Hey Guys,
I'm currently going through my second application for a Grade 2 position in Lincolnshire. I was unsuccessful with my first application and placed on the reserve list. The position closes next week so I'm currently sat waiting for testing and interviews.
Can any current serving Signallers give their opinion about the job and if Network Rail are a good company to work for? Is it easy to move to higher graded Boxes down the line? Do you get get much over time pay on top of your base salary?
I'm currently in the military and looking to leave. The role I currently do pays slightly more than the grade 2 role but I receive no extra overtime on top of what I earn. I would appreciate an honest summary of the job and work life balance if possible.
thanks
I’m 18 months into this job and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made to be honest. If you’re content to be on your own a lot of the time and have to make decisions off your own back then it’s the job for you. You do have to tolerate boredom on a quiet night shift. Sitting outside your box with a cup of tea listening to birds at 6 in the morning still feels like a treat. The downside is rarely having a weekend off which has cut into my family time quite dramatically. Also it can be very challenging to get leave booked in, particularly at less than 2 or 3 weeks’ notice. I feel way less flexible now if something comes up.
I’ve experience of both the military and civil service and Network Rail as a company I have personally found to be pretty good in comparison, albeit I’ve not had any major problems yet.
As far as overtime, I’m a relief signaller and get offered any amount of it. I probably went a bit overboard last year and ended up doing 25% more than the posted salary before tax, so you can bolster the pay if necessary. My line runs nights and weekends though, so you might not have as much opportunity for the extras as High Dyke has said.
It seems really easy to get a higher grade job if that is what you are after, plenty of people have done so in my area not very long after qualifying and have moved up to the Grade 6+ jobs in the bigger signalling centres. That seems like a totally different job to me and I’ve not decided yet whether I fancy it a few years down the line.
I would recommend the job to anyone who thinks it might be something they’d like, I wish I’d done it 10 years ago. Happen to take a PM if you want to chat about it.
Well done.
