Scotrail Trainee Drivers (Ongoing)

[PaulT1988]

Good luck, I had mine last week, formal but friendly and got the result the next day

How did your DMI go? I had mine on Monday, waiting to hear back

 

[baz962]

https://uk.indeed.com/rc/clk?jk=2f8b4df6d9d8867a&mtk=1hdpobem3jkm8801&from=serp

Seen on indeed and on ScotRail website

 

[chuff chuff]

Our customers have busy lives, so we need to be there for them when they need us; from the early hours of the morning until late at night, seven days a week. That’s why, as a train driver, you’ll need to be happy working a variety of shifts over seven days.

Hope all applicants have read this bit in the blurb as some don't seem to want to do it.

 

[PudseyBearHST]

https://uk.indeed.com/rc/clk?jk=2f8b4df6d9d8867a&mtk=1hdpobem3jkm8801&from=serp

Seen on indeed and on ScotRail website

Out of curiosity, do they recruit for Qualified Drivers separately or can Qualifieds apply for this?

 

[PaulT1988]

Has anyone failed their 2nd assessments then passed them further down the line? I failed 1 of the 3 tests yday, absolutely gutted. Will reapply again after 6 months if scotrail are advertising. Very tough pill to swallow though

 

[380101]

Out of curiosity, do they recruit for Qualified Drivers separately or can Qualifieds apply for this?

They very rarely openly recruit for qualified drivers, however they do take qualified drivers on, on a case by case basis. Generally a CV fired into HR with a cover letter explaining you would like to move over into ScotRail should get you an interview at least. I know of at least one driver who has returned to ScotRail as a qualified driver from a DfT TOC in the last year and all he did was fire a CV in.

 

[PudseyBearHST]

They very rarely openly recruit for qualified drivers, however they do take qualified drivers on, on a case by case basis. Generally a CV fired into HR with a cover letter explaining you would like to move over into ScotRail should get you an interview at least. I know of at least one driver who has returned to ScotRail as a qualified driver from a DfT TOC in the last year and all he did was fire a CV in.

Great, thanks for the detailed reply. Will pass this info on

 

[barko26]

Has anyone failed their 2nd assessments then passed them further down the line? I failed 1 of the 3 tests yday, absolutely gutted. Will reapply again after 6 months if scotrail are advertising. Very tough pill to swallow though

Been there my friend. I failed at the very final hurdle around 8 years ago. (External applicant). Since then I applied for a guards role which I was lucky enough to be successful with, and reapplied for the drivers role internally. I was lucky enough to be successful this time round and have since completed my training. It’s been a long road but finally got there.

Don’t give up because you were knocked back. It sucks, it hurts, but use it as motivation next time around and you’ll get there!

 

[PaulT1988]

Been there my friend. I failed at the very final hurdle around 8 years ago. (External applicant). Since then I applied for a guards role which I was lucky enough to be successful with, and reapplied for the drivers role internally. I was lucky enough to be successful this time round and have since completed my training. It’s been a long road but finally got there.

Don’t give up because you were knocked back. It sucks, it hurts, but use it as motivation next time around and you’ll get there!

Thanks for the reply. Feeling a bit more positive after a couple of days reflection, im confident I will get it done next time. It’s just the not knowing when that will be that’s killing me but I will get there eventually.

 

[gogendantes]

Hi everybody! First time posting on here, so apologies if anything I say has already been said/asked (I did search, honest!).

So, back at the end of 2022 I applied for ScotRail's Trainee Train Driver programme. I didn't hear anything and assumed I had, once again, been unsuccessful. However, out of the blue this week I received an invitation to Stage 1 of the assessment centre (pretty happy to say the least!). My question(s) is - is this length of time normal for them to get back to me?? I know that they have run further recruitment rounds and, judging by folks on here, assessments have been run in that time. Is it a case that I was X number of places on their list and placed into holding pool and, as they filtered out other potential candidates, I climbed higher? Or, is it a case that my local depot (Aberdeen) didn't need any drivers tee'd up?

One final Question, assuming I'm successful at interview, assessments and training etc - will there be a guaranteed place for me as a driver?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Edgar Ætheling]

Hi everybody! First time posting on here, so apologies if anything I say has already been said/asked (I did search, honest!).

So, back at the end of 2022 I applied for ScotRail's Trainee Train Driver programme. I didn't hear anything and assumed I had, once again, been unsuccessful. However, out of the blue this week I received an invitation to Stage 1 of the assessment centre (pretty happy to say the least!). My question(s) is - is this length of time normal for them to get back to me?? I know that they have run further recruitment rounds and, judging by folks on here, assessments have been run in that time. Is it a case that I was X number of places on their list and placed into holding pool and, as they filtered out other potential candidates, I climbed higher? Or, is it a case that my local depot (Aberdeen) didn't need any drivers tee'd up?

One final Question, assuming I'm successful at interview, assessments and training etc - will there be a guaranteed place for me as a driver?

Thanks in advance!

I applied at the same time as you, and took my Stage 1 in June. Back then we were told that HR had only been through about half of the thousands of applications they had received, so it still sounds about normal that you got invited just now.

Good luck with your tests!

 

[gogendantes]

I applied at the same time as you, and took my Stage 1 in June. Back then we were told that HR had only been through about half of the thousands of applications they had received, so it still sounds about normal that you got invited just now.

Good luck with your tests!

Thanks Edgar! And thanks for the info. Reassuring to hear that's just how it works.

Hope your tests went well!

 

[TootTootToot]

My online application portal has now disappeared. Unable to log in - incorrect login details error message etc. Requesting a password reset does nothing to fix it. Does that likely mean I’ve been sifted out by anyone’s prior knowledge/experience?

 

[gogendantes]

My online application portal has now disappeared. Unable to log in - incorrect login details error message etc. Requesting a password reset does nothing to fix it. Does that likely mean I’ve been sifted out by anyone’s prior knowledge/experience?

Mine has as well Not sure if this is because its been so long (for me anyway) since I submitted my application that the account has been closed?

 

[Saltire1973]

Mine has as well Not sure if this is because its been so long (for me anyway) since I submitted my application that the account has been closed?

This has happened to me too, it doesn't mean you've been sifted out! I sent an email to a generic email address and got a prompt reply telling me they were aware of the issues and a large amount of candidates were experiencing the same but they are working on it with an external service provider.

Fast forward a few weeks I received an invitation to complete online assessments which I passed and then an invitation to attend an assessment centre, these emails came from a personal work email rather than a departmental one, so could be easy to miss.

When I attended the assessment centre and was chatting to other candidates a lot of them had the same experience as me and a tip I got was to use the link in your application saved or acknowledged email and you would likely get access to your account - it worked for me!

FYI - this was not for the drivers recruitment

 

[TootTootToot]

I’ll live in hope for a wee while longer then! Thanks folks!

 

[gogendantes]

Found out yesterday that I passed my 1st stage assessment and have an interview coming up next week!

A quick question - I don't know if I'm going to be able to make it to my local depot to speak to staff there. Is this going to be a massive hinderance to me progressing further? I'm obviously going to do as much online research as I can, but given the time of year and so many competing priorities just now, I'm not 100% I will have the time get to the depot, make an appointment and keep that appointment before the interview.

Also, I know this will be a competency based interview (which are fairly routine for me now as I've done many during my career so far) but I understand there will be more "standard" style questions - any hints as to what these might be along the lines of?

Any advice would be great!

 

[Edgar Ætheling]

Found out yesterday that I passed my 1st stage assessment and have an interview coming up next week!

A quick question - I don't know if I'm going to be able to make it to my local depot to speak to staff there. Is this going to be a massive hinderance to me progressing further? I'm obviously going to do as much online research as I can, but given the time of year and so many competing priorities just now, I'm not 100% I will have the time get to the depot, make an appointment and keep that appointment before the interview.

Also, I know this will be a competency based interview (which are fairly routine for me now as I've done many during my career so far) but I understand there will be more "standard" style questions - any hints as to what these might be along the lines of?

Any advice would be great!

Is your invitation for your DMI or MMI? The two comes with different kind of questions.

 

[gogendantes]

Is your invitation for your DMI or MMI? The two comes with different kind of questions.

DMI (today!). Luckily I managed to speak to a couple of drivers at the depot and it was invaluable. Really can't understate how useful it was.

 

[gogendantes]

Sigh, got the "Dear John" email to say I didn't pass the DMI. "Gutted" doesn't quite describe how I'm feeling.
Out of curiosity, what have other people's experience of the DMI been? In particular the types of questions, the setup etc? I only ask as, this was supposed to be a competency-based interview (I have had loads of experience of these, from both sides of the table so know like the back of my hand how they should be structured), however, I would say less than a third of the questions they asked were competency-based - the rest were open-ended, direct questions which would have been impossible to answer using STAR(R). Also, the setup was a tad unprofessional I thought - no effort to make sure I was comfortable (no water offered) and it was just in the DTMs office - it felt more like I was at the GP than going for an interview!
Promise this isn't just sour grapes on my part, just all a bit odd on looking back.
On another note, I can apply again in 6 months - does this mean I basically have to wait until the job is advertised again and go through the entire process again, or can I skip the 1st part of the assessment and go straight to interview?

 

[Glasgow]

Sigh, got the "Dear John" email to say I didn't pass the DMI. "Gutted" doesn't quite describe how I'm feeling.
Out of curiosity, what have other people's experience of the DMI been? In particular the types of questions, the setup etc? I only ask as, this was supposed to be a competency-based interview (I have had loads of experience of these, from both sides of the table so know like the back of my hand how they should be structured), however, I would say less than a third of the questions they asked were competency-based - the rest were open-ended, direct questions which would have been impossible to answer using STAR(R). Also, the setup was a tad unprofessional I thought - no effort to make sure I was comfortable (no water offered) and it was just in the DTMs office - it felt more like I was at the GP than going for an interview!
Promise this isn't just sour grapes on my part, just all a bit odd on looking back.
On another note, I can apply again in 6 months - does this mean I basically have to wait until the job is advertised again and go through the entire process again, or can I skip the 1st part of the assessment and go straight to interview?

Hi, can you pm me I've tried but it's not letting me.

 

[gogendantes]

Hi, can you pm me I've tried but it's not letting me.

Done!

 

[Perthscone]

Hi all,

first post on here. Have been reading through thread while going through application process. Applied for driver in November 2022 and got email out of the blue in November 23 inviting for first assessments and have on Friday just received email to say I passed DMI. One more assessment day to go, very very nervous for this. Anyone got any tips for last assessments? Believe its hand-eye coordination, reaction test with pictures and flashing square and a multi-modal interview?

Managers at interview were saying its a lot easier than first group of assessments so fingers crossed.

Thanks in advance

 

[Edgar Ætheling]

Hi all,

first post on here. Have been reading through thread while going through application process. Applied for driver in November 2022 and got email out of the blue in November 23 inviting for first assessments and have on Friday just received email to say I passed DMI. One more assessment day to go, very very nervous for this. Anyone got any tips for last assessments? Believe its hand-eye coordination, reaction test with pictures and flashing square and a multi-modal interview?

Managers at interview were saying its a lot easier than first group of assessments so fingers crossed.

Thanks in advance

Hi,

First of all, well done for getting this far! Passing the DMI is definitely an achievement, as that tends to be the filter where many don't get through.

I found that the computerised tests were the ones the least possible to practice for. There are training materials you can buy online from third parties but they do not resemble the actual tests accurately. You will find a lot of guidance in the testing & medical thread on this forums.

You can definitely prepare for the MMI though. It is well known to be a competency based grilling where your best friend is the STAR method. You will get a lot of 'Tell me a time when...' questions where you'll need to proove your integrity, reliability and safety conscience.

The most important is to be well rested, relaxed but focused on the day. Unless you live locally, I would invest in arriving the evening before and staying the night followed by a hearty breakfast.

Good luck!

 

[LoogaBarooga]

I have to disagree, I bought software online that was virtually identical to the tests I did and passed on the day. In saying that I didn't buy the two handed coordination one so I'm not sure how much use that one is.

I'd advise buying the software and practicing a bit every day. Definitely agree about being well rested and fed before going, it's quite a draining day.

If you pass the computerised parts they come out and tell you then you move onto the MMI.

To be honest I was so happy to have passed the tests I found the MMI very straightforward because I knew it was basically in the bag at that point.

Good luck, if you put the practice in I'm sure you'll nail it.

 

[FlyinScotsman.]

I have to disagree, I bought software online that was virtually identical to the tests I did and passed on the day. In saying that I didn't buy the two handed coordination one so I'm not sure how much use that one is.

I'd advise buying the software and practicing a bit every day. Definitely agree about being well rested and fed before going, it's quite a draining day.

If you pass the computerised parts they come out and tell you then you move onto the MMI.

To be honest I was so happy to have passed the tests I found the MMI very straightforward because I knew it was basically in the bag at that point.

Good luck, if you put the practice in I'm sure you'll nail it.

Do you have a link for this software?

 

[LoogaBarooga]

It's all on there, i'd definitely recommend buying it.

Learn To Become A Train Driver

Get hints And tips from insiders. Read articles on how to pass the tests and interviews. Buy train driver practice materials

traineetraindriverinfo.com

 

[trainnewbie100]

Hi All,
I have an upcoming train driver assessment for Scotrail, wondering if anyone who has recently sat this can provide any feedback and tips?

 

[Jordan11]

Hi all, does anyone have an email for the Scotrail recruitment team?

I applied in December 2022 for the trainee train driver, but still not heard anything. Anyone else in the same position? Thanks

 

[funbox55]

Hi all, does anyone have an email for the Scotrail recruitment team?

I applied in December 2022 for the trainee train driver, but still not heard anything. Anyone else in the same position? Thanks

Applied in early Jan 2023 for the same role, status showed in my profile as "application is still under consideration". I tried to login after the end last year and couldn't get access into my account and still can't so I emailed [email protected] twice since then with no reply on the status of the application and account access. I get they are busy but the lack of communication is poor considering the effort put in to submitting the application initially.