Lol oh yes you should recieve that email next.
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Overground Trainee Driver - Harlesden and SE London, Feb '21 & Aug '21
- Thread starter T-Karmel
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Lol thank you
So you haven't received invitation email for VSE like myself?
I've done OPC in 2019 though
Yeahh i didn’t receive the vse email and i applied for new cross, i dont think anyone that applied for new cross received the vse email
Have you ever done any assessments with Arriva or any other company before?
Hopeful_driver
Member
I’ve applied for New Cross and got my VSE invitation today. Fingers crossed you receive an invite soon too!
I’m a first timer applying for a trainee train driver role, so have never competed any assessments previously, and I was invited to do the VSE today. Think it’s just the 1st stage of the process for everyone.
Ok, thanks. Good luck with the process!
I received the VSE invite today. I've never passed any stages before as this is my very first application to a TOC . I'm surprised they sent the VSE assessment though as on their website the VSE is a stage 2 assessment.
I applied to the New Cross Depot.
Chug Chug 87
Member
I haven’t received the VSE invitation ether ... I’m sure if I don’t heard from them by the end of this week it will be bad news
I was thinking the same thing. Hopefully I will here sometime by the end of the week.
I was thinking the same thing. Hopefully I will here sometime by the end of the week.
yeah just did it
how did you find it?
Any heads up?
I'm just going through the revision material now before starting.
Eliminate all visual and audio distractions. You'll need more concentration than Robinsons squash. I found 2/3 of the tasks fine, but task 3 is where they merge. I'm not sure how I did on that
20atthemagnet
Member
That’s not how it works. When you apply for a TOC you are going up against thousands of applicants. Another TOC recently recently recieved in excess of 20,000. HR departments are currently running on paperthin workforces due to Covid might only have a few people sifting through applications. HR departments also have other things to do aswell.
As somebody who is already in the profession (and I’m not directing this at you personally) I find the lack of composure in this thread really suprising considering what is being applied for. I understand you are all really excited and want to do well but asking if anybody got replies and if not means xyz before receiving any sort of correspondence isnt doing yourself any good except for inflicting self-doubt. It doesnt make things go any quicker they will get to it when they get to it. Several existing ARL staff in existing roles have applied too and still havent heard anything yet either. Everybody’s in the same boat together. Give the HR team time to do their job. When I started I applied for a role and was invited for assessments 1 year later. Operational requirements can change, sometimes on a weekly basis resulting on longer waits, talent pools, or indefinite time frames. Luckily this ad doesnt appear to be such a case as there has been quite a bit of internal movement between depots resulting in a few gaps, but the point is you need to be patient. The time will come for everyone whether its a yes or no. Relax! You’ll relish the call even more when you get it. Good luck to you all.
Of course if anybody has any questions about the role in particular, more than happy to help.
I have a question out of curiosity.
What happens if you need the loo whilst driving? Can you quickly use the toilets on board or stop at the next station? Has this ever caught anyone out?
20atthemagnet
Member
If you’re applying for Arriva Rail London then you won’t find any toilets onboard...you can be expected to time your toilet breaks around your schedules. Every turnaround point is required to have toilet facilities. However of course if you find youself in a situation where you have to go there and then, and use a stations facilities not much anyone can say. You can be expected to fill out a delay report at the end of you duty. It seldom happens because people know that they should try to use their breaks for the toilet, and most trips are under 45 minutes. Most people are able to hold it, and if they cant perhaps through illness then they probably wouldn’t have been out driving the train in the first place.
Well said !!!
When applying for TOC probably first thing that you should consider is to be patient and don't start thinking that in a couple of months your life will change cause it can take years even after you pass all the assessments and interview until you begin a trainee role or as other said in different posts you might not even catch a place at all (with assessment and interview passed).
Gorlash1886
Member
- Joined
- 17 May 2018
- Messages
- 148
This is so true, I applied in November 2018 for my toc and started training October 2020, however I didn't even have assessments until July 2020 so that's a year and a half from applying to getting the assessment centre.
I count myself very lucky I wasn't put into a talent pool and got onto a training course pretty fast.
Chuchu
Member
Hustlequeen
Member
Does anybody know how long you’re timed for each task on the VSE?
You ain't timed.
its 140 sequences per stage.
Once 140 is reached, then it's finished
Dynamic Visual Search Awareness And Comparison Test | Trainee Train Driver Info
traineetraindriverinfo.com
^^^^
This could be worth a buy to practice before doing the real thing.
Very similar.
Hustlequeen
Member
Thank you for letting me know!You ain't timed.
its 140 sequences per stage.
Once 140 is reached, then it's finished
Dynamic Visual Search Awareness And Comparison Test | Trainee Train Driver Info
^^^^
This could be worth a buy to practice before doing the real thing.
Very similar.
20atthemagnet
Member
I choose not to disclose specifics on a public forum sorry. However the job is overall a very stable and rewarding job. Over the years you will definitely lose the "excitement" but I cant think of a job that carries such a security vs work life balance vs salary. Its unheard of. The people for the most part are incredible too, at my depot at least. Its never a chore to come to work. The key to doing it in the long run is fatigue management. There's a perception that controlling 120tons up and down a line when you don't steer should be childsplay, however doing it when its early/late/cold/hot when your tired/angry maybe hungry in a range of operational circumstances, dry/wet/icey different schedules, different trains, different routes, being a train driver is a minefield for someone who isn't switched on. Its a very easy job to lose. Things can often go from completely pedestrian to all hands on deck in the flash of an eye. Being able to apply a range of different procedures correctly in those circumstances is also paramount. A trainer once told me when I started "You don't get paid to do it right, you get paid not to do it wrong" couldn't have put it any better myself.
We were talking about it in the messroom the other day that between a few of us over the course of our 10-15 years each we had driven on average around 70,000 individual trips and stopped at something like 140,000 stations without a single incident. Got me thinking about the psychometrics tests and it made more sense what they expected of us when doing them. Certainly felt at the time that it had nothing to do with driving trains!
No you won’t have to resit anything you passed I’m waiting final interview with line manager and had passed all others last year then Covid hit
Thanks
Good luck with your interview!- Status