Avanti - Trainee Train Driver - Wolverhampton (17/01/22)

[AgentGemini]

I have done the SJT and that was it, no VSe test. Email to say I'd get a reply in about 10 days or so. What's going on?

 

[Dan61]

I have done the SJT and that was it, no VSe test. Email to say I'd get a reply in about 10 days or so. What's going on?

That's strange...so you only did the 25 questions and not watching the dot go around the track

 

[AgentGemini]

That's strange...so you only did the 25 questions and not watching the dot go around the track

Yep, the Agree/Disgree sets and the 11 SJT, with no dots around a track thing.

 

[dereksingh291]

What's Visual Search Exercise & Magnificent 7 Situational Judgement Test & how do you pass them?

 

[iwasyoungonce]

Have you tried the search function

 

[RMD]

Hi all,

I received an email today inviting me to the assessment centre having been successful in the VSE/SJT testing.

Could anyone shed some light on how many stages there would be altogether. Is this the final assessment stage before interviews?

Also any tips from those who have already been through the Avanti recruitment process would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Emma2021]

Hi all,

I received an email today inviting me to the assessment centre having been successful in the VSE/SJT testing.

Could anyone shed some light on how many stages there would be altogether. Is this the final assessment stage before interviews?

Also any tips from those who have already been through the Avanti recruitment process would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Well done.

Out of curiosity when did you complete your sjt/vse

 

[Dan61]

Hi all,

I received an email today inviting me to the assessment centre having been successful in the VSE/SJT testing.

Could anyone shed some light on how many stages there would be altogether. Is this the final assessment stage before interviews?

Also any tips from those who have already been through the Avanti recruitment process would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Have you previously been to the OpC for assessment centre with another TOC

 

[RMD]

Well done.

Out of curiosity when did you complete your sjt/vse

Hi Emma, thanks. I completed SJT/VSE 20th Jan.

Have you previously been to the OpC for assessment centre with another TOC

Hi Dan, this would be my first time going to an assessment centre.

 

[NorthernTech]

Hi all,

I received an email today inviting me to the assessment centre having been successful in the VSE/SJT testing.

Could anyone shed some light on how many stages there would be altogether. Is this the final assessment stage before interviews?

Also any tips from those who have already been through the Avanti recruitment process would be much appreciated.

Thanks

The psychometric tests are something you really need to pass, even if you failed with this recruitment. You should concentrate on reading the material they send through to you, and use the search function on this forum to find out as much info as you can so you can pass the tests at the level that Avanti want, which is enhanced meaning higher than the standard industry pass marks. If you pass then you are a massive step further on, as lots will fail. But concentrate on this part first…

 

[RMD]

The psychometric tests are something you really need to pass, even if you failed with this recruitment. You should concentrate on reading the material they send through to you, and use the search function on this forum to find out as much info as you can so you can pass the tests at the level that Avanti want, which is enhanced meaning higher than the standard industry pass marks. If you pass then you are a massive step further on, as lots will fail. But concentrate on this part first…

What a legend, cheers for the advice!

 

[wolvesayewe]

Just did my SJT/VSE... the last test was considerably more difficult than the pdf we got sent to practice ... nervous now to find out if I made the cut ... Good luck to everyone else

 

[Albagubrath]

I already have a valid pass

For Avanti it needs to be an advanced pass in ALL the sections of the OPC Testing.

Hi all,

I received an email today inviting me to the assessment centre having been successful in the VSE/SJT testing.

Could anyone shed some light on how many stages there would be altogether. Is this the final assessment stage before interviews?

Also any tips from those who have already been through the Avanti recruitment process would be much appreciated.

Thanks

It will take you 2 full days to do the testing IF you pass Day 1 and it needs to be to an ADVANCED standard. Day 1 you will do 4 test papers one of which is listening to tones whilst doing another task.

If you are invited for day 2 you do 3 stages, the first is the looking at the grey dot on a screen for a long period of time pressing the button if it changes colour. This test is an instant mark of pass or fail… fail and your home. 2nd part is the interview with the OPC which is designed to see if the job is suitable for you and that you have the physical and mental capabilities to do the job, you won’t find out if you passed this until later and then it’s an interview with 2 Depot Managers which is then getting to know you and asking you questions based on your experiences.

If there are 20 of you there on day 1 the odds are that only 1 possibly none of you will obtain the advance pass mark to make it to day 2!!

Is that particularly high age for a train driver, I'm guess

He only mentioned wolverhampton, apparently, they will be advertising every 6 months for the next two years, if that also helps

All the positions for other depots will get snapped up by internal recruiting. Problem is the shifts at Wolverhampton Depot are terrible hence why they can’t fill the jobs internally!

 

[FManc]

For Avanti it needs to be an advanced pass in ALL the sections of the OPC Testing.


It will take you 2 full days to do the testing IF you pass Day 1 and it needs to be to an ADVANCED standard. Day 1 you will do 4 test papers one of which is listening to tones whilst doing another task.

If you are invited for day 2 you do 3 stages, the first is the looking at the grey dot on a screen for a long period of time pressing the button if it changes colour. This test is an instant mark of pass or fail… fail and your home. 2nd part is the interview with the OPC which is designed to see if the job is suitable for you and that you have the physical and mental capabilities to do the job, you won’t find out if you passed this until later and then it’s an interview with 2 Depot Managers which is then getting to know you and asking you questions based on your experiences.

If there are 20 of you there on day 1 the odds are that only 1 possibly none of you will obtain the advance pass mark to make it to day 2!!


All the positions for other depots will get snapped up by internal recruiting. Problem is the shifts at Wolverhampton Depot are terrible hence why they can’t fill the jobs internally!

Yeah Wolves is notorious for its shift pattern - either very early or very late and not much in between.

 

[NorthernTech]

For Avanti it needs to be an advanced pass in ALL the sections of the OPC Testing.


It will take you 2 full days to do the testing IF you pass Day 1 and it needs to be to an ADVANCED standard. Day 1 you will do 4 test papers one of which is listening to tones whilst doing another task.

If you are invited for day 2 you do 3 stages, the first is the looking at the grey dot on a screen for a long period of time pressing the button if it changes colour. This test is an instant mark of pass or fail… fail and your home. 2nd part is the interview with the OPC which is designed to see if the job is suitable for you and that you have the physical and mental capabilities to do the job, you won’t find out if you passed this until later and then it’s an interview with 2 Depot Managers which is then getting to know you and asking you questions based on your experiences.

If there are 20 of you there on day 1 the odds are that only 1 possibly none of you will obtain the advance pass mark to make it to day 2!!


All the positions for other depots will get snapped up by internal recruiting. Problem is the shifts at Wolverhampton Depot are terrible hence why they can’t fill the jobs internally!

This information seems rather incorrect. The psychometric tests firstly are known as 2 types, either a national pass or an ‘enhanced’ pass. Enhanced, it seems can be anything above the National depending on what the company itself wants and they can add further tests such as the DFFT test. For the rest of the information regarding test days and their format, use the search function or read the email sent to you by the TOC, but the day 2 certainly doesn’t just do the Grey square test and 2 interviews.

 

[wolvesayewe]

Yeah Wolves is notorious for its shift pattern - either very early or very late and not much in between.

How do you know this and what do you class as very early or very late?

 

[Dan61]

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2022/01/26/20-train-drivers-being-recruited-at-wolverhampton/........

10 drivers for now and another 10 later in the year for Wolverhampton vacancies

 

[FManc]

How do you know this and what do you class as very early or very late?

Very early as in 2/3/4/5am starts.
Very late as in midnight finishes onwards
It’s well known for having the worst shift patterns out of all the depots.

Don’t get me wrong it’s still an amazing opportunity especially considering it’s external which has traditionally been quite rare at Virgin/Avanti.

 

[seagull]

The situation there is made a little worse also by having 15 of the depot's drivers in a special "most senior" link (not by age but by length of service with the company) and that link only has jobs that start after 5 a.m and finish before 10 p.m. So of course that does leave more extreme work for the other links.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

The situation there is made a little worse also by having 15 of the depot's drivers in a special "most senior" link (not by age but by length of service with the company) and that link only has jobs that start after 5 a.m and finish before 10 p.m. So of course that does leave more extreme work for the other links.

Ouch! So LLC isn't great there either then

 

[wolvesayewe]

Ouch! So LLC isn't great there either then

What is LLC?

Very early as in 2/3/4/5am starts.
Very late as in midnight finishes onwards
It’s well known for having the worst shift patterns out of all the depots.

Don’t get me wrong it’s still an amazing opportunity especially considering it’s external which has traditionally been quite rare at Virgin/Avanti.

Why would you start at 2/3/4am when the trains don't start until 5:45 ish?

Thanks for your insite though, it's handy to know

 

[SCDR_WMR]

What is LLC?

Local union reps, they may call them by another name though.

What is LLC?


Why would you start at 2/3/4am when the trains don't start until 5:45 ish?

Thanks for your insite though, it's handy to know

They have lots of empty stock moves in the late night/early mornings

 

[wolvesayewe]

Local union reps, they may call them by another name though.


They have lots of empty stock moves in the late night/early mornings

Thanks... are unions rep ever any good???

So do you mean shunting?

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Thanks... are unions rep ever any good???

So do you mean shunting?

Yes! Union reps I've dealt with are very good at local level stuff, raising issues with diagrams and representing at meetings etc.

Empty stock moves are moving trains on and off depots

 

[FManc]

What is LLC?


Why would you start at 2/3/4am when the trains don't start until 5:45 ish?

Thanks for your insite though, it's handy to know

Empty stock moves from Oxley for 390s and Barton for 221s. Sign on at Wolves, taxi to depot, prep the train, bring it into the starting station etc……you’re looking at 90 mins before leaving as a passenger service from booking on.

 

[wolvesayewe]

Empty stock moves from Oxley for 390s and Barton for 221s. Sign on at Wolves, taxi to depot, prep the train, bring it into the starting station etc……you’re looking at 90 mins before leaving as a passenger service from booking on.

Ok, I understand now... thanks for the info mate

 

[The Don]

I have to do the Group Bourdon for Avanti, although I have the enhanced standard for another TOC. Anyone have an insight to the level you have to get to in the Group Bourdon for Avanti?

 

[Efini92]

The situation there is made a little worse also by having 15 of the depot's drivers in a special "most senior" link (not by age but by length of service with the company) and that link only has jobs that start after 5 a.m and finish before 10 p.m. So of course that does leave more extreme work for the other links.

There’s plenty of jobs that finish after 2200 in link 1

 

[seagull]

Yes, you're right: was getting mixed up with something else.

Link 1 is "no booking on before 5 a.m, and no night turns".

Which of course does mean the other links get a slightly higher proportion of such work as a result.

 

[dereksingh291]

What's the wage for trainee drivers and when they qualify with Avanti West Coast?