Luke Glattback
New Member
Is it possible to get a part-time job in rail at 17? What sort of jobs within the industry can you work once you’re 18? E.g. could you realistically get a job as a train manager at 18?
I don't believe so, I think 21 is the industry standard age for safety critical roles. Obviously you could possibly go into the retail side of the railway or see if there are any apprenticeships within head offices etc.Is it possible to get a part-time job in rail at 17? What sort of jobs within the industry can you work once you’re 18? E.g. could you realistically get a job as a train manager at 18?
I don't believe so, I think 21 is the industry standard age for safety critical roles.
What sort of jobs would be a good starting block to gain enough of a cv to get onto the railway?18 is the de facto minimum for safety critical roles, except mainline driver which is legally 21. It's not common to see roles available to under 18 due to companies typically taking a risk averse approach to employing young people, however I have known it happen in head office roles on the odd occasion.
You do see the odd 18 year old conductor or train manager but they're few and far between, the way the railway tends to recruit is based on previous experiences which is naturally harder to draw from the fewer years of it you've been able to accumulate. With the advent of apprenticeships the tide is turning on that a little though.
Get an apprenticeship in something that you’re generally interested in, engineering for example - you will do a better job of it.What sort of jobs would be a good starting block to gain enough of a cv to get onto the railway?
There definitely are some, I don’t know where about you are but I work for Northern and they offer engineering apprenticeships from time to time. It’s worth signing up for TOC/Network Rail job alerts to see when they come up.I’m on a BTEC college course at the moment but it’s a shame the rail industry doesn’t really have any sort of apprenticeship’s for 16-18 year olds: it doesn’t leave them with much choice and doesn’t give them a pathway into the industry. That’s just my opinion anyway. There are loads of apprenticeship’s out there but rail just doesn’t seem to one of them.
This is the way I'm looking forward, I currently work in a customer service fast paced environment outside of the other things I do and believe it'd be a good transition into the railway skill wise.Look at platform or Gateline jobs. I’d say that’s best for 18. 17, can’t see much happening unless you get an apprenticeship. I started when I was 16 with an apprenticeship a few years ago
Another good option that's not railway-specific to look for is a cafe or restaurant. Working in the kitchen areas gives you an excellent safety environment to talk about as well as teamwork and communication, working front of house gives excellent customer service and money handling training. Both show you are able to work hard and be a dependable member of staff in a time-critical environment.What sort of jobs would be a good starting block to gain enough of a cv to get onto the railway?