Australian Train Driver Looking to Immigrate

[DL531]

Hi everyone,

I hope it is okay me posting this here, but I was directed to this forum in the hope that someone might be able to help me out.

My name is Scott and I am a qualified Locomotive Driver from, New South Wales, Australia. Normally I drive freight trains day to day although I also occasionally work locomotive hauled passenger trains and track testing trains while I’ve also been involved in Training and have experience in Rail Operations Management.

Having visited the UK before and being sure that a long-term move is for me, I’d like to immigrate to Britain. I’d also like to continue my driving career in the UK as I really enjoy my job and I feel that my experience in Australia could come in handy. I realise that I would have to restart my career again as a Trainee, but this is a step I am more than willing to make if it means I could be successful in gaining employment. I am also willing to live and work in any area that I could be needed.

With this in mind, I’ve researched Working Visa’s and also the different railway operators with varying success. I’ve learnt that as an Australian citizen under 31 years of age, I am eligible for a Two Year Working Visa. Additionally, I am also eligible to be sponsored by a willing employer which would allow me to work in the UK on a longer term, permanent, basis until I could apply for residency in my own right. Being sponsored is obviously my preferred option as I want to make this a permanent, long-term, move but I would be more than willing to apply for a Two Year Working Visa to give employer’s the opportunity to employ me without them having to make a longer-term commitment as well (I realise that their wouldn’t be too many operators looking to employ someone for a two year period which is also why I think the longer sponsored Visa would be preferable).

My main problem, however, seems to be that the rail operators in the UK just don’t seem to be interested in myself or my skills. And, having emailed my CV to numerous companies I have come up with naught having only received one reply which was ultimately unsuccessful (I did fill in an application pack but it was for a position for an already qualified UK driver meaning that I was found to not meet the requirements). I have put a huge amount of work into my CV as well as the emails that I have sent to the operator’s expressing my interest and asking for some feedback and advice, but I’m afraid that after receiving virtually no feedback or interest at all, I’m starting to think my dreams of driving trains in the UK are rapidly being dashed.

Does anyone have some advice for me as to where I might be going wrong and how I might be able to better increase my chances? I am really interested in driving in the UK and I feel that my experience could really serve myself and a potential employer well but I fear that my approach may not be the best way of gaining employment?

A huge thank you to anyone who might be able to help me out.

 

[theironroad]

Scott, welcome to the forums, but I'm afraid the rest of my post won't be so positive.

I think at the moment you will find it very tough to get a toc or foc to sponsor you, if not impossible. A look through some of the posts on here will show the number of people trying to get trainee jobs and even uk qualified drivers trying to move to better paying jobs is competitive.

Really, the only way to realise your dream is probably finding another way to get permanent residency rather than the 2 year visa. Can you get ancestry related visas if you had grandparents from uk or something similar? With a permanent right to remain in the uk, you could apply for trainee jobs, and then your previous/ current experience would make you stand out from the crowd.

I guess the only other long shot, would be if your current employer is related to any of the tocs/ focs in the uk.

Wish I could be more positive mate, but it's probably as hard for aus drivers to move here as for many here who wish to move there.

Good luck...

 

[DL531]

Hi Theironroad,

Thank you for your advice and honesty, I really appreciate it.

Unfortunately, I am not eligible for residency via ancestry as even though my family history can be traced back to Britain, the last member of my family tree to arrive in Australia from the UK was in the late 1800s sometime meaning that I miss out on being able to apply for residency via that means. As you mentioned, it would have been perfect if I was eligible to apply for residency via ancestry and then Trainee Driver positions in the UK but unfortunately that option isn’t available to me leaving only the Two Year Working Visa or an Employer Sponsored residency as my options.

As for employers, my current employer here in Australia doesn’t have any UK based operations and as far as I can find out, they aren’t affiliated with any rail operators abroad either meaning that- that option is also unfortunately not available to me. I did, however, previously work for Freightliner Australia (a division of the UK based operator) as a driver but I left this position some time ago to take up a managerial role that I was offered with another rail operator (I really enjoyed working with FLA but I simply couldn’t refuse the opportunity I was offered as it much better suited my living arrangements at the time and gave me experience in other areas of the industry). While I left FLA on very good terms, I wouldn’t feel right with seeking reemployment there as a way of then attempting to transfer to the UK operations. I would much prefer to be open and honest right from the start.

From what I can understand, there are a quite a few drivers who have emigrated to Australia and New Zealand from the UK; however, I can only find one case of a qualified Australian or Kiwi making the move to the UK. And, they were able to apply for residency via ancestry. I am not sure what the current trend is though in terms of drivers from Britain entering Australia as the Australian rail industry is currently going through a massive downturn which has seen equipment placed into storage, some redundancies and virtually any new Trainee Driver positions put on hold for what looks like at least a couple of years yet. Sadly, it certainly does look like being able to move between the two countries isn’t really possible at the moment though (my decision to move to the UK isn’t related to the current downturn in the industry here as I’m looking for a lifestyle change and have wanted to make the move for a number of years now because I feel it’s the right move for me. Although I do have to admit that I would greatly appreciate a secure position in the UK industry given some of the uncertainty within the industry here at the moment).

I am really hoping I can go against the trend and gain employment in the UK but unfortunately it seems I’m really fighting an uphill battle. Hopefully my luck changes soon as I’d really like to make the move long-term. Thank you again for your help, Theironroad. With any luck I might be able to report back with some good news soon.

 

[westcoaster]

I work for thameslink and we have a mix of drivers from around the world at my depot we have drivers from Brazil, New Zealand (2) and an Aussie. Unfortunately I'm unaware of how they came to live in the UK and by what's means they became employed. But they all started out as trainee drivers.

I've known two qualified drivers move to Australia one had to move first before getting a trainees job in Western Australia on the freight, he was not eligible to gain a visa by his job but his wife did as a hair dresser. The second chap has been less successful after many months in finding a rail job but held dual nationality so is ok.

Sorry I cant be of much help, have you tried any of the infrastructure companies in the UK who operate tampers, grinders and on track plant as they sometimes advertise for drivers, have a look for Balfour Beatty http://www.bbrail.co.uk, Babcock rail, harsco rail, sbrail.

There are more but I can't think of the top of my head.

 

[DL531]

Hi Westcoaster,

Thanks very much for your reply and insights, I really appreciate them. I have to admit that I hadn't actually thought of driving Track Machines but it is something I would be interested in and I'd certainly give it a go if it meant I could gain employment in the UK.

Thanks again and I'll definitely chase that up.

 

[TDK]

Have you thought of directly emailing the HR departments of all the companies you are interested in especially the freight companies such as DB shenker, DRS and freightliner with your plans?

At the moment the freight companies however are on a downturn due to European emission regulations and are in some cases cancelling recruitment.

In your case you have many things going against you, for instance, the 2 year visa scenario will not help you due to the fact that you may have it cancelled after 2 years and this will cost any company money, there are literally hundreds of applicants for every trainee driver job that arises, a company will prefer someone living within 45 minutes from the depot and will take them over someone who needs to relocate.

This is going to be an uphill struggle for you I am afraid but if you haven't emailed especially the freight companies try this and see what you get back. The CV is an important part but the content of your email will be more important.

 

[DL531]

Hi TDK,

Thank you for your reply and insights, I was unaware that the UK based freight operators were currently also facing a downturn in traffic.

When I began seriously looking into my options, I also thought that the freight operators would likely be the most interested in my experience and my best chance at success so I decided to contact them first of all (I would be more than happy to try my hand at freight or passenger, I just thought like you, the freight operators would be my best first port of call as my background is in freight). Firstly, I spent a number of weeks slowly working through my resume while I also drafted up an email explaining my situation, skills and my long-term commitment which I could send to the HR Departments of the operators. Just to be sure, I also had a friend who works in the HR Department of a local Australian operator look over both my resume and introductory email. And, after editing and fine tuning a few things with her I began emailing the UK based freight operators, introducing myself and asking whether I would be someone they might be interested in employing. Unfortunately, I have only received one reply to date which ultimately ended up being a no so with this in mind, I have since emailed the passenger operators and have received little interest from them either.

Starting out on all this, I was sure that my different driving and driver training experience along with my train and train crew planning skills might have made me an attractive proposition once I found my feet. However, what I gather from my experience so far and what I’ve been able to learn through the insights of people like yourself is that despite my experience, the hurdle of not holding permanent residency is a big one and it looks increasingly like I’m not going to able to clear it unless an operator decides I’m worth a shot. That’s disheartening as I am still very keen on a long-term life and career in the UK, but them’s the brakes as they say. For now though, I’m definitely going to keep researching while I’m hopeful that somewhere along the line an operator might give me a chance. I’m sure I’d make it worth it for them in the long run.

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions and insights and I really appreciate your help. Who knows, hopefully one day I might even cross you out on the tracks somewhere!

 

[TDK]

Hi TDK,

Thank you for your reply and insights, I was unaware that the UK based freight operators were currently also facing a downturn in traffic.

When I began seriously looking into my options, I also thought that the freight operators would likely be the most interested in my experience and my best chance at success so I decided to contact them first of all (I would be more than happy to try my hand at freight or passenger, I just thought like you, the freight operators would be my best first port of call as my background is in freight). Firstly, I spent a number of weeks slowly working through my resume while I also drafted up an email explaining my situation, skills and my long-term commitment which I could send to the HR Departments of the operators. Just to be sure, I also had a friend who works in the HR Department of a local Australian operator look over both my resume and introductory email. And, after editing and fine tuning a few things with her I began emailing the UK based freight operators, introducing myself and asking whether I would be someone they might be interested in employing. Unfortunately, I have only received one reply to date which ultimately ended up being a no so with this in mind, I have since emailed the passenger operators and have received little interest from them either.

Starting out on all this, I was sure that my different driving and driver training experience along with my train and train crew planning skills might have made me an attractive proposition once I found my feet. However, what I gather from my experience so far and what I’ve been able to learn through the insights of people like yourself is that despite my experience, the hurdle of not holding permanent residency is a big one and it looks increasingly like I’m not going to able to clear it unless an operator decides I’m worth a shot. That’s disheartening as I am still very keen on a long-term life and career in the UK, but them’s the brakes as they say. For now though, I’m definitely going to keep researching while I’m hopeful that somewhere along the line an operator might give me a chance. I’m sure I’d make it worth it for them in the long run.

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions and insights and I really appreciate your help. Who knows, hopefully one day I might even cross you out on the tracks somewhere!

Have you thought about a different career or are you only interested in Train Driving? Have you any engineering qualifications that may get you a working visa?

 

[DL531]

Ideally, I’d really like to continue my career as a driver in the UK as I enjoy my job and take a great deal of pride in it. I’m a second generation driver (my father is a retired driver) and driving trains is what I’ve known and been around practically all my life, but if it means I can’t live and work in the UK then I would look into other options as I feel the personal benefits would out way the loss of my driving career for the meantime. I would definitely try to re-enter the industry somewhere along the track once I had the proper residency requirements in place though.

As for other qualifications that might help me enter the UK; unfortunately, apart from working in a supermarket while I was at school, I hold no qualifications other than railway, and specifically driving, training and planning related skills. I began my career as an Assistant Driver and Shunter (or Fireman in old speak. All freight trains in NSW are operated with two person crews) a couple of months after my 18th birthday and have worked in the industry ever since. I’m still in my 20s while I also still have most of my working life ahead of me yet so I’m sure that with my driving and planning experience I would be a good catch for a rail operator in the UK if one decided I was worth a shot; I’m still hopeful.

So no, in short, unfortunately I don’t hold any qualifications other than railway related skills which could gain me entry to the UK long-term. I am willing to work outside of the industry though if it means I could gain residency as I feel the personal benefits would be worth it in the long run. For the moment, I'm still hopeful that a rail operator might be interested my skills so I'll continue to put myself out there and with some luck, hopefully someone will take an interest in me. I think that I am definitely going to have to alter my approach though if I am ultimately going to be successful in gaining a career in the UK.

 

[notadriver]

Ideally, I’d really like to continue my career as a driver in the UK as I enjoy my job and take a great deal of pride in it. I’m a second generation driver (my father is a retired driver) and driving trains is what I’ve known and been around practically all my life, but if it means I can’t live and work in the UK then I would look into other options as I feel the personal benefits would out way the loss of my driving career for the meantime. I would definitely try to re-enter the industry somewhere along the track once I had the proper residency requirements in place though.

As for other qualifications that might help me enter the UK; unfortunately, apart from working in a supermarket while I was at school, I hold no qualifications other than railway, and specifically driving, training and planning related skills. I began my career as an Assistant Driver and Shunter (or Fireman in old speak. All freight trains in NSW are operated with two person crews) a couple of months after my 18th birthday and have worked in the industry ever since. I’m still in my 20s while I also still have most of my working life ahead of me yet so I’m sure that with my driving and planning experience I would be a good catch for a rail operator in the UK if one decided I was worth a shot; I’m still hopeful.

So no, in short, unfortunately I don’t hold any qualifications other than railway related skills which could gain me entry to the UK long-term. I am willing to work outside of the industry though if it means I could gain residency as I feel the personal benefits would be worth it in the long run. For the moment, I'm still hopeful that a rail operator might be interested my skills so I'll continue to put myself out there and with some luck, hopefully someone will take an interest in me. I think that I am definitely going to have to alter my approach though if I am ultimately going to be successful in gaining a career in the UK.

You could try bus driving. There's a shortage of bus drivers in the UK and they seem to be constantly recruiting. I'm a bus driver.

 

[talltim]

If you can get a job with Freightliner/Genesee & Wyoming in Aus, it might make it easier to transfer within the same company to the UK. Only guess tho.

 

[theironroad]

Scott, I'm curious as to why you're so keen on coming to live in the uk? I'm guessing it's not just to drive trains here...

Not a long term option, but would your current employer allow you to take a 'career break', say for a year so you come and work here for a year. ( best not to tell them you want to leave your job though lol)

My employer's recruitment policy for mainline drivers is stricter than for any other job, including depot driver, when it comes to visas. EXCEPT, for mainline driver, it is possible to be hired for a position as long as there are 6 months left on a work visa from the start date of employment. The time and expense it takes to train a mainline driver in the uk means that will only hire mainline drivers who have a unlimited right to work in the uk.

Potentially, you could come over on a 2 year visa and get a job on the railway ( maybe even depot driving, though that can be competitive too) , but at the end of it it would still be very hard to get a mainline job without the permanent right to work. The uk tocs and focs hr departments are not really interested in all the extra hr work that would be needed to be visa sponsors, as they are not short of uk and eu applicants. Harsh for you, but reality, though never give up on a dream

 

[Engineman]

Hi Scott

Just a quick reply as im on the loco now about to depart ...I was looking at doing the same thing mate. But have you considered a fifo gig in W.A.? 2 weeks on 2 weeks off with potential of job share which is 2 weeks on and 6 weeks off. Money doing job share is nearly on par with a full time driver in uk. You could fly in fly out from uk.

 

[DL531]

Sorry for the late reply everyone, I’ve been away for a few days.

Hi Notadriver and thanks, I’d never thought of driving buses before but if it will allow me to live and work in the UK then I would certainly give it a go. Thanks again and I will certainly look into it.

Talltim, thanks also but as I mentioned earlier I previously worked for Freightliner Australia and while I left there on good terms, I wouldn’t feel comfortable seeking employment there again only to then try to use them get to the UK. FLA was really good to me and I enjoyed my time there so I wouldn’t want to do the wrong thing by them. I’d have to be upfront about my intentions and honestly, and rightfully so, I don’t think me getting a job back there only to try to transfer overseas would go down too well. Unfortunately, in any case, apart from a couple of jobs on the coal operations in the Hunter Valley being advertised, FLA is currently not looking for crews due to the downturn in work while I think the GWA merger might be having an effect on things too.

Thanks again for your insight, Theironroad, I greatly it. As for why I want to live in the UK, you’re right, it’s definitely not just so I can drive trains! It’s not a very good answer I know, but the reason is honestly I’d just like to and I feel it's right. A lot of the things I am interested in are in the UK and the broader Northern Hemisphere and having come over and checked it all out a few times, I think it’d be the right move for me to make. There’s a whole world of opportunity in the UK that just isn’t available to me here. I know Australia is the country of sun and sea and all that but I feel more at home in the UK even though I was born on the other side of the world.

In saying that though, I’ve also got to admit that a secure career driving in the UK is a really attractive prospect. The industry here is not in a good way at the moment and isn’t likely to be for a while due to drought, falling minerals prices and a few other factors. Additionally, it’s also constantly changing and I’m growing tired of the lack of security and I feel some of the changes that are currently happening will only make things harder (casual employment of drivers is really starting to gain momentum here amongst the freight operators because of short term haulage contracts and the current economic conditions. For example, the wheat haulers in my area want to move towards seasonal drivers). I have to admit that it hasn’t been a good feeling watching the workload and therefore our jobs slowly disappear around my workmates and I through no fault of our own so a steady long-term job looks really appealing (even better if I can score one in the UK!). I think that if I could score a long-term job driving to support a new life in UK doing all the things I like then I'd have a lot to smile about!

Anyhow, thanks very much for your information about work permits and depot driving; I didn’t know such a thing existed in the UK but I will definitely look into it. I can, however, understand that it’s unlikely that I’m going to gain mainline work without residency. With any luck I can change that so here’s hoping but I understand that it’s going to be a challenge to convince an operator that I’m worth a shot given the paperwork and retraining I’ll need. Thanks again for your help though, I greatly appreciate it and you’ve certainly given me something to think about and look into.

Hi Enginemen (good username!), are you also based in Australia or are you in the UK? Are you still looking at moving over?

I had actually thought of giving WA FIFO a try (one of my friends working over there has a driver who lives in Brazil and whole heap of Kiwi’s working out of NZ on his gang!) but from what I’ve been able to find out, things are really quiet over there at the moment and the ore railways aren’t looking to put anyone on at the moment (the same friend only just started over there with Rio Tinto and was told by a manager he was lucky his group didn’t get asked to get back on the plane and not come back when he first arrived! He was told his group will be the last to be employed for a while because of the downturn. I’ve got another couple of old workmates who are at FMG and BHP and they’ve said the same unfortunately).

It’s a really good idea though and if things improve or if I could get a start over there then I’d definitely give it a go working out of the UK; I guess I’d still have to figure out some way of applying for UK residency long term so that I could stay in the UK though but it'd certainly be a good start. Have you thought about doing the same thing? Are you working in WA?

 

[plastictaffy]

Folks - don't Freightliner have an Australian branch of the business?? Surely it could be possible for the company to arrange for a transfer (permanent or temporary) to the British operation?? Certainly worth asking, in my opinion!!

Just read another post up there ^^. There must be other companies in Aus that have British branches......

 

[Engineman]

Scott yeah I FIFO from melbourne. I know ive got a good gig and all but yeah i just wanted to try something different and i have got a fair bit of family history over there aswell.

I know you werent keen on going back to freightliner aus but they did advertise last week for driver trainers in the hunter valley.

The end will justify the means of getting there lol