New to the Forum & Interested in Becoming a Driver

[Pepsi_Dave]

Hello Everyone

I've recently been considering a career change, and after some soul searching, and trying to understand what I want out of a Job, and what I'm not getting out of my current Job, I'm now almost convinced that becoming a train driver provides all that I'm seeking.

There's a lot for me to look at on this forum in terms of resource, so please don't shoot me down as I'm not here to be lazy etc, I'm planning on taking the time to research and take in all the info that I can from you guys here.

What I am after though, is some more specific pointers and advice for the area that I live in (South Manchester). Only a couple of questions for now, but I'd be very grateful for some feedback on the below.
Which companies/stations/depots should I be approaching?
Do I limit my search to the local operators - TPE/Northern/Metroling(Kelios) or is it worth exploring potential employment in other operators, but I'll just be based out of Manchester, if it works like that?

Additionally, how likely is it that I'll be able to leave my job and walk into a trainee driver position (Subject to availability and aptitude towards the role of course)?
Is it easier to take up an alternative position within the company and be patient waiting for future post openings? Risk with this is leaving a career behind, pay-cut etc with no guarantee of being selected for driver training etc?

If anyone has taken the leap from office desk to train cabin, and what are your stories?

Thanks in advance.

Dave

 

[crebbs1]

Hi @Pepsi_Dave unfortunately I can’t answer with regards depots around your area but what I will say is, if you can match your skill set to that of a train driver then you have just as much of a chance as anybody else to go straight into training.
For me personally it is only driving that excites me and I feel my skill set is well matched so I am currently pursuing this career and getting very close now.
Being in the industry already doesn’t seem to give any advantages it appears.
Go for it.

 

[UPS1550]

Hello Everyone

I've recently been considering a career change, and after some soul searching, and trying to understand what I want out of a Job, and what I'm not getting out of my current Job, I'm now almost convinced that becoming a train driver provides all that I'm seeking.

There's a lot for me to look at on this forum in terms of resource, so please don't shoot me down as I'm not here to be lazy etc, I'm planning on taking the time to research and take in all the info that I can from you guys here.

What I am after though, is some more specific pointers and advice for the area that I live in (South Manchester). Only a couple of questions for now, but I'd be very grateful for some feedback on the below.
Which companies/stations/depots should I be approaching?
Do I limit my search to the local operators - TPE/Northern/Metroling(Kelios) or is it worth exploring potential employment in other operators, but I'll just be based out of Manchester, if it works like that?

Additionally, how likely is it that I'll be able to leave my job and walk into a trainee driver position (Subject to availability and aptitude towards the role of course)?
Is it easier to take up an alternative position within the company and be patient waiting for future post openings? Risk with this is leaving a career behind, pay-cut etc with no guarantee of being selected for driver training etc?

If anyone has taken the leap from office desk to train cabin, and what are your stories?

Thanks in advance.

Dave

Don't quit your job until you've got a contract in hand, some vacancies have 17000+ apply, if you really want to do this your going to have to apply for every trainee position everywhere in the country, then IF your lucky and qualify you can choose to transfer back home

 

[Mojo]

Also note, that Metrolink is its own bespoke system and you will not be able to take the skills you learn there to a Mainline operator; should you wish to join a Mainline operator you will be treated the same as any other person applying "off the street." Mainline operators also pay a lot more and have different Terms and Conditions to Metrolink.

 

[craigybagel]

Northern, Transpennine Express, Virgin and Cross Country all have depots at Manchester Piccadilly. Don't bother thinking about the latter two - they haven't recruited externally for trainee drivers in a long time, but Transpennine and Northern do recruit quote frequently. Alternatively if you're in South Manchester you may find Crewe (Transport for Wales and London North Western) or Buxton (Northern) acceptable commutes.

In terms of getting the job - as others have said, the competition is fierce. Even getting in the railway on other jobs (such as conductor or station staff) can prove very difficult. It may well take a lot of work and a lot of disappointment before you finally get where you want to be.

The jury is out as to whether bring internal helps you to get a driver's job - there are certainly pros and cons. After 3 previous railway roles over 8 years I'm about to start as a trainee driver in a few weeks time, but there will be others on my course completely new to the railway. But I would never have gotten the drivers job without the experience that my other railway roles gave me - and in their own way, each one of those roles was a very satisfying job.

Whatever you choose to do, good luck! Your probably going to need it.

 

[Joliver]

Don't quit your job until you've got a contract in hand, some vacancies have 17000+ apply, if you really want to do this your going to have to apply for every trainee position everywhere in the country, then IF your lucky and qualify you can choose to transfer back home

Bare this is mind though, most TOC's/FOC's require you to live within 60 minutes of your home depot. So research which depots meet that criteria. Took me a couple of attempts to get a trainee position, definitely be prepared for knock backs along the way but don't get too dis-heartened. Good luck.

 

[UPS1550]

Bare this is mind though, most TOC's/FOC's require you to live within 60 minutes of your home depot. So research which depots meet that criteria. Took me a couple of attempts to get a trainee position, definitely be prepared for knock backs along the way but don't get too dis-heartened. Good luck.

True but the ones I've applied for had a relocate option except GA and they said it was fine when I spoke to them, try everything!

 

[martin2345uk]

Check freight companies too, I live in south Manchester and am currently training with Freightliner.

 

[Stigy]

Check freight companies too, I live in south Manchester and am currently training with Freightliner.

Was going to suggest this too.

A lot of people forget about freight operators. They’re not for everybody, but certainly worth considering!

@Pepsi_Dave, what I would advise is to not give up if it’s what you really want. It doesn’t matter how good your application is, with often thousands of candidates for the same job, even the best applications often don’t make the paper sift.

It certainly can help joining a TOC/FOC in another capacity initially (although companies do differ, of course). You’ll often be given priority over external candidates when applying internally for trainee driver jobs, plus it’ll give you some extra operational knowledge and experience which will no doubt aid you when you get to interview stage.

Good luck with whatever you chose to do! I keep saying this and I know I sound like a broken record at times, but it’s a long old road and nothing is done “quick time” on the railway. You will soon realise this no doubt.

 

[S-Car-Go]

Apart from the resources of this forum, there is a company How2Become that makes books DVDs and courses on applying. Some of it is generic, but some I found useful. I think I bought a book+dvd on Amazon. The guy who sells these products also posts videos on YouTube. Watch them. Also found BR rail safety videos on there which were helpful.

 

[Stigy]

Apart from the resources of this forum, there is a company How2Become that makes books DVDs and courses on applying. Some of it is generic, but some I found useful. I think I bought a book+dvd on Amazon. The guy who sells these products also posts videos on YouTube. Watch them. Also found BR rail safety videos on there which were helpful.

Agree parts were useful. However for the list part I found the book at least, very outdated.

 

[S-Car-Go]

Agree parts were useful. However for the list part I found the book at least, very outdated.

Yup. Some of it is outdated, particularly since the psychometric tests were revamped a few years ago. In addition, my partner (a psychologist) says the question "why do you want to be a train driver?" is not fully answered with these aids. Answer why you WANT the job, not what makes a good driver or what skills you have for the role.

 

[sw1ller]

Northern, Transpennine Express, Virgin and Cross Country all have depots at Manchester Piccadilly. Don't bother thinking about the latter two - they haven't recruited externally for trainee drivers in a long time, but Transpennine and Northern do recruit quote frequently. Alternatively if you're in South Manchester you may find Crewe (Transport for Wales and London North Western) or Buxton (Northern) acceptable commutes.

In terms of getting the job - as others have said, the competition is fierce. Even getting in the railway on other jobs (such as conductor or station staff) can prove very difficult. It may well take a lot of work and a lot of disappointment before you finally get where you want to be.

The jury is out as to whether bring internal helps you to get a driver's job - there are certainly pros and cons. After 3 previous railway roles over 8 years I'm about to start as a trainee driver in a few weeks time, but there will be others on my course completely new to the railway. But I would never have gotten the drivers job without the experience that my other railway roles gave me - and in their own way, each one of those roles was a very satisfying job.

Whatever you choose to do, good luck! Your probably going to need it.

Congratulations pal. You’ve waited long enough for that.

 

[craigybagel]

Congratulations pal. You’ve waited long enough for that.

Cheers mate, and yes it can't come soon enough now!

 

[big all]

when i joined the railway as a second man around 71-72 there was full employment so few would apply

in general the "unusual" and fairly nutty would get the job
as it was more off a vacation needing mostly strong "charicters" as the bizarre shifts and requirements off a then 24hr railway would take a certain type off person

then it would be a ten min conversation to get the job with the depot manager with an up to say 5 years as a second man at perhaps £2.50-3.00 an hour wage before promotion to past second man/ driver at around £4.25 an hour around 1993

 

[Pepsi_Dave]

Hi Everyone, thank you so much for the advice offered so far. It has helped reassure me of my decision, and vindicates my thoughts, and plans for how to progress with things.

I have great transport links where I live, so I'm within an hour of depots as far as Preston/Crewe/Liverpool, with Leeds being approx 1hr 10min. So I feel like I have a lot of options, however, Ideally, I'd like to avoid commuting that far.

I'm going to get my CV updated and tailor it to the role, and I have already set alerts with DB and First Group. I'd not really thought much about freight, but I have no preference either way on this, so I'm going to look into Freightliner as someone above had mentioned. I actually know someone, through a friend, who work's for Freightliner so I might have a word with him to understand a bit more about the job/process etc.

I'll hope to keep you all posted on how things progress, and I'm feeling quite patient about everything. I'm in no rush, but I very much see this potential career change as a positive thing for me and my family, and with that I'm prepared to take as long as it needs.

Cheers once again.

 

[OneLowban]

Best of luck. I would like to say from personal experience do not rely on job alerts. I signed up to all of them and received none. (Junk too)

 

[Pepsi_Dave]

Best of luck. I would like to say from personal experience do not rely on job alerts. I signed up to all of them and received none. (Junk too)

Thanks for the tip, although I wasn't expecting them to be too reliable anyways. That said I did receive an alert from DB about them recruiting trainees, so I'm updating the CV tonight. There's a depot that's only about 40 minutes from me, so I'm happy with that.

 

[OneLowban]

Thanks for the tip, although I wasn't expecting them to be too reliable anyways. That said I did receive an alert from DB about them recruiting trainees, so I'm updating the CV tonight. There's a depot that's only about 40 minutes from me, so I'm happy with that.

Cool, I mean I’m sure people have received notifications on jobs just me personally I didn’t receive any, checked the site after and had the right email address etc who knows.

Ah right best of luck with that one!