Hi guys, thanks again for the helpful feedback.
I tell you my story, as briefly as I can: I applied for a post of shunter train driver at Gillingham depot in 2015, successfully but since then I received about six emails from SE HR saying that they would let me know once the dates of the assessment are communicated to them. Im still waiting.
In the meantime, last year I applied more or less at the same time for a post of trainee train driver with Thameslink and for bus driving with Arriva. I passed the assessment and driver manager interview with Thameslink but I failed the last interview (the MMI).
More or less at the same time I passed the assessment of bus driver at Arriva in Wood Green. Then HR at Arriva called me for an interview at Wood Green depot. I had to contact and remind them that my preference was Dartford not Wood Green. I live in Gillingham, now I suppose you understand why I chose Dartford. The depot at Dartford is very small and therefore its less hectic than other big ones, but also very desirable. As a matter of fact, at Dartford they werent recruiting, but HR sent me over there all the same, perhaps because they messed up by putting me for Wood Green.
The experience with Arriva at Dartford wasnt that great. I passed the initial informal interview with a manager who wasnt meant to be my interviewer, as nobody was available to interview me. Nice chap though. Amongst other things, they left me to wait in the kitchen for an hour, with Jeremy Kyle on the screen for the entire length of my waiting. They had literally forgotten about me. I was stinking so much of fried food
I dont even know why I bothered to wear a suit. Anyway, off I went for the driving test after my interview. I failed. The instructor told me that I didnt use the mirrors enough. I thought I had though. He said you can drive, mind you, but
I just wondered, if Im applying for a trainee post, surely I cant be flawless. That would have been something to be addressed during the training perhaps
I had applied for Arriva Gillingham depot, too, but in the end I chose Dartford. Well, it didnt go well. Perhaps it wasnt meant to be. I wont reapply for Dartford.
So now, all I want to do is trying my second attempt as train driver. If I fail a second time, Im done with trains and can focus on bus driving. I dont want to apply right now for bus driving because I dont want to give back 2000k, should I be successful in my chase for the train driver job. Basically I want a change of career, as Ive been working in an office environment (in London) for the past 18 years. I know bus driving or train driving is not a relaxing environment. Certainly a relaxing environment is at the Canary Islands or in Barbados, but I havent yet put aside enough money to live the rest of my life over there. Therefore I still need a job, also a change of career; I like driving and I feel that those two options are the best ones for me.
I had thought of Bromley depot, but I hadnt thought of Orpington. Ill surely look into that.