What about writing?
Or did you mean Reading (as in the place)?
Is it me or has this thread got just a tiny bit pedantic?
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First Great Western Trainee drivers, Anyone heard back?
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What about writing?
Or did you mean Reading (as in the place)?
Is it me or has this thread got just a tiny bit pedantic?
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R
RailUK Forums
What about writing?
Or did you mean Reading (as in the place)?
Is it me or has this thread got just a tiny bit pedantic?
Its the Staines depot grammar police
carriageline
Established Member
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- 1,897
Hello mate,I wounder if you can help me?
Can you please tell me what sort of questions you get asked at the manager interview?
Cheers
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Hello guys I wounder if anyone can help me with what sort of questions you get asked at the manager interview?
Thank you
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Can you please help me with what sort of questions you ll get asked at the manager interview ?
Thanks
Greaseball3220
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- 2 Sep 2013
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- 72
Hi Everyone
I'm a new user to this website, FGW have a new website dedicated to prospective trainee drivers that has a visual checking test that a 23rd century cyborg would struggle to get full marks in. :-x
Making the assessments so difficult no one can do it doesn't make any sense, back in the 70's / 80's school leavers turned up and were routinely taken on as Second Men and trained how to do the job.
Theoretically there's no reason why a 16 year old fliiping burgers in McDonald's in Hackney can't be taken on and trained up to be a Train Driver, nowadays you be be a Biochemistry Post Grad from Exeter University and you're lucky to be shortlisted !
I'm a new user to this website, FGW have a new website dedicated to prospective trainee drivers that has a visual checking test that a 23rd century cyborg would struggle to get full marks in. :-x
Making the assessments so difficult no one can do it doesn't make any sense, back in the 70's / 80's school leavers turned up and were routinely taken on as Second Men and trained how to do the job.
Theoretically there's no reason why a 16 year old fliiping burgers in McDonald's in Hackney can't be taken on and trained up to be a Train Driver, nowadays you be be a Biochemistry Post Grad from Exeter University and you're lucky to be shortlisted !
The new tests are to see what natural skills you have, the old ones have been devalued because people were practising and practising until they passed the recruitment tests only to struggle on the training itself.
If you are not happy with this change then unlucky, go flip burgers somewhere.
Oh back in the 70s you were better paid flipping burgers than you were driving trains hence the desperation to recruit and train whoever they could get, now that is simply not the case.
Incidentally I have nothing but respect for people that work in burger establishments and have to tolerate some of the nasty <deleted> "customers" I have seen in there.
Plus the training is much more condensed and intense now than it was in the 70s hence the need to recruit people that can assimilate (dreams about seven of nine, swoon) a lot of information very quickly.
If you are not happy with this change then unlucky, go flip burgers somewhere.
Oh back in the 70s you were better paid flipping burgers than you were driving trains hence the desperation to recruit and train whoever they could get, now that is simply not the case.
Incidentally I have nothing but respect for people that work in burger establishments and have to tolerate some of the nasty <deleted> "customers" I have seen in there.
Plus the training is much more condensed and intense now than it was in the 70s hence the need to recruit people that can assimilate (dreams about seven of nine, swoon) a lot of information very quickly.
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Greaseball3220
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Estuary Man, as affable and friendly as ever
No disrespect meant to people in other jobs just merely pointing out how needlessly complicated everything has become since the pre-privatisation days, best of luck to all prospective applicants who use the site.
daddy_badger
Member
what does the new test involve then that makes it so complicated?
First post.
I am now in this process so trying to absorb as much info as possible from everywhere!
The online application then kicks off two online assesments. Both are explained to you before hand so dont think I am being naughty by saying what they are....roughly.
The first is a multiple choice 'what would you do' given lots of situations and the second assesment (as mentioned above) is definitely kicking it up a gear!
You have to match up a given sequence of either numbers or letters with one of 5 options. Sounds easy, but isnt. The 'code' varies in length from 5 to about 12 or so (a guess, I didnt count) and you have 5 options.
The screens are timed, starting at 9 seconds, then 8, then 7, 6, 5.
eg:
WVYHEVYUDSAE
WVYHEYYUDSAE
WVYHEVYUQSAE
WVYHEVYUSSAE
WVVHEVYUDSAE
WVYHEVYUDSAE
(note: in the test they are side by side so no simple scanning up and down!)
After a while you realise you are taking about 2 or 3 seconds to try and memorise the code which leaves you 2 or 3 seconds to find the code - which by now you arent sure if you remembered correctly!
You do have the option of a 'practice' run which you can do a few times before you are ready.
No idea what mark I got in the real go but I passed it so YEY!
I am now in this process so trying to absorb as much info as possible from everywhere!
The online application then kicks off two online assesments. Both are explained to you before hand so dont think I am being naughty by saying what they are....roughly.
The first is a multiple choice 'what would you do' given lots of situations and the second assesment (as mentioned above) is definitely kicking it up a gear!
You have to match up a given sequence of either numbers or letters with one of 5 options. Sounds easy, but isnt. The 'code' varies in length from 5 to about 12 or so (a guess, I didnt count) and you have 5 options.
The screens are timed, starting at 9 seconds, then 8, then 7, 6, 5.
eg:
WVYHEVYUDSAE
WVYHEYYUDSAE
WVYHEVYUQSAE
WVYHEVYUSSAE
WVVHEVYUDSAE
WVYHEVYUDSAE
(note: in the test they are side by side so no simple scanning up and down!)
After a while you realise you are taking about 2 or 3 seconds to try and memorise the code which leaves you 2 or 3 seconds to find the code - which by now you arent sure if you remembered correctly!
You do have the option of a 'practice' run which you can do a few times before you are ready.
No idea what mark I got in the real go but I passed it so YEY!
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B
Baloney123
Guest
Guys who are at the assessment day on 12/9, how and when did you find out? Was it at the end of your phone interview? 
class ep-09
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Starting the course on 23 of September. Anyone else?
Johncleesefan
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Not had the assessment centre yet. Is yours for gloster or westbury?
Huge congrats!!
In hindsight, what would you say was the hardest part of the assessment stage... for you personally?
class ep-09
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The 1st stage I had no clue what to expect and later I did my homework and 2nd stage and interview was easy.
Thanks for congratulations, good luck to all of you.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
My depot will be Paddington and training will take place in Reading (I was told)
Just Signed the dotted line ... I thought it would never happen.
Casey Jones125
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When did you do stage 1 EP? I need to give 3 months notice!
SkinnyDave
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Johncleesefan
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Well done. You must be over the moon. Can I ask how long you were waiting on stage 1 results. Sat mine last monday and feeling very hopeful.
Casey Jones125
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6 Months really (Military), but with resettlement, leave etc i could just about get out in 3 months.
jaarus
I applied in July 2012. I had stage 1 assessments in October 2012. Stage 2 assessment was March this year. I had my driver managers interview in July this year, my medical in early August, and I start in September.
I am sure many people go through the entire process more quickly, and some, such as myself (and I also had to consider resettlement, accrued leave etc to try and calculate the earliest date I would be available to start work with FGW) have had a more protracted recruitment.
So, as you have throughout your military career, plan for the worst and hope for the best would be my advice. Stick with it, and if successful the rewards will far outweigh the uncertainty of a long wait.
I applied in July 2012. I had stage 1 assessments in October 2012. Stage 2 assessment was March this year. I had my driver managers interview in July this year, my medical in early August, and I start in September.
I am sure many people go through the entire process more quickly, and some, such as myself (and I also had to consider resettlement, accrued leave etc to try and calculate the earliest date I would be available to start work with FGW) have had a more protracted recruitment.
So, as you have throughout your military career, plan for the worst and hope for the best would be my advice. Stick with it, and if successful the rewards will far outweigh the uncertainty of a long wait.
Wow quite a long process then!
This tranch does appear to be moving far quicker mind you.
I applied at the end of August. Did online assessments and telephone interview within about a week or so and sat stage 1 yesterday.
Hear results by end of next week...
Stage 1 thoughts:
My email said 3 hours but could last all day and it would be assessment AND interview. It wasn't. It was part 1 of assessment only.
GB is paper. Dots are way smaller than practice material.
Mechanical comprehension has been dropped.
TRP1 (memory) wasn't as bad as I feared. Didn't know one point so actually asked an off duty train driver on way home.....he hadn't a clue either apparently!!
TRP2 (dials) was different to the practice material, which I thought was very simple indeed. I actually got one of the practice questions wrong LOL.
All in all, stage 1 took about 1hr 45 mins.
Keeping my fingers crossed, but no clue how well I did to be fair!! Results are based on you as well as you vs others in the tranch..... At least that's kind of what he eluded to (he was cagey LOL)
Good luck to anyone taking it.
(Sorry for typos and stuff....on my phone !)
This tranch does appear to be moving far quicker mind you.
I applied at the end of August. Did online assessments and telephone interview within about a week or so and sat stage 1 yesterday.
Hear results by end of next week...
Stage 1 thoughts:
My email said 3 hours but could last all day and it would be assessment AND interview. It wasn't. It was part 1 of assessment only.
GB is paper. Dots are way smaller than practice material.
Mechanical comprehension has been dropped.
TRP1 (memory) wasn't as bad as I feared. Didn't know one point so actually asked an off duty train driver on way home.....he hadn't a clue either apparently!!
TRP2 (dials) was different to the practice material, which I thought was very simple indeed. I actually got one of the practice questions wrong LOL.
All in all, stage 1 took about 1hr 45 mins.
Keeping my fingers crossed, but no clue how well I did to be fair!! Results are based on you as well as you vs others in the tranch..... At least that's kind of what he eluded to (he was cagey LOL)
Good luck to anyone taking it.
(Sorry for typos and stuff....on my phone !)
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It is a long and arduous process for sure and not always the outcome you hope for!
I applied back in July 2012, completed stage 1 of assessments in December 2012,
completed stage two January 2013, manager interview February 13 and then have waited seven months to be told that i was unsuccessful in my interview and that i will now have to wait another 6 months before reapplying, so that is 13 months from the interview to the next application. Hmmm!! what to do next would be a good question
Good luck to all those still in the running
I applied back in July 2012, completed stage 1 of assessments in December 2012,
completed stage two January 2013, manager interview February 13 and then have waited seven months to be told that i was unsuccessful in my interview and that i will now have to wait another 6 months before reapplying, so that is 13 months from the interview to the next application. Hmmm!! what to do next would be a good question
Good luck to all those still in the running
Johncleesefan
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Hey jaarus, I was suprised the assesment was only gb and trp too as I had been told on the email we were interviewed as well. Must be a stage 2 job which is news to me. Did yhe assessor givr indication as to how many positions there are?
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