A career as a signaller

[father_jack]

What is tupe? And tocne?

Apologies.

TUPE= Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment), the person subject to these regulations retains the terms and conditions from the previous employer.

TOCNE= Train Operating Company New Entrant, a railway person who gets privilege fare, that is 75% off leisure travel and 75% off season tickets along with other benefits, all train company staff who started after 1996 fall into this bracket.

 

[Kraken]

Evening folks, newbie here. Been steadily working my way through this wonderful, supportive thread, as I've got to the bit in my (external) applications for the role of Signaller (three positions up North!) where I'm starting to be very concerned about how "in the dark" I am as to how hard the numerical part of the test I've been invited to do actually is.



I've also been spooked by the website with the free SHL tests on - I'm not even finishing the practice tests and getting really frustrated because I find them so difficult to get my head around. It's the most difficult maths I've done since school, and I work in a job that uses maths (percentages, ratios etc) daily to calculate various volumes and things.

Having read quite a few posts recently suggesting your maths doesn't have to be incredible to gain a pass score, is this broadly the experience of everyone else who has taken these tests recently? IE they are significantly more straightforward than the Free SHL practice tests?

Many thanks folks, this thread has been invaluable so far!

I did the numerical test last week. The real test is the same sort of questions as the practice test but I found it a lot easier. That’s not to say I thought it was easy, but for me it was nowhere near as brutal as the practise exam. The questions take a similar form to the practise exam, but I found them less complex with fewer stages to each bit.

As Danny5213 says the example questions are more of an indication of the difficulty level you are looking at. Be prepared, but probably don’t be petrified about them.

 

[Kraken]

During the current situation, has anyone had an invite to an interview, following successful coompletion of the online assessments?

Nothing as yet, still at ‘Test Completed’ for all my applications.

It’s funny, reading through this thread before application I thought the people who were checking their account multiple times a day were insane, “it’ll happen when it happens” I thought. Now here I am doing the very same thing!

 

[ag51ruk]

I’m checking vacancies everyday and I’m getting the daily email notification too. I’ve noticed the last few emails have listed new vacancies which can not be seen by just searching on the site? For instance this evening a role in Shrewsbury is listed on the email but is no where to be found just on nwr site? I can apply via the email link so I assume it’s a live vacancy. Am I somehow searching wrong? Worried I may be missing vacancies I could be applying for.
Thanks

What is the IRC number of the one you couldn't find on the website?

 

[Allaboard78]

Apologies.

TUPE= Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment), the person subject to these regulations retains the terms and conditions from the previous employer.

TOCNE= Train Operating Company New Entrant, a railway person who gets privilege fare, that is 75% off leisure travel and 75% off season tickets along with other benefits, all train company staff who started after 1996 fall into this bracket.

Thank you!!

 

[amanda08]

What is the IRC number of the one you couldn't find on the website?

Hi, it’s
IRC2181551

Thanks

 

[bouff34]

I don’t think there is. (Happy to be corrected!)

Any specific queries, Bouff?

Ok, well to start with- when does a day begin and end!

In the police your duty (or roster) day was always 24hrs from either 0700 or 0600 (depending on what sot of unit you were on) which made things easy. For example on New Year's Eve if you worked a shift from 2200x0700 it made no difference that after midnight was a bank holiday - you just got paid for a normal working day. Bank holiday pay would therefore not start until 0700 on New Years Day and the night shift on New Years Day was entirely regarded as a Bank Holiday even though it didn't finish until the following morning. This meant that your entire shift was either a normal day or a Bank Holiday so made it simple to know what you were getting. As a signaller I think - the duty day effectively begins at midnight? So if you work a night on New Year's Eve you get two hours at normal pay and then 6 at Bank Holiday?

On a similar vein, if I work weekend night shifts - am I correct in thinking my Sunday enhancement comes from the six hours worked after midnight on the Saturday shift and then the first two hours up to midnight on the Sunday shift?? Effectively meaning a Saturday night is worth more than a Sunday night?

I think it’s all defined in your contract, I know there is reference to differing rates on the one I got.

Yes, there is on mine too - but it doesn't explain the intricacies as per above!


Thanks to both of you for your replies.

 

[Danny5213]

I honestly think that the SHL practice tests are overly difficult to try and get you to pay subscription fees for practice packages and whatnot. Call me cynical if you like, but for me it was striking how much easier the official ones are

I agree with this theory.

 

[thebigmusic]

Thanks for your replies folks! Really appreciate you taking the time in the current climate. Cheers, will let you know how I get on, I've got until Tuesday morning to complete them.

 

[LOM]

Does anybody know what the numbers mean on job adverts? It would seem they typically begin 10 and are 6 digits but an example is:

OB Appleby LOM (105234) G2

is it the box? Or the LOM?

That is a cost centre number.

 

[Mi&Li]

That is a cost centre number.

Knew you’d be along soon enough to clear it up! Thanks

 

[Javagem]

That is a cost centre number.

Is the G2 reference anything to do with grades?

 

[ArchangelA]

I’m checking vacancies everyday and I’m getting the daily email notification too. I’ve noticed the last few emails have listed new vacancies which can not be seen by just searching on the site? For instance this evening a role in Shrewsbury is listed on the email but is no where to be found just on nwr site? I can apply via the email link so I assume it’s a live vacancy. Am I somehow searching wrong? Worried I may be missing vacancies I could be applying for.
Thanks

I've noticed that Network Rail advertise their jobs on other job sites, that will provide you with a link to the NWR site to apply. I've experienced this recently and the jobs didn't appear on the NWR at that time, until a few hours later for literally a few hours, then they made it invisible again?!

 

[Saracen_83]

!
As a signaller I think - the duty day effectively begins at midnight? So if you work a night on New Year's Eve you get two hours at normal pay and then 6 at Bank Holiday?

On a similar vein, if I work weekend night shifts - am I correct in thinking my Sunday enhancement comes from the six hours worked after midnight on the Saturday shift and then the first two hours up to midnight on the Sunday shift?? Effectively meaning a Saturday night is worth more than a Sunday night?
.

not exactly I’m afraid. Take the bank hol Friday coming up, if you work Thursday night (Into the bank hol) 1800-0600, then you get basic rate for all of that shift. If you work the night shift on the bank hol Friday (1800-0600), then, if you choose LROP, you get basic plus a comp day, or if you choose HROP, you get HROP for 1800-0000, then basic pay for 0000 - 0600...

hope that makes sense!

 

[Javagem]

not exactly I’m afraid. Take the bank hol Friday coming up, if you work Thursday night (Into the bank hol) 1800-0600, then you get basic rate for all of that shift. If you work the night shift on the bank hol Friday (1800-0600), then, if you choose LROP, you get basic plus a comp day, or if you choose HROP, you get HROP for 1800-0000, then basic pay for 0000 - 0600...

hope that makes sense!

Do you get to choose, HROP or LROP ad-hoc? or is this part of your contract? Also, what does each abbreviation stand for?

 

[High Dyke]

Is the G2 reference anything to do with grades?

I'd guess it means a Grade 2 position.

 

[Saracen_83]

Do you get to choose, HROP or LROP ad-hoc? or is this part of your contract? Also, what does each abbreviation stand for?

no you can choose, you just need to tell rosters what you want on each day.....

lrop = low rate of pay

HROP = high rate of pay

 

[LOM]

Is the G2 reference anything to do with grades?

I'd guess it means a Grade 2 position.

I do not know what it stands for but it is not anything to do with grades. If I go into Oracle and load the list of my staff they all show under the Department column as:

“OS [their home station] [my cost centre number] G3” but none of them are Grade 3 jobs. I think it is something to do with the layer of the Org Chart the job sits in.

 

[Javagem]

I do not know what it stands for but it is not anything to do with grades. If I go into Oracle and load the list of my staff they all show under the Department column as:

“OS [their home station] [my cost centre number] G3” but none of them are Grade 3 jobs. I think it is something to do with the layer of the Org Chart they job sits in.

Thanks for clarifying.

 

[Javagem]

no you can choose, you just need to tell rosters what you want on each day.....

lrop = low rate of pay

HROP = high rate of pay

Ah, makes sense now so LROP is lower pay but you can get time back in lieu, whereas HROP is just more cash?

 

[Saracen_83]

Ah, makes sense now so LROP is lower pay but you can get time back in lieu, whereas HROP is just more cash?

basically yes!!!

 

[nom de guerre]

Ah, makes sense now so LROP is lower pay but you can get time back in lieu, whereas HROP is just more cash?

"Just more cash" - the tabloids would love that quote for their bi-annual pay deal knocking pieces

Yep - exactly that. There's also a reduced version of LROP/HROP for bank holidays we're not rostered to work: either a comp day or a day's pay at flat rate. (Family and friends tend to react quite incredulously when you explain that one...)

 

[Javagem]

"Just more cash" - the tabloids would love that quote for their bi-annual pay deal knocking pieces

Yep - exactly that. There's also a reduced version of LROP/HROP for bank holidays we're not rostered to work: either a comp day or a day's pay at flat rate. (Family and friends tend to react quite incredulously when you explain that one...)

I know which I’d choose!

 

[ArchangelA]

What would a grade 4 signaller expect to earn with all the enhancements added?

 

[LOM]

Yep - exactly that. There's also a reduced version of LROP/HROP for bank holidays we're not rostered to work: either a comp day or a day's pay at flat rate. (Family and friends tend to react quite incredulously when you explain that one...)

Recently had to explain the concept of a Hidden day to someone outside the rail industry, met with a similar reaction.

 

[nom de guerre]

I know which I’d choose!

You can never have too much time off, IMO...

Recently had to explain the concept of a Hidden day to someone outside the rail industry, met with a similar reaction.

At least there's a safety justification for that. But getting paid for not working a bank holiday? Those outside the railway bubble love that one...

 

[nom de guerre]

On a similar vein, if I work weekend night shifts - am I correct in thinking my Sunday enhancement comes from the six hours worked after midnight on the Saturday shift and then the first two hours up to midnight on the Sunday shift?? Effectively meaning a Saturday night is worth more than a Sunday night?

Yes, on an 8hr roster (but not a 12hr one). Hence why the pay matrices include a 'Normal Saturday night' column...

Nb payslip-wise:

Overtime @ 1.25 rate = 0000-finish on Mon AM (second half of Sun night turn)
Sunday @ 0.50 rate = 0000-finish on Sun AM (second half of Sat night turn) - in addition to 1.00 rate paid as part of headline pay

 

[Midlands_lad]

I thought the prison service roster and pay was complicated, wow you will need a fair bit of time getting your head around a NR pay slip

 

[LOM]

Most of the signaller’s terms and conditions go back to BR days with major updates in 1994 2001 and 2005 (when the 35 hour working week came in). You will quickly get the hang of things but it takes about 25 years to become a proper payslip scrutineer able to answer any pay related question instantly.

 

[Qball]

You can never have too much time off, IMO...




At least there's a safety justification for that. But getting paid for not working a bank holiday? Those outside the railway bubble love that one...

This will be me this time around as I'm booked off both days.