Apolgogs for only answering some specific questions recently, I've been a bit snowed under. I think most things were already covered, but here's a bit of a round-up of recent posts - better to cover things twice than not at all!
Second this. As I've said previously on this thread, joining a Union is like taking out an insurance policy against your job, but there are also plenty more benefits that may not seem immediately apparent. You'll get a visit from a Senior Stations Rep during your training to give you more info, but I'm also more than happy to answer any queries or offer advice etc. as a Senior Service Control Rep. My DMs are open if it's preferred to be in private.
Train Operator, Service Control, Station Supervisor etc. - there are literally hundreds of grades across the Combine that never see external recruitment. Use CSA as a catalyst to moving forwards and upwards - there will absolutely be something up your street (I am of course biased but I'd always advocate the Service Control route
)
This covers off most of it, but the season ticket rules are quite complex and the specifics depend on which operator you are travelling with, whether you want to take advantage of a 75% discount
or privilege rate
and whether you want to incur additional tax liability.
@Mawkie is correct in all of what they say, but if there are any specific routes/locations I'd be happy to offer specific advice - it's going to be easier and less confusing than generalising.
Certainly for
@kinkywinpat the best option is to get a privilege rate season ticket from GTR once you've joined - the forms are on the Intranet - as this will work out best value for money. A tax-free loan would be available to cover the cost of this if necessary, with repayments made via your wages, although it is unlikely to be needed. As mentioned, this is available only for annual season tickets.
The flexible season ticket reimbursement is generally not suitable for operational staff, and in any rate is a taxable benefit in kind.
As long as you pay attention, do the homework and apply yourself you shouldn't have any trouble. The ticketing rules can be a bit fiddly, but also there will be plenty of people able to help. Ask as many questions as you like - ultimately your trainers are there to help you. Most importantly, remember that safety always comes first.
Should be day 1 of training, but if not certainly within the first week.
Yes. Two weeks Ashfield House training and then moving to 'live learning' on your station. This happens slightly differently on every Area so is quite hard to give specific details of how that element is structured, but expect to cover all the relevant stations on the Area to get familiarised.
Generally new starters will be allocated 'Gateway' stations, which are generally in Zones 1 and 2 (with some exceptions such as Heathrow) and 'Destination' stations. These stations often do have the highest turnover of staff as very few will nominate to transfer
into these stations, and most will transfer out. As a new joiner you'll definitely want a busy station - it's a great way to hone your skills and learn your trade.
Yes, exactly this. You should be able to swap amongst other classes that start on the same day, but you won't be able to swap with anyone on a different course/start date. Genuinely don't read too much into the stations that you get though - every station has its challenges and foibles, and in almost all cases you'll be able to find a compromise that works for you, once fully qualified, if there are travel challenges. All that said: you (generic) have applied for a job where 'working anywhere on the LU network' is very clearly stated in the job application and all documentation there after. If this isn't something that works for you, then this job isn't for you. Whilst nominating to a new station
at the same grade is possible, any promotional transfers will be by the same standard of getting sent anywhere on the network. It's a way of LUL life and you'll soon get used to it.
You should get at least the Saturday after your Ashfield House training off, but otherwise you're straight into shift work. Accommodations will be made when they can be for anything pre-booked, but there are reasons why I and others have advocated having an empty diary for your first 28 days or so.
Part time training is exactly the same as full time training, and is stated in the job advert. The part time element only kicks in once you are qualified.
Yes.
As a general addition to this, please do learn how to search a thread: you won't get spoon-fed all the info once you're on the job, and understanding things like rosters is a fairly important part of that.
Relief generally refers to 'Meal Relief' but can be used as meaning 'Cover', i.e. on other stations/groups. I haven't looked at the stations rosters in any detail (it doesn't bear much relevance to most on these threads in my opinion, to be honest) but would suspect it to be the former.
If you've alerted HR to any pre-booked holidays at the earliest opportunity these will generally be honoured as long as they don't fall during your Ashfield House training. As a general rule, you can't take any leave during any training on any part of LU.
You'd be best off starting a new thread for any Revenue-specific questions. I'm happy to answer things there, but won't here as it doesn't have the same relevance. It's also worth noting that both LU and TfL have RCOs, and they are not the same contracts. Any advice for LU would not necessarily apply to TfL and vice-versa.
This is of no benefit to you. Most of the rosters are similar, and you won't have any control over where you get placed on that roster regardless of the station you get. Pretty much all CSA locations have similar start/finish times and rotations.
Yes, understandable. Probably worth getting a Chelmsford outboundary-Travelcard on your first day and going from there. It should be on day 1 but the process has slowed slightly post-Covid.
Yes, there is a high turn over, no, it is not due to the "extreme shifts/shift patterns" - staff move on to other locations or jobs, or retire. If you're not prepared to start as early as 0430 and finish as late as 0130 then this isn't the job for you. All operational jobs have an element of "extreme" shifts, and most above CSA also have a night turn element.
Personally, I loved a regular 0115 finish and would always manage to swap away other shifts to work a fairly reliable 1715-0115 turn. In my current grade I am still able to swap away most of my earlies (0700 book-on up to two hours from my home).
