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FTPE Trainee Train Drivers

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iWanabee

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16 Sep 2014
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Ok, makes me feel slightly reassured now, thank you.

When you say Initial assesment, do you mean the 2 online assesments we have completed so far?

Yeah, the one right after submitting the application then the verify checking one which you have up to 48 hrs to complete.
 
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junior_7178

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Yeah, the one right after submitting the application then the verify checking one which you have up to 48 hrs to complete.

That's where I'm up to and not heard anything since and not really expecting to for a while.

Does anyone know if what is likely to be the next step if successful so far?
 

AndyB19

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Hi, it's the telephone interview I believe. Not quite sure what's involved for that. I completed both assessments on 16th, not sure if I did so well on the Verify Checking Test. That was stressful!
 

danchoochoo

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They stopped taking applications in less than 24 hours. They must of had a massive response to the advertisement or they want a quick recruitment process.
 

ant2000

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So does anyone know what the telephone Interview questions are likely to be and how long your Interview consists of??
 

DunfordBridge

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The telephone interview lasts for twenty minutes and believe you me, this is twenty minutes of your life that you will not get back. Expect to be put on the spot.

As regards the questions, they are pretty much standard interview questions. As I have already alluded earlier in this thread, you will be assessed on customer service skills and motivation, to name just a couple of attributes.

Judging by some of the posts, some of us, including myself have come back for a second attempt and are gluttons for punishment. After the telephone interview, it should hopefully get easier, that is, until the infamous structured interview.
 

ant2000

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The telephone interview lasts for twenty minutes and believe you me, this is twenty minutes of your life that you will not get back. Expect to be put on the spot.

As regards the questions, they are pretty much standard interview questions. As I have already alluded earlier in this thread, you will be assessed on customer service skills and motivation, to name just a couple of attributes.

Judging by some of the posts, some of us, including myself have come back for a second attempt and are gluttons for punishment. After the telephone interview, it should hopefully get easier, that is, until the infamous structured interview.


Many thanks for that, I will be preparing in advance
 

jameshammond

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I found there wasn't many ways to prepare for the interview, you either have the life experience and what they are looking for or you don't!
 

AndyB19

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Is it bad I am looking up the definition of "Completed successfully" to see if actually means "pass" or simply "completed"?
 

danchoochoo

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I wonder how many how many available positions there are per station?
They cannot of had that many applicants inless than 24 hours that they had to close the recruitment campaign so soon surley. I think they are either wanting a quick recruitment campaign or they have taken on internal applicants.
 

AndyB19

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Considering that within 4 hours of the OP putting this up on the forum, 710 people had looked at the thread........I would say, yes they received lots of apps. Not to mention other people who might have been looking on the off chance, internal apps and not to mention people subscribed to job alerts etc.
 

DunfordBridge

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Many thanks for that, I will be preparing in advance

You are quite welcome. From what I remember, there is a lengthy prologue about Transpennine Express as a company before the questions commence. I do not know how but I somehow got talking about the safety of the passengers.

As far as I can remember, there were not a vast number of questions but you will be required to expand on some of your answers, so whatever examples you provide, be prepared to back it up with further information.

I would not saythat the job specification is totally exhaustive so there is ample scope for expansion.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I found there wasn't many ways to prepare for the interview, you either have the life experience and what they are looking for or you don't!

True, you need the life experience but being able to talk about it is sometimes a different matter.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Thank you

The waiting is killing me. I've been obsessed with checking my E-mails.

I take it when you received the Invite it wasn't on the same day?

No, the last time I did, the interview was not on the same day as the invitation. I had a few days in which to prepare.

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Totally flopped the 2nd assessment I think, not heard anything for sure though

Quite like the profile name. Just so happens that I drive a blue Rover.

When I did my Verify the Chicken test back in February, I too thought I had made a mess of it but none of us are privy to the pass mark.

As we have all probably gathered by now, the test starts off easy with 9 seconds to spare than gets progressively more difficult with only 5 seconds in which to make a choice at which point, you do not get much chance to double-check your responses. As for the strings containing ten or more characters, that is a different proposition.
 
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beavercreek

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There was around 1200 applicants both internal and external for all the vacancies advertised.It it only one per depot as far as I know.
 

DunfordBridge

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There was around 1200 applicants both internal and external for all the vacancies advertised.It it only one per depot as far as I know.

I do not know your source but 300 applicants for each of the four vacancies is pretty encouraging in usual terms. Be interesting to know how many out of the 1200 would be sent off to stage 1 assessments.
 

iWanabee

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Well, I heard back at 10 am today. I passed the assessment and booked my telephone interview. Good luck the others. Fingers crossed for you all.
 

danchoochoo

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I am onto the telephone interview. I really did think I struggled with the assessment but I must of just scraped it.
 

junior_7178

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I'm also through to the telephone interviews. I've never done a telephone interview before, so rather than starting a new thread can anyone point me in the direction of a good resource for telephone interviews with First? I work for the Border Force in Calais and spend my days chasing illegals round the port. Before that I was in the Armed Forces, so have no customer service experience whatsoever.
 

387star

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I'm also through to the telephone interviews. I've never done a telephone interview before, so rather than starting a new thread can anyone point me in the direction of a good resource for telephone interviews with First? I work for the Border Force in Calais and spend my days chasing illegals round the port. Before that I was in the Armed Forces, so have no customer service experience whatsoever.

Of course you have customer service experience

It is about empathy and interpersonal skills so think in the broad sense there must be examples you can think of... Different clients etc in and out of work!
 

red2005

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I'm also through to the telephone interviews. I've never done a telephone interview before, so rather than starting a new thread can anyone point me in the direction of a good resource for telephone interviews with First? I work for the Border Force in Calais and spend my days chasing illegals round the port. Before that I was in the Armed Forces, so have no customer service experience whatsoever.

of course you have experience! customers are not just people handing money over a counter! and even if it was it's not about the type of customer you serve it is how you speak to people and how you think they should be treated!

the illegals you speak of?.........I take it that you still had to speak to them with levels of sympathy/empathy despite them breaching immigration laws?......I'm sure that you certainly had to solve issues where there was a risk of confrontation?.........it is more about how you think customers should be spoken to and treated and what you would do in certain scenarios....and most of that is common sense mate!

I'd give yourself a bit more credit mate......the roles that you have carried out in the past are not roles just anyone could do and you need to have a lot of qualities similar to train drivers to carry them out successfully!......what you think you may lack in customer service I'm sure you make up within other areas!

good luck
 

Doobyjangler

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I'm also through to the telephone interviews. I've never done a telephone interview before, so rather than starting a new thread can anyone point me in the direction of a good resource for telephone interviews with First? I work for the Border Force in Calais and spend my days chasing illegals round the port. Before that I was in the Armed Forces, so have no customer service experience whatsoever.

At the risk of making this a Junior_7178 love in ........ what you describe here are great foundations, most would kill to wax lyrical around such experience.

Safety, Diplomacy, Discipline

Read up on here, can guarentee from personal experience there are dozens of valid posts with pointers around telephone interviews. You want the job, do yourself justice and do the legwork in terms of preparation. No regrets!!
 

Mumbo

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22 Sep 2014
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Wow these positions were pulled very quickly, hopefully next time I'll get the chance to make an application....... although preferably after I've read up on the valuable threads relating to applications.
 

Mattm123

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21 Mar 2013
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I have still not had chance to do the testing. It's been over 48 hrs I hope it doesn't stop my app
 

Riks1186

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23 Sep 2014
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Hi all,

I put my application in for trainee train driver (Manchester) on the 15th sep and completed my online assessments on the 16th.

I received a e-mail inviting me to book a telephone interview which i have done for the 26th. :)

This is a career i have wanted to have for so long and understand a lot of other people have applied for it but I have everything crossed that I'm given the opportunity to show what i can do.

Good luck to everybody who has got to this stage and i look forward to reading your feedback.
 

387star

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Confirmed passed my online assessments (fgw) today and they have my stage one and two assessment passes on file waiting to see what the next step would be
 
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