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A career as a signaller

J

Jackm_91

New Member
Joined
27 Jul 2021
Messages
3
Location
Cumbria
Hi everyone, just wondering if there’s anyone that’s been taken on in a role similar to below? Wondering how long it was until you got a permanent role and if it was in the location you were training at?
Thank you


You will join as a permanent employee, as a Grade 2 trainee signaller. You will not be allocated to a specific signal box until you finish signalling school, at which point you will begin to train at locations local to you where we have vacancies. When permanent signaller vacancies arise, you will be invited to apply for these to secure a permanent location
 
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R

RailUK Forums

N

NorthernTech

Member
Joined
12 Apr 2021
Messages
643
Location
Uk
Jackm_91 said:
Hi everyone, just wondering if there’s anyone that’s been taken on in a role similar to below? Wondering how long it was until you got a permanent role and if it was in the location you were training at?
Thank you


You will join as a permanent employee, as a Grade 2 trainee signaller. You will not be allocated to a specific signal box until you finish signalling school, at which point you will begin to train at locations local to you where we have vacancies. When permanent signaller vacancies arise, you will be invited to apply for these to secure a permanent location
Click to expand...
If you have a read of this thread you will see this style of recruitment has been done for a little while now. You will see lots of posts about it and what people have done etc.
 
O

otter11

Member
Joined
4 Apr 2016
Messages
93
Hiya, just a quick question about shift start times. I'm due to be starting as a relief on the North London Line in the new year. I've been told the shifts are 7-7 but does anyone know what time the changeover typically happens at for these boxes? Is it around 6.30 or even earlier? Just trying to work out if public transport is feasible for arriving at the day shifts.
 
R

Raikkonen7

Member
Joined
10 Jun 2019
Messages
89
Jackm_91 said:
Hi everyone, just wondering if there’s anyone that’s been taken on in a role similar to below? Wondering how long it was until you got a permanent role and if it was in the location you were training at?
Thank you


You will join as a permanent employee, as a Grade 2 trainee signaller. You will not be allocated to a specific signal box until you finish signalling school, at which point you will begin to train at locations local to you where we have vacancies. When permanent signaller vacancies arise, you will be invited to apply for these to secure a permanent location
Click to expand...
I was employed like this in Feb 20. Started school May 20 and finished August 20 and managed to secure a permanent role Sept 20 after applying for numerous positions. After finishing school, I trained at one location for a short while but this was curtailed due to COVID.
 
N

nom de guerre

Member
Joined
24 Nov 2015
Messages
776
otter11 said:
Hiya, just a quick question about shift start times. I'm due to be starting as a relief on the North London Line in the new year. I've been told the shifts are 7-7 but does anyone know what time the changeover typically happens at for these boxes? Is it around 6.30 or even earlier? Just trying to work out if public transport is feasible for arriving at the day shifts.
Click to expand...

Not sure if this is still the case, but in 2021 the LOM said that most NLL boxes tended to change over at 0600-0615.
 
W

Westy91

Member
Joined
27 Jul 2022
Messages
8
Location
Hampshire
Anyone that's waiting on the Haslemere/Farncombe/Woking decision - did you receive a random template email with nothing in it from recruitment over the course of the last week?
 
Jaysub

Jaysub

Member
Joined
7 Feb 2019
Messages
151
Westy91 said:
Anyone that's waiting on the Haslemere/Farncombe/Woking decision - did you receive a random template email with nothing in it from recruitment over the course of the last week?
Click to expand...
Yes i did,i got it twice as well
 
Jaysub

Jaysub

Member
Joined
7 Feb 2019
Messages
151
Aw good luck then bud,yea you would think so but had a few interviews already now
 
O

Open_G

Member
Joined
6 May 2022
Messages
53
Location
E Yorks
Medical Query-

Am waiting for my medical date- re a Jan 23 start. Am a little bit concerned about the hearing side of things.

I have no known issues with my hearing but having played in live bands for 25 years am a little concerned it's not what it used to be.

Does any hearing loss affect the potential job offer?
 
M

MikeyFord

Member
Joined
12 Jul 2022
Messages
22
Location
UK
Open_G said:
Medical Query-

Am waiting for my medical date- re a Jan 23 start. Am a little bit concerned about the hearing side of things.

I have no known issues with my hearing but having played in live bands for 25 years am a little concerned it's not what it used to be.

Does any hearing loss affect the potential job offer?
Click to expand...
I've got grade 2 hearing and was a little worried myself all they said at the medical was that they would want to see me again in a years time to check no further lose had occured, if your scores are to high on the hearing test it is a fail but your hearing really needs to be quiet bad for that to happen.
 
J

Jaytee1977

Member
Joined
2 Aug 2022
Messages
16
Location
Scarborough
Hi I'm new here.
I have just applied for grade 2 position at scarborough. Its a 12 month fixed term position.
Can anyone help me understand what happens after the 12 month fixed period? I work offshore so I'm not in a hurry to change career if its not guaranteed after 12 months.
Also info on the training grade salaries, overtime etc would be appreciated. I'm on a very good salary but I'm after a better home life.
Thanks in advance
 
M

MikeyFord

Member
Joined
12 Jul 2022
Messages
22
Location
UK
Jaytee1977 said:
Hi I'm new here.
I have just applied for grade 2 position at scarborough. Its a 12 month fixed term position.
Can anyone help me understand what happens after the 12 month fixed period? I work offshore so I'm not in a hurry to change career if its not guaranteed after 12 months.
Also info on the training grade salaries, overtime etc would be appreciated. I'm on a very good salary but I'm after a better home life.
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
So pay in training for a grade 2 is around 26.5K, 12 months is the standard contract offered at the moment, after that a new offer will be made. Overtime is paid at 110% nights, 150% sundays, free day worked 125% and bank holiday 250% or 150% with day in lieu
 
1

1234567

New Member
Joined
22 Apr 2022
Messages
1
Location
Birmingham
Hi everyone I have finished all my checks (medical etc ) and am due to start my course in September in Birmingham, I’ve got a few questions hopefully you’ll be able to help with .

1. Is there anything I can revise before the course starts? (Books, Training manuals , Videos etc)

2. With the Exams do questions need to be answered Verbatim and are they short answers or large paragraphs ( I’m used to large paragraphs Verbatim as this was what most exams required when I was in the Navy not that I enjoyed that)
 
C

Coppernob2014

Member
Joined
14 Feb 2022
Messages
37
Location
Peterborough
Hi everyone. Just got my medical on Friday now. Was wondering if someone could actually go through the average day? I’m gonna be grade three, be nice to get an idea of what the first thing y’all do and after if that makes sense?
 
Kraken

Kraken

Member
Joined
22 Mar 2020
Messages
248
Location
Lincolnshire
1234567 said:
Hi everyone I have finished all my checks (medical etc ) and am due to start my course in September in Birmingham, I’ve got a few questions hopefully you’ll be able to help with .

1. Is there anything I can revise before the course starts? (Books, Training manuals , Videos etc)

2. With the Exams do questions need to be answered Verbatim and are they short answers or large paragraphs ( I’m used to large paragraphs Verbatim as this was what most exams required when I was in the Navy not that I enjoyed that)
Click to expand...

1. Don’t bother revising anything before you go, just enjoy the last few weeks where you’re not having to fill every minute of your day trying to remember occasions to authorise a wrong direction move and similar Railway factoids.

I did buy a copy of LTC Rolt’s ‘Red for Danger’ though, it’s an interesting book about loads of railway accidents and what caused them. If you’re doing an Absolute Block course some of it will even make sense after a while!

2. The exams are a mixture of multiple guess and written. The written answers have a substantial element of verbatim writing of certain bits of the rule book, the rest is writing what actions you would take in the scenario presented to you.

Good luck with the course, and with the job once you pass :)

Coppernob2014 said:
Hi everyone. Just got my medical on Friday now. Was wondering if someone could actually go through the average day? I’m gonna be grade three, be nice to get an idea of what the first thing y’all do and after if that makes sense?
Click to expand...

The average day of a grade 3 signaller?

Get into the box, do a handover with the person you are taking off for 3 minutes.

Have an extended chat with them if you get on well and they aren’t in a hurry to go home.

Get the kettle on.

Make a few trains go backwards and forwards, making sure they all go in the direction they are supposed to. Move some trains out of the way if they are holding other trains up.

Read a book with a cup of tea when there are no trains on.

Maybe do a few line blocks if there is work that needs to be done on track.

Continue running trains as they come.

Give the box a bit of a clean.

Your relief turns up, do a little hand over and stop for a chat or go home.

Get home and forget about your day because you’re in a job where you almost never have to take your work home with you.
 
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D

Digory

Member
Joined
22 Nov 2021
Messages
16
Location
Sheffield
First time poster here.

I have just been invited to the Signaller Scenario Assessment and interview for a Grade 2 posting for Sheffield, Worksop and Ferrybridge areas. I was just wondering if anyone knew if those boxes are 8 or 12 hour shifts? And also as the position is a Fixed Term, how often permanent positions come up for this area, ideally in Sheffield.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance!
 
V

vinoboxer

Member
Joined
1 Jul 2022
Messages
30
Location
God's country
I've just received an email saying I've been put on the reserve list for one of the recent Scotland roles. Anyone had any experience of this? Should I feel hopeful or is it unlikely?

"
Thank you for taking the time to apply to apply for Signaller Grade 2-5 - Scotland (multiple locations). The competition for this role was high and you were within the pool of top scoring candidates. It was a tough decision to make as your skills and experience make you a good fit for the role. However, after much consideration, we’re not going to be able to offer you a position for this cohort.

We’ve been really impressed by your overall performance, so we’d really like to add your details to our reserve list in case a position does become available. This means that if a place on this campaign becomes available, (for example, if someone withdraws their application), we will contact you again to make an offer to you.

If you don’t want a place on the reserve list for this route, just let us know by e-mailing us at: "
 
C

CoachB

Member
Joined
10 Jun 2022
Messages
45
Location
Scotland
vinoboxer said:
I've just received an email saying I've been put on the reserve list for one of the recent Scotland roles. Anyone had any experience of this? Should I feel hopeful or is it unlikely?

"
Thank you for taking the time to apply to apply for Signaller Grade 2-5 - Scotland (multiple locations). The competition for this role was high and you were within the pool of top scoring candidates. It was a tough decision to make as your skills and experience make you a good fit for the role. However, after much consideration, we’re not going to be able to offer you a position for this cohort.

We’ve been really impressed by your overall performance, so we’d really like to add your details to our reserve list in case a position does become available. This means that if a place on this campaign becomes available, (for example, if someone withdraws their application), we will contact you again to make an offer to you.

If you don’t want a place on the reserve list for this route, just let us know by e-mailing us at: "
Click to expand...
I just had the same email saying I was put on the reserve list for the Scottish roles. If you don't mind what location did you apply for?

From looking through the forum there has been a number of people who have been on the reserve list and been offered jobs at a later date so there's still hope
 
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