A career as a signaller

[otter11]

Brilliant thanks for the info I'm so looking forward to.syarting school but I know it's going to be really tough. Dose that mean we could earn more for night allowance some some months if we have lots of nights

Yes you’d get paid for the number of nights you do

 

[PF19]

Less than a week until I swap out from Maintenance to Operations!
Extremely excited to start and make that transition, it's been a long time coming!

 

[Blokeinlondon]

Hi. This is my first post. I have been reading through some of the posts here and boy there are a lot of them. Lots of abreviations used so some of what I am reading at the moment is not so clear.

Is there a list of abreviations somewhere, that I have not found yet?
Things like IST, LOM's as examples.. There are more, a lot more!

I am in NW London but I have not seen any jobs coming up in the local area. The closest is Upminster at the moment and that is 45mins on a very good run but it could be a lot longer. Technically its within the 60mins travel time but the M25 could mess you up big time. Its also a grade 7 and I am not too familiar with the grades yet but can a newbie apply and get a grade 7 or do I need to apply for something like a grade 3/4 and come in that way?

Sorry for what is likely to be really basic stuff.. Dont shoot me down please!



Thanks

 

[PF19]

Hi. This is my first post. I have been reading through some of the posts here and boy there are a lot of them. Lots of abreviations used so some of what I am reading at the moment is not so clear.

Is there a list of abreviations somewhere, that I have not found yet?
Things like IST, LOM's as examples.. There are more, a lot more!

I am in NW London but I have not seen any jobs coming up in the local area. The closest is Upminster at the moment and that is 45mins on a very good run but it could be a lot longer. Technically its within the 60mins travel time but the M25 could mess you up big time. Its also a grade 7 and I am not too familiar with the grades yet but can a newbie apply and get a grade 7 or do I need to apply for something like a grade 3/4 and come in that way?

Sorry for what is likely to be really basic stuff.. Dont shoot me down please!



Thanks

Welcome!
Unfortunately you will find that even within the rail itself different abbreviations mean different things to different people! Usually on a local area basis
But for the one's you've mentioned, they stand for:
LOM: Local Operations Manager
IST: Initial Signaller Training

Take a look at this link
That should have a lot of them on it for you

As for the grades - You can go straight to grade 7 - But from what I've seen in my past it isn't very common without first having a lower box.. but that's just what I have witnessed, it may be more common else where in the country!

With the commute times, take into account Fatigue, can you safely drive down the M25 after a 12 hour shift, potentially in bad weather/traffic?
You might pass the "Within 60 minutes" criteria but also think of it from a personal safety aspect!
Because above most things, we want "Everyone home safe, every day"

Good luck!

 

[Rockhopper]

Its quite possible to go into a high grade position straight off the street, many have done so. Whether you'd want to do so is another matter as the grade is commensurate with the workload.

 

[Obispike01]

Brilliant thanks for the info I'm so looking forward to.syarting school but I know it's going to be really tough. Dose that mean we could earn more for night allowance some some months if we have lots of nights

Hi mrc.Welford,

just to check is your job role in Basingstoke, or is it just your IST location? If its the former, are you in the ASC or ROC?

 

[PF19]

I know it's a long time off yet, but anyone else been placed on the IST in Salford starting July?

 

[Manda2194]

Hi guys. I got an invite to do a live online assessment prior to interview today. They have given me a scenario to read in the meantime. Are the questions asked standard questions like what would you do if there was trespasser on the line or something like that. I have no idea what to expect so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Open_G]

Hi guys. I got an invite to do a live online assessment prior to interview today. They have given me a scenario to read in the meantime. Are the questions asked standard questions like what would you do if there was trespasser on the line or something like that. I have no idea what to expect so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Don’t overthink. There’s no hidden correct answers. If it’s the same as mine were think safety, communication and clear concise decisions

 

[Luke1687]

I know it's a long time off yet, but anyone else been placed on the IST in Salford starting July?

Congratulations, I have been provisionally placed in Preston in July. Have you been given a firm date?

 

[mrc.Welford]

Hi mrc.Welford,

just to check is your job role in Basingstoke, or is it just your IST location? If its the former, are you in the ASC or ROC?

It's going to be both based at Basingstoke and training there too

 

[Obispike01]

It's going to be both based at Basingstoke and training there too

Good news, if it's Basingstoke signal box (ASC) itself (we have a ROC and ASC, the latter controls Basingstoke itself, which is a grade 7), feel free to PM me, as I can give you some more information regarding the roster etc.

 

[DMckduck97]

Hello all,

Been trying to find information on this thread about rostered hours and a pattern for Basing ROC G7, anyone in the know could give me a general idea please. Just wondering if it’s worth looking into as I’m currently on a 37 hour week in an operational role

Thanks

 

[WoollyMammoth]

Hello all,

Been trying to find information on this thread about rostered hours and a pattern for Basing ROC G7, anyone in the know could give me a general idea please. Just wondering if it’s worth looking into as I’m currently on a 37 hour week in an operational role

Thanks

If you pop back two pages you should find the information you seek.

 

[DMckduck97]

If you pop back two pages you should find the information you seek.

I’m still no closer to finding out an actual pattern, how many working days a month, how many hours that sort of thing. I was fully aware that it’s 12 hour shifts

 

[WoollyMammoth]

I see, Sunday’s are outside the working week but you’re committed to 2 in 5 currently.

It’s a 35 hour working week. 07:00-19:00 changeover times but mutual handovers 30 mins earlier. Roster due to change in August but a maximum of 4 shifts in a row. Average would be 3 on/ 3 off with some shorter turnarounds and a few 4 day stints in order to earn bigger chunks off, there’s a few 7 day gaps.

 

[Dave Tasty]

Hi Signallers,

Just a quick question. When I joined a couple of years ago the first stage was Verbal and Numerical reasoning. Looking at the website it now says Virtual ability assessment. Is there anyone that has applied recently that can tell me whether or not this is different to the verbal/numerical or is it just a case of a new name for the same tests.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Qball]

Hi just wondering if I was to drop a couple of grades down would I be paid grade below my new role or would I keep my current grade until I passed out?

Tia

 

[Canonite]

Hi Signallers,

Just a quick question. When I joined a couple of years ago the first stage was Verbal and Numerical reasoning. Looking at the website it now says Virtual ability assessment. Is there anyone that has applied recently that can tell me whether or not this is different to the verbal/numerical or is it just a case of a new name for the same tests.

Thanks in advance.

It used to be SHL testing when I joined back in 2015.
I was successful last year and the process was better this time round. Early testing is just more of the same but I actually enjoyed them. Some of the assessments in the later stages were tough, that memory dot test melted my brain but I obviously did enough.
Others have said the same about that particular test.

 

[DMckduck97]

I see, Sunday’s are outside the working week but you’re committed to 2 in 5 currently.

It’s a 35 hour working week. 07:00-19:00 changeover times but mutual handovers 30 mins earlier. Roster due to change in August but a maximum of 4 shifts in a row. Average would be 3 on/ 3 off with some shorter turnarounds and a few 4 day stints in order to earn bigger chunks off, there’s a few 7 day gaps.

Thank you for the information, much appreciated, it’s quite an attractive roster even with nights in the mix

 

[Bomber633]

Morning, anyone starting IST in Birmingham on the 6th March?

 

[WoollyMammoth]

Thank you for the information, much appreciated, it’s quite an attractive roster even with nights in the mix

100%

Drop me a message if you have any further queries!

 

[Wales82]

Evening,
Has anyone else recently applied for the York signaller role that closed on the 02/02? Has anyone heard anything in relation to an interview at all?

 

[Dave Tasty]

It used to be SHL testing when I joined back in 2015.
I was successful last year and the process was better this time round. Early testing is just more of the same but I actually enjoyed them. Some of the assessments in the later stages were tough, that memory dot test melted my brain but I obviously did enough.
Others have said the same about that particular test.

Many thanks.

 

[PF19]

Congratulations, I have been provisionally placed in Preston in July. Have you been given a firm date?

Congrats!
No not had any official date yet! Sure it will come through at some point soon

 

[bazzarati]

Thank you for the information, much appreciated, it’s quite an attractive roster even with nights in the mix

There's a good chance you will never get a chance to work it. The 60HR compliant rosters are being imposed in Kent from April and have already been imposed on 2 areas within Kent. The 7 day break no longer exists for 12 hour shifts on a 60Hr roster. I'm surprised I haven't seen more push back against it, but there's a clause in the NR agreement in the current dispute that seems to hint that the company is insisting on this as part of the agreement.

 

[WoollyMammoth]

There's a good chance you will never get a chance to work it. The 60HR compliant rosters are being imposed in Kent from April and have already been imposed on 2 areas within Kent. The 7 day break no longer exists for 12 hour shifts on a 60Hr roster. I'm surprised I haven't seen more push back against it, but there's a clause in the NR agreement in the current dispute that seems to hint that the company is insisting on this as part of the agreement.

I don’t know about that being uniform across the board. Your roster might have been set up with shorter blocks of shifts and a more regular on/ off pattern so you can still do more overtime if you want to without going over the hours for example.

At BROC you’re never rostered more than 48 hours in a row so it still seems to be compliant.

 

[ThatsAMorey]

Hi everyone! 1st post, just found this site. Ive been accepted for a grade 2 signaller position in the High Peak, and due to attend the IST course on 3rd April in Salford. Very much looking forward to the role, a little trepidation about the course but a few nerves are good I think.

I’ll probably have a few questions here and there but you all seem like a great bunch, and hopefully in the future I can pay it back to the new newbies in return.

Exciting times

 

[KendalR]

There's a good chance you will never get a chance to work it. The 60HR compliant rosters are being imposed in Kent from April and have already been imposed on 2 areas within Kent. The 7 day break no longer exists for 12 hour shifts on a 60Hr roster. I'm surprised I haven't seen more push back against it, but there's a clause in the NR agreement in the current dispute that seems to hint that the company is insisting on this as part of the agreement.

As far as I'm aware this isn't Network Rail doing it, it's being imposed by the ORR and should have been in place by January but Network Rail have had to apply for extensions to implement it.

 

[bazzarati]

I don’t know about that being uniform across the board. Your roster might have been set up with shorter blocks of shifts and a more regular on/ off pattern so you can still do more overtime if you want to without going over the hours for example.

At BROC you’re never rostered more than 48 hours in a row so it still seems to be compliant.

Well if your rosters are 60hr compliant then it wouldn't make much sense to change it - assuming that it is of course.

I prefer more intensive periods personally and haven't seen any evidence that our current roster (with one week that edges up to 72hrs) causes any fatigue problems.

However, it seems like being quite a disruptive and unharmonious period because the roster we work is quite popular and on top of the industrial action, this is not going to be well received by many