About to start driver training and not excited

[rookie]

Hello.

I felt I had to come on here and share my feelings about being offered a trainee driver contract. I was hoping to hear from anyone who may have felt the same way before starting a railway career.

To give some background, I've been in the application process a couple of years and have finally been given a start date. Like everyone else, I've worked hard to get to this point and naturally (judging by this forum) this should be a very exciting time for me. However, after initial joy, since I returned my signed contract I've felt nothing but apprehension and fear.

I'm hoping this is mainly because it's a career change out of my comfort zone and that'll I enjoy the course once I get started. I'm confident I'll be able to pass the course and that I'll enjoy the driving. However, not knowing the roster patterns, and in particular, how many nights I'll have to work is eating away at me. I'm assuming the newest qualified drivers will get the worst routes and timetables? I'm hoping they'll bed us in gently. Can anyone shed any light on this?

I don't have any experience of working nights and I'm concerned what effect this will have on me and my young family life. Will I be operating like a Zombie? or is there enough rest to feel normal again before the shift pattern changes? Out of interest, what's the most consecutive number of nights a TOC can put you on? The 'earlies' and 'lates' don't concern me.

I don't want to appear ungrateful at been given this great opportunity but I'm leaving what people might think as being a good career with good work life balance. Which it may be but after 20 years I'm bored (of the work) and looking for a change and a career to potentially take me to retirement age.

I'm trying to convince myself that if things don't work out I can return to what I was doing previously, which is true to a certain extent. Mostly though, I don't want to regret not giving the drivers job a go but I'm worried if I leave during training (or shortly afterwards) I'll never be offered another driving job in any TOC.

I hope you appreciate I can't go into specifics but would be very interested to hear some feedback, advice and reassurance (perhaps)?

Thanks for reading and hope you all have a good Christmas.

 

[Pepperami]

Hiya Rookie, and congratulations on getting through!!

I will be starting in February, can I ask which Depot you will be starting at, and with what TOC?

I have no experience whatsoever with this, and I am very very excited to be starting, but am under no illusions that there is a vast amount of work ahead of me, and although I too feel apprehensive of diving into the unknown, I am so happy to have finally got to this point

I like you haven't started, so I cannot comment on what the job is like once you've settled into it, but I too like you have my worries about things

The rostas are mixed turns as far as i know, yes there will be some night work, as there will be early and mid turns, and yes if you've never worked this type of shift patterns, it will seem quite strange I am sure

I am very lucky in as much as the three children in the house are no longer small, three girls, 16 17 and 18 lol

They are so happy for me, and my main concern was rest, its hard to come home after a late turn, I have done lates before a lot, and if for instance, you work until 5pm, you come home, have some food, wind down and have a chat, watch some TV, and go to bed, fairly standard

If you finish at 1am or later, are you going home and going straight to bed?

I didn't, I still did what I would do for a 5pm finish, to a degree, I couldn't simply go straight to bed, I needed a few hours of relax time, and my concern was people getting up in the morning and disturbing me, and visa versa if your on an early, getting up at stupid o'clock in the morning, I wouldn't want to disturb them either

This was to be fair my only real concern, rest period, and having chatted to the family, they understand that I will need to have that, I cannot go to work to drive a train with huge responsibilities, having previously had little sleep, so they know how important this is.

For the first year or so its all training as far as I know, with some cab training alongside a qualified driver, what those patterns are I am unsure, but I would think there will be night driving as well as day driving, so you will get a feel for both.

The careers change as you pointed out is probably your fear, its the unknown, going to a new place, meeting new people, training for a new job, and lots of changes to your everyday life, and its scary, understandably so

One thing to remember though is that once you've qualified, you'll be on the rolling rosta, I have a friend whose been in the job for a while, and I *THINK* he said its like a 6 week work pattern, but the 6th week is a week off, because he is contracted at so many hours a week, always you do more than the allotted hours, its how it goes, so the 6th week is a paid week off, which in a young family life is important, you wont always have to do weekends, you wont always have to do nights, and with regards to the new people getting the worse routes and timetables, not sure if thats true

You will have to learn routes first, and get them signed off, and I am sure this will be a slow and gradual process, and again I am sure there will be easier ones to learn, and harder ones to learn, but again I am sure that as a new driver, you wont get thrown in the deep end

I certainly hope you resolve the fears you have mate, talk to your wife or girlfriend, tell her your worried about the family life, and that this will be a huge change for you, I am sure like mine she will support you, and try to put your fears to rest

If you try it, and its not for you, then you have at least tried, rather than give up on the idea before you've even started, but its not something that you can try for a few months either, the first year or so is training, it isn't even the actual job, and I think once you've got to the end of the training, thats when I hope you'll look back, and wonder why you ever doubted this wasn't for you

Good luck my friend, and I hope to see you out on the tracks

 

[nick40uk]

As Pepperami has said, it's more likely to be nerves than anything else. Probably what has happened is the excitement of getting through each stage of the process has given you a real thrill and sense of achievement.

Now that your contract is signed and you are about to start, the reality of what lies ahead has hit you like a sledgehammer. Don't worry about things like roster patterns and such at the moment. Focus on getting through the basics and then everything else will gradually fall in to place. It does take time and you will feel lost initially but as you will be told, if you have any queries then ask.

Good luck on the course. Just relax and it will all become clearer and more enjoyable

 

[387star]

He is hardly going to let rip what depot he works at with a post like that
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
In bold

QUOTE=Pepperami;2011054]Hiya Rookie, and congratulations on getting through!!

I will be starting in February, can I ask which Depot you will be starting at, and with what TOC?

 

[dglondon]

Deleted

 

[ComUtoR]

Rookie,

To be blunt. Your ****ed. Sorry but you are. The change to railway culture is dramatic and will hit you very hard. Your body clock will flip up an down and your moods will alter. There will be times where you will just come home and collapse in the chair and fall asleep.

I have 2 young children and it has been difficult. The difficulty is school and not day to day life. School is very static and be prepare to miss some important events. (I just missed the Christmas concert)

I hope your wife loves you and is prepared for all the problems it will bring. It will affect her life too and does require a strong amount of support. I also hope you have good friends as you may miss a fair few birthdays and your social life might take a bit of a knock too.

Its hard. Its not the job its the shifts.

You know what. I wouldn't give it up for anything.

Missing the rat race every day and being able to take in some glorious mornings and some breathtaking sunsets can make a difference to your day. No traffic on the motorway at 0300

No more saturday shopping nightmares \o/ the 9-5 mentality is finally over and you can reap the benefits of taking life a little easier. Time off on a wednesday afternoon means you can catch up whilst others are sweating out the working week planing a shopping list.

I might miss a few nights out and the Friday down the pub is non existent but when you do get a weekend off it is usually a long one. A weekend of isn't curtailed on a Sunday for an early start Monday. Midweek days off can be used to pay back the missus and you can get the shopping done so she gets a break and your weekend can be spent together. Hell, get some ironing done whilst she is at work Brownie points galore.

I might miss some school days but the benefit of a weekday off meant I could go on a school trip as a helper. I can pick them up after school on an early shift or a midweek RD and there are a lot of Dad's that never see the school gates so I count myself lucky.

Personally I have come to see shift work as a benefit. It can be hard and at times pretty stressing but my quality time became much more quality. Especially as its a 4 day week. I often feel like I'm unemployed with all the time I have free.

It took the kids time to adjust and thankfully I was always working so they never needed to adjust per-se BUT they did need to understand that I'm working and will miss days and weekends. As I said, It can be hard but they have been resilient and kids often surprise you. I still get a few tears (and that breaks my heart) but I do get the impression that I can have more time with them as some Dads are always working.

I see the benefits but I do remember the early days. I won't lie or placate you. It is hard to adjust but the benefits come eventually. Higher pay, 4 Day week, Long weekends, and much less of a rat race.

I couldn't go back to 9-5

 

[rookie]

Thanks for taking the time to reply Pepperami. Your reply has helped a lot. Sorry but I can't go into specifics. I'm sure if my children were as old as yours I would be feeling a lot more positive about things. I wish you all the best with your training and future career. Cheers.

 

[rookie]

Thanks nick40uk. Much appreciated.

 

[rookie]

Correct.

 

[rookie]

Thanks for your honesty. I'll take the positives from that. Sunsets and sunrises being one.

 

[rookie]

Thanks dglondon. I think I've made enough posts/replys now. Look forward to hearing from you.

 

[302PS]

I personally prefer the variety of shifts, not having done them yet on the trains but I was a bus driver for 8 years and they are very similar,

 

[TDK]

Rookie there are pro's and cons to all jobs and with train driving the pros far outweigh the cons, well they do for me, for instance, I hate going out at weekends as the towns are full of knob heads so I go out midweek, I go shopping when everyone else is in bed, I see the sunrise in June, I earn a disgusting amount of money for what I do, I like the shifts, I don't have much of a social life, my hobbies mean I can do them any day of the week when it's not busy, I have met a lot of friends on the railway, I spend many mornings and afternoons at home, I have a very understanding wife and most important I like being alone as I enjoy my own company.

I feel that you need to make a decision and take heed to what ComUtoR has posted. Your life will never be the same, you will miss out on many family events, you will be moody to start as you will be tired, your eating habits so therefore your metabolism will be totally different, you will either lose or gain weight, your immunity system will lower and you will at first be in what is called a starter link most likely only signing a handful of the depot's routes.

If you have these doubts now I think you will suffer with the role and may regret giving up your current career. There are thousands of people out there that would sell their soul for your position so maybe it should be time make a decision.

 

[TheVicLine]

I wasn't that excited before I started my training and it does drag on a bit and it's very intense with lots of homework, but once qualified it's great, I love the job.

Won't lie about the shifts, they are the worst part of the job. The most shifts we have consecutive are 6 in a row and at the end of 6 nights or 6 early morning shifts (03:30 get up this morning for 5th day in a row and falling asleep now at 18:45 on a Saturday night and back in tomorrow) you are very tired but you sort of get used to it.
Who will you be working for as you can work most weekends or very few depending on your TOC.

It's a good job with excellent pay and conditions so don't worry about it too much just get on with the training and enjoy yourself (you will), it's natural to be a bit apprehensive.

 

[ComUtoR]

Thanks for your honesty. I'll take the positives from that. Sunsets and sunrises being one.

Standing on Blackfriars bridge (before the rebuild) Watching the sunset is still one of the highlights of my career.

But yes, take the positives. My kids are young and they have grown up from day 1. At the early stages I was home all the time and saw them and was a fully functioning parent. I missed a few "firsts" and whilst heartbreaking at times you still have every joyous moment with them.

School is hard but you take the rough with the smooth. I never understood when people told me I wouldn't see them because that was never my experience. School changed everything. As I said. Its a mixed bag. I used to go weeks being the only Dad in the playground and the next moment I was a place I had hardly visited.

Honestly; the smooth parts more than make up for the stuff that you miss. It really depends on the type of person you are. I would say its harder for me than it has been for them.

I take the long term view. Higher rate of pay and short working week is a blessing in disguise. I used to do Monday-Saturday 12hr days. Railway time is a walk in the park.

There hasn't been a time of the day where I haven't been in a train but ask about for your shifts. Nights for us are laughable and have little to no work. Mostly shunts and preps. Nights suit a lot of people and you can easily swap them out but again, they can work in your favour especially with childcare.

 

[455driver]

The training is sh+t, your brain will be bombarded with information and trying to remember it all without it becoming a jumble is difficult (hence the tests you have had to do before being selected) but the fact you passed all the tests means you should be fine, if you are unsure about something then ask the trainer to clarify it, they are there to get you through the course and they have heard every question before (there is no such thing as a stupid question, if you don't know then you dont know!).

If you have never done shifts before then your bodyclock will throw a hissy fit, but once you get used to it and sort your life out around work (yep its that way round) you will be fine, there are thousands of people that have been through the same thing as you and 99% come out of the process fine,.

All you are worrying about is the uncertainty, once things get organised you will wonder why you were fretting in the first place, while you will get the 'worst' work it will still be okay and some depots only have 2 or 3 links so everyone does pretty much the same work so it isnt bad, other depots have 10 or more links but they will be organised geographically so there wont be too much variation anyway. Most places are getting away from the 'junior' link system in the name of equality and the sh+t work is shared out more evenly.

Just relax, pat yourself on the back and enjoy it, there isnt a job like it anywhere else.

 

[GadgetMan]

Hello.

I felt I had to come on here and share my feelings about being offered a trainee driver contract. I was hoping to hear from anyone who may have felt the same way before starting a railway career.

To give some background, I've been in the application process a couple of years and have finally been given a start date. Like everyone else, I've worked hard to get to this point and naturally (judging by this forum) this should be a very exciting time for me. However, after initial joy, since I returned my signed contract I've felt nothing but apprehension and fear.

I'm hoping this is mainly because it's a career change out of my comfort zone and that'll I enjoy the course once I get started. I'm confident I'll be able to pass the course and that I'll enjoy the driving. However, not knowing the roster patterns, and in particular, how many nights I'll have to work is eating away at me. I'm assuming the newest qualified drivers will get the worst routes and timetables? I'm hoping they'll bed us in gently. Can anyone shed any light on this?

I don't have any experience of working nights and I'm concerned what effect this will have on me and my young family life. Will I be operating like a Zombie? or is there enough rest to feel normal again before the shift pattern changes? Out of interest, what's the most consecutive number of nights a TOC can put you on? The 'earlies' and 'lates' don't concern me.

I don't want to appear ungrateful at been given this great opportunity but I'm leaving what people might think as being a good career with good work life balance. Which it may be but after 20 years I'm bored (of the work) and looking for a change and a career to potentially take me to retirement age.

I'm trying to convince myself that if things don't work out I can return to what I was doing previously, which is true to a certain extent. Mostly though, I don't want to regret not giving the drivers job a go but I'm worried if I leave during training (or shortly afterwards) I'll never be offered another driving job in any TOC.

I hope you appreciate I can't go into specifics but would be very interested to hear some feedback, advice and reassurance (perhaps)?

Thanks for reading and hope you all have a good Christmas.

If you know what depot you're going to be based at then it may be useful to try and get a copy of the relevant roster link.

As others have said, it is a fantastic job but shift work has a massive affect on life. Going to work tired as a Driver is asking for trouble so you need to make sure your partner and other family members are understanding and appreciate there will be events/functions you will either miss out on altogether or may have to leave early so you can get to bed.

Some rest days won't necessarily feel like rest days as if you finish work at say 1:30 am Saturday night/Sunday morning, and don't get to sleep til around 4 or 5 am - you're not exactly going to want to wake up at 8 am Sunday morning and take the family on a day trip etc.

Training hours in the classroom are pretty easy 8am-4pm type days. However when you are sent out front ending/shadowing other drivers, it is important to take that opportunity to shadow for the full shift/week to get a true feel of what it will be like. There will be plenty of opportunities later to skive off

On the other hand, if your current career offers you the ability to just leave and try out something different and return if you don't like it then it would be daft to miss out on an opportunity to go Train Driving.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

 

[rookie]

Thanks for all your replies guys. They're helping me feel better. I have functioned on patchy sleep for a while now with my little un but granted, I haven't had to operate in a safety critical environment. Getting enough sound sleep in between shifts will be key.
gadgetman - how do I get hold of the roster link? I tried to ask HR but no joy.
Also, i'm interested in how this consecutive 6 days on relates to rest days and a 4 day week. Can anyone post a basic diagram of how this works please?
Cheers.

 

[Bert and Ernie]

Rookie there are pro's and cons to all jobs and with train driving the pros far outweigh the cons, well they do for me, for instance, I hate going out at weekends as the towns are full of knob heads so I go out midweek, I go shopping when everyone else is in bed, I see the sunrise in June, I earn a disgusting amount of money for what I do, I like the shifts, I don't have much of a social life, my hobbies mean I can do them any day of the week when it's not busy, I have met a lot of friends on the railway, I spend many mornings and afternoons at home, I have a very understanding wife and most important I like being alone as I enjoy my own company.

I feel that you need to make a decision and take heed to what ComUtoR has posted. Your life will never be the same, you will miss out on many family events, you will be moody to start as you will be tired, your eating habits so therefore your metabolism will be totally different, you will either lose or gain weight, your immunity system will lower and you will at first be in what is called a starter link most likely only signing a handful of the depot's routes.

If you have these doubts now I think you will suffer with the role and may regret giving up your current career. There are thousands of people out there that would sell their soul for your position so maybe it should be time make a decision.

Well said I think this sums it up nicely

 

[scotraildriver]

Thanks for all your replies guys. They're helping me feel better. I have functioned on patchy sleep for a while now with my little un but granted, I haven't had to operate in a safety critical environment. Getting enough sound sleep in between shifts will be key.
gadgetman - how do I get hold of the roster link? I tried to ask HR but no joy.
Also, i'm interested in how this consecutive 6 days on relates to rest days and a 4 day week. Can anyone post a basic diagram of how this works please?
Cheers.

It is normally the union reps who have copies of rosters. Or just go to your depot and take a photo of it.

 

[ComUtoR]

Mon -RD
Tue -RD
Wed - RD
Thur - W
Fri - W
Sat - W
Sun - W
Mon - W
Tue - W
Wed - RD
Thur - RD
Fri - RD
Sat - W
Sun - W

2 Weeks (4 day week) with a 6 day consecutive run. There are a plethora of permutations that all get agreed locally.

Mon - W
Tue - W
Wed - W
Thur - W
Fri - RD
Sat - RD
Sun - RD
Mon - RD
Tue - RD
Wed - RD
Thur - W
Fri - W
Sat - W
Sun - W

6 Day weekend \0/

Again, just another permutation and this time in your benefit. You really have to switch your mentality from a single monday to friday week and look holistically over the course of a roster. Long weekends mean you can grab The Wife for a city break with the little'un's (school permitting)

Key
Bold - First week
Italic - Second week
W - Work Day
RD - Rest Day

 

[Pepperami]

Looks good to be honest yeah a 6 day week but plenty of family time in there too

 

[kelida]

That's really well illustrated comUtoR. Just one other question on the roster do you always get 3 RDs in a row or will you be getting single RDs and double RDs as well?

 

[302PS]

Or to look at it another way you work 35 hours a week
That's part time hours compared to what i do now for 15k less!

 

[455driver]

That's really well illustrated comUtoR. Just one other question on the roster do you always get 3 RDs in a row or will you be getting single RDs and double RDs as well?

Most rest days are at least in pairs most of the time.
Down here we are on a 4 day week (Sundays outside but committed) and our rest days are-
Week one
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,
Week two
Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Week three
Friday, Saturday.

Week three we are committed to work the Sunday (some times it might be week 2) but we get a 5 day weekend every 3 weeks and never work more than 7 shifts in a row.
The worst bit is when week one is lates and week two is earlier because then we only have the Sunday to swap shifts so the Monday is a bit of a coffee fest. Other than that the roster works well with plenty of quality time off.

 

[Bellbell]

In some ways earlies are worse than nights, it's hard getting up at 2am and the first day you'd likely have barely slept. In our depot though you would have no problem getting rid of nights or earlies if you didn't want them, loads who prefer those shifts. We also have routes and good/bad jobs fairly evenly split across the links. Depends really on where you're based.

you will miss some events but it's pretty easy to arrange swaps/annual leave if you want to go to something when you're rostered to work. It will be hard to begin with and you should take heed of what people say about weight loss/gain and immune system; you need to look after yourself, but very few people would go back to 9-5 after being on the railway.

 

[dglondon]

Thanks dglondon. I think I've made enough posts/replys now. Look forward to hearing from you.

Deleted

 

[SPADTrap]

I felt the same. Realism hit home and I was genuinely quite worried. Now however I'm settled and getting used to my depot and everyone else and I couldn't be happier. Its natural and shows you are serious about it! Enjoy it!

 

[ComUtoR]

We have Sundays inside and most RD's are in pairs with an odd day which is mostly used for Sunday RD. Our roster has no discernible pattern but does repeat every [x] amount of weeks.

Rostering is one locally so can vary considerably.

As I have already highlighted and again I will not pull my punches. Rostering and the constant changes are something you have to get used to. SP turns are subject to movement, Turns can be extended, STP amendments and engineering works will also greatly affect your life. Planning ahead can be a headache. The benefits are clear to see. Fixed rosters and fixed RD's means you can plan (to an extent). It can be restrictive but you get used to what is possible and what isn't. I can see weeks in advance that I'm gonna miss the school play or parents evening so I can cushion the blow in advance. Bank holidays you will also suffer (ours is on a rotation) if your used to always being off. On the flip side you miss the bank holiday mentality and those epic motorway journeys. Pop to the beach midweek and you will see a huge difference. I go by train, as its free

Make the most of what you get.

 

[jamess115]

Rookie

I am a new starter too and can understand your nerves. However I would try and embrace this rather than letting things bother you as much as they will if you let them. Admittedly easier said than done.

Like the other chap on here said, there are thousands that would sell their soul to do what you are about to. Im sure when you have learn't more through the induction and met a few people, you will feel more comfortable.