GWR qualified driver talent pool

[Spyder01]

Does anyone know what GWR’s approximate current waiting time for qualified drivers is for the south west of applying for their talent pool? Any idea how soon after qualifying they would consider an application? Thanks

 

[Class2ldn]

Wouldn't bother for now, had an application in for 2 years and they just binned the vacancy off, was told by recruitment no planned jobs this year even with them recruiting on the website for the talent pools.
2 depots have been removed from the website

 

[WishIHadAName]

Wouldn't bother for now, had an application in for 2 years and they just binned the vacancy off, was told by recruitment no planned jobs this year even with them recruiting on the website for the talent pools.
2 depots have been removed from the website

Did you get as far as a interview?

 

[Class2ldn]

Nope, didn't even get that, just got told the vacancy was pulled and that was that. Kept asking them npw and then and they kept fobbing me off with there's no managers to do an interview, what in 2 years ? Lol.
Complete joke.

 

[LCC106]

The only way to find out for sure is to contact the recruitment team or maybe speak to a current driver for their take on what’s happening within the depot, I guess.

 

[Andypandy1968]

Why would any company recruit drivers when services will surely be reduced in the next year or 2??

 

[Sly Sloth]

Nope, didn't even get that, just got told the vacancy was pulled and that was that. Kept asking them npw and then and they kept fobbing me off with there's no managers to do an interview, what in 2 years ? Lol.
Complete joke.

I got the same. Applied for Exeter but emailed to say I’d also be interested in Plymouth as I was looking to move Dartmoor way….! At 1st they emailed back to say there were interviews being planned for both depots then……..nothing! Despite many emails I’ve given up. They’d rather take on a trainee as they’ll get the apprentice grant of £12-14K and lower wages to do traction and rules compared to a qualified

 

[Carl98k]

I got the same. Applied for Exeter but emailed to say I’d also be interested in Plymouth as I was looking to move Dartmoor way….! At 1st they emailed back to say there were interviews being planned for both depots then……..nothing! Despite many emails I’ve given up. They’d rather take on a trainee as they’ll get the apprentice grant of £12-14K and lower wages to do traction and rules compared to a qualified

Surely that doesn’t make business sense. They may get a grant for a trainee, but that is a drop in the ocean for training costs. I was told it costs around 80k for training.

 

[Horizon22]

You want to go to a SW depot? Good luck - they're both oversubscribed with internal transfers from eastern depots, lots of other TOCs (people want to move to Cornwall & Devon and retire after driving) and will take on the odd trainee too.

 

[Carl98k]

You want to go to a SW depot? Good luck - they're both oversubscribed with internal transfers from eastern depots, lots of other TOCs (people want to move to Cornwall & Devon and retire after driving) and will take on the odd trainee too.

That’s the same in my current role (petrol tanker driver). Jobs come up on the highest paid contract, Asda and someone transfers from London to retire in Plymouth.

 

[irish_rail]

Your best bet may be Plymouth as for some reason people choose to "retire to" Exeter , Par or Penzance and less so Plymouth (despite it being the best of the 4 depots, but I guess folk up country have a "view" about Plymouth as a place to live.

 

[387star]

Qualified adverts have been live for four years now... weird

 

[WishIHadAName]

I applied for a SW depot end of last year, interviewed this year and passed that. Now just a waiting game and hoping when they offer a position it still works well for my life to move.

 

[SRH]

The person who made the comment RE grants is correct.

More corruption at the top (no shocks) means companies get 22k per trainee doing an apprenteship.

In no way does this enhance the quality of candidate but it dupes stats for the government and saves the TOCS a few quid.

 

[387star]

The person who made the comment RE grants is correct.

More corruption at the top (no shocks) means companies get 22k per trainee doing an apprenteship.

In no way does this enhance the quality of candidate but it dupes stats for the government and saves the TOCS a few quid.

Explains why my depot has had an unprecedented intake when it could easily attract qualifieds. That said I know some quslifieds are not always the best candidates

 

[tiptoptaff]

There's not some massive conspiracy about trainee grants. Even with them it's cheaper to train a qualified driver on routes and traction than a trainee from scratch.

The SW depots are popular internally and those lists get priority.

 

[SRH]

If somebody raised it as conspiracy then fair enough but i did not see it. Just the facts.

I believe and hope after all these disputes are sorted there will be a lot of people moving to different landing spots depending on how they all end.

 

[michael74]

The person who made the comment RE grants is correct.

More corruption at the top (no shocks) means companies get 22k per trainee doing an apprenteship.

In no way does this enhance the quality of candidate but it dupes stats for the government and saves the TOCS a few quid.

(Regardless of opinions on Driver apprenticeships, which has been done to death on other threads) Companies like GWR or NHS draw monies down from the apprenticeship levy are only recouping what they have to put into it (companies with a turnover of £x million (I forget right now)) have to put money in. The levy goes towards all apprenticeships across all levels, sectors and industries and is also used to fund apprenticeships in small local companies who can't afford to hire an apprentice thus providing opportunities for all. Its not a scam or corruption at all. And it sticks I'm my throat to say this, but it's about the only thing the Conservative Party have got right....

 

[Horizon22]

If somebody raised it as conspiracy then fair enough but i did not see it. Just the facts.

I believe and hope after all these disputes are sorted there will be a lot of people moving to different landing spots depending on how they all end.

You said “corruption at the top” which is a bit of a conspiracy. It isn’t really, but it is an odd way of doing things to get the apprenticeship bonus.

It has however already been discussed elsewhere (for various TOCs and outside the railway) so let’s stay on topic for those interested in GWR qualified talent pool.

 

[anglian96]

Hi I've seen gwr have had qualified talent pools open for a while. The salary doesn't seem very appealing at 54k for 12 months then rising to 60k.

Does anyone know if these figures are correct?

Do London based drivers get addition London weighting payment?

Are Sundays outside the working week?

Any other general info about GWR as a driver would be great also.

Thanks all

 

[387star]

90% pay first year full pay year after

No extra for London. 60124 is the current salary no matter if you're at Swansea or Paddington

Sundays are outside but you are committed to roughly one in three

 

[nb2001uk]

£60,123
No LWA
Sundays outside

 

[Class2ldn]

Believe they are committed sundays as well so you'll need to cover them with someone else if you don't want to do them, I was waiting for nearly 2 years for an interview and they pulled it without warning and said no more recruitment for rest of this year, applied for a different depot and then got an instant rejection lol.
Absolute joke , hr said its because they don't anticipate taking anyone on at any depot this year but won't take the vacancies down lol.

 

[387star]

Believe they are committed sundays as well so you'll need to cover them with someone else if you don't want to do them, I was waiting for nearly 2 years for an interview and they pulled it without warning and said no more recruitment for rest of this year, applied for a different depot and then got an instant rejection lol.
Absolute joke , hr said its because they don't anticipate taking anyone on at any depot this year but won't take the vacancies down lol.

They must have a huge pool after advertising for four years especially Exeter where everyman (woman) and his/her dog wants to go

There's an awful lot of grey shirted trainees still about 40 apparently. Some depots like Fratton have had huge increases in establishment numbers.

As you say it seems odd to have been told no after two years then instantly rejected

 

[Class2ldn]

Well I know someone who went to Exeter, he waited about 6 months and was in, just have to reapply after 6 months and see what happens I guess.