A career as a train driver

[westcoaster]

i do enjoy my job yes, but after the last year of hard work and long days off studying it is well worth it, and the wage is a bonus too. im lucky i work on a long route so there is a bit off variety, metro and long distance commuter trains.
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with what Mintona was saying about jobs coming up on internal vacancy list's you will probley find this is down to staff turnover, i.e old boys retiering, leaving for another toc/foc or being sacked. so instead of advertising externally for just say 1 job and getting 1000's of applicants they do it internally, however they might wait until a few people have gone 5-10 say then advertise externally. this also stops a continuous driver courses being run.

 

[321446]

My 4 penny worth...

I'm currently undergoing training for a big commuter based rail company. Spent the last 20 years working for HM Gov. so no previous experience with railways except as a commuter.

Still early days (only started in August) for me, but the training is VERY intensive. Your brain will hurt. Your head will spin. You will forget what your name is or what your wife looks like. Stick at it. You will have down days, you will have days you wonder why the Dickens you gave up sticking pins in your eyes for fun to do this.

You will not go to sleep dreaming of naked ladies/men. Instead you will dream of the reasons to pass a signal at danger without authority, Pilotmen, Buchholz relays or WSP chests.

Then you'll have a good day. You'll gel with your classmates. You'll meet those ahead of you in the system who will be very supportive. You'll be able to help one of your mates to understand something they've been sticking on. Others will do the same for you.

Finally, the phrase "You'll be alright" will become a motto you'll consider getting tattoo'd.

Go for it. Throw yourself into it. At least you will have tried.

You'll be alright.

 

[ungreat]

You will not go to sleep dreaming of naked ladies

I did..and still do!
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To all prospective drivers...its not THAT good a job..ok its well paid,but thats about it..long hours,on your own,cant listen to a radio,boring repetative work,a lot of responsibility,minor errors and you are finished,minimum promotional prospects,lose interest in your hobby,****e working hours,****heads on late trains that YOU have to deal with as you may well be DOO,passcom pulled and you dont know what to expect when you go back to reset it,abuse from passengers as you are the first staff member they see..

From a train driver..please think before doing it..it really isnt all good!
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Thanks. Could i just ask if you enjoy your job, or is it really horrible.



Oh good. I thought a driver job coming up was rare even internally. :-P Thanks for telling me that, I feel happier now.

Told you that earlier.....you need to look harder at posts

 

[321446]

I did..and still do!
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To all prospective drivers...its not THAT good a job..ok its well paid,but thats about it..

Not denying it wasn't a consideration.

long hours,on your own,

Bliss.

cant listen to a radio,

Damn...

boring repetative work,

ALL work is like that after a while.

a lot of responsibility,minor errors and you are finished,

Maybe that's what people are looking for. Something to keep them focussed.

minimum promotional prospects,

Any job that offers otherwise generally doesn't deliver anyway.

lose interest in your hobby,

Not if it's counting sleepers or an interest in Victorian/Edwardian urinals.

****e working hours,

I quite like 2 o'clock. Have since found out there are two of them in a day, which was a surprise.

****heads on late trains that YOU have to deal with as you may well be DOO,passcom pulled and you dont know what to expect when you go back to reset it,abuse from passengers as you are the first staff member they see..

Ok, give you that one!

From a train driver..please think before doing it..it really isnt all good!
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Told you that earlier.....you need to look harder at posts

 

[yardman]

Guys,

New to Railforum so be gentle

Just undertaken a recruitment process for NXEA, passed all the selection criteria (aptitude, criteria based int etc). Was left with a depot interview which i thought went really well. Sadly my interview fell on the same day that NX announced 300 job cuts.

Disappointingly i didnt get the job (not surprising as originally there were supposed to be 4 positions which after the job cuts became 2).

In my infinate wisdom i decided to give NXEA a ring to request feedback on my interview and was told that consideration was based on my depot interview and selection results. The criteria based interview was consider "borderline pass".

Surely as the recruitment is progressive in that you cannot make the next stage without passing the previous, is this allowed? All being said, i cannot return to the criteria based int and redo it if circumstances deem me to be more suitable?

Stinks a little, still I will not give in.

 

[driver9000]

I agree with ungreat to a point, its not a job its more a way of life - everything you do, your first consideration is the railway. Want to go out with your mates? Will it affect your work (sleep, drink etc) want to go on holiday? Can you be at work 03:30 the day after you come back? if not do you want to shorten your time away or use a leiu day? Its a very unsociable job, you are going to work when people are coming out of nightclubs, or you are coming home when people are coming out of nightclubs.

That all said I love my job to bits, I love being on my own in the cab, Im my own boss and Im left alone to do my job with minimal hassle from managment and allowed the responsibility to drive 100 tons of metal carrying 300 people safely to where they want to go....and Im paid a good wage for it too! Yes some of the passengers can be a pain, but I dont let them get to me, they will only be with you for an hour or so and as a a driver I dont get hassled by them too much anyway, if it looks like trouble dont get involved, there isnt a medal waiting for you when you finish! Joining the railway is the best move I ever made, and cant ever imagine leaving the footplate grage - downsides included there are far worse jobs out there.

Its not an easy job to get into directly from outside the industry, I managed it but it took years of applying for the jobs and getting rejected - eventually I got taken on, its worth it but dont let the rejection letters put you off!

 

[Albatross]

Hello all. Couple of quick questions if you don't mind. I recently attended an assessment centre at Crewe for a trainee drivers job with Northern. I passed and am now wondering what will happen next? The assessment included a structured interview so is that it? Am I through barring a medical? There was no feedback as such, I was still standing at the end of the day when others had been sent home throughout the course of the day and the guy said "I can reccomend you be considered for driver training" which wasn't really conclusive, granted it was the last week before Christmas so the post is up the wall but would those of you that know say that I was through pending a medical or do they still sometimes not proceed with people even after passing the assessment?

And secondly and rather alarmingly someone in this thread has suggested that you must have good uncorrected vision, is that correct? I need glasses to drive and have no chance of passing an eye exam without my specs on.

Thanks in advance for any informed replies, I've had a crap Christmas cause I just want it to **** off and let the post resume to normal and get me out of my misery either way

 

[Guinness]

I passed my Conductors Assessment at Crewe and Northern offered me a Medical within 2 weeks (Although the date for it was a month away from recieving the letter due to Xmas).

HR probably still have a backlog from having the Xmas break, they will reply it may take time.

 

[westcoaster]

1. did you have an interview with a driver manager
2. i know drivers who need glasses to drive, dont think that is a problem.

 

[Albatross]

Not sure mate, had my initial interview alnd one of them was a driver manager, is there another one? and then at the end of the assessment day I had a structured interview.

Not concerned about the lack of letter as assessment was only on the 18th Dec and with the Christmas post I wouldn't have expected a letter either way as yet, I suspect it might beearly Jan before the post returns to normal. I am relieved to hear that glasses are ok

 

[robby p]

I've passed all my assesments recently for trainee driver with nxea, i passed the medical with my glasses, i believe you have to meet a minimum standard without your glasses though. They said a definate no no to contact lenses. Did anyone else here have to have the different type of drug test where you have to rub these stick things against your gums and hold them ther for 2 mins?

 

[Albatross]

How bad are your eyes without your glassess robbie? I would definitely be wearing glasses for my medical but they are pretty bad without them. I cant for exapmle read the number plate of a car in front of me on the road without my specs on

 

[robby p]

On my forms it says uncorrected in each eye of 3/60. In my left eye i could just about read the top line which is the massive letter A! Just to give you an idea and if it's any help i can't read the car in fronts number plate either,lol.

 

[ungreat]

I agree with ungreat to a point, its not a job its more a way of life - everything you do, your first consideration is the railway. Want to go out with your mates? Will it affect your work (sleep, drink etc) want to go on holiday? Can you be at work 03:30 the day after you come back? if not do you want to shorten your time away or use a leiu day? Its a very unsociable job, you are going to work when people are coming out of nightclubs, or you are coming home when people are coming out of nightclubs.

That all said I love my job to bits, I love being on my own in the cab, Im my own boss and Im left alone to do my job with minimal hassle from managment and allowed the responsibility to drive 100 tons of metal carrying 300 people safely to where they want to go....and Im paid a good wage for it too! Yes some of the passengers can be a pain, but I dont let them get to me, they will only be with you for an hour or so and as a a driver I dont get hassled by them too much anyway, if it looks like trouble dont get involved, there isnt a medal waiting for you when you finish! Joining the railway is the best move I ever made, and cant ever imagine leaving the footplate grage - downsides included there are far worse jobs out there.

Its not an easy job to get into directly from outside the industry, I managed it but it took years of applying for the jobs and getting rejected - eventually I got taken on, its worth it but dont let the rejection letters put you off!

I may have seemed on a downer there,but thats the bad side of the job I was posting..it has many plusses of which my colleague has posted.Ive done 22 years now in the grade and wouldn't swap it for anything to be honest.I go out on a limb here and say I probably had the best of times as a trainee,being with BR and being only 16 when I started as a secondman...you learned quick!

Theres nothing like watching the sunrise from an early morning run to wherever you are going...compensates for the crap days you get,and theres lots of them,but summertime,sunrising at 4.30 am,getting a train ready for service..chugging along,window down..seeing the girls on stations in their skimpy summer gear...your own boss,never see a manager hardly..its nice,it really is

 

[yardman]

I agree with Flyboy and thanks for your insight in what is perceived to be "a glamorous job". I work as a printer and have always had an interest the railway. Again, to some it is not a glamourous job and for the 10 or so years i have been doing it, i have enjoyed it most of the way. It goes to say that its not the job thats exciting, it how you make it.

Like you i am currently stuck in the recruitment process, sadly it would seem that i was made redundant before i even got the job due to NXEA slashing several vacancies, but hey keep pestering them and something will sort itself out.

 

[shinkansen09]

I think things might have been even more lax than that around that time.

I know of a guy whose dad was a driver on the Eastern. He got called in one day to see his dad's manager. "So, young man," the manager said. "I guess you're interested in becoming a driver some day". "Yes", he replied. "Good," said the manager. "Report to Waterloo at 9am sharp on Monday morning to start your MP12".

It couldn't happen today.

O L Leigh

IT DID NOT HAPPEN THEN !!!!:roll::roll:
For a start in 1980 we still had a seniority system......monitored by LDC reps.
Wasn`t at Waterloo at that time but trying to get into Southside training school for an MP12 course (which I believe covered all the SW Division at the time) next Monday for a new entrant is ABSOLUTE B*****KS.
O L LEIGH.....why mislead these people with great stories...we all have some....but lies.......so much for modorators:roll:
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I may have seemed on a downer there,but thats the bad side of the job I was posting..it has many plusses of which my colleague has posted.Ive done 22 years now in the grade and wouldn't swap it for anything to be honest.I go out on a limb here and say I probably had the best of times as a trainee,being with BR and being only 16 when I started as a secondman...you learned quick!

Theres nothing like watching the sunrise from an early morning run to wherever you are going...compensates for the crap days you get,and theres lots of them,but summertime,sunrising at 4.30 am,getting a train ready for service..chugging along,window down..seeing the girls on stations in their skimpy summer gear...your own boss,never see a manager hardly..its nice,it really is

You have "Hit the nail on the head".......nice some people know what they are talking about.....No same office or factory to look at......you are your own boss once you get on your train.......good days....bad days....sat in binliners cos it`s too cold in the winter due to a 31 or 47 heaters being no good (or in the wrong place) draughts on most locos of the period...and TOO hot during a summer...( remember when the uk used to get a summer).....the money was no good but it didn`t matter that much.....one day you would go up for your MP12......and mr ungreat...if you started at Peterborough where you live now......we probably even know each other.......said a VERY rare ex-March man....not many of us left in the network !
To sum up:
Being on the railway in general it`s like a drug....you love it yet you hate it some days.........you cant do without it...you need it......but you hate not going out with your mates every friday due to work for example.

 

[O L Leigh]

IT DID NOT HAPPEN THEN !!!!:roll::roll:
For a start in 1980 we still had a seniority system......monitored by LDC reps.
Wasn`t at Waterloo at that time but trying to get into Southside training school for an MP12 course (which I believe covered all the SW Division at the time) next Monday for a new entrant is ABSOLUTE B*****KS.
O L LEIGH.....why mislead these people with great stories...we all have some....but lies.......so much for modorators:roll:

Don't take me to task over this. I quoted directly from the horses mouth.

O L Leigh

 

[37401]

i myself have found this info usefull as i want to become a driver when im 21 im going to get a job on the stations first then work my way up from there.

 

[ungreat]

sat in binliners cos it`s too cold in the winter due to a 31 or 47 heaters being no good (or in the wrong place) draughts on most locos of the period...and TOO hot during a summer...( remember when the uk used to get a summer).....the money was no good but it didn`t matter that much.....one day you would go up for your MP12......and mr ungreat...if you started at Peterborough where you live now......we probably even know each other.......said a VERY rare ex-March man.

God do i remember having to do that!! I didnt start at Pboro mate (went to Waterloo at the age of 16 as a traction trainee)but I spent the last few years of the 80's at Leicester(moved there from Hither Green in 88)before I went to Toton in 91 and knew a fair few of the Pboro and March men...Merv Neal,Chris Thompson,Colin Gray,Gary Howlett,Nobby Clark etc

Send me a PM and I'm guessing we probably know each other! If its a clue,I'm a northerner by birth and accent!

 

[Urobach]

Right, I'm 21 in two months, really not enjoying university and seriously considering applying for a career in the rail industry. I do have a concern though that I have a history of Depression, should I even bother applying?

 

[culvers]

I have only recently become a train driver, and have to say that the asessments were as tough as everyone says they are. If you just thinking about becoming a driver you are doing the right thing by looking on here. Search google for other rail forums too and read up on all the posts, there is tons of information out there.

Also check out the railway register page on becoming a train driver, and sites like http://www.traindrivertrainee.com which had a handy list of all the TOC's recruitment pages, thats what i used every day to check to see if there are any vacancies.

If there arent any vacancies, as has already been mentioned, you would be best off joining the railway in another grade and applying internally once a vacancy comes up.

Good luck lads!

 

[Flyboy]

Don't like the look of that Traindrivertrainee.com website, it appears to be a blatantly biased advert for the How2become series of DVDs, doing all it can at every step to convince you to order said product! No, I'm afraid nothing comes close to the railwayregister site.

 

[culvers]

lol yeah there are tons of ads pointing to the dvd site. I just used it for the table of train operating companies recruitment websites, as the railway register version was outdated with its links. I bookmarked the page with the table on and clicked through them a couple of times a week to see if any new vacancies had come up.

As well as railway register, railchat.co.uk had some informative threads in its forums about becoming a train driver. And there was another decent site too, think it was traindriver.net or something similar.

So plenty of resources out there for the aspiring driver!

 

[73110]

Right, I'm 21 in two months, really not enjoying university and seriously considering applying for a career in the rail industry. I do have a concern though that I have a history of Depression, should I even bother applying?

To be frank I would not bother. Stress and depression are the two words on your CV that will not get you any job on the railway I am afraid.

 

[ungreat]

Oh I don't know..most of us are depressed and stressed out anyway!

 

[TDK]

i myself have found this info usefull as i want to become a driver when im 21 im going to get a job on the stations first then work my way up from there.

You get many enthusiats wanting to be drivers to fuel their hobby, I feel that to become a train driver it could be a risk if you main hobby is the railway, it could be a distraction, however there are many train drivers who are enthusiasts but most likely became entusiasts after getting the role. The quote "I want to be a driver when I am 21" makes me wonder as to be honest when I was 21 I wouldn't have wanted to blow away my social life with shift work, not be abale to go out with my mates, work 3 out of 4 saturdays and 2 out of 4 Sundays, have to go to bed at 8pm because I am on at 03.30 the next day, not to be able to drink alcohol 24 hours before a shift, this list is not exhaustive, you young fellas/ladies need to think hard about this before applying and also I have met many an enthusiast who isn't so enthusiastic later in life.
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Right, I'm 21 in two months, really not enjoying university and seriously considering applying for a career in the rail industry. I do have a concern though that I have a history of Depression, should I even bother applying?

Put it this way, it don't look good on your CV, it all depends on the root cause of the depression, has the reason for the depression passed? Was it general depression, do you take medication for it, these will be the questions you are asked on applying

 

[robby p]

I might have to disagree with that, I started training as a driver at 21, I am 22 now and have just passed out so will be driving by myself next week. I would have to say it's a great job for my social life, I get three days off a week and every 4 weeks I get a 5 day long weekend off. I never have to go to bed that early but I supose that is helped by conditions which mean the ealiest I sign on in 0500. even if I do start that early I finish early and have the whole day to myself. As for alcohol, I know every company has different guidelines but 24 hours? An average adult male can clear 12 pints of stella in that amount of time! We're advised 8 to 12 hours before any shift. I'm not a major enthusiast but have always been interested in the railways, it helped through training that I was actualy interested about learning about the railway, although I would agree an enthusiast could get dangerously distracted whilst out driving!

 

[the sniper]

If you don't mind me asking Robby P, what did you do before you became a train driver?

 

[fsmr]

I might have to disagree with that, I started training as a driver at 21, I am 22 now and have just passed out so will be driving by myself next week. I would have to say it's a great job for my social life, I get three days off a week and every 4 weeks I get a 5 day long weekend off. I never have to go to bed that early but I supose that is helped by conditions which mean the ealiest I sign on in 0500. even if I do start that early I finish early and have the whole day to myself. As for alcohol, I know every company has different guidelines but 24 hours? An average adult male can clear 12 pints of stella in that amount of time! We're advised 8 to 12 hours before any shift. I'm not a major enthusiast but have always been interested in the railways, it helped through training that I was actualy interested about learning about the railway, although I would agree an enthusiast could get dangerously distracted whilst out driving!

Doubt it, if you are of good enough calibre and aptitude to pass the assement and pass out as a driver, then you will not be distracted by anything including the nice young ladies in the summer LOL

It is like all jobs that are safety critical, you start off with the right material base and train and train and your professionalism prevents you being distacted or making mistakes.
Any medical condition or behaviour likely to affect this will be picked up on the first interview. and the no alcochol rule applies to many professions these days, pilots, police drivers, and even LGV drivers. TBH anyone drinking 12 cans of stella will be failed on medical grounds before they get to 35!!

We have to state how many units we consume weekly anually for the company medical and also have a zero alcohol rule for 1 week 24/7 oncall every month. No big deal, its not the end of the world if you cant drink for a week

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Remember, the railway blood alcohol limit is 29mg rather than the 80mg for driving, so it's quite possible your legal to drive a car but not a train