DLR Passenger Service Agent (29/01/2022)

[DNCharingX]

hireful.

keolisameydlr.livevacancies.co.uk

About the role:
As a PSA you will play an important role in looking after the wellbeing and comfort of our passengers. Whilst operating the train to schedule in a safe and efficient manner, you will also represent the DLR in every aspect of its operations, taking care of customer needs and delivering exceptional customer experience. You will be required to use conflict management skills to manage incidents including intoxicated, or ill passengers & fare evaders, these can often escalate into volatile situations or potential conflict. You will need to be able to deal with equipment failure, service disruption and potentially major customer accidents and injuries.

The PSA role is an Apprenticeship position, to be successful in this role you will be required to study towards a formal qualification. The initial training course will consist of 12 weeks of training, followed by 1 week of shadowing an existing PSA. The initial training will be followed by up to 10 additional training days during the first year of employment. These additional days will form part of the formal Passenger Transport Onboard and Station (PTOS) Apprenticeship and will give the opportunity to develop base skills further.

This role is a shift based which includes early, daytime and lates shifts, weekend and bank holiday working. There is flexibility in terms of being able to swap shifts with colleagues, however a mixture of shifts are required to be worked in order to maintain your PSA skills and licences.

During initial training a trainee salary is paid until you are able to fully carry out the role. Initial training and shadowing is usually completed in 13 weeks.

Good luck all, any existing PSAs feel free to chime in with how it's like because they leave a lot out of the job description.

For example, do you need to be 21?

 

[Bucephalus]

...

For example, do you need to be 21?

It's not heavy rail, so I would imagine it would just 18+

 

[Lewis5949]

The job description is so poor that they don't even mention the staff travelcard!

 

[notadriver]

What’s the salary ?

 

[Chippychips]

hireful.

keolisameydlr.livevacancies.co.uk

Good luck all, any existing PSAs feel free to chime in with how it's like because they leave a lot out of the job description.

For example, do you need to be 21?

From what I recall, as its a safety critical role you do have to be 21+

What’s the salary ?

Currently £48006

 

[Lewis5949]

The job is being advertised again, I think that's the third time in recent months. I've heard the morale there is a bit questionable, maybe that is why?

 

[spellbound330]

It’s quite surprising to see it being advertised again.

I know you get free travel across the TfL network if you work for the DLR, but do you also get the staff leisure card for national rail?

 

[notadriver]

I don’t believe national rail is included as you aren’t part of national rail. Similarly national rail workers don’t get free tfl travel.
48k not to be sniffed at. Very little driving involved too.

 

[spellbound330]

The job description is not that detailed in terms of the benefits.

The only time you can use the National Rail priv on TfL is if it has the + cross London symbol. Surely there has to be some reciprocal arrangement in place for that to be the case.

 

[Lewis5949]

It’s quite surprising to see it being advertised again.

I know you get free travel across the TfL network if you work for the DLR, but do you also get the staff leisure card for national rail?

I am too, with how close these recent adverts have been.

As I understand, you do not get any NR discounts. I'm no recruitment expert, but from what I've gathered, only MTREL or London Overground/LOROL offer both a TfL staff Oyster and a 75% NR leisure priv card.

I don’t believe national rail is included as you aren’t part of national rail. Similarly national rail workers don’t get free tfl travel.
48k not to be sniffed at. Very little driving involved too.

It isn't to be sniffed at, but I'll copy in what I put in a previous thread about this job. There are some serious morale and management problems there - the opinion of a current staff member I spoke to in person - and I didn't apply on previous ads from what he said. Would I love a 15k rise? Yes. Do I want to be unhappy and just plod along on probabably the highest service for fare evasion, when it annoys me so much? Probably not.

I spent 20 minutes with a PSA over the last few days, and while keeping this light to not dox them without consent, they find the job okay but hate the company. Short turnaround times (I witnessed 4 minutes at Stratford International) with practically no time to use the toilet, no real support if things go wrong particuarly on the outer edges of the routes, some of the mirrors and monitors have been broken for years and never fixed, trains can get dangerously hot in summer and concerns raised to the company not addressed... and when the new trains come which will be fully walk through like the District line, there will be no place of safety, which currently is the fact the PSA can move between the physically seperated/coupled units. And then of course there's the scum, fare evasion and powerless revenue (which is suspended now due to covid but will return) checks that keep honest people honest and you can't do squat against evasion (not that's realistic anyway - is an evader going to give you their name and address? No.). Also felt that although some say the role is overpaid, given the combination of duties - driving, shunting, customer service and revenue - feels it's underpaid. And of course the "driving" you do doesn't make you a qualified driver that you can use with another TOC who advertise for qualified drivers. Overall they make you work hard for your money.

 

[Lewis5949]

Funny how recruitment teams do so much to filter out applicants, expect the most from them, and if we were unprofessional, we wouldn't be picked... yet recruitment (across many companies) is as poor as you describe. Sad really.

 

[Bucephalus]

Funny how recruitment teams do so much to filter out applicants, expect the most from them, and if we were unprofessional, we wouldn't be picked... yet recruitment (across many companies) is as poor as you describe. Sad really.

Hear hear! I guess though, if they did their job properly they wouldn't have a job for long...

 

[Horizon22]

The primary thing is that they are under-resourced and run in quite small teams. Deadlines are set which the recruitment team on the ground can't necessarily meet. It's a bit of a mess.

 

[OhNoImBored]

Hi All,

Recently I've decided to have a change of career and opted to join the railway.

I've applied for numerous posts with different companies and the only one for which I was successful in passing the online application was the DLR PSA position.

I was invited to complete the online SJT. (which I've passed)

The next stage of the application is an interview followed by a radio test, which is scheduled for next week.

Does anyone have any knowledge of which questions are likely to pop up and what the radio test consists of?

If you also have any tips I would be ever so grateful.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Mabsclm89]

Hi All,

Recently I've decided to have a change of career and opted to join the railway.

I've applied for numerous posts with different companies and the only one for which I was successful in passing the online application was the DLR PSA position.

I was invited to complete the online SJT. (which I've passed)

The next stage of the application is an interview followed by a radio test, which is scheduled for next week.

Does anyone have any knowledge of which questions are likely to pop up and what the radio test consists of?

If you also have any tips I would be ever so grateful.

Thank you in advance.

Same, I passed my assessments and have a radio test next week.
Does anyone happen to know what the salary is during training and what it goes upto upon completion of training? Much appreciated

 

[LOROL123]

What’s the salary ?

It is now around £52,500 after the 9.25% inflation (RPI) uplift. Training lasts 12 weeks + 1 week shadowing an existing PSA. Salary is reduced by 50% during training.

30 days holiday + 8 public holidays

Staff Oyster Card for free Tfl travel

Defined Contribution pension

Training takes place at both Poplar and Beckton depots from 08:00 to around 16:00 Monday to Friday...some night time shifts for manual driving training.

 

[notadriver]

It is now around £52,500 after the 9.25% inflation (RPI) uplift. Training lasts 12 weeks + 1 week shadowing an existing PSA. Salary is reduced by 50% during training.

30 days holiday + 8 public holidays

Staff Oyster Card for free Tfl travel

Defined Contribution pension

Training takes place at both Poplar and Beckton depots from 08:00 to around 16:00 Monday to Friday...some night time shifts for manual driving training.

That’s a fantastic salary

 

[LOROL123]

That’s a fantastic salary

It is indeed! I mean less than a driver on the National Rail network and Tube driver...but it's not a full time driving position I suppose.

Intakes for PSAs in June and September 2022

 

[All Line Rover]

Is a PSA required on every passenger DLR service?

 

[LOROL123]

Is a PSA required on every passenger DLR service?

They are yes. The DLR is Grade of Automation Level 3 so a member of staff is required onboard at all times. Level 4 (e.g. Doha metro) is when a system can operate with no staff onboard.

 

[LOROL123]

hireful.

keolisameydlr.livevacancies.co.uk

PSA role being advertised

 

[spellbound330]

Nice to see it being advertised for the 50th time this year.

 

[Jaytrains]

Loooool

 

[felicita]

Jjust over 52k at the moment

What’s the salary ?

Nice to see it being advertised for the 50th time this year.

There may be loads of staff retiring? Or moving into different roles?

 

[Horizon22]

Yes there's definitely a serious problem considering how often this has been advertised.

 

[DA1]

Any who’s done the SJT, how did you find it?

 

[shoash]

Hi,

I have been invited to attend a virtual assessment centre for the passenger service agent role with the DLR.

It says it will Involve a series of interview questions and a radio communications test.

Has anyone ever gone through this before and if so, what kind of questions can I expect? And what is a radio communications test? How bes can I prepare?

Anyone heard back after the virtual assessment day on 10th March on teams? They said if we don’t hear back after the 21st March to contact them but I’ve heard nothing since…emailed them and no reply for a week

Hi,

I'm attending a teams assessment in a couple days... what kind of questions did they ask?

 

[DA1]

Hi,

I have been invited to attend a virtual assessment centre for the passenger service agent role with the DLR.

It says it will Involve a series of interview questions and a radio communications test.

Has anyone ever gone through this before and if so, what kind of questions can I expect? And what is a radio communications test? How bes can I prepare?



Hi,

I'm attending a teams assessment in a couple days... what kind of questions did they ask?

Sorry to come back to this thread but how did you find the assessment? Did you hear back? Someone I know has their assessment coming up.