it might be more subjective than it seems, but I don't know. They obviously didn't think I was right this time so I'll take what I learned forwards and keep trying in the future.

Of course you can never complete remove subjectivity from an interview setting, however it is also vitally important to be fair and consistent which means using objective criteria so candidates can be compared amongst one another and scored accordingly.