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Living outside the 60 Minute required area.

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L33mcc

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Im struggling to find a trainee position within my area. Ive been waiting around 6 months. I know a lot of TOCS require to live within 60 minutes.

If i were to email the company's do you think they would over look the distance ?
 
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vikingdriver

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Im struggling to find a trainee position within my area. Ive been waiting around 6 months. I know a lot of TOCS require to live within 60 minutes.

If i were to email the company's do you think they would over look the distance ?

Unlikely, fatigue management is a big thing on the railway. We have a few drivers who live a long way from work who rent a room for the days they are at work and go home on their days off so maybe that could be an avenue to explore.
 

train-safe

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I would be willing to relocate though
Issue they have is they get lots of applicants from the area they are recruiting from, why would you risk bringing in someone who may/may not relocate when you can recruit someone on your doorstep. Also often people who relocate will then look to move back home after a few years, seen that happen quite a few times.
 

vikingdriver

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I would be willing to relocate though

Oh right my apologies, thought you meant would they ignore your over 60 minute commute to work! Some TOCs allow you to relocate, others seem less willing to entertain the idea so definitely worth enquiring or mentioning on your application that you will relocate.
 

jacey

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Im struggling to find a trainee position within my area. Ive been waiting around 6 months. I know a lot of TOCS require to live within 60 minutes.

I am not going to risk lying about my location.

If i were to email the company's do you think they would over look the distance ?
The problem is many say they will relocate and im sure have good intention, but it does bring more risk to a train operating company, it brings more doubts to the employer Will they move, will they bring the family, what if the kids don't settle, what if they don't like the area, is the cost of living to high in that area, how will they cope being far away from family and friends. Just more questions marks with people willing to relocate which is why i believe some tocs prefer the 60 mile radius from application.

You also i would guess see a trend of people that move to the area to gain the license get a couple years under the belt then move back to where they came from i would be surprised if this isn't a trend amongst relocating employees its almost inevitable.

Im not saying everyone does the above but it for sure brings more doubt.

It's also an effective way or narrowing the field in terms of applications.
 

dctraindriver

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Im struggling to find a trainee position within my area. Ive been waiting around 6 months. I know a lot of TOCS require to live within 60 minutes.

I am not going to risk lying about my location.

If i were to email the company's do you think they would over look the distance ?
Email each one you’re considering applying to for your definitive answer. Let’s face it getting onto the railway in any shape or form is extremely difficult more now than it ever was so chances are applications will flood in from people already living in the area. It’s been known in my TOC but I’ve no idea if that’s still the case.
 

Davidh1998

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No companies will not overlook the distance, there is a reason for that which was clearly highlighted in the last thread you made. You would need to contact the TOC's to see if they would accept relocation, I assume most would not.
 

LSWR Cavalier

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An hour is quite enough, before and after work, with breaks and delays one could be away from home for 12 hours or more, not much time left to eat, relax, sleep, before setting off again for the next shift. Might take an hour in theory, in practice journeys often take longer than expected
There is a lot to be said for living as close as possible, even if rent/mortgage are higher
 

skyhigh

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From your other thread, you have the options of XC and Great Northern at Cambridge - more choice than I had! You also said that you'd move, and your family would follow a year or so later. That would be a red flag for recruiters. What if after 6 months you're finding it too hard being away from family? That could add other stress onto you, making training harder for yourself. The best option, unfortunately, is probably to be patient and wait for a suitable vacancy.

You can always email companies and ask, but don't expect a positive response.

An hour is quite enough, before and after work, with breaks and delays one could be away from home for 12 hours or more, not much time left to eat, relax, sleep, before setting off again for the next shift. Might take an hour in theory, in practice journeys often take longer than expected
There is a lot to be said for living as close as possible, even if rent/mortgage are higher
The question here is not "should I relocate?", it's "can I relocate?". The OP wants to live near the depot.
 

4F89

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Try driving home after 28 hours without sleep because you are going from nights to days to nights. You don't want that journey to be 1 mile longer than it has to be.

However, my commute is an hour on the nose. More than enough, would prefer to be closer to depot. Such is life.
 

joshuan542

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I would be willing to relocate though
Many people state relocating to them, but unfortunately they just arent interested due to the volume of applicants they get anyway, fatigue management like mentioned is massive for us
 

iwasyoungonce

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I completed the application today and was then sent an email that I was successful and they now want me to do a quiz.

I live 10 mins from station on bike. Is this why ?
I don't follow, your post in another LNER thread would imply you live in Newcastle !!!
 

387star

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Im struggling to find a trainee position within my area. Ive been waiting around 6 months. I know a lot of TOCS require to live within 60 minutes.

If i were to email the company's do you think they would over look the distance ?
I was successful at sift for C2C East Ham EMT Nottingham Greater Anglia Cambridge and Thameslink London all while living near Portsmouth
C2C didn't accept my WAF score and EMT was depot driving so in the end I opted to stay in a mainline talent pool with so many options. Ended up waiting in two pools.
 

16.19

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Im struggling to find a trainee position within my area. Ive been waiting around 6 months. I know a lot of TOCS require to live within 60 minutes.

If i were to email the company's do you think they would over look the distance ?
The simple answer here is no. They won’t. There are genuine and valid reasons why they ask for candidates that live (at most) 60 minutes away.

Remember; train operating company’s get hundreds if not thousands of applicants for trainee driver roles - which means they can, and do, filter out candidates that don’t meet criteria. One of these criteria’s is living within a certain distance or time to a station.

If you’re serious about wanting to become a trainee then move location but even if you do move it’s a tall ladder to climb before you get to be a trainee, and it’s not guaranteed.
 

Bucephalus

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Why don't you email them and find out?

Email each one you’re considering applying to for your definitive answer. Let’s face it getting onto the railway in any shape or form is extremely difficult more now than it ever was so chances are applications will flood in from people already living in the area. It’s been known in my TOC but I’ve no idea if that’s still the case.

I was successful at sift for C2C East Ham EMT Nottingham Greater Anglia Cambridge and Thameslink London all while living near Portsmouth
C2C didn't accept my WAF score and EMT was depot driving so in the end I opted to stay in a mainline talent pool with so many options. Ended up waiting in two pools.
@L33mcc

If you email them and let us know the answer, then that will help us all. CrossCountry are still hiring if you're willing to move to Birmingham for example. Keep an eye out for South Western Railway because they are definitely cool with relocation. Thameslink / Southern have been putting up trainee shunter driver about 4 times a year, not sure how to contact them though.

Be mindful that living in London is not all that for location. 50% of the london railway jobs are more than 60 mins from me.

It's also a good idea to have all your competencies etc typed up ready for when a post comes up near Cambridge - you might only get one day to apply!
 
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I live in a small market town with a tiny rail station, no depot or anything. My nearest depot or area of recruitment is over 60 minutes away therefore instantly making me ineligible for any trainee driver roles. However, I have always been very open to relocating! My partner’s brother lives in Manchester and has always said if we were to move within the area, we are more than welcome to live with him. Therefore, do you think it is ‘wrong’ to put his address as my location when applying for jobs within 60 minutes of his address as technically that is where I would live if I were to get a job?
 

16.19

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I live in a small market town with a tiny rail station, no depot or anything. My nearest depot or area of recruitment is over 60 minutes away therefore instantly making me ineligible for any trainee driver roles. However, I have always been very open to relocating! My partner’s brother lives in Manchester and has always said if we were to move within the area, we are more than welcome to live with him. Therefore, do you think it is ‘wrong’ to put his address as my location when applying for jobs within 60 minutes of his address as technically that is where I would live if I were to get a job?

The issue is here is that just like another job, Human Resources require certain things from you to prove it’s you - national insurance number, proof of address, bank details and so on.

The process from application to qualified is long with many box ticking exercises.
 
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I applied for a shunter position which didn't stipulate any journey time or distance requirement in the advert. They used the distance I'd have to travel as a reason to reject the application. It was part time so I could have travelled there for the 2 required shifts a week. It wasn't an excessive distance by any means.
I queried it on the grounds they didn't specify this in the job advert and I was able to move closer now it was highlighted. They responsed by saying there would be no guarantee I would relocate once they took my application further.

Coincidentally, I have to move home soon but the market is really slow with fewer properties than usual available in the location and price I want to pay. Relocation sounds a simple idea but in reality it is not and why should employers take that risk. The only reason they would risk it is you have something their business needs that no one else is offering. If it's a trainee position you're applying for then sadly the answer is you have very little to offer them that they can't already find within reasonable travelling distance to the depot. If you're a fully trained driver then that is probably worth the company's time and efforts to see you relocate.

I had a van driving job 20 miles from my home in Scotland. I can assure you that driving up to 200 miles at work plus a 40 mile round trip from home was more than I wished to do. I'd get the train to work to avoid the 40 miles in my own car, even when I was finishing work at 2300 - last train home was 2330.

Best of luck finding something suitable.
 

bengley

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Don't let the naysayers put you off applying.

I applied for my current job living 280 miles away from where I am based. I stated my intention to relocate, which I did (purchasing a house) seamlessly before my start date.

They were fine with it.
 

dctraindriver

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Don't let the naysayers put you off applying.

I applied for my current job living 280 miles away from where I am based. I stated my intention to relocate, which I did (purchasing a house) seamlessly before my start date.

They were fine with it.
Out of interest how long ago was that?
 
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Morally maybe not, but it could easily be argued as fraudulent. And people have lost their jobs because of this.
I understand why it could be argued to be ‘fraudulent’. However, at the same time it’s not if I do have somewhere to live within the 60 minute relocation policy. Essentially, it wouldn’t be any different to saying ‘I own a house there, so I am able to move in within 60 minutes of the location when I get the job’.
 

221129

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I understand why it could be argued to be ‘fraudulent’. However, at the same time it’s not if I do have somewhere to live within the 60 minute relocation policy. Essentially, it wouldn’t be any different to saying ‘I own a house there, so I am able to move in within 60 minutes of the location when I get the job’.
There were other recent threads on this subject. But you would generally be expected to provide proof of address before being offered the job.

If found out it would be likely to result in dismissal. Its not worth it.
 
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There were other recent threads on this subject. But you would generally be expected to provide proof of address before being offered the job.

If found out it would be likely to result in dismissal. Its not worth it.
Being a university student, I have more than one address anyway. In addition, having other members of family I regularly stay with as well as properties all over, it can be argued I have no ‘permanent address’ despite having one on paper. I can’t comprehend why a TOC would be against it despite having somewhere to live? The certainty of remaining in the specified location is there, why would it therefore require a dismissal? It’s not like once I’ve got the job, I’d have to fork out on a hotel for myself or sleep on the streets.
 

Lewis H

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I had to relocate prior to starting, and was required to provide proof of address. However once you’re qualified, it seems as if you can live where you like, but it’s up to you to manage your fatigue etc, Is it worth losing your job over!
 

route101

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At the moment I'm looking for jobs all over the UK. Not much opportunities where I stay, and need to start my career.
 

slidingdoors

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If you can provide the right proof of ID when asked and can do the commute without being too tired then go for it. It’s harsh times we live in. Do what you gotta do.
 
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