which TOC?

[thomas69]

Just out of curiosity, from your own experiences and from things you have heard, which would you say is the best TOC to work for in the north west and why? Also, which depot is best to work from? Including First group, Merseyrail, Northern

 

[whhistle]

Depends what you want.

Good company / working atmosphere?
More money?
Travel furthest?
Good local travel?

 

[TDK]

Just out of curiosity, from your own experiences and from things you have heard, which would you say is the best TOC to work for in the north west and why? Also, which depot is best to work from? Including First group, Merseyrail, Northern

Chiltern

 

[Bellwater]

Northern.

 

[156441]

From what I've heard on here (and bear in mind this is my own opinion taken from these comments)

fTPE seem to have better pay/conditions/units/routes but the working environment/management leave things to be desired.

Northern have lower pay/heritage stock and some dodgy routes but the staff all seem happy!

Never really hear anything about Merseyrail which could be a good thing?

Depends what is more important to you I suppose!

Come 2013/14 might be one big franchise again anyway?

 

[driver9000]

There isn't much between TPE and Northern for Driver pay now although Northern is lower. What do you want out of the job? Its very subjective depending on what your aims are. I might drive old trains built for BR but in my opinion my T&Cs are good, my rest day pattern stable and predictable and my depot is good depot to be based at. Crews are naturally going to be biased towards their own depot because they know its work load and its population well, you can make some great friends in this industry. My own opinion is that I wouldn't want to work for First voluntarily, but if you're looking to get your keys then I wouldn't let a vacancy (in any TOC) pass me by. Nothing to stop you moving on once you have a bit of time under your belt. There are good and bad points to all TOCs.

 

[185]

The staff at TPE are probably the best to work with, despite the directors and management being the worst.

 

[First class]

LM traincrew at Crewe Virgin Trains staff I know based at Liverpool and Manchester never have anything good to say about the company.

Seriously though avoid Serco/Albellio companies... Cost cutting everywhere. Slow to actually do anything unless they are effectively forced to. Tend to overreact to situations which they think may be costly for them, (recent incident at James St and the work-from-back instructions to Northern)... Lots of hype about being the "best", but the behind the hype is nothing special.

I think it is safe to say that the current trend in railway "management" is to employee those that absolutely know nothing about it, and that applies across the board.

Those who want to join the industry rarely appreciate the realities they end up having to face, whether it is the poor standard of training, hostile passengers or ill-advised management "decisions".

 

[driver9000]

I wouldn't say training standards are poor, certainly not Driver training anyway (can't speak for other grades, although various threads on here suggest commercial training can be improved).

As for avoiding Serco/Abellio, again I'd rather be under them than First or Stagecoach. Granted Serco have taken on less than glamorous franchises that the larger groups seeking gold didn't fancy but as an employer they are quite good and not intent on ruling with an iron fist. Given the franchise terms Serco/Abellio took on with Merseyrail,Northern and now GA I don't think we've seen what they would do given the opportunity to renew a fleet or even refurbish interiors fully. Yes, they could be better, but they could also be a lot worse.

 

[thomas69]

Thanks guys. How long does the training for each TOC as a trainee driver take? I can't find the answer on google. Not a straight answer anyway

 

[driver9000]

As stated on the current Northern vacancies, you should expect to be in training for around 9-12 months. My driver training lasted 11 months.

 

[thomas69]

As stated on the current Northern vacancies, you should expect to be in training for around 9-12 months. My driver training lasted 11 months.

That's why I'm confused as it also sais the pay goes up after completion of training (3 years) ? Thats why I'm confused, is it 12 months or 3 years?

 

[driver9000]

That's why I'm confused as it also sais the pay goes up after completion of training (3 years) ? Thats why I'm confused, is it 12 months or 3 years?

Its badly worded. Basically the ex-FNW depots work on a tiered payscale. While in training you will be paid the training salary. Once you pass out as a driver your pay will rise to the year 1 payscale. After 12 months you will retake the rules exam and then move up the year 2 payscale. After another 12 months you will once again take the rules exams and then move onto the full salary. I'm not sure what the interim pay rates are though I'm afraid.

Come on in, the water is lovey!

 

[thomas69]

Its badly worded. Basically the ex-FNW depots work on a tiered payscale. While in training you will be paid the training salary. Once you pass out as a driver your pay will rise to the year 1 payscale. After 12 months you will retake the rules exam and then move up the year 2 payscale. After another 12 months you will once again take the rules exams and then move onto the full salary. I'm not sure what the interim pay rates are though I'm afraid.

Come on in, the water is lovey!

Thanks for clearing that up. Any idea how much on average you get each year up to the 3 years? Is it a full rules exam? Are they done each year or is it like NR every 6 months on certain rules?

 

[driver9000]

Thanks for clearing that up. Any idea how much on average you get each year up to the 3 years? Is it a full rules exam? Are they done each year or is it like NR every 6 months on certain rules?

I have no idea on the interim pay rates to be honest. I wouldn't want to guess and give you duff gen. The rules exams are full resits at the end of the 12 months and your licence is only valid for 12 months at a time while in your first 2 years driving.

 

[Beveridges]

£17k training
£32k 1 year after training
£36k 1 year further
£39k after 2 years of being qualified

 

[thomas69]

thanks very much to all of you! Very helpful!!