Driver from abroad after advice

[kiwidriver]

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and after a bit of advice. I'm currently a train driver in New Zealand and have been for 6 years now. My wife is from the UK and is keen for us to move our family over there to be near her family.

Just wondering if anyone knows if any TOC's take on qualified drivers from from my neck of the woods.

Cheers

 

[skyhigh]

Just wondering if anyone knows if any TOC's take on qualified drivers from from my neck of the woods.

No, the qualification isn't transferable and you'd have to start as a trainee (having completed the full application process including psychometrics).

 

[kiwidriver]

Cheers for the heads up mate. At least I know now where I stand and where to start.

 

[185]

You do start from scratch, sadly but that said, there are a lot of transferable skills which you've got worth their weight in gold at application & interview. Frustrating as Kiwirail / Toll etc (were) accepting British qualified drivers for some years - you'd expect that would work both ways, but things have changed. Indeed, my boss is from that place full of flies across the ditch... came to the UK 20 years ago, though.

 

[AverageJoe]

If only we could swap jobs

Cheers for the heads up mate. At least I know now where I stand and where to start

 

[PudseyBearHST]

If only we could swap jobs

Haha yes, there’s lots of us that would love to move to NZ/AUS

 

[kiwidriver]

You do start from scratch, sadly but that said, there are a lot of transferable skills which you've got worth their weight in gold at application & interview. Frustrating as Kiwirail / Toll etc (were) accepting British qualified drivers for some years - you'd expect that would work both ways, but things have changed. Indeed, my boss is from that place full of flies across the ditch... came to the UK 20 years ago, though.

Thanks for that mate, all handy things to know. Yeah I'd have thought it would be a bit more straight forward than this, but it is what it is.
I appreciate the advice, and if your boss is ever hiring mate, shout out.
Cheers

A job swap sounds good, we should start a driver exchange program mate. Job done.

I haven't got the hang of replying properly yet sorry guys. My train driving is better than my phone driving. Haha

 

[Ducatist4]

Its worth bearing in mind that driver vacancies are usually massively over subscribed when they do get advertised. Its not unusual for the offer to be closed within a few hours of it going live. Positions are often for talent pools as well so you could sit in one for several years and still not get an offer.

 

[railfan99]

Haha yes, there’s lots of us that would love to move to NZ/AUS

Pacific National (freight but hauls 'Indian Pacific', 'The Ghan', 'The Overland' and 'Great Southern' passenger trains) and Aurizon among others tend to be constantly looking for qualified locomotive drivers (NB: not 'units' or as we call them 'railcars').

Here's an example from the Seek website in Australia - at a very quick look, it also had vacancies in Adelaide, South Australia. (Kalgoorlie is a gold mining town in Western Australia, and is on the busy transcontinental railway with many intermodal trains from Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney/Parkes.) There's also a lot of minerals in WA hauled by rail, not just in the Pilbara that's isolated way up northwest (major centres there include Port Hedland).

Locomotive Driver - Kalgoorlie​

Aurizon


West Kalgoorlie, Kalgoorlie, Goldfields & Esperance WA

Rail & Maritime Transport (Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics)

Full time

Great Salary + $15k Sign on / Retention Payment

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I haven't run the numbers on living costs in Australia v England, but salaries these Australian train drivers earn should be way above UK levels, allowing for the weak Australian 'Pacific peso'.

Unfortunately you'd almost certainly have to start from zero with driving, and naturally be able to emigrate to Oz. But as others have said, you'd have many transferable skills.

There tend to constantly be vacancies for coal train drivers in Central Queensland and sometimes the Hunter Valley, NSW (latter close to Newcastle, 160km north of Sydney).

 

[id799862]

Yep you will have to start out as a Trainee Train Driver, and have an address within 45mins daytime travel of the depot you wish to apply to. Just find all the companies you wish to apply to, put their careers pages on speedload and check daily. You already have the skills aptitude and experience, so you should be successful.

 

[kiwidriver]

Yep you will have to start out as a Trainee Train Driver, and have an address within 45mins daytime travel of the depot you wish to apply to. Just find all the companies you wish to apply to, put their careers pages on speedload and check daily. You already have the skills aptitude and experience, so you should be successful.

Cheers for the heads up mate. I wasn't aware of the travel to depot side of things.

 

[PudseyBearHST]

Pacific National (freight but hauls 'Indian Pacific', 'The Ghan', 'The Overland' and 'Great Southern' passenger trains) and Aurizon among others tend to be constantly looking for qualified locomotive drivers (NB: not 'units' or as we call them 'railcars').

Here's an example from the Seek website in Australia - at a very quick look, it also had vacancies in Adelaide, South Australia. (Kalgoorlie is a gold mining town in Western Australia, and is on the busy transcontinental railway with many intermodal trains from Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney/Parkes.) There's also a lot of minerals in WA hauled by rail, not just in the Pilbara that's isolated way up northwest (major centres there include Port Hedland).

Locomotive Driver - Kalgoorlie​

Aurizon


West Kalgoorlie, Kalgoorlie, Goldfields & Esperance WA

Rail & Maritime Transport (Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics)

Full time

Great Salary + $15k Sign on / Retention Payment

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I haven't run the numbers on living costs in Australia v England, but salaries these Australian train drivers earn should be way above UK levels, allowing for the weak Australian 'Pacific peso'.

Unfortunately you'd almost certainly have to start from zero with driving, and naturally be able to emigrate to Oz. But as others have said, you'd have many transferable skills.

There tend to constantly be vacancies for coal train drivers in Central Queensland and sometimes the Hunter Valley, NSW (latter close to Newcastle, 160km north of Sydney).

Thanks, Is there still companies that still look for UK qualified drivers or police officers like they did a few years ago?

 

[railfan99]

Thanks, Is there still companies that still look for UK qualified drivers or police officers like they did a few years ago?

Not to my knowledge, but you could always directly enquire with rail operators such as Queensland Rail, Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink, V/Line in Victoria, TransPerth, TransAdelaide and for freight, Pacific National, Aurizon, Qube Holdings, Southern Shorthaul Railroad and so on. SSR is too small, and PN has lost some contracts but as mentioned above still has vacancies in some regions.

I doubt any operators (whether on the national standard gauge network/broad gauge/narrow gauge: Vic and South Australia partly broad and standard gauge, Western Australia partly narrow and standard, Qld with exception of the line from Sydney is narrow gauge) would be open to paying for a UK applicant to emigrate as a 'skilled' immigrant. It is costly with visa and other fees for employers to import labour (though arguably beneficial if you have prior knowledge, even though safeworking and operating somewhat differs).

However, the 'skills list' shows all states have a shortage of train drivers (bearing in mind training normally takes c.48 to 75 weeks varying by operator/state IIRC):

https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/skills-shortages-analysis/skills-priority-list

My guess is like truck drivers, the Australian freight train driver workforce is ageing but companies never seem to comment.

If I was in charge of a rail operator, I'd welcome UK applicants who emigrated using their own funds provided they weren't union militants. You operatemany trains faster than the very limited number of 160kmh maximum speed passenger trains in Oz, you can easily assimilate (perhaps more easily than you could in the USA), no language difficulties and a rail network here that naturally originally (like many others) commenced thanks to the British (and Irish!)

I hope by discussing the OP's concerns 'in reverse' (i.e. from UK to a foreign country, not to UK) we're not hijacking this thread.

 

[PudseyBearHST]

Not to my knowledge, but you could always directly enquire with rail operators such as Queensland Rail, Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink, V/Line in Victoria, TransPerth, TransAdelaide and for freight, Pacific National, Aurizon, Qube Holdings, Southern Shorthaul Railroad and so on. SSR is too small, and PN has lost some contracts but as mentioned above still has vacancies in some regions.

I doubt any operators (whether on the national standard gauge network/broad gauge/narrow gauge: Vic and South Australia partly broad and standard gauge, Western Australia partly narrow and standard, Qld with exception of the line from Sydney is narrow gauge) would be open to paying for a UK applicant to emigrate as a 'skilled' immigrant. It is costly with visa and other fees for employers to import labour (though arguably beneficial if you have prior knowledge, even though safeworking and operating somewhat differs).

However, the 'skills list' shows all states have a shortage of train drivers (bearing in mind training normally takes c.48 to 75 weeks varying by operator/state IIRC):

https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/skills-shortages-analysis/skills-priority-list

My guess is like truck drivers, the Australian freight train driver workforce is ageing but companies never seem to comment.

If I was in charge of a rail operator, I'd welcome UK applicants who emigrated using their own funds provided they weren't union militants. You operatemany trains faster than the very limited number of 160kmh maximum speed passenger trains in Oz, you can easily assimilate (perhaps more easily than you could in the USA), no language difficulties and a rail network here that naturally originally (like many others) commenced thanks to the British (and Irish!)

I hope by discussing the OP's concerns 'in reverse' (i.e. from UK to a foreign country, not to UK) we're not hijacking this thread.

Thanks for the detailed reply, it’s very much appreciated.

 

[westcoaster]

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and after a bit of advice. I'm currently a train driver in New Zealand and have been for 6 years now. My wife is from the UK and is keen for us to move our family over there to be near her family.

Just wondering if anyone knows if any TOC's take on qualified drivers from from my neck of the woods.

Cheers

Hi the company I work for took on a driver from Sydney Trains a while back, I'm sure he started again as a trainee driver.

So it is possible.

Is there a specific area in the UK you'd be near family wise, if so we could point you towards local train operating companies.

 

[kiwidriver]

Hi the company I work for took on a driver from Sydney Trains a while back, I'm sure he started again as a trainee driver.

So it is possible.

Is there a specific area in the UK you'd be near family wise, if so we could point you towards local train operating companies.

Hiya mate, we'd be looking to move north. Anywhere from Manchester to York and their surrounds would be ideal. If you know of anything, please shout out mate, and I appreciate the time you've taken to reach out.

 

[westcoaster]

Hiya mate, we'd be looking to move north. Anywhere from Manchester to York and their surrounds would be ideal. If you know of anything, please shout out mate, and I appreciate the time you've taken to reach out.

I'm sure others will be along soon to give a guiding hand, as I'm from down south.

You've two possible routes to explore passenger trains and freight.


I'll do freight first, here in the UK we have Freightliner, DB schenker, Gbrf and finally DRS as the majority freight players, I'm not sure of depots for these.
But they will be spread over a wide area.

And passenger operators the big ones in that area would be Northern and Trans Pennine express, also Avanti and Lner to a lesser extent.

I guess the way to go would be to email the companies individually, explain your situation and current job role and what you are looking for.
Then work on their replies, and how it would best suit your circumstances.

It could very well be that they would say to be in the UK before applying or re contacting them.

Hope that helps a little mate.

Edit 1 Also Manchester has the Metrolink tram network, could be a good stepping stone. Not sure on progression to mainline trains though.

Edit 2. We also have infrastructure companies who operate tampers and other on track machines the likes of Colas rail, Balfour Beaty etc.

 

[AverageJoe]

I'm sure others will be along soon to give a guiding hand, as I'm from down south.

You've two possible routes to explore passenger trains and freight.


I'll do freight first, here in the UK we have Freightliner, DB schenker, Gbrf and finally DRS as the majority freight players, I'm not sure of depots for these.
But they will be spread over a wide area.

And passenger operators the big ones in that area would be Northern and Trans Pennine express, also Avanti and Lner to a lesser extent.

I guess the way to go would be to email the companies individually, explain your situation and current job role and what you are looking for.
Then work on their replies, and how it would best suit your circumstances.

It could very well be that they would say to be in the UK before applying or re contacting them.

Hope that helps a little mate.

Edit 1 Also Manchester has the Metrolink tram network, could be a good stepping stone. Not sure on progression to mainline trains though.

Edit 2. We also have infrastructure companies who operate tampers and other on track machines the likes of Colas rail, Balfour Beaty etc.

As regards to metrolink.

I came from there and it would give no more of a leg up to mainline than his current job would do.

What I would say tho is that it is easier to get in to metrolink and they probably would look favourably on taking on a mainline driver.

The pay increases over 4 years or so and last I heard topped at around 40k mark.

I think it would be a big shock going from trains to tram with the amount of people on the line daily but its not a bad job to have and the start/finish times aren’t as harsh.

 

[kiwidriver]

Thank you both for your suggestions. I'm gonna go about emailing all of those outfits listed and see where things lie after that. I figure if I throw out enough bait, I'll get a bite at some point.
Thanks again fellas.

 

[will8447]

Thank you both for your suggestions. I'm gonna go about emailing all of those outfits listed and see where things lie after that. I figure if I throw out enough bait, I'll get a bite at some point.
Thanks again fellas.

I’m kind of in the same position as you, I came from Phoenix Arizona U.S though. Was a train driver there but we moved back to the UK. I have family here so I brought my wife and 2 dogs over and we are staying at the family home waiting for applications to move along.

I just explain on the application that I have previous experience in the U.S.

I got as far as passing my Opc assessments first time and had a DMI at Greater Anglia. Unfortunately I didn’t get it and the manger who was interviewing me told me he personally saw it as a negative that I was a driver before. Weird but Oh well I’ll keep trying.

 

[Ducatist4]

Train operating companies like to be able to train people from scratch in the way they do things - they don't like someone coming in like they already know how to do the job. Also if they take on apprentices (which most do these days) there are financial incentives for doing so.

 

[baz962]

Train operating companies like to be able to train people from scratch in the way they do things - they don't like someone coming in like they already know how to do the job. Also if they take on apprentices (which most do these days) there are financial incentives for doing so.

Seem to be moving away from the apprenticeship route now.

 

[PudseyBearHST]

I’m kind of in the same position as you, I came from Phoenix Arizona U.S though. Was a train driver there but we moved back to the UK. I have family here so I brought my wife and 2 dogs over and we are staying at the family home waiting for applications to move along.

I just explain on the application that I have previous experience in the U.S.

I got as far as passing my Opc assessments first time and had a DMI at Greater Anglia. Unfortunately I didn’t get it and the manger who was interviewing me told me he personally saw it as a negative that I was a driver before. Weird but Oh well I’ll keep trying.

I kind of get where he’s coming from but still seems unprofessional if he actually said that to you bluntly.

 

[skyhigh]

And passenger operators the big ones in that area would be Northern and Trans Pennine express, also Avanti and Lner to a lesser extent.

Plus CrossCountry at Leeds and Grand Central at Bradford.

 

[will8447]

I kind of get where he’s coming from but still seems unprofessional if he actually said that to you bluntly.

Yeah he waited till the other guy stepped out of the room before he said that. He also criticised me for learning the route.

He kept trying to catch me out when I was calling the stations out by asking me what the speed limit was and I kept getting it right. This seemed to piss him off tbh and I knew then that I probably wouldn’t get it.

In hindsight I’m actually glad I didn’t get it as I’d hate to have someone like him as my manager so bullet dodged really.

 

[PudseyBearHST]

Yeah he waited till the other guy stepped out of the room before he said that. He also criticised me for learning the route.

He kept trying to catch me out when I was calling the stations out by asking me what the speed limit was and I kept getting it right. This seemed to piss him off tbh and I knew then that I probably wouldn’t get it.

In hindsight I’m actually glad I didn’t get it as I’d hate to have someone like him as my manager so bullet dodged really.

That’s disappointing to hear, it sounds like he had it in for you for whatever reason.

Assuming you learnt the route through a train simulator/videos online and you weren’t a driver on this line before, this can be looked at negatively if you’re trying to get ahead of yourself but at the same time, some managers may appreciate the enthusiasm as long as you’re not coming across as arrogant and someone difficult to deal with. Regardless, it sounds unprofessional the way he behaved and if he kept pushing you about speeds and hoping you were wrong.

I must ask, why are you trying to move to the UK? What’s wrong with Arizona lol

 

[will8447]

That’s disappointing to hear, it sounds like he had it in for you for whatever reason.

Assuming you learnt the route through a train simulator/videos online and you weren’t a driver on this line before, this can be looked at negatively if you’re trying to get ahead of yourself but at the same time, some managers may appreciate the enthusiasm as long as you’re not coming across as arrogant and someone difficult to deal with. Regardless, it sounds unprofessional the way he behaved and if he kept pushing you about speeds and hoping you were wrong.

I must ask, why are you trying to move to the UK? What’s wrong with Arizona lol

Yeah he definitely did from the first moment, it’s very true when people say if your face fits it fits.
So I grew up near by so knew the route really well. I just did a little research on speed limits etc just to try and impress I guess it backfired , some will like it some won’t guess this guy didn’t like it. From what I hear it isn’t out of character for him to act like this . Oh well lesson learnt onwards and upwards

Oh I loved Arizona always will, but the gun crime over there is no joke, my wife and I were victims of it to. So I moved back here and bought her over. Just hope I can continue my train driving career here.

 

[PudseyBearHST]

Yeah he definitely did from the first moment, it’s very true when people say if your face fits it fits.
So I grew up near by so knew the route really well. I just did a little research on speed limits etc just to try and impress I guess it backfired , some will like it some won’t guess this guy didn’t like it. From what I hear it isn’t out of character for him to act like this . Oh well lesson learnt onwards and upwards

Oh I loved Arizona always will, but the gun crime over there is no joke, my wife and I were victims of it to. So I moved back here and bought her over. Just hope I can continue my train driving career here.

Sorry to hear that, welcome back to the UK and good luck in becoming a driver. If I wanted a change, I’d have moved to New England rather than old England but to each their own

 

[Robcuk]

I came from Sydney trains and now work for LNW. Originally came back on my hols for the tests and interviews to start with GTR. It did help during the interview process tbh but obviously didn't to get through the testing.

Totally different traction, rules, signalling etc...Found the training more comprehensive over there.

 

[12LDA28C]

Seem to be moving away from the apprenticeship route now.

Maybe where you are but that's not the case nationwide. Some TOCs have schools of apprentice drivers planned to start on various dates throughout this year.