Internal or external applicants for driver roles?

[Pezza]

Hi, I was just wondering if someone that works within the industry could give me some information. I've a long time passion to become a train driver and following a recent redundancy from a corporate type industry role I've decided its the time to put all the effort I can into seeing if I could get in. I've had enough of corporate life and the don't want to return, so I've submitted the recent applications for SWT and GA, spending about a week of each application and so we'll see. Can't quite believe how nervous I am about them, I suppose the option to work at a train driver is so attractive it makes you feel this way.

What I wanted to ask though about getting driver roles; is there a big benefit to working within the industry already to find vacancies for trainee train driver roles. Do they sometimes advertise vacancies for the trainee roles internally only or is there a weighted preference to internal candidates during the recruitment process? If there is a benefit then I'll focus all my attention on getting into the industry in some form now as I'm desperate to make it somehow, if nothing comes of the existing applications. Chiltern Railways would be my first choice railway to work for. I presume if there is a benefit to working within the industry you would still only see internal vacancies for the TOC you work for?

 

[142094]

It is hard to give a definitive answer as each TOC and each situation will be different. In general, working for that TOC beforehand should put you in a better position than someone externally. Many drivers and managers start at the bottom and work through the ranks.

Someone may have a better idea about Chiltern, but it should be the same as above.

 

[bystander]

There has been a lot of discussion about this, which an advanced search using "internal AND applicant" brings up. One of the more informative threads was this one:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=45331

Hope that helps. My view is that it doesn't assist you to be in the industry already. I am a driver who used to work in business.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Trainee drivers are usually a mixture of both, the equal opportunities act and everything sees to that (though I suspect there are more successful external applicants because they are cheaper to employ, they generally have a lower salary than internal staff and they dont leave a vacancy elsewhere within the company which needs to be filled) though the number of training schools on Chiltern has dried up spectacularly of late. I cant remember the last time we got new drivers who werent already qualified. My advice would be if you want to be a driver then be prepared to move to get your key. You can always move back "home" when you are qualified.

 

[Beveridges]

Usually a mixture of both but external applicants who have railway experience in a different company seem to get taken on a lot by some TOCs

 

[185]

I'm aware the BBC in Wales were recently investigating ATW regarding their recruitment of "Qualified Train Drivers", as ATW are the only company in Wales, applicants can only come from over the border. They only very seldom recruit and pay to train their own drivers.

Not very wise, a Welsh company asking for applicants from over the border only

(...well, unless there's some hidden community in the valleys of qualified train drivers, currently working down a coal mine, who feel like a career change... No I don't think so either.)

 

[E&W Lucas]

Hi, I was just wondering if someone that works within the industry could give me some information. I've a long time passion to become a train driver and following a recent redundancy from a corporate type industry role I've decided its the time to put all the effort I can into seeing if I could get in. I've had enough of corporate life and the don't want to return, so I've submitted the recent applications for SWT and GA, spending about a week of each application and so we'll see. Can't quite believe how nervous I am about them, I suppose the option to work at a train driver is so attractive it makes you feel this way.

What I wanted to ask though about getting driver roles; is there a big benefit to working within the industry already to find vacancies for trainee train driver roles. Do they sometimes advertise vacancies for the trainee roles internally only or is there a weighted preference to internal candidates during the recruitment process? If there is a benefit then I'll focus all my attention on getting into the industry in some form now as I'm desperate to make it somehow, if nothing comes of the existing applications. Chiltern Railways would be my first choice railway to work for. I presume if there is a benefit to working within the industry you would still only see internal vacancies for the TOC you work for?

Been done to death on this site before -

Try asking the people that have been there and done it: - http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=53918

Treat this site with caution; a lot of the "content" is from teenage enthusiasts.

 

[Pezza]

ok thanks all the replies.

Reading those links there seems to be a lot of opposing opinion on the validity of being within the industry already in applying for trainee train driver roles but it does feel like the majority of accepted applicants are external from the industry.

In terms of Chiltern Railways though it sounds maybe like it would be beneficial to already work for them if they haven't recently advertised for external trainee roles. I did submit an application to them a month ago for a role of 'Sales Station Host'. Although unfortunately their email link on their recruitment page when clicked produces the wrong email address of '[email protected]' the 'n' is missing from the end of 'chiltern'. I didn't notice it at the time and no bounce back is received from the incorrect address. I saw it though about a week later and forwarded my application to '[email protected]' and received an auto reply but it was then passed the deadline. I explained in the email that their email link on their webpage was producing the wrong email address but it doesn't seem to have changed. I presume this will count me out now and I won't hear from them.