CrossCountry Qualified Train Driver

[B0bm]

Hi all,

I have an interview coming up for Qualified Train driver at Birmingham New Street.

I've been told it will be rules and an interview, has anyone got any more info on what will be asked?

Also looking for some insight on shifts such as earliest book on, latest book off, are night shifts expected?
What is the roster and working week like?

What's the working environment like at the depot?

How are the T&C's and is there anything important that I should be aware of?

If anyone reading this is currently a driver there and wouldn't mind me asking a few more questions please PM me!

Any info would be much appreciated
Many thanks in advance

 

[tiptoptaff]

Hi all,

I have an interview coming up for Qualified Train driver at Birmingham New Street.

I've been told it will be rules and an interview, has anyone got any more info on what will be asked?

Also looking for some insight on shifts such as earliest book on, latest book off, are night shifts expected?
What is the roster and working week like?

What's the working environment like at the depot?

How are the T&C's and is there anything important that I should be aware of?

If anyone reading this is currently a driver there and wouldn't mind me asking a few more questions please PM me!

Any info would be much appreciated
Many thanks in advance

The rules was a full rules paper and they'd highlighted 10 at random. My assumption is that everyone who's interviewed gets a different random 10

 

[Train_manager]

Hi all,

I have an interview coming up for Qualified Train driver at Birmingham New Street.

I've been told it will be rules and an interview, has anyone got any more info on what will be asked?

Also looking for some insight on shifts such as earliest book on, latest book off, are night shifts expected?
What is the roster and working week like?

What's the working environment like at the depot?

How are the T&C's and is there anything important that I should be aware of?

If anyone reading this is currently a driver there and wouldn't mind me asking a few more questions please PM me!

Any info would be much appreciated
Many thanks in advance

Very good questions to ask at the interview.



Good luck

 

[B0bm]

Thanks for your replies guys!

I've heard that CrossCountry does not have a rest day working agreement and as such there's no overtime on offer, do you know if there is any truth in this?

 

[Zerothebrake!]

There is currently a Rest Day Working agreement but rumours that it may be dropped in June.

 

[B0bm]

Thanks for the info. Do you know why this is? Have they done this before also?

 

[Alumni]

Hopefully my posting is in the right place

Are Sundays committed and in addition to basic or is it outside? And is it relatively easy to exchange RDs?

Many thanks

 

[Zerothebrake!]

In the 5 day / 30 week Link at my Depot there are 12 booked Sunday turns - which you have work unless you can find a substitute.

We have a WhatsApp group for extra Sundays that you can offer them up on.

Sundays are paid at the basic hourly rate.

 

[Alumni]

Thank you for sharing

Would you happen to know if there is much RDW at both Birmingham and the Bristol depot?

Also, is it possible to arrange a perm early or late, or is it a matter of finding others to swap with?

 

[B0bm]

Thank you for sharing

Would you happen to know if there is much RDW at both Birmingham and the Bristol depot?

Also, is it possible to arrange a perm early or late, or is it a matter of finding others to swap with?

I'm also interested to know if there's much rest day work going at Birmingham. Someone said it might be pulled in June

 

[Zerothebrake!]

Bristol were seven Drivers short a little while back with some long term sickness as well so the RDW was almost guaranteed but I think that it has dropped off for train work now as they are more or less back up to establishment but it's still widely used for training purposes and route learning/refreshing.

Birmingham is the largest XC train crew depot by far and it used to regularly have up to 18 uncovered diagrams a day but it's starting to settle down a little more now.

One of the stipulations for the current RDW agreement is that you can't cover another Depot's work so you'll find yourself traveling to cover a part of a diagram when you are Spare and often in a taxi too.

Re finding a regular swap, you would need to sort that out yourself with the another Driver and run it by the LDC and Management.

Part time working is a feature at my Depot too.

 

[Yfg132]

Generally curious to know why some people are so focused on RDW, it's a 65k salary and if you work your booked Sundays, around 70k. We all like extra money now and again but there is a life outside of work and where does constantly wanting more stop? If it's not a far commute, routes/traction are appealing and the roster works for you then that's what is important. It's a well paid TOC, surely constant RD's aren't the main factor, you want to actually enjoy life outside of work?

 

[BrokenSam]

Generally curious to know why some people are so focused on RDW, it's a 65k salary and if you work your booked Sundays, around 70k. We all like extra money now and again but there is a life outside of work and where does constantly wanting more stop? If it's not a far commute, routes/traction are appealing and the roster works for you then that's what is important. It's a well paid TOC, surely constant RD's aren't the main factor, you want to actually enjoy life outside of work?

Child maintenance due to being divorced because I worked too much. Lol

 

[Zerothebrake!]

Maybe something else to consider.. back in 2007 (when Arriva took over from Virgin), the company wanted to know when their (590) Drivers wanted to finish work.

A poll was conducted and only 31% could be bothered to vote on their own future with the result being finish at state pension age.

Have to think it would be a different outcome if that poll was carried out now - especially as working part time is so popular.

 

[Dano28]

If there’s anyone that’s had an interview, how long did it take to hear back please?

 

[Gemz91]

Generally curious to know why some people are so focused on RDW, it's a 65k salary and if you work your booked Sundays, around 70k. We all like extra money now and again but there is a life outside of work and where does constantly wanting more stop? If it's not a far commute, routes/traction are appealing and the roster works for you then that's what is important. It's a well paid TOC, surely constant RD's aren't the main factor, you want to actually enjoy life outside of work?

Glad you asked this, I often wonder the same. I know different people have different circumstances and things go wrong in life, especially with the lack of pay rises in recent years. But when I joined the railway I was always told never to rely on rest day work, always budget to your basic wage. There’s drivers I’ve chatted to who use their basic salary to cover their bills then RDW to pay for anything else they want. Always surprises me. Maybe I’m just lazy and enjoy my time off too much.

 

[theironroad]

Child maintenance due to being divorced because I worked too much. Lol

I shouldn't laugh, but as you did, circle of life lol

 

[baz962]

Child maintenance due to being divorced because I worked too much. Lol

Glad you asked this, I often wonder the same. I know different people have different circumstances and things go wrong in life, especially with the lack of pay rises in recent years. But when I joined the railway I was always told never to rely on rest day work, always budget to your basic wage. There’s drivers I’ve chatted to who use their basic salary to cover their bills then RDW to pay for anything else they want. Always surprises me. Maybe I’m just lazy and enjoy my time off too much.

Well yes but like the other poster I got stung for child support. Another ex moved to the states with my son when he was six and visiting him isn't cheap. In the last few years my wife lost her job in COVID and since then my rent and bills has risen by around 400 a month with no wage rise and my wife losing money. She works now but confined to minimum wage work . Combined £1000 pounds worse off. And we actually write out a proper budget. Just life really.

 

[Gemz91]

Well yes but like the other poster I got stung for child support. Another ex moved to the states with my son when he was six and visiting him isn't cheap. In the last few years my wife lost her job in COVID and since then my rent and bills has risen by around 400 a month with no wage rise and my wife losing money. She works now but confined to minimum wage work . Combined £1000 pounds worse off. And we actually write out a proper budget. Just life really.

I understand that, that’s why I said sometimes life goes wrong, and people like yourselves truly have my sympathy. But there are still plenty at my place who will do every rest day going so they can have the nicest car in the car park, the biggest extension on their house next to the railway line for all to see or buy a big motor home that they never use because they’re always at work, leaving little room for them for when things go wrong. Rushing back to work when they’re ill because they need the money. They’re the ones I don’t understand.

 

[Kse]

I understand that, that’s why I said sometimes life goes wrong, and people like yourselves truly have my sympathy. But there are still plenty at my place who will do every rest day going so they can have the nicest car in the car park, the biggest extension on their house next to the railway line for all to see or buy a big motor home that they never use because they’re always at work, leaving little room for them for when things go wrong. Rushing back to work when they’re ill because they need the money. They’re the ones I don’t understand.

As is their right.

Those same people rushing back for RDW are the ones that allow you to get your lieu and float days whenever you'd like.

 

[Yfg132]

I too am divorced and pay CSA and no longer have a combined income, you adjust accordingly. Can sympathise with some people's unfortunate circumstances but it's the green eyed monster that gets to most! Each to their own though I know I'd rather enjoy life and not work most of it for a top of the range car or some flash holiday which passes quickly.

(I also pay the max csa for my income, out of choice)

 

[B0bm]

You don't have to justify why you're interested in whether the company has overtime going or not. I think it's a fair question to ask and I'm sure there's a fair system in place as with most tocs, to allocate the free day work equally.

 

[tiptoptaff]

You don't have to justify why you're interested in whether the company has overtime going or not. I think it's a fair question to ask and I'm sure there's a fair system in place as with most tocs, to allocate the free day work equally.

This.

I don't get why people slate others for being interested in RDW - I know someone who does a few here and there to pay for his holiday money. I know others who rely on it and struggle without it, which is a separate issue entirely. I know some who do a day a week because "they worked 5days a week in the 'real' world so doing a RDW a week makes this a normal 5day week" and they get an extra week a month in their pay packet as a result

I did it because I loved the job, and the extra beer/football/model train tokens very much helped tempt me in to work on my off days.

If you want to do overtime, do it. If you don't, don't. But don't slate others for their choices. Easy, innit.

 

[Gemz91]

This.

I don't get why people slate others for being interested in RDW - I know someone who does a few here and there to pay for his holiday money. I know others who rely on it and struggle without it, which is a separate issue entirely. I know some who do a day a week because "they worked 5days a week in the 'real' world so doing a RDW a week makes this a normal 5day week" and they get an extra week a month in their pay packet as a result

I did it because I loved the job, and the extra beer/football/model train tokens very much helped tempt me in to work on my off days.

If you want to do overtime, do it. If you don't, don't. But don't slate others for their choices. Easy, innit.

I wasn’t slating anyone for working rest day work. More surprised that the availability of RDW is one of the chosen reasons people move depots. The four day week was always a big appeal for me joining the railways, I suppose some see that as a way to enjoy more time off whilst others see it as a way to boost their wage.

 

[Yfg132]

Nobody has slated anyone? As stated above was just surprised how this seemed like one of the big contributing factors when RDW can disappear at any point. Simple, innit.