Is being a rail enthusiast an advantage or disadvantage?

[43066]

It *will* be the case that there’s going to be occasions where an enthusiast will find themselves in a training room and the what the trainer is training isn’t strictly correct, and this can lead to serious problems. It doesn’t matter how right one is, the person delivering the training isn’t going to be happy losing face, and they’re the one signing the piece of paper at the end of it!

I’ve seen exactly that happen.

On a training course when the group is told “there’s no such thing as an approach controlled signal”, the response “that’s funny because my signaller buddy thinks there is”, is the correct one, but also the wrong one.

 

[bramling]

I’ve seen exactly that happen.

On a training course when the group is told “there’s no such thing as an approach controlled signal”, the response “that’s funny because my signaller buddy thinks there is”, is the correct one, but also the wrong one.

It’s always signalling that tends to cause these training rifts!

In my case, we were told point blank that a specific type of signal was prefixed in a certain way. It was *diplomatically* pointed out to the trainer that this wasn’t quite true, and the trainer was having none of it. Needless to say, by the time the next tea break was over, photographic evidence had materialised. A picture paints a thousand words, as the saying goes.

This then created an atmosphere for the rest of the day, which then led to a few other things cropping up, in particular where the training was (a couple of decades) out of date.

But it’s one thing pissing off a trainer on a refresher course when the worst outcome is you will have to come back and repeat the course (and get to spend another day upsetting the trainer!), quite another when a new recruit on probation.

 

[Irascible]

Some peanut gallery observations -

* Doing something you consider a hobby as work is pretty dangerous - if you find youself stressed etc at work you don't have a hobby to take your mind off it, and similar sorts of issues.
* Where does "interested" stop and "enthusiast" begin? I like travel, and travelling on trains was the method that felt best to me as a kid, so I started paying attention to what was outside & then wanted to know what it all did & how it worked. That lead on to an interest in networks in general & some interest in industrial history, and a career path ( unrelated to railways ). So I'm pretty interested in this complex system, train travel makes me feel good ( or it can, anyway ) and I've picked up a fair bit of relevant info over the years, but I don't call myself an enthusiast. If I was in an interview I'd probably frame it something like that too ( although I'd not actually mention the word enthusiast ). I'd be doing my best to make sure I came across as a professional who'd fit in the system & not be distracted first, I think.
* Training ( degrees, pro courses etc ) I've found is best taken as a way of finding out what you should be looking up yourself to actually make use of it - treat it as a means to get the piece of paper, make your notes, and then go and validate everything yourself. I have worked in IT a long time though, so that will heavily bias me...

Contract roles in the past had me looking in the window & being glad of the flexibility of my role but that is me, and if everyone was like me we'd not get much done.

 

[Efini92]

I’ve seen exactly that happen.

On a training course when the group is told “there’s no such thing as an approach controlled signal”, the response “that’s funny because my signaller buddy thinks there is”, is the correct one, but also the wrong one.

To quote Peter griffin “it really grinds my gears” when people say approach controlled signals don’t exist.

 

[bramling]

Some peanut gallery observations -

* Doing something you consider a hobby as work is pretty dangerous - if you find youself stressed etc at work you don't have a hobby to take your mind off it, and similar sorts of issues.
* Where does "interested" stop and "enthusiast" begin? I like travel, and travelling on trains was the method that felt best to me as a kid, so I started paying attention to what was outside & then wanted to know what it all did & how it worked. That lead on to an interest in networks in general & some interest in industrial history, and a career path ( unrelated to railways ). So I'm pretty interested in this complex system, train travel makes me feel good ( or it can, anyway ) and I've picked up a fair bit of relevant info over the years, but I don't call myself an enthusiast. If I was in an interview I'd probably frame it something like that too ( although I'd not actually mention the word enthusiast ). I'd be doing my best to make sure I came across as a professional who'd fit in the system & not be distracted first, I think.
* Training ( degrees, pro courses etc ) I've found is best taken as a way of finding out what you should be looking up yourself to actually make use of it - treat it as a means to get the piece of paper, make your notes, and then go and validate everything yourself. I have worked in IT a long time though, so that will heavily bias me...

Contract roles in the past had me looking in the window & being glad of the flexibility of my role but that is me, and if everyone was like me we'd not get much done.

The first point in particular is very well made. No matter how much someone might be enthusiastic about something, taking work home is potentially a big problem, especially when things aren’t going well in work life for whatever reason.

I don’t think this thread should come across as off-putting, however it does provide a number of very real reasons why rail companies aren’t always particularly receptive to enthusiasts, hence why it’s something to keep quiet during recruitment.

I feel I should add that for balance, there are plenty of occasions when being an enthusiast is *very* useful. To give an example, at my place we had someone who was interested in civil engineering, and had thus “familiarised” (I use the term loosely, but it was done legitimately) themselves with some parts of the railway which weren’t directly on their own patch. This acquired knowledge was welcomed with open arms when there was a significant failure and said person happened to be present. So it can certainly work both ways, just that recruitment tends to take the view that the negatives outweigh any potential positives.

 

[iwasyoungonce]

I feel I should add that for balance, there are plenty of occasions when being an enthusiast is *very* useful. To give an example, at my place we had someone who was interested in civil engineering, and had thus “familiarised” (I use the term loosely, but it was done legitimately) themselves with some parts of the railway which weren’t directly on their own patch. This acquired knowledge was welcomed with open arms when there was a significant failure and said person happened to be present. So it can certainly work both ways, just that recruitment tends to take the view that the negatives outweigh any potential positives.

Never undertake any job unless you have been trained and assessed as competent. Network rail life saving rules ?

 

[bramling]

Never undertake any job unless you have been trained and assessed as competent. Network rail life saving rules ?

I did say it was done legitimately. Just in a location where the member of staff wouldn’t ordinarily be working.

To be fair, it’s a bit of a niche example which I picked to illustrate a particular point. However in this case, without giving too much away about the location and situation, it’s fair to say the level of local familiarity and training would have been significantly more so than the local staff, and with a paper trail to underline it, hence why it was able to happen.

 

[43066]

To quote Peter griffin “it really grinds my gears” when people say approach controlled signals don’t exist.

Indeed. An extremely patronising way to treat adults who are being trusted to do a highly responsible job! Unfortunately that rather sums up the railway!

 

[bramling]

Indeed. An extremely patronising way to treat adults who are being trusted to do a highly responsible job! Unfortunately that rather sums up the railway!

Yes this is something which gets my back up too. And such weak training causes all manner of problems when incidents happen, and all sorts of incorrect understandings then crop up and muddy the waters - and can waste a lot of time.

Investigating incidents is one area where having some “extra curricular” knowledge and understanding - or, even better, a specialist contact who can be enlisted for some unofficial, or sometimes even official (!), advice is extremely valuable. I still wouldn’t mention it in an interview, though.

 

[philly1001]

aint that taking work home with you ..

 

[bramling]

aint that taking work home with you ..

Absolutely, and it’s something where I’ve learned over time that having clearly defined boundaries is valuable.

Deliberately not having access to work emails outside work is one I adopted a few years ago. Though for obvious reasons this is only realistic if you are happy to have an “I don’t do overtime” policy!

Speaking personally, taking work home isn’t really the problem. Taking some work personalities home absolutely is, hence my comment about work emails.

 

[philly1001]

Absolutely, and it’s something where I’ve learned over time that having clearly defined boundaries is valuable.

Deliberately not having access to work emails outside work is one I adopted a few years ago. Though for obvious reasons this is only realistic if you are happy to have an “I don’t do overtime” policy!

Speaking personally, taking work home isn’t really the problem. Taking some work personalities home absolutely is, hence my comment about work emails.

interesting about taking home "work personalities". At one point i was answering my personal phone saying "can you confirm your location and if its safe to talk "

 

[miklcct]

How about if the goal is not to get employed, but to start a rail-related business instead? For example, making timetabling software which can help TOCs generate the most efficient timetables; starting a ticket retailer to add value into the industry; starting a tour company for rail enthusiasts, etc? In this case is being a rail enthusiast an advantage?

 

[bramling]

interesting about taking home "work personalities". At one point i was answering my personal phone saying "can you confirm your location and if its safe to talk "

All I will say, is there are some people in my wider workplace who I’d describe as pure poison. I will leave it at that, but it’s as good a reason as any to maintain an element of clear separation.

 

[timmydunn]

Too many people have shame about their decent, joyful hobbies in this world. It's a very British thing, and it's increasingly archaic.

My first telly gig was a BBC gig about trainspotting. Some people loved it, some people hated it. I think that's been covered exhaustively in RailUKforums' threads passim. But I got that job because I read about the plans for it, hunted down the producers and quite literally went knocking on their door. I told them that they needed to listen; and there was something more than just numbers. There was real passion; real people; decent people, having a nice time. Whilst not everyone liked the programme, I took that message to dozens of mags, papers and radio shows. They listened. They didn't laugh; they were bowled over. They got it. I take Roald Dahl's view:

“I began to realise how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. He taught me that if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be.”


If you're lukewarm about something, few will care. And why should they? Who wants to listen to someone with no passion? Tell them why you love it; tell them that you're proud of it and tell them why it's important. Sure, show some self-awareness (care/empathy is useful here - the line between passion and obsession is a fine one; my boyfriend will always tell me when I'm veering too close to the danger zone) - but we are in 2022 now, not 1992. It's been fine to profess your love for a sportball team for years, just as it has been to know the Star Wars characters or the finer points of Harry Potter's spells. In a progressive world - i.e. most corporates - if you want to get past the CV filters, you need to stand out. Rail travel is cool again. Volunteering is cool again. Having passion is cool again. Following your heart is cool again. Sustainable building conservation, upcycling, crafting, modelmaking, creativity... they're all cool again.

You don't need to be an extrovert to talk enthusiastically about your hobby, either. Over the years I have interviewed dozens of candidates for various job roles and I always look for a spark: just as I do when I talk to someone on camera. I want to see the moment that the switch flicks to "on" and the eyes light up. Because that is when an interviewer can see the real you.

I am privileged: I get that. I have been very lucky in where I have worked. And you must always temper your response to suit the audience. But to totally hide a hobby like being a railway enthusiast? Nah. To hide it is to let the bullies (aka the Blue Meanies) win: and the rest of us have got your back, too.

 

[bramling]

Too many people have shame about their decent, joyful hobbies in this world. It's a very British thing, and it's increasingly archaic.

My first telly gig was a BBC gig about trainspotting. Some people loved it, some people hated it. I think that's been covered exhaustively in RailUKforums' threads passim. But I got that job because I read about the plans for it, hunted down the producers and quite literally went knocking on their door. I told them that they needed to listen; and there was something more than just numbers. There was real passion; real people; decent people, having a nice time. Whilst not everyone liked the programme, I took that message to dozens of mags, papers and radio shows. They listened. They didn't laugh; they were bowled over. They got it. I take Roald Dahl's view:

“I began to realise how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. He taught me that if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be.”


If you're lukewarm about something, few will care. And why should they? Who wants to listen to someone with no passion? Tell them why you love it; tell them that you're proud of it and tell them why it's important. Sure, show some self-awareness (care/empathy is useful here - the line between passion and obsession is a fine one; my boyfriend will always tell me when I'm veering too close to the danger zone) - but we are in 2022 now, not 1992. It's been fine to profess your love for a sportball team for years, just as it has been to know the Star Wars characters or the finer points of Harry Potter's spells. In a progressive world - i.e. most corporates - if you want to get past the CV filters, you need to stand out. Rail travel is cool again. Volunteering is cool again. Having passion is cool again. Following your heart is cool again. Sustainable building conservation, upcycling, crafting, modelmaking, creativity... they're all cool again.

You don't need to be an extrovert to talk enthusiastically about your hobby, either. Over the years I have interviewed dozens of candidates for various job roles and I always look for a spark: just as I do when I talk to someone on camera. I want to see the moment that the switch flicks to "on" and the eyes light up. Because that is when an interviewer can see the real you.

I am privileged: I get that. I have been very lucky in where I have worked. And you must always temper your response to suit the audience. But to totally hide a hobby like being a railway enthusiast? Nah. To hide it is to let the bullies (aka the Blue Meanies) win: and the rest of us have got your back, too.

I completely agree. I'm fortunate enough to have been educated and brought up in a way which means I'm not particularly bothered what others think, and as life has gone on it has become very clear this is entirely correct. However, in all fairness this is something which becomes easier as one gets older and more worldly wise.

That said, simply from a practical point of view, being realistic railway industry job interviews are an exception to this. Plenty of time and opportunity to "come out" once the contract is signed! Or, perhaps, once any probation period is over.

It is, however, also worth remembering in mind that there are some valid reasons why being an enthusiast doesn't necessarily translate into being a good employee, and some of these have been explained on this thread to good effect.

 

[miklcct]

I lasted 3 yearly contracts in a job in an industry I had completely no interest in until I decided not to renew it due to my circumstance, and my supervisors actually liked my quality of work. However, when I moved to a transport-related company afterwards, I was thrown out of the company by the end of probation citing unsatisfactory performance and reluctance to take on board feedback. The nature of the roles were the same, but the transport-related company I worked in used methodologies which did not suit my personality (I used waterfall and highly prefer it, but that company used Agile), while in the same time, their codebase did not match my quality expectation (I generally used latest PHP version and high test coverage, but they are running on end of life software and the lack of test coverage had got them a few P1 incidents already in the last months which I was an affected user before joining the company) and my work did not match their quality expectation (The company didn't even like me putting in reserved structure for future expansion).

So, here, being a transport enthusiast did nothing in terms of job performance. It was the alignment of development methodology mattered.

 

[Efini92]

Indeed. An extremely patronising way to treat adults who are being trusted to do a highly responsible job! Unfortunately that rather sums up the railway!

Exactly my thoughts, it’s insulting when they say it.

 

[Stigy]

I lasted 3 yearly contracts in a job in an industry I had completely no interest in until I decided not to renew it due to my circumstance, and my supervisors actually liked my quality of work. However, when I moved to a transport-related company afterwards, I was thrown out of the company by the end of probation citing unsatisfactory performance and reluctance to take on board feedback. The nature of the roles were the same, but the transport-related company I worked in used methodologies which did not suit my personality (I used waterfall and highly prefer it, but that company used Agile), while in the same time, their codebase did not match my quality expectation (I generally used latest PHP version and high test coverage, but they are running on end of life software and the lack of test coverage had got them a few P1 incidents already in the last months which I was an affected user before joining the company) and my work did not match their quality expectation (The company didn't even like me putting in reserved structure for future expansion).

So, here, being a transport enthusiast did nothing in terms of job performance. It was the alignment of development methodology mattered.

It seems like they didn’t like your attitude maybe? It’s good to be enthusiastic in your work, but you need to be able to act on feedback received as part of management appraisals that early on in a job. You may not like the software they’re using, but that’s the way it goes. It won’t change.

 

[michael74]

As previously mentioned, it's a fine line isn't it. 40 years ago a certain 8 year old boy would spend a great deal of time playing "guard" at a friends using his sliding patio door (his mate was posher than he having patio doors) pretending it was the local door of a class 508 (at that time you didn't see 507s on the Wirral Line, he was aware of that at 8yo lol)

Aged 16 he tried to get on the Railways as an apprentice electrician but wasn't successful (he was Dyslexic and failed at the assessments, but back then he was just classed as a bit dim).... He was also perpetually building a small model railway (still is) and volunteered at a local preserved railway on Carriage and Wagons.

Now whenever on holiday he seeks out any local preserved railways (his family is always delighted by that....) He would make a special trip to his local stations if a very special loco would be passing by, but it has to be special. He has never spotted (and has no interest) but makes no secret of his enjoyment of railways and it is his prefered mode of transport to others. A while ago his best mate arranged for him to get an LU Northern Line Cab ride, he was very excited.... His mates every now and again take to p!$$ out of him and call him a spotter, he doesn't mind.

After moving to Devon, and working in his current occupation for a few years, he decided to try again at gaining a job on the railways and was recently successful and he is a very happy boy and intends to work their until he retires..... did he mention any of this at interview? Nope....

Why? Employers need to know you are capable of learning a job, you have the right skills, behaviours and personality to serve their purpose it matters not a jot whether you know the difference between a class 20 and a 66 nor do they want your opinions on the smell of septic tanks and the claustrophobic environment on a XC Voyager or your in-depth thoughts on IET seats. As other have alluded to, some people in the enthusiast community (not just railways) can be prone to over selling themselves or just come across as a bit of a know all, I appreciate I sound like I am tarring all with the same brush, that is not my intention, far from it.

Also you have a very narrow window in an interview to sell yourself as a fit for their company with a lot of competition, I felt my time was best spent concentrating on letting them know how I fit into their ethos utilising the job description and person specification, after all they are the ones paying me.

I do note that others have mentioned an interest in railways in various interviews and has made no difference and in some circumstances helped, and that's great, but wasn't a risk I was willing to take.

Enthusiast? No, enthusiastic, probably.....

 

[43066]

As previously mentioned, it's a fine line isn't it. 40 years ago a certain 8 year old boy would spend a great deal of time playing "guard" at a friends using his sliding patio door (his mate was posher than he having patio doors) pretending it was the local door of a class 508 (at that time you didn't see 507s on the Wirral Line, he was aware of that at 8yo lol)

Aged 16 he tried to get on the Railways as an apprentice electrician but wasn't successful (he was Dyslexic and failed at the assessments, but back then he was just classed as a bit dim).... He was also perpetually building a small model railway (still is) and volunteered at a local preserved railway on Carriage and Wagons.

Now whenever on holiday he seeks out any local preserved railways (his family is always delighted by that....) He would make a special trip to his local stations if a very special loco would be passing by, but it has to be special. He has never spotted (and has no interest) but makes no secret of his enjoyment of railways and it is his prefered mode of transport to others. A while ago his best mate arranged for him to get an LU Northern Line Cab ride, he was very excited.... His mates every now and again take to p!$$ out of him and call him a spotter, he doesn't mind.

After moving to Devon, and working in his current occupation for a few years, he decided to try again at gaining a job on the railways and was recently successful and he is a very happy boy and intends to work their until he retires..... did he mention any of this at interview? Nope....

Why? Employers need to know you are capable of learning a job, you have the right skills, behaviours and personality to serve their purpose it matters not a jot whether you know the difference between a class 20 and a 66 nor do they want your opinions on the smell of septic tanks and the claustrophobic environment on a XC Voyager or your in-depth thoughts on IET seats. As other have alluded to, some people in the enthusiast community (not just railways) can be prone to over selling themselves or just come across as a bit of a know all, I appreciate I sound like I am tarring all with the same brush, that is not my intention, far from it.

Also you have a very narrow window in an interview to sell yourself as a fit for their company with a lot of competition, I felt my time was best spent concentrating on letting them know how I fit into their ethos utilising the job description and person specification, after all they are the ones paying me.

I do note that others have mentioned an interest in railways in various interviews and has made no difference and in some circumstances helped, and that's great, but wasn't a risk I was willing to take.

Enthusiast? No, enthusiastic, probably.....

Great post.

The last line sums up my interest too. Enthusiastic (sometimes), definitely not a spotter .

 

[CW2]

In my experience, those persons who were enthusiasts could often find a better / more efficient / faster way of resolving a situation than those with no additional background knowledge (i.e. non-enthusiasts).
As an extreme example, I was at an international timetabling conference, and came across the German and Polish reps trying to plan some forthcoming engineering diversions.Unfortunately they had overlooked the fact that the trains would need to reverse directions at the last main station, as there was no avoiding line in place. I was able to (politely) suggest they revisit this issue, allowing extra time at that location. (By chance I had been there a couple of days previously whilst bashing class 232 locos around East Germany, whereas the German delegate was from West Germany and had never been in that area in his life).

It is also important not to be seen to be a "smartass" though. If you spot that information being given out in training is doubtful, or just plain wrong, then raising the issue one-to-one with the trainer is better than calling him / her out on it in public.

 

[Stigy]

In my experience, those persons who were enthusiasts could often find a better / more efficient / faster way of resolving a situation than those with no additional background knowledge (i.e. non-enthusiasts).
As an extreme example, I was at an international timetabling conference, and came across the German and Polish reps trying to plan some forthcoming engineering diversions.Unfortunately they had overlooked the fact that the trains would need to reverse directions at the last main station, as there was no avoiding line in place. I was able to (politely) suggest they revisit this issue, allowing extra time at that location. (By chance I had been there a couple of days previously whilst bashing class 232 locos around East Germany, whereas the German delegate was from West Germany and had never been in that area in his life).

It is also important not to be seen to be a "smartass" though. If you spot that information being given out in training is doubtful, or just plain wrong, then raising the issue one-to-one with the trainer is better than calling him / her out on it in public.

There’s a wealth of knowledge on the railway and varying backgrounds. It comes down to experience within the industry as a whole rather than one’s experiences as an enthusiast most of the time.

It’s difficult to call stuff out in training as incorrect, even one to one, without looking like a pedant at best. Having said that, if something is very clearly incorrect, chances are questions would have already been raised and you bringing it up with the trainer probably won’t be a surprise when it happens. You’re right though, doing it in public won’t win you any brownie points, although questioning something is different of course, and part of group learning as a whole.

 

[skyhigh]

Depends how you sell it. When I was working in the industry, people who treated the job as a vocation, who routinely travelled the network, who understood all the vagaries of the railway and who lived and breathed railways were generally better at their job. Not always the case, just a tendency.

Generally avoid.

That said, it is an advantage if used in a subtle way. In other words highlight that one has some knowledge of what one is applying for, without making it too obvious how that knowledge has been acquired!

I would tend to agree with this - something along the lines of 'I frequently travel by train and therefore can understand the importance of good customer service and what passengers require...' would be seen as a positive. Saying 'I spend all my free time riding trains to try and clear 150s for haulage' probably wouldn't!

It’s always signalling that tends to cause these training rifts!

In my case, we were told point blank that a specific type of signal was prefixed in a certain way. It was *diplomatically* pointed out to the trainer that this wasn’t quite true, and the trainer was having none of it. Needless to say, by the time the next tea break was over, photographic evidence had materialised. A picture paints a thousand words, as the saying goes.

This then created an atmosphere for the rest of the day, which then led to a few other things cropping up, in particular where the training was (a couple of decades) out of date.

But it’s one thing pissing off a trainer on a refresher course when the worst outcome is you will have to come back and repeat the course (and get to spend another day upsetting the trainer!), quite another when a new recruit on probation.

To some extent that depends on the trainer. Mine was very much of the view 'if you have any questions ask, if you think I'm wrong tell me, but tell me why you think I'm wrong and we can discuss it'. We didn't have any enthusiasts or know-it-alls on the course, but this attitude helped to weed out any misunderstandings we'd picked up from training material. And we did pick up cases where a handout was out of date and contradicted the rule book and nobody had said anything before!

Indeed. An extremely patronising way to treat adults who are being trusted to do a highly responsible job! Unfortunately that rather sums up the railway!

Same. We were told about them, but with the warning 'if your manager asks you don't know they exist'. Always thought that was a very strange way of going about things...

How about if the goal is not to get employed, but to start a rail-related business instead? For example, making timetabling software which can help TOCs generate the most efficient timetables; starting a ticket retailer to add value into the industry; starting a tour company for rail enthusiasts, etc? In this case is being a rail enthusiast an advantage?

Yeah if you're starting your own company having an enthusiasm for what you're doing is definitely and advantage. I'm sure you're aware - but TOCs already use software for generating efficient timetables and diagrams, there is lots of competition around ticket retailing and lots of hoops to jump through, and you generally need a lot of money to make a little bit of money on rail tours.

 

[Efini92]

As previously mentioned, it's a fine line isn't it. 40 years ago a certain 8 year old boy would spend a great deal of time playing "guard" at a friends using his sliding patio door (his mate was posher than he having patio doors) pretending it was the local door of a class 508 (at that time you didn't see 507s on the Wirral Line, he was aware of that at 8yo lol)

Aged 16 he tried to get on the Railways as an apprentice electrician but wasn't successful (he was Dyslexic and failed at the assessments, but back then he was just classed as a bit dim).... He was also perpetually building a small model railway (still is) and volunteered at a local preserved railway on Carriage and Wagons.

Now whenever on holiday he seeks out any local preserved railways (his family is always delighted by that....) He would make a special trip to his local stations if a very special loco would be passing by, but it has to be special. He has never spotted (and has no interest) but makes no secret of his enjoyment of railways and it is his prefered mode of transport to others. A while ago his best mate arranged for him to get an LU Northern Line Cab ride, he was very excited.... His mates every now and again take to p!$$ out of him and call him a spotter, he doesn't mind.

After moving to Devon, and working in his current occupation for a few years, he decided to try again at gaining a job on the railways and was recently successful and he is a very happy boy and intends to work their until he retires..... did he mention any of this at interview? Nope....

Why? Employers need to know you are capable of learning a job, you have the right skills, behaviours and personality to serve their purpose it matters not a jot whether you know the difference between a class 20 and a 66 nor do they want your opinions on the smell of septic tanks and the claustrophobic environment on a XC Voyager or your in-depth thoughts on IET seats. As other have alluded to, some people in the enthusiast community (not just railways) can be prone to over selling themselves or just come across as a bit of a know all, I appreciate I sound like I am tarring all with the same brush, that is not my intention, far from it.

Also you have a very narrow window in an interview to sell yourself as a fit for their company with a lot of competition, I felt my time was best spent concentrating on letting them know how I fit into their ethos utilising the job description and person specification, after all they are the ones paying me.

I do note that others have mentioned an interest in railways in various interviews and has made no difference and in some circumstances helped, and that's great, but wasn't a risk I was willing to take.

Enthusiast? No, enthusiastic, probably.....

Nice story, out of interest what role did the boy take up?

 

[michael74]

Nice story, out of interest what role did the boy take up?

Would you believe it, the boy starts as a Conductor in May.... all that practice with the local door helped

 

[iwasyoungonce]

Could be a film in there somewhere

 

[Iskra]

Thank you all for some excellent contributions and interesting perspectives on this thread

 

[Falcon1200]

In my experience more railway staff are enthusiasts, to varying degrees, than is immediately obvious, and personally I cannot understand why people would take, and spend 40 or more years doing, a job in which they had no interest. However when on duty there has to be a clear distinction between enthusiast and professional behaviour.

 

[michael74]

In my experience more railway staff are enthusiasts, to varying degrees, than is immediately obvious, and personally I cannot understand why people would take, and spend 40 or more years doing, a job in which they had no interest. However when on duty there has to be a clear distinction between enthusiast and professional behaviour.

Speaking as a Nurse for the last 15 years, I have no enthusiasm for my job outside of work But your not wrong, the preserved/heritage railway scene has plenty of staff who work in the rail industry as a day job.