Do you need to be intelligent to be a driver?

[Poolsharks1]

I'm a locksmith in Edinburgh and I was changing the locks on an ex train drivers door and I swear to God he was off his rocker. Don't know if he had maybe had a breakdown or something, but I can remember thinking I wouldn't want him driving my train!

 

[scott118]

perhaps that is the reason, they are now an ex train driver..maybe they thought the same about yourself.

 

[broadgage]

I would say that a train driver needs to be of above average intelligence, nothing exceptional is required but above average, yes.

Intelligence is not to be confused with education, many train drivers may have had only a basic education and are excellent at the job.

Most school education is of very limited relevance for driving a train, the railway industry, rather than the school or university will provide the training/education in train driving.

What the applicant DOES need is the innate intelligence to absorb the training.

The driver selection tests are designed at least partly to determine intelligence rather than education.

I know a number of train drivers, all of which I would consider to be of above average intelligence, but that is not surprising since they have all passed the selection tests.

 

[Bromley boy]

I would say that a train driver needs to be of above average intelligence, nothing exceptional is required but above average, yes.

Intelligence is not to be confused with education, many train drivers may have had only a basic education and are excellent at the job.

Most school education is of very limited relevance for driving a train, the railway industry, rather than the school or university will provide the training/education in train driving.

What the applicant DOES need is the innate intelligence to absorb the training.

The driver selection tests are designed at least partly to determine intelligence rather than education.

I know a number of train drivers, all of which I would consider to be of above average intelligence, but that is not surprising since they have all passed the selection tests.

Totally agree with the above. I have a strong academic background, but that doesn't detract from the intensity of the rules training, which comes thick and fast!

Thank God it's Friday!

 

[TDK]

I think many are confusing intelligence with academic qualifications they are very different. You can be extremely intelligent with no academic qualifications what so ever. For instance I have a friend with degrees and what not but his IQ is nowhere near mine and I have nowt when it comes to degrees etc.

 

[JonathanP]

I am not a driver but I do have a university degree.

To get a degree you need to demonstrate higher-order critical thinking skills like the ability to draw new conclusions from combinations of existing research, analyse results of research, and create 'new' things in whatever field you work in, whether that means a new design of electronic circuit, or a new equation or theory.
To be a driver you don't need to do this, in fact I guess an 'innovation' is positively discouraged , so on the whole I would say the answer is no.

However, many people incorrectly think 'intelligence' in the academic sense is just being able to read a book with some facts in and regurgitate it quickly and accurately in a written exam. This I assume you do need to do to pass the the training course.

Of course, as other people have already said, success in any job is down to many other factors like willpower, "emotional intelligence"(the ability to get on with other people), the ability to prioritize and think clearly when faced with difficult choices and personal danger etc.

 

[ComUtoR]

For instance I have a friend with degrees and what not but his IQ is nowhere near mine and I have nowt when it comes to degrees etc.

I have a friend with a phd in physics. I swear there are days where I don't think he can tie his shoelaces.

 

[notadriver]

I am not a driver but I do have a university degree.



To get a degree you need to demonstrate higher-order critical thinking skills like the ability to draw new conclusions from combinations of existing research, analyse results of research, and create 'new' things in whatever field you work in, whether that means a new design of electronic circuit, or a new equation or theory.

To be a driver you don't need to do this, in fact I guess an 'innovation' is positively discouraged , so on the whole I would say the answer is no.



However, many people incorrectly think 'intelligence' in the academic sense is just being able to read a book with some facts in and regurgitate it quickly and accurately in a written exam. This I assume you do need to do to pass the the training course.

I think there are science degrees requiring the higher order thinking and analytical mind you describe. But I don't that's true of all degrees especially arts, music etc.



Why is it that suited and booted candidates turn up to test centres for assessment and fail for example?

 

[TDK]

I think there the science degrees require the higher order thinking and analytical mind you describe. But I don't that's true of all degrees especially arts, music etc.



Why is it that suited and booted candidates turn up to test centres for assessment and fail for example?

I have sifted many applications and many of the candidates with degrees and many without did not even complete the application form correctly. I think because someone has a degree it does not prove they have the intelligence required to become a train driver.

 

[RedZed]

I knew a guy who had a degree in maths and computer science. In winter, he used to thaw the lock on his car petrol cap with a lighter.

He's dead now.

 

[Bromley boy]

I have sifted many applications and many of the candidates with degrees and many without did not even complete the application form correctly. I think because someone has a degree it does not prove they have the intelligence required to become a train driver.

An academically rigorous degree (ie STEM subjects, social sciences, law at a leading university) requires a high level of raw intelligence both to get onto the degree and complete it. However, I agree with your previous comment. There are plenty of people without degrees who have an equal level of intelligence but have chosen a different path for whatever reason. Also a person with such a degree might not have the necessary common sense, people skills, spatial awareness etc required to be a train driver, or even to complete an application form correctly!

A good friend of mine has a first class honours degree in physics, and is a member of Mensa. A highly intelligent bloke by any measure. However, as he admits himself, he's a bit of a space cadet, lacks common sense, social skills etc and there are a great many jobs he would be unsuitable for despite his high level of raw intelligence.

 

[TDK]

An academically rigorous degree (ie STEM subjects, social sciences, law at a leading university) requires a high level of raw intelligence both to get onto the degree and complete it. However, I agree with your previous comment. There are plenty of people without degrees who have an equal level of intelligence but have chosen a different path for whatever reason. Also a person with such a degree might not have the necessary common sense, people skills, spatial awareness etc required to be a train driver, or even to complete an application form correctly!

A good friend of mine has a first class honours degree in physics, and is a member of Mensa. A highly intelligent bloke by any measure. However, as he admits himself, he's a bit of a space cadet, lacks common sense, social skills etc and there are a great many jobs he would be unsuitable for despite his high level of raw intelligence.

Indeed, I remember once playing a quiz game with 3 others, all had degrees in various subjects but common sense questions they didn't have a clue, I wiped the floor with them. To be a train driver you need many attributes and only one of them is good intelligence.

 

[E&W Lucas]

I am not a driver but I do have a university degree.

To get a degree you need to demonstrate higher-order critical thinking skills like the ability to draw new conclusions from combinations of existing research, analyse results of research, and create 'new' things in whatever field you work in, whether that means a new design of electronic circuit, or a new equation or theory.
To be a driver you don't need to do this, in fact I guess an 'innovation' is positively discouraged , so on the whole I would say the answer is no.

However, many people incorrectly think 'intelligence' in the academic sense is just being able to read a book with some facts in and regurgitate it quickly and accurately in a written exam. This I assume you do need to do to pass the the training course.

Of course, as other people have already said, success in any job is down to many other factors like willpower, "emotional intelligence"(the ability to get on with other people), the ability to prioritize and think clearly when faced with difficult choices and personal danger etc.

That's the most accurate post in this thread.
As driving is now largely a second career, for someone who's held a responsible job already, it's not unlikely that some applicants will have a significant level of formal education.


"Intelligence" is a subjective word. Its meaning in the context of this thread has not been adequately defined. The analytical aspects of a degree are obviously not required, but I'd suggest that it would be a very difficult job to land, if you'd not demonstrated "intelligence" in your life to date.
As for qualifications, I'm aware of one TOC filtering out applicants who'd not achieved "A" levels, or other 18+ qualifications. Understandable - the training process required intensive classroom learning, so why employ those who've failed to perform in this setting before?