Avanti - OnBoard Customer Service Assistant

[glitterkat]

I second this advice, just prepare as much as you can with examples that you have experienced in your current job / industry. The interviewers will make you feel really welcome. good luck, you'll do fab.

 

[Dax1983]

Hey! What questions were you all asked in the digital interview? Thanks!

 

[alimujahid1]

Hi,

Sorry to jump in here I've applied for the CSA role at Coventry.

I'm currently in London but due to relocate to Coventry so it would be a fresh start for me!

Having never worked in this industry before I just wanted to know it's it's a worthwhile job I don't like job hopping so looking for something that I can stay in for years to come.

I just did the safety awareness test and completed the arctic shores one a while ago, what is the next step and how long does the whole process take?

Thank you

 

[Hrav1656]

Hi,

Sorry to jump in here I've applied for the CSA role at Coventry.

I'm currently in London but due to relocate to Coventry so it would be a fresh start for me!

Having never worked in this industry before I just wanted to know it's it's a worthwhile job I don't like job hopping so looking for something that I can stay in for years to come.

I just did the safety awareness test and completed the arctic shores one a while ago, what is the next step and how long does the whole process take?

Thank you

Hi , if successful you’ll be asked to do an online interview of 4 questions then after that a face to face interview, it sometimes is a long process sometimes not.

 

[lb2444]

Hello,

I notice your location is Glasgow, I assume that's the depot you've applied for?
I'm a new CSA at Glasgow, so far my experience with the company has been good. Training started with a two week course in Crewe and was followed by a few weeks of shadowing experienced CSAs before going out on my own.

The job itself involves working in either the onboard shop or the first class carriages. When working in the shop you're responsible for setting up the shop for departure and also maintaining stock levels through your journey by placing orders when needed. You're also expected to do announcements throughout the journey letting passengers know when the shop is opening/closing and promoting meal deals etc.

In first class during the week, you work alongside a service manager and chef to provide an at seat service from the onboard kitchen. You're also required to greet passengers who're boarding first class at each station on the route. During the week there are either 2 or 3 carriages of first class depending on which shift you're on and of course passenger numbers vary train to train.

If you're working first class at the weekend you work alone, however, there is only one coach of first class, coach K, which has a maximum capacity of 18 passengers and is rarely that busy at the weekend. As there is no chef at the weekend, you're required to prepare some meals using the oven/microwave. The weekend menu is reduced so you're not doing anything challenging and there are clear guidelines for you to refer to so it's not difficult at all.

Regarding shifts, it depends what contract you're on, there are different rosters based on your contracted hours. I'm on the 41hr roster. All of the rosters are rolling rosters, meaning that each week of the roster is pre-set, you start at a specific point and move down one position each week and eventually end up back at your starting point (I hope that makes sense) So that means you can see what you're working way in advance.

You do different journeys on each shift. For example, you may do Glasgow to London and back one day, which would be around 11.5hrs and the following day may be Glasgow to Preston and back, which might be around 6.5hrs, so shift lengths vary. The earliest possible start is 0358 and the latest finish is 0023, so you working anywhere between those times.

In terms of days off, or rest days (RD) as the railway calls them, they vary week to week. The week starts on a Sunday. This week I'm off today (Sunday), I'm working Mon to Wed, off on Thursday, working Friday and off Saturday. So sometimes the days off are split up across the week but sometimes they're together.

As I said, I'm new so have limited experience with the company but I hope that answers some questions. If you have any more, I'm happy to help!

Hello, I’m applying for the same role. Do you remember the questions in your face to face interview? Would be greatly appreciated

 

[meme]

Hi , if successful you’ll be asked to do an online interview of 4 questions then after that a face to face interview, it sometimes is a long process sometimes not.

Hi, sorry to jump in with a question, I have a digital interview coming up for an onboard csa and I just wondered if anyone could give me a bit of help on what I would be asked for the position, thank you so much

 

[Hrav1656]

Hi, sorry to jump in with a question, I have a digital interview coming up for an onboard csa and I just wondered if anyone could give me a bit of help on what I would be asked for the position, thank you so much

Hi, why do you want the role, why should we employ you, they seem to love their core principles.

 

[fraser200123]

Hey all,

I have recently applied for the role of Onboard Customer Service Assistant for Avanti West Coast and I have passed both the assessment and the online interview. I now have a final interview in person coming up and I was wondering if those here have also went through the same process. If you did, could you give me advice and what exactly I should expect for the interview? E.G. Would they ask me the same questions they asked me during the online interview or would it just be discussing the role and what they expect of me?

Many Thanks

Hey how long did it take u to get into a course many thanks

Hi,

I started in February, the salary when I started was £27,718 for a 35hr contract and £32,211 for a 41hr contract.
We've been offered a pay rise of 4.75% for 2023/24 and a further increase of 4.5% for 2024/25, this is pending a vote by RMT members.
We get commission on shop sales only at the weekend.

How long did it take you from the interview to get onto a course , many thanks

 

[Connor97]

Hi ! I made it to the interview stage tomorrow? Have you?!

Hi, i hope your well bud. Did you make it into the talent bank once you completed your interview? I had an interview in October and i was successful however i am still waiting in the talent bank for a role to come up. Do you know if it usually takes this long for a job to come up?

Hi,

I started in February, the salary when I started was £27,718 for a 35hr contract and £32,211 for a 41hr contract.
We've been offered a pay rise of 4.75% for 2023/24 and a further increase of 4.5% for 2024/25, this is pending a vote by RMT members.
We get commission on shop sales only at the weekend.

Hi Micycle, I'm currently in a talent bank for avanti and have been since october. I was just wondering were you in a talent bank to start with and if so how long did you wait to be employed? thanks

 

[micycle]

Hi, i hope your well bud. Did you make it into the talent bank once you completed your interview? I had an interview in October and i was successful however i am still waiting in the talent bank for a role to come up. Do you know if it usually takes this long for a job to come up?


Hi Micycle, I'm currently in a talent bank for avanti and have been since october. I was just wondering were you in a talent bank to start with and if so how long did you wait to be employed? thanks

Sorry, I've only just seen this! Hope you've heard something by now? I was in a talent bank, it was maybe about 6 weeks till I was offered a position, it can vary though.

 

[badge]

Hi, i hope your well bud. Did you make it into the talent bank once you completed your interview? I had an interview in October and i was successful however i am still waiting in the talent bank for a role to come up. Do you know if it usually takes this long for a job to come up?


Hi Micycle, I'm currently in a talent bank for avanti and have been since october. I was just wondering were you in a talent bank to start with and if so how long did you wait to be employed? thanks

Bit late to the party on this one, assuming based on the rough timeline you've given and your location we applied for the same depot and talent bank. Recently got an offer for an onboard CSA position myself, and when talking to the OBM who handles catering staff at Wolves he said there looks to be a handful of us starting around now, wondering if you happen to be one of the others?

Sorry, I've only just seen this! Hope you've heard something by now? I was in a talent bank, it was maybe about 6 weeks till I was offered a position, it can vary though.

6 weeks is certainly on the shorter end of that scale I'd imagine. Higher turnover would impact it naturally, but it's usually in the realm of months as opposed to weeks from what I've heard.

 

[lordvoldemort]

Hi guys just had my face to face interview does anyone no what happens next assuming there is a medical and dbs check?

 

[Charlie.P10]

I received an email about a week and a half after my interview telling me I’d made it to the talent pool. Then about 3 days after that they contacted me to tell me of a start date. I’ve had to send off information and then I have my medical next week. Good luck! Is this for Manchester?

 

[lordvoldemort]

I received an email about a week and a half after my interview telling me I’d made it to the talent pool. Then about 3 days after that they contacted me to tell me of a start date. I’ve had to send off information and then I have my medical next week. Good luck! Is this for Manchester?

No this is Preston hopefully I’m successful congratulations tho on your offer it’s along application process so is it just a medical after I thought railways did the dbs check as I heard they take ages to come back

 

[Charlie.P10]

Yes it’s a long process so it’s great to even get to the face to face interview. They asked me for info to do the dbs check - they want ID and references etc - not sure how long it takes but after one day I got an email to say some of the stuff I’d sent had been verified like right to work here etc. Then a medical screening next week. Then that’s it as far as I’m aware. Good luck to you!

 

[phixl]

I just got offered a face to face interview for next week! For onboard csa. Excited!

Hello,

I notice your location is Glasgow, I assume that's the depot you've applied for?
I'm a new CSA at Glasgow, so far my experience with the company has been good. Training started with a two week course in Crewe and was followed by a few weeks of shadowing experienced CSAs before going out on my own.

The job itself involves working in either the onboard shop or the first class carriages. When working in the shop you're responsible for setting up the shop for departure and also maintaining stock levels through your journey by placing orders when needed. You're also expected to do announcements throughout the journey letting passengers know when the shop is opening/closing and promoting meal deals etc.

In first class during the week, you work alongside a service manager and chef to provide an at seat service from the onboard kitchen. You're also required to greet passengers who're boarding first class at each station on the route. During the week there are either 2 or 3 carriages of first class depending on which shift you're on and of course passenger numbers vary train to train.

If you're working first class at the weekend you work alone, however, there is only one coach of first class, coach K, which has a maximum capacity of 18 passengers and is rarely that busy at the weekend. As there is no chef at the weekend, you're required to prepare some meals using the oven/microwave. The weekend menu is reduced so you're not doing anything challenging and there are clear guidelines for you to refer to so it's not difficult at all.

Regarding shifts, it depends what contract you're on, there are different rosters based on your contracted hours. I'm on the 41hr roster. All of the rosters are rolling rosters, meaning that each week of the roster is pre-set, you start at a specific point and move down one position each week and eventually end up back at your starting point (I hope that makes sense) So that means you can see what you're working way in advance.

You do different journeys on each shift. For example, you may do Glasgow to London and back one day, which would be around 11.5hrs and the following day may be Glasgow to Preston and back, which might be around 6.5hrs, so shift lengths vary. The earliest possible start is 0358 and the latest finish is 0023, so you working anywhere between those times.

In terms of days off, or rest days (RD) as the railway calls them, they vary week to week. The week starts on a Sunday. This week I'm off today (Sunday), I'm working Mon to Wed, off on Thursday, working Friday and off Saturday. So sometimes the days off are split up across the week but sometimes they're together.

As I said, I'm new so have limited experience with the company but I hope that answers some questions. If you have any more, I'm happy to help!

Sounds like a great job. Are you still doing it? I just got a face to face interview invisible for the same role

 

[2007Emily]

No this is Preston hopefully I’m successful congratulations tho on your offer it’s along application process so is it just a medical after I thought railways did the dbs check as I heard they take ages to come back

Hi guys just had my face to face interview does anyone no what happens next assuming there is a medical and dbs check?

I had my interview in January and I’m in the talent pool. I haven’t heard anything since though. You only get medical and dbs check once you have been offered a position I believe.

 

[phixl]

I second this advice, just prepare as much as you can with examples that you have experienced in your current job / industry. The interviewers will make you feel really welcome. good luck, you'll do fab.

Did you get the job??

 

[Charlie.P10]

I had my interview in January and I’m in the talent pool. I haven’t heard anything since though. You only get medical and dbs check once you have been offered a position I believe.

Where did you apply for? I wasn’t expecting mine to be so quick. Had the interview in April, told around a week later that I was in the talent pool and then 3 days after that offered a course date.

 

[badge]

I received an email about a week and a half after my interview telling me I’d made it to the talent pool. Then about 3 days after that they contacted me to tell me of a start date. I’ve had to send off information and then I have my medical next week. Good luck! Is this for Manchester?

Best of luck to you mate, the training team at Tatton House are a wonderful bunch, the Ibis hotel, not so much aha.

 

[2007Emily]

Where did you apply for? I wasn’t expecting mine to be so quick. Had the interview in April, told around a week later that I was in the talent pool and then 3 days after that offered a course date.

I applied for Preston. I was told there would likely be opportunities in May, maybe I should follow up. Which station did you apply for?

 

[Charlie.P10]

Best of luck to you mate, the training team at Tatton House are a wonderful bunch, the Ibis hotel, not so much aha.

Thank you! I’m quite happy they put us in a hotel - I thought I’d be making my own way there and back everyday although it would take me just under 2hrs there and back so maybe not

I applied for Preston. I was told there would likely be opportunities in May, maybe I should follow up. Which station did you apply for?

I applied for Manchester and have been offered a start date end of May. Preston would have been a good choice for me too as I’m inbetween the two places. I expected to be in the talent pool for quite a few months first but I’ve always wanted to get on with Avanti so I’m happy to take this opportunity. I’d imagine there will be more courses after May since they advertised so many roles so good luck!

 

[2007Emily]

Thank you! I’m quite happy they put us in a hotel - I thought I’d be making my own way there and back everyday although it would take me just under 2hrs there and back so maybe not


I applied for Manchester and have been offered a start date end of May. Preston would have been a good choice for me too as I’m inbetween the two places. I expected to be in the talent pool for quite a few months first but I’ve always wanted to get on with Avanti so I’m happy to take this opportunity. I’d imagine there will be more courses after May since they advertised so many roles so good luck!

Thank you, hopefully I’ll hear something soon. Good luck with everything.

 

[piyus]

Hello,

I notice your location is Glasgow, I assume that's the depot you've applied for?
I'm a new CSA at Glasgow, so far my experience with the company has been good. Training started with a two week course in Crewe and was followed by a few weeks of shadowing experienced CSAs before going out on my own.

The job itself involves working in either the onboard shop or the first class carriages. When working in the shop you're responsible for setting up the shop for departure and also maintaining stock levels through your journey by placing orders when needed. You're also expected to do announcements throughout the journey letting passengers know when the shop is opening/closing and promoting meal deals etc.

In first class during the week, you work alongside a service manager and chef to provide an at seat service from the onboard kitchen. You're also required to greet passengers who're boarding first class at each station on the route. During the week there are either 2 or 3 carriages of first class depending on which shift you're on and of course passenger numbers vary train to train.

If you're working first class at the weekend you work alone, however, there is only one coach of first class, coach K, which has a maximum capacity of 18 passengers and is rarely that busy at the weekend. As there is no chef at the weekend, you're required to prepare some meals using the oven/microwave. The weekend menu is reduced so you're not doing anything challenging and there are clear guidelines for you to refer to so it's not difficult at all.

Regarding shifts, it depends what contract you're on, there are different rosters based on your contracted hours. I'm on the 41hr roster. All of the rosters are rolling rosters, meaning that each week of the roster is pre-set, you start at a specific point and move down one position each week and eventually end up back at your starting point (I hope that makes sense) So that means you can see what you're working way in advance.

You do different journeys on each shift. For example, you may do Glasgow to London and back one day, which would be around 11.5hrs and the following day may be Glasgow to Preston and back, which might be around 6.5hrs, so shift lengths vary. The earliest possible start is 0358 and the latest finish is 0023, so you working anywhere between those times.

In terms of days off, or rest days (RD) as the railway calls them, they vary week to week. The week starts on a Sunday. This week I'm off today (Sunday), I'm working Mon to Wed, off on Thursday, working Friday and off Saturday. So sometimes the days off are split up across the week but sometimes they're together.

As I said, I'm new so have limited experience with the company but I hope that answers some questions. If you have any more, I'm happy to help!

WOW.This is amazing.I have recently applied for the role.I have my face to face interview coming up in few days?What can we expect on the day?what kind of questions will they ask?will it be easy?I am anxious.

hi everyone

I have an digital interview for onboard customer service.

Has anyone sat this and what does this involve.

Do you happen to no how many steps their are during the interview.

Thanks

Thanks

Just 5 basic questions like why avanti?why this role?why that location?then a question about Avantis core value?