Do "Starter depots" still exist?

[387star]

With nearly every depot now taking on trainees due to the companies earning money and in some cases paying less for the first two years of being Qualified it seems no longer the case that you have to join at an intensive urban DOO depot to get your key
Has anyone else noticed this trend?

I've also seen on this forum it's not always easy to move around anymore once Qualified* and relocations are geberally harder. The quality of work varies hugely and makes a huge difference to your quality of life.

*this is open to debate?

 

[Smelliott]

I'd certainly agree it seems these days you can just go straight to intercity work, and that some TOCs that never used to take on trainees now take on trainees almost exclusively (although this may not last forever, I understand it's only because of this stupid apprenticeship thing). However, in terms of whether one TOC is better than another, it's very much a case of horses for courses. One TOC might have very intense work but more agreeable shifts compared to another, for example. Also, there definitely are still plenty of opportunities for relocation, especially if you keep your ear to the ground.

 

[Horizon22]

With timetables having been reduced since Covid, I suppose there is less need for qualified drivers (unless it's been outweighed by leavers/retirees, but I doubt it). Also TOCs can get apprenticeship money for trainees now too, so that reduces the incentive to look for qualified drivers.

There's still TOCs out there that get thousands of apps (e.g. Avanti, LNER) whilst others get fewer (e.g. Southeastern) which is as much T&Cs as it is pay, type of work and local competition.