‘Driver’ isn’t the only job on the railway

[Stigy]

TPE pay full wage £58k basic to trainees after 8 weeks. That’s from the start date. There is no increments.
I’m not sure if other TOC Drivers do it this way but they do at TPE.

Edit: I know this because I am one of them.

Wow, not bad. What’s the salary up to then? I assume low £20k given how fast it goes up?

 

[PudseyBearHST]

Yes, I forgot about TPE being an exception to the rule.

That’s not the only exception. My starting salary was 40k.

 

[dctraindriver]

Wow, not bad. What’s the salary up to then? I assume low £20k given how fast it goes up?

I think that’s the full salary.

 

[Heatonmdd]

That’s not the only exception. My starting salary was 40k.

My apologies, probably being too North centric in my perspective. I can appreciate the trainee salary may well be higher in South with some TOC's.

 

[Stigy]

I think that’s the full salary.

I meant what does it start at, no idea why I put that

 

[TeaTrain]

It starts at 24k for 8 weeks then reverts to full pay of £58k. I do realise how fortunate I am to be in the position of only starting my training and being paid a full wage while some of my old colleagues have been drivers are not anywhere near that.

 

[Shoeburysam]

Because I think it largely depends on your TOC. Also currently you need a driver and you need a signaller to move trains. You don't need anyone else. I'm at a DOO toc so no guards, I drive electrostars so no catering staff. Most of our stations don't have gateline or ticket staff for large portions of the day. We only have dispatch at London Terminals. There are very few railway opportunities for non grads on my TOC. Shunters/drivers is an incredibly attractive position.

However that being said, I'd much prefer if I had a guard (never had one in my time) or dispatch at more stations. The stations should have more staff in general. Frustrating when you change ends at a station and you are mobbed by angry passengers who have no idea what's going on as part of the line is closed to engineering works. There is no Information on bus replacements if any. Although I try to help as much as possible its difficult when you have 6 minutes turn around on an 8 set.

 

[Astro_Orbiter]

I remember seeing an advert for an HMRI Inspector maybe 5 years ago, you needed either a degree or relevant operational experience I think. Something like that it was some kind of trade off that if you had years of railway experience but no degree you could still apply

 

[306024]

..........Also currently you need a driver and you need a signaller to move trains. You don't need anyone else.......

Perhaps quoting you out of context but I’d suggest you need a pay clerk too , plus one or two other essential roles without which a train won’t move anywhere.

 

[nottraindriver]

Which company pays the highest salary?

 

[bramling]

Which company pays the highest salary?

Nowadays it seems to be LNER and AWC. GTR I think for suburban work.

Perhaps quoting you out of context but I’d suggest you need a pay clerk too , plus one or two other essential roles without which a train won’t move anywhere.

You might want some p-way staff as well, and perhaps some people inspecting and maintaining the structures. And some level of timetable planning would be nice too!

 

[TheVicLine]

That’s not the only exception. My starting salary was 40k.

As a trainee?

Wow, not bad. What’s the salary up to then? I assume low £20k given how fast it goes up?

Not 100% sure here, but I think it's £24k for the first 8 weeks and then £58k after that.

 

[GuyGibsonVC]

There are quite a few roles in Network Rail that pay well for and have a good work / life balance. I know of a few office based roles that are not safety critical, you have no safety of the line and no line management responsibility, which start at £51,000. This will be for a 35 hour week, Mon - Fri, with flexible home working.

Alternatively, if you wanted to go front line, if you came off the street as a PWAY Operative, you would start on £25,000. With shift enhancement, that is around £32,000 before any overtime, HGD etc is taken to account.

It all depends on what you value. Money, flexibility, balance, career progression, professional development, job satisfaction.....

 

[TheVicLine]

I think that part of what makes the drivers job appealing to so many is that it's fairly easy to walk straight into the job and earn a very good salary without any formal qualifications. There isn't much else out there where you can do this.

 

[DriverEight]

I think that part of what makes the drivers job appealing to so many is that it's fairly easy to walk straight into the job and earn a very good salary without any formal qualifications. There isn't much else out there where you can do this.

Very true. Most of the high paying Jobs mentioned here will require some sort of career path before joining the railway, or extensive training, qualifications and experience. Whereas you can go from farm labourer on 20k to train driver on 70k in 18 months

 

[387star]

Very true. Most of the high paying Jobs mentioned here will require some sort of career path before joining the railway, or extensive training, qualifications and experience. Whereas you can go from farm labourer on 20k to train driver on 70k in 18 months

Or well under 12 months in some cases

 

[Slipper]

I think if you are judging someone by the job they do rather than the person they are, then that says more about you.

If you need to think your job position somehow makes you 'better' than someone else, then your probably not a very well adjusted person.

 

[Shoeburysam]

Perhaps quoting you out of context but I’d suggest you need a pay clerk too , plus one or two other essential roles without which a train won’t move anywhere.

Yeah I was being literal lol

 

[DA1]

There is another side to that though if you can earn £60k pa during your 20s and 30s, if you have half a brain that's a mortgage sorted and what should be a debt free period bringing up a family, that seems a fair swap to me for limited options to move on from being a driver, I certainly wish I'd been earning that sort of salary when I was 20/30ish

Massively agree with this. I was a shunter driver before becoming a mainline driver so that was a progression for me. I’m in my early-mid 20s and this job is setting me up to be financially secure and get myself onto the property ladder (which may I add is ridiculously difficult in the South East). Also it’s allowed me to take the pay cut whilst I’m young and have no significant overheads.

 

[306024]

Yeah I was being literal lol

I was worried you wouldn’t get paid

I think that part of what makes the drivers job appealing to so many is that it's fairly easy to walk straight into the job and earn a very good salary without any formal qualifications. There isn't much else out there where you can do this.

Given the number of applicants for vacancies I wouldn’t say it is that easy to walk straight into in some areas. If you are lucky enough to get through the initial sift of applicants there is no doubt the salary is competitive to other industries for the educational qualifications required, but then again qualifications don’t get you out of bed at 02.30 in the middle of winter.

 

[route101]

Id say even the entry level railway positions are hard to get into and have a lot of applicants. Wage is better than a retail job.

 

[Shoeburysam]

I was worried you wouldn’t get paid



Given the number of applicants for vacancies I wouldn’t say it is that easy to walk straight into in some areas. If you are lucky enough to get through the initial sift of applicants there is no doubt the salary is competitive to other industries for the educational qualifications required, but then again qualifications don’t get you out of bed at 02.30 in the middle of winter.

I'll change it to driver, signaller and pay clerk.

 

[387star]

I was worried you wouldn’t get paid



Given the number of applicants for vacancies I wouldn’t say it is that easy to walk straight into in some areas. If you are lucky enough to get through the initial sift of applicants there is no doubt the salary is competitive to other industries for the educational qualifications required, but then again qualifications don’t get you out of bed at 02.30 in the middle of winter.

It seems an easy job to get into if you're a Guard for example applying internally. As long as you have a good safety and attendance record! Most Guards who want to become Drivers seem to get the job eventually

 

[TheVicLine]

I was worried you wouldn’t get paid



Given the number of applicants for vacancies I wouldn’t say it is that easy to walk straight into in some areas. If you are lucky enough to get through the initial sift of applicants there is no doubt the salary is competitive to other industries for the educational qualifications required, but then again qualifications don’t get you out of bed at 02.30 in the middle of winter.

You are only quoting half of my sentence, so that's not really what I was implying.

 

[55002]

There's a great clip on YouTube about a kid that joins the railways as a cleaner, and it's shows the career path right up to the fabled "top link man" Even the plummy voiced narrator speaks of him in hushed, reverential tones....

I was watching that railwatch programme back in the 80s on YouTube last month, had interview with woman on Leeds station, who had joined on management programme could have been supervisor then, she now runs Northumbrian Water And is a CBE! Heidi Mottram