The_Man_Who
New Member
Hi all, and first can i just say a big thanks for the wealth of information you guys have deposited on this forum (some of it utterly terrifying but also some useful and informative)
In just over a month i'll be joining Northern Rail as a trainee conductor but before i do i'm stuck with a few things my research hasn't been able to answer so i'm hoping you guys can help.
Firstly My Background (feel free to skip to the questions)
I'm 28 and i've worked in retail for a major supermarket for 12 years in a variety of roles, for about 7 years i worked during the day and evenings (this included being at school, college and university) mostly dealing with customers, some friendly, some not so friendly as i'm sure is the case with being a conductor/guard but at least they were all different. For the last 5 years i've worked on nightshift between 21:00 and 7:00, replenishing shelves as a supervisor, during most of this time there are no customers and we simply trudge along filling shelves. Over the last few years hours cutbacks and crazy expectations have made the job almost impossible (for perspective we have a computer that says how long the work should take and then a schedule of how long we have and typically the required hours are 20% - 30% greater than what we have) as a result of this i've become increasingly disillusioned and now genuinely dread going to work every night (though we do only work 4 nights in 7 which is a plus) the fact that my role (which isn't bottom rung) only earns £20k doesn't exactly help either
With this in mind i decided to apply for a conductors role at Northern and i won't lie i was initially attracted by the pay rise to £26k, however i've always enjoyed trains and believe that customer service is probably more my thing as i genuinely miss the customers (yes even the ones that want to punch you or threaten to stab you when you won't allow them to steal or buy alcohol) it's the customers that add a little diversity to your day in my opinion and that again attracted me to this new role
however there are a few things i'm unsure of or just require advice on and that's where i'm hoping you guys come in
My Questions To You
1) Basically what do you think of my decision? am i an idiot leaving retail or are the railways a great new home? I am slightly concerned about no longer working with a team you can get on with and instead working solo on a train
2) I hear a lot about job security due to the arrival of conductorless trains, obviously the incentive here is to save the company money but just how much of a threat is this? is it more of an issue than in other industries? (once upon a time my retail background would have been considered as safe as houses but look at all the redundancies and closures these days including my company getting rid of more than half its night shifts a few months ago)
3) Commuting to work, my base will be Leeds station and i'm aware that shifts can be early, midday or late. At the minute my nearest station (horsforth) is about a 20 minute drive but obviously the trains don't run untill around 6ish so for a 4am start that's not practical, neither is the bus, likewise for late finishes. i've heard rumors that Northern will refund parking costs for Leeds station car park but i'm not sure about the terms of this. do you guys have any experience or suggestions that may be useful here?
4) Shift patterns, i know this is very variable and luckily for me even the worst shifts on trains are better than my night shifts at the minute (at least my bodyclock is already broken in preparation and it doesn't get more antisocial than 21:00-7:00) but what's the general thing, i know its an average of 35 hours a week but would that normally be 4 or 5 shifts? would they all typically be earlies one week, lates the next? and what about unpaid overtime which i saw mentioned on my contract? are we talking a few hours for delays? or 10 hours unpaid work every week? it all get's very confusing the more i try to figure it out so i'm hoping some insiders such as yourselves can help
5) Progression, I can't be a driver due to an existing medical condition but does that mean my railway career would end at conductor? what else is there, after all i'm 28 and the retirement age is only going to get further away
i think that's everything, thanks in advance guys i really appreciate any help and advice you can give and i apologize for the ridiculous length of this post
Matt
In just over a month i'll be joining Northern Rail as a trainee conductor but before i do i'm stuck with a few things my research hasn't been able to answer so i'm hoping you guys can help.
Firstly My Background (feel free to skip to the questions)
I'm 28 and i've worked in retail for a major supermarket for 12 years in a variety of roles, for about 7 years i worked during the day and evenings (this included being at school, college and university) mostly dealing with customers, some friendly, some not so friendly as i'm sure is the case with being a conductor/guard but at least they were all different. For the last 5 years i've worked on nightshift between 21:00 and 7:00, replenishing shelves as a supervisor, during most of this time there are no customers and we simply trudge along filling shelves. Over the last few years hours cutbacks and crazy expectations have made the job almost impossible (for perspective we have a computer that says how long the work should take and then a schedule of how long we have and typically the required hours are 20% - 30% greater than what we have) as a result of this i've become increasingly disillusioned and now genuinely dread going to work every night (though we do only work 4 nights in 7 which is a plus) the fact that my role (which isn't bottom rung) only earns £20k doesn't exactly help either
With this in mind i decided to apply for a conductors role at Northern and i won't lie i was initially attracted by the pay rise to £26k, however i've always enjoyed trains and believe that customer service is probably more my thing as i genuinely miss the customers (yes even the ones that want to punch you or threaten to stab you when you won't allow them to steal or buy alcohol) it's the customers that add a little diversity to your day in my opinion and that again attracted me to this new role
however there are a few things i'm unsure of or just require advice on and that's where i'm hoping you guys come in
My Questions To You
1) Basically what do you think of my decision? am i an idiot leaving retail or are the railways a great new home? I am slightly concerned about no longer working with a team you can get on with and instead working solo on a train
2) I hear a lot about job security due to the arrival of conductorless trains, obviously the incentive here is to save the company money but just how much of a threat is this? is it more of an issue than in other industries? (once upon a time my retail background would have been considered as safe as houses but look at all the redundancies and closures these days including my company getting rid of more than half its night shifts a few months ago)
3) Commuting to work, my base will be Leeds station and i'm aware that shifts can be early, midday or late. At the minute my nearest station (horsforth) is about a 20 minute drive but obviously the trains don't run untill around 6ish so for a 4am start that's not practical, neither is the bus, likewise for late finishes. i've heard rumors that Northern will refund parking costs for Leeds station car park but i'm not sure about the terms of this. do you guys have any experience or suggestions that may be useful here?
4) Shift patterns, i know this is very variable and luckily for me even the worst shifts on trains are better than my night shifts at the minute (at least my bodyclock is already broken in preparation and it doesn't get more antisocial than 21:00-7:00) but what's the general thing, i know its an average of 35 hours a week but would that normally be 4 or 5 shifts? would they all typically be earlies one week, lates the next? and what about unpaid overtime which i saw mentioned on my contract? are we talking a few hours for delays? or 10 hours unpaid work every week? it all get's very confusing the more i try to figure it out so i'm hoping some insiders such as yourselves can help
5) Progression, I can't be a driver due to an existing medical condition but does that mean my railway career would end at conductor? what else is there, after all i'm 28 and the retirement age is only going to get further away
i think that's everything, thanks in advance guys i really appreciate any help and advice you can give and i apologize for the ridiculous length of this post
Matt
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