Ground Staff Careers

Hello all, long time lurker here with a first post (ok second).

I'm looking into Ground Staff positions with FOC's but there is a lot less information knocking around about these career's than there is if I was looking for a Trainee Driver job. I have done a forum search and found a few old threads but they attract little interest and even fewer replies, so I thought I'd try once more. DB Schenker have a vacancy advertised for Ground Staff but I'm not quite ready to put in an application for that vacancy.

So my question is;

Do the other main FOC's have ground staff roles? If so, what is their official title (to help me keep an eye out for vacancies), and do theses vacancies come around regularly? The answer to that last question might help me decide if I put in a rushed speculative application for the DBS vacancy before it closes, or wait for another one to become available when I feel a little more prepared.

Lastly, if anyone on here can give me any more general information on the roles and responsibilities of a FOC ground staff member or a better insight to the job than the VERY brief job description on the DBS ad, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks in advance!

All the big 4 FOCs (FL, GBRf, DBS & DRS) have ground staff postions. At DRS I think they are called a Trainmen and at GBRf they are either called Rail Operatives or Assitant Train Managers depending on the location and the grade.

Main duties for GBRf include...
Preparing trains for departure
Examining loads
Pulling points
Coupling & uncoupling
Acting as a Taxi driver
Performing brake tests
Prepping locos (if competent)
Moving locos/loads in the yard (if competent)

Vacancies do come up every so often but not necessarily in the locations you want.
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Edit: Further GBRf info...

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=100030

Good post above but it's worth adding that the ground staff role with GBRF offers a very real opportunity to move up the ranks from RO to ATM, ATMp, ATMe then TM (mainline driver) - lots have done it, lots are currently doing it and lots are waiting for their opportunity. ATM's in the North and Aire Valley power stations do more train driving (loading and tipping) than anything else - makes for an excellent 'grounding' for those wanting to move on/up.

The ground staff role with DBS is very location-dependant but those at large depots do quite a bit of train prep and things like run rounds and brake testing at remote locations - a typical shift could see you working at the depot for four hours then a 30 mile trip in a van to dispatch a train from a siding then back to depot for a couple of hours of shunting wagons.

Freightliner ground staff follow a similar pattern (at least in the North) - most places where you see a f/l train you'll also see a small Fiesta van with f/l branding.

DRS - not got a clue

Assuming I pass my medical tomorrow I'm due to be starting as groundstaff for a foc in the south east shortly. I found a large amount of info by searching for train operator/groundstaff/shunter on this website and by speaking to a couple of chaps who are already in the role.
For the interview I would advise doing normal things like researching the company you are applying for as well as the job itself and then the typical examples such as when you have solved a problem, an example of your good communication skills and then being prepared to talk about yourself, why you would be good at the job, why it appeals to you, where do you see yourself in the future, strengths and weaknesses etc.
Some foc's require you to sit psychometrics some do not.

All the foc's advertise regularly for the role and I have found they normally want some rail experience/background but occasionally they are prepared to take on complete beginners like me.

Good luck with your search and if you need any further info pm me.

Legzr1 said:

DRS - not got a clue

Click to expand...

a little harsh , there !

I seem to recall an advert on the DRS website some time ago for ground staff but from what I'm led to believe a lot of that work is done by Victa rail staff. I am happy to be corrected though.

As a side not I've just looked on the Victa rail website are they have vacancies for ground staff

Victa are looking for staff with experience