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Firefighter looking at career change
- Thread starter Firefly
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Jeez has it really gone that bad!?........i was absolutely desperate to get in wholetime but realised after a while given the competition, how infrequently they recruit and me being too thick to get through the assessments that i was fighting a losing battle......so went retained which was only giving me even more sadness that i wasn't good enough to do it wholetime.
in the end i just thought i can't take only doing it on call so decided to leave after 3 years
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Ha ha ha guys don't tempt me!..........all joking aside though you guys given your experience etc would be perfect for driving.....stick with it you're sure to get in
It's not as picturesque as it sounds.
I was like you, and was lucky enough to beat the thousands of applicants to get a post as a Fire Fighter.
Over the past few years, the job has gotten worse and worse, to the point where it's ridiculous. I can't speak for other services, but they just keep piling insurmountable training on us, wanting us to conduct extremely in-depth visits, bringing back hydrant tests during night shifts, acting as first responders. Also, with lack of personnel, cutting of pension/early retirement, pumps off the run, the job has become exhausting, if not dangerous.
Each to their own though.
Coming from any emergency services background helps with an application. I came from the ambulance service, and I know people from a police background. If anything, it gives you plenty of examples to use in the competency based interviews "when have you followed rules". "When have you worked as a team" etc. I remember the DMs laughing at my interview when they asked if I'd ever dealt with an emergency.
+1. Sums it up exactly!
I am not a Firefighter but a Civil Servant with 27 years service.
Like all public services , I have seen the Terms & Conditions that I signed up for, be changed for the worse under governments of all political colours.
I agree that I should be expected to pay something to my future pension, but what I do object to is the negative effect that all the changes will have on those with less years service.
I am lucky that because of my 27 years service my final pension will still be based on 27 years under the old conditions and 13 years under the new ones (if I do the full 40 years).
Its wonderful to work for a Govt Dept who impose on you WORSE Terms and Conditions if you get promoted ( I lose 1 1/2 days annual leave, worse sick leave entitlements, higher pension contributions and no chance of getting to the pay maximum) - Currently I am top of my scale and so there is no incentive for me to get promoted !.
And my other bugbear is the Union Members who quite happily work overtime despite knowing that by doing so they are masking the staff shortages caused by natural wastage ( I dont do O/T).
But what keeps me going is the vast majority of the people I work with, who keep me (almost) sane !.
Like all public services , I have seen the Terms & Conditions that I signed up for, be changed for the worse under governments of all political colours.
I agree that I should be expected to pay something to my future pension, but what I do object to is the negative effect that all the changes will have on those with less years service.
I am lucky that because of my 27 years service my final pension will still be based on 27 years under the old conditions and 13 years under the new ones (if I do the full 40 years).
Its wonderful to work for a Govt Dept who impose on you WORSE Terms and Conditions if you get promoted ( I lose 1 1/2 days annual leave, worse sick leave entitlements, higher pension contributions and no chance of getting to the pay maximum) - Currently I am top of my scale and so there is no incentive for me to get promoted !.
And my other bugbear is the Union Members who quite happily work overtime despite knowing that by doing so they are masking the staff shortages caused by natural wastage ( I dont do O/T).
But what keeps me going is the vast majority of the people I work with, who keep me (almost) sane !.
i didn't mean you were lucky as in you had help to get there in any way shape or form or that you are only there through luck.....I'm sure you worked your nuts off as did i to get my job........i meant you are lucky from my very own perspective as it's a job I'd of killed for (not literally)
totally taken out of context.
Firefly
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That is so bang on as to how the fire service is in leicestershire. Out of interest, which brigade are you in?
Also, did you have to travel far for you train driver applications?
Hi I not a firefighter but my dad was and I can see how much it has changed, I have been in the police for 15yrs and that is just as bad, pension being messed about with, cuts cuts and more cuts merging with other forces reducing coverage in your own county and loosing roles.
I jumped at the chance when I saw job advertised now in the talent pool waiting for a course date.
The experience you have on emergency service is valuable to your application
Good luck
I jumped at the chance when I saw job advertised now in the talent pool waiting for a course date.
The experience you have on emergency service is valuable to your application
Good luck
All these peaople saying your be in a good postion with the interviews and mmi etc are all correct ,however you have to get to that stage first by passing many assessments and then the assesmnets days themselves , just don't take your eye of the ball in the meantime .during my assessment days I had a couple of people from the MET police there who for some reason just thought turning up would be enough to get them in the door because of what they did ,sorry don't work like that . Good luck to you all .
notadriver
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Great post Leebob34
I think the fact that the railway has so many perks and good terms is why so many people from other agencies want to 'jump ship' so to speak. I've been in my job for around 9-years and would love a change, but that's not to say I don't enjoy what I do. I've looked at other companies just keeping options open, but have yet to find a line of work where I'd get the same or higher salary, perks and pension that the railway offers. As much as I disagree with union politics, I think having a strong union has a big part to pay in all of this (you won't find a minimum wage job working for a TOC! Even gateline positions.).
I have seen the issues with the Fire Service first hand and it's the same with all government departments (HMPS, Police, FRS, NHS etc.). What other industry almost gurantees a pairs each year?
I have seen the issues with the Fire Service first hand and it's the same with all government departments (HMPS, Police, FRS, NHS etc.). What other industry almost gurantees a pairs each year?
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Same here but only 9 years in. I'm lucky in that I'm a late joiner and am 49 now so I'm in the no change category pension wise. Would still leave at the drop of a hat mind you if GWR ever offer me a job
My local brigade are recruiting for wholetime at the end of the month and it's something I've always wanted to do. Was all set to do retained but they pulled them from my nearest station.
The dilemma for me is the drop in wages, not that I'd be doing the job for the money but when your earning 20k more a year it's hard to drop that much from a driving job.
Shame though as its the first time in 8 years they've recruited.
Seems a common theme of people leaving the fire service and I wouldn't want to be one them in 5-10 years knowing I had a driving job on the railway and gave it up.
Just have to hope they decide to reinstate retained at some point.
I take it they are on about 30k now firefighters? Obviously London get a weighting attached but I'm in one of the surrounding counties in the south East.
The dilemma for me is the drop in wages, not that I'd be doing the job for the money but when your earning 20k more a year it's hard to drop that much from a driving job.
Shame though as its the first time in 8 years they've recruited.
Seems a common theme of people leaving the fire service and I wouldn't want to be one them in 5-10 years knowing I had a driving job on the railway and gave it up.
Just have to hope they decide to reinstate retained at some point.
I take it they are on about 30k now firefighters? Obviously London get a weighting attached but I'm in one of the surrounding counties in the south East.
notadriver
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I know someone who is a full time firefighter and drives coaches on his days off. Obviously it's not possible to be a part time train driver.
The only reason I got the train drivers job at 20 was my 2 years experience in the brigade, I think. Unfortunately I left because there was no full time career.
As much as I loved doing it (I don't think anything will compare to getting alerted at 2 in the morning and helping people) I don't think I could do it now.
The old guys that had done 30 years service said the job was f%#&*# too. I saw extremely good firefighters (ones that I have the upmost respect for) leave because of that reason.
Since being a driver, my old brigade applied for whole time firefighters, so the chief of fire lied to me. But I'm all the better for it and I wasn't even tempted to apply.
You'll hear similar things from old hands on the railway too. No jobs are how they were all those years ago.
I don't think you'll have any problems, as others have said. The health and safety side of things - Just lay it on thick with every assessment and interview and you'll do just fine!
Good luck with it all!
As much as I loved doing it (I don't think anything will compare to getting alerted at 2 in the morning and helping people) I don't think I could do it now.
The old guys that had done 30 years service said the job was f%#&*# too. I saw extremely good firefighters (ones that I have the upmost respect for) leave because of that reason.
Since being a driver, my old brigade applied for whole time firefighters, so the chief of fire lied to me. But I'm all the better for it and I wasn't even tempted to apply.
You'll hear similar things from old hands on the railway too. No jobs are how they were all those years ago.
I don't think you'll have any problems, as others have said. The health and safety side of things - Just lay it on thick with every assessment and interview and you'll do just fine!
Good luck with it all!
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RPM
Established Member
Bear in mind applying to be a train driver is always a very long shot. I wouldn't pin all your hopes on it. That said, you are in a reasonably favoured profession when it comes to candidate selection so it is definitely worth a go. I wish you the very best of luck.
I'm a 10 year Firefighter, got a line managers interview in a few weeks. I found the assessments pretty straight forward and reasonably easy. Fire service is still a great job and if I get offered a trainee drivers position I will then make my decision. Having studied interview material I do feel very fortunate to have many experiences to draw on with regarding potential questions. The more I look at the driver role the more I see many similarities to the Firefighters role and that really appeals to me.
Snakedoc
Member
What station are your interviews for mate? Wish you all the best, let us know how you get on.
It depends on the TOC you join, I left the fire service in 2014 and unfortunately the TOC I work for do not accept transfers from external pension schemes, so check if it is pivotal.
That said, that is the only negative thing I can say about the change of career.
I left the fire service pension a few years back, before all the strikes (still went out though for all my colleagues) because I knew there was absolutely no point in carrying on paying into it when I won't be in the job. I'm hoping I can transfer over but if not, hey ho.
Apples&Pears
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I'd be interested to know what the score is with the pension too as I have one I'd like to transfer in from the public sector if possible.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news guys but it's not a case of wether the toc/foc will allow you to transfer in but since April this year you haven't been allowed to transfer out of the FPS until you retire, it's not just us it's the whole of the public sector - our lovely government simply don't have the money (the robbing b'stards have spent the cash) makes my blood boil :mad:
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