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A career as a signaller

Trothy

Member
Joined
22 May 2013
Messages
92
Will the 60hr week be actively enforced or more a recommendation?
Actively enforced in same way the current 72 hour maximum is. Without hiring and training more signallers in our area it's going to lead to huge issues here People will be getting played off "Hidden" left, right and centre.
 
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RailUK Forums

Signal_Box

Member
Joined
25 Dec 2021
Messages
739
Location
UK
Good afternoon all,

I claimed my grade for a vacancy a few months ago and have had 2 paydays since.
Data changes have now queried if I’m able to claim my grade whilst I’m banded staff so I’m a little worried I’ll have to pay back the extra I’ve been paid since claiming my grade.
Any ideas/advice? I am with RMT so always have that option…

Thanks

Believe me from bitter experience if you’ve been paid a penny more than your entitled they WILL take it back regardless how much it causes you hardship.

Basically, a payroll cock up over 18 months put me into £6k of debt the took it back at £1k per month no ifs of buts. They have to get the money back over size months maximum, union did diddly.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

New starter pension question:

Currently looking at the 3 pension options and leaning towards the CARE scheme due to the 8.88 employer contribution.

Am I right in thinking that after 5 years service I can transfer to the RPS65 final salary scheme?

Yes, unless your already a RPS member from previous employment if you are you can move straight into the network rail section.
 
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t200

Member
Joined
6 Apr 2023
Messages
8
Location
Sussex
Hi guys... Quick question for those of you that have recently started or have a start date pending: following a verbal offer (and completing your DBS, ID uploads and employment history bits), how long was it before you were contacted to arrange your medical? I'm assuming that it's after successfully passing the medical you receive full confirmation of a start date and course?
 

Frothy_B

Member
Joined
20 Aug 2021
Messages
143
Location
Northamptonshire
Hi guys... Quick question for those of you that have recently started or have a start date pending: following a verbal offer (and completing your DBS, ID uploads and employment history bits), how long was it before you were contacted to arrange your medical? I'm assuming that it's after successfully passing the medical you receive full confirmation of a start date and course?
I was contacted within 5 days of the initial offer. Unfortunately the earliest date near to me was June 22nd so still a bit of a wait to go yet.
 

Lpf93

Member
Joined
3 Apr 2023
Messages
81
Location
Ranskill
Hi guys... Quick question for those of you that have recently started or have a start date pending: following a verbal offer (and completing your DBS, ID uploads and employment history bits), how long was it before you were contacted to arrange your medical? I'm assuming that it's after successfully passing the medical you receive full confirmation of a start date and course?
Just message HR and get the optima info to sort yourself. Will be quicker that way
 

t200

Member
Joined
6 Apr 2023
Messages
8
Location
Sussex
Just message HR and get the optima info to sort yourself. Will be quicker that way
I did chase it but I will try again... I actually have an unrelated Optima medical booked with my current employer and it would be great to do it then if possible. Perhaps that's caused some confusion with Optima if I'm on their books with two different companies

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I was contacted within 5 days of the initial offer. Unfortunately the earliest date near to me was June 22nd so still a bit of a wait to go yet.
I can believe it. Optima have so many large contracts up and down the country. I've previously had struggles booking medicals with them. I might need to badger them a little
 
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Sunset route

Established Member
Joined
27 Oct 2015
Messages
1,200
Dear all, I was curious about relief pay or Southeast allowance. Would being at Three Bridges ROC attract any of this?

Signallers at Three Bridges ROC get half London allowance and as far as I’m aware there are no relief jobs located within any of the links at the ROC.
 

Luke1687

Member
Joined
9 Nov 2022
Messages
28
Location
Cumbria
Hello all. Currently on week 3 IST. I am a T Post so no actual base as yet and just wanted to see if any one else has experience of applying while on the course. I was wondering if not applying for posts due to location or Suitability e.g. preferring permanent base to a relief position would go against you?
 
Joined
15 Apr 2020
Messages
353
Location
Wakefield
Hello all. Currently on week 3 IST. I am a T Post so no actual base as yet and just wanted to see if any one else has experience of applying while on the course. I was wondering if not applying for posts due to location or Suitability e.g. preferring permanent base to a relief position would go against you?
Many of us have been through the process.
Your reasoning is sound to only apply for jobs you can get to, and are suitable. It looks better to not apply to every job going as that can seem desperate or that you don’t care where you work. However if you get to the end of IST and haven’t applied for a single job, your LOM might ask why.
Remember your ‘ideal’ job might not come up for years in some cases!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==



Automerge has done something…


From July, standard IST becomes just 10 weeks but with a 2 week online on boarding/initial course, done at home/in a location chosen by your LOM.

The 2 weeks covers the things which used to be in IST week 1, like basics of railways, comms, intro to signalling and Network Rail info, Lifesaving Rules etc - but not actual rules and regs.

The aim is for everyone to arrive at IST with the same basic knowledge and ready to throw themselves into learning. Obviously some will know more than others but no one should arrive completely unaware of what a train is, and tutors shouldn’t have to waste a morning teaching the phonetic alphabet etc.
 
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Joined
6 Jun 2018
Messages
47
Hi everyone i have an interview soon for Wakefield kirkgate could anyone tell me what the rota is there please?Thank you in advance.
 
Joined
15 Apr 2020
Messages
353
Location
Wakefield
Hi everyone i have an interview soon for Wakefield kirkgate could anyone tell me what the rota is there please?Thank you in advance.
Kirkgate is 8 hour roster, 12 hour Sundays, on the ‘usual’ pattern for the region:

Su M T W Th F S
RD RD RD L L L L
N N N N N N N
RD L L RD E E E
D E E E RD RD RD
 

red2512

Member
Joined
12 Mar 2023
Messages
48
Location
East Mids
I've got a start date now! Super excited to get going. No idea what IST I will be on or when it will start but it's a relief to have it all finalised
 

newcastleboy

Member
Joined
6 May 2021
Messages
55
Location
Newcastle
Hello, I have applied for the Operations level 3 Apprenticeship (signalling) Tyneside iecc/roc is my chosen location, does anyone know what grade the signallers are there? Any help is much appreciated.
 

nom de guerre

Member
Joined
24 Nov 2015
Messages
789
Hello, I have applied for the Operations level 3 Apprenticeship (signalling) Tyneside iecc/roc is my chosen location, does anyone know what grade the signallers are there? Any help is much appreciated.

Tyneside was Grade 7, but I think I saw a job on the internal list recently that was an 8. (Gone now, so can't confirm.)

That sort of ballpark, anyway.
 

newcastleboy

Member
Joined
6 May 2021
Messages
55
Location
Newcastle
Tyneside was Grade 7, but I think I saw a job on the internal list recently that was an 8. (Gone now, so can't confirm.)

That sort of ballpark, anyway.
Would you happen to know, once you finish the apprenticeship does your salary go up to the grade of the signallers at your chosen box or ROC?
 

t200

Member
Joined
6 Apr 2023
Messages
8
Location
Sussex
I've got a start date now! Super excited to get going. No idea what IST I will be on or when it will start but it's a relief to have it all finalised
Congratulations! I have a provisional start date (subject to the usual formalities). I just have my medical to go now... How long did you have to wait before your conditional offer was officially confirmed?
I'm looking forward to cracking on with it now.
 

red2512

Member
Joined
12 Mar 2023
Messages
48
Location
East Mids
I got confirmation on the day of my medical. It took probably a week or so for the actual written confirmation to be passed to NR I think. Once that was confirmed another couple of days to receive a confirmation email with start date and employee number etc

Congratulations! I have a provisional start date (subject to the usual formalities). I just have my medical to go now... How long did you have to wait before your conditional offer was officially confirmed?
I'm looking forward to cracking on with it now.
 
Joined
15 Apr 2020
Messages
353
Location
Wakefield
Would you happen to know, once you finish the apprenticeship does your salary go up to the grade of the signallers at your chosen box or ROC?
The ops apprenticeship that started last year (?) certainly didn’t just walk into a signalling job, as far as I remember. They were a year of working and training as all things operations - initial signaller training, MOM training, shadowing MOMs and LOMs, Control etc. It then allowed apprentices to apply for whatever job they wanted at the end of it.
 
Joined
15 Apr 2020
Messages
353
Location
Wakefield
So even though you are a qualified signaller at the end, you don’t get a signallers job at your chosen location?
If it’s the same scheme (it might not be, I have no idea), then by the end you’re also a trained LOM and MOM, and controller but no, you absolutely don’t just get the pick of all jobs.

Just like every other of the 1000s of trained signaller or MOM or LOM wanting a new position in the company, you have to apply for an available job and successfully interview for them.
 

NC99

Member
Joined
8 Jun 2023
Messages
20
Location
London
Hi,

Been a bit of a lurker on here through the process of applying for the Grade 2-4 Signaller - Cambridge, Bury Yard, Stonea, Acton Canal Wharf, Dudding Hill, Neasden, Willesden vacancies advertised recently.

I have applied for the London based vacancies (Acton Canal Wharf, Dudding Hill, Neasden and Willesden) and have passed the first 3 stages and been invited to a live interview.

It's been a great source of information on here, but i just wondered if anyone knew what grades the four London locations above are?

Also, the Grade 2 base salary is advertised at £32,210. As the job ad includes Cambridge, Peterborough and Ipswich postcodes I was presuming/hoping the London vacancies would have the London allowance added to that (think its £3k?)

Any help would be appreciated. Cheers!
 

willpilbeam

Member
Joined
16 Mar 2023
Messages
29
Location
Llandudno
Well.. 2 weeks ago i got an email stating i was unsuccessful in a Grade 2 role in North Wales, but placed on a reserve list.. Today i got a call offering me a position, made up! No start date until September, possibly January but still very happy :) Thanks again
 

SH89

Member
Joined
26 Mar 2021
Messages
33
Location
Shrewsbury
So even though it’s a permanent job you don’t get a signallers job at the end ?
You apply internally as your progress through training, but there’s no guarantee you’ll get where you’d like first time round, especially if it’s a higher graded signaller role.
 

Bald Rick

Veteran Member
Joined
28 Sep 2010
Messages
32,378
Hi,

Been a bit of a lurker on here through the process of applying for the Grade 2-4 Signaller - Cambridge, Bury Yard, Stonea, Acton Canal Wharf, Dudding Hill, Neasden, Willesden vacancies advertised recently.

I have applied for the London based vacancies (Acton Canal Wharf, Dudding Hill, Neasden and Willesden) and have passed the first 3 stages and been invited to a live interview.

It's been a great source of information on here, but i just wondered if anyone knew what grades the four London locations above are?

Also, the Grade 2 base salary is advertised at £32,210. As the job ad includes Cambridge, Peterborough and Ipswich postcodes I was presuming/hoping the London vacancies would have the London allowance added to that (think its £3k?)

Any help would be appreciated. Cheers!

Welcome, and good luck with the applications.

Acton Canal Wharf, Dudding Hill and Neasden are all Grade 2 or 3 IIRC. I’m fairly sure Willesden Carriage Sidings are the same, @carriageline may be able to confirm.

They are all great ‘boxes to learn the trade of signalling; Dudding Hill in particular is a nice place to work.
 

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