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Dispatcher Roles

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alexl92

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Hi,

Please can someone explain to me what the job of a Dispatcher actually entails, and what would be required to succeed in the interview process and in the job itself?

The website of the company recruiting doesn't explain this particularly well, simply saying you have to be customer focused, good under pressure and able to work various shifts.

I presume it's the people on the platform who allow trains to leave but I also imagine there's more to the job than that?

Many thanks
 
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HSTfan!!!

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Yes, you're the man with the bat seeing trains away safely basically. Added onto that is assisting customers with enquiries, assisting passengers on and off trains and being the face for all the abuse when it all goes wrong.
 
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craigybagel

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Varies very much depending on company and location. Where I was, we were responsible for everything from passenger assistance, announcements (at a station with no auto announcer), cleaning (including toilets) and keeping busy with anything else that needed doing (standing in as rrb coordinators, shovelling snow, chasing children out of the multistorey car park), as well as despatching every train that passed through. It can be a fun job that gives great experience, but as said above, expect lots and lots of abuse.
 
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ItchyRsole

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Friend of mine is a dispatcher for Eurostar & he said it's great. Decent money £33,000 basic plus an average of £3,000 a year in early turn payments & that's without overtime. £40,000 a year job for doing a relatively easy job as long as your head is screwed on, and your rules and regs are up to scratch. Biggest positive he said is during disruption you don't see any passengers until they're about to board in which case they are happy.

Sounds a good screw.
 
the sniper

the sniper

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ItchyRsole said:
Friend of mine is a dispatcher for Eurostar & he said it's great. Decent money £33,000 basic plus an average of £3,000 a year in early turn payments & that's without overtime. £40,000 a year job for doing a relatively easy job as long as your head is screwed on, and your rules and regs are up to scratch. Biggest positive he said is during disruption you don't see any passengers until they're about to board in which case they are happy.

Sounds a good screw.
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I'd say that pay is very much an exception rather than the rule for a dispatcher! Most I know of are paid around £10,000 less at best.
 
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CreamODcrop

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Average 21-24k basic plus Sunday's and overtime... Could push up to 40s if u put the hours in.
 
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craigybagel

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Virgin ranged from around 22k (Oxenholme) to around 30k (Euston) - with salaries based on a points system taking into account location and responsibilities (I use to get 14p an hour extra for being a qualified announcer!). Sundays are outside though so they were a good earner at time + 1/4, and if you could wrangle a night shift it was time + 1/2.
 
FGW_DID

FGW_DID

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Posts #2 & #3 basically have it covered. Dispatcher was my first role when I joined the railway in 2011 and I was on just over 21k basic. (Plus OT & Sunday's).
 
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Phil.

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ItchyRsole said:
Friend of mine is a dispatcher for Eurostar & he said it's great. Decent money £33,000 basic plus an average of £3,000 a year in early turn payments & that's without overtime. £40,000 a year job for doing a relatively easy job as long as your head is screwed on, and your rules and regs are up to scratch. Biggest positive he said is during disruption you don't see any passengers until they're about to board in which case they are happy.

Sounds a good screw.
Click to expand...

There is no other rail company out there that will pay staff so much for doing so little as Eurostar.
 
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ItchyRsole

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Phil. said:
There is no other rail company out there that will pay staff so much for doing so little as Eurostar.
Click to expand...

True Phil.

He said his direct management are very good and they're well supported, and yes the money sounds great.
 
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HSTfan!!!

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I started on 13k and was on 24k when I finished dispatching. Was a reasonably enjoyable job with a decent crew to work with, gave me good knowledge to move up the ranks.
 
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