GTR Driver Employee Benefits

[NewDriver2017]

Hello Everyone,
Im due to start as a Trainee Driver this coming Friday for the GTR group under Great Northern. Having leafed through my joining contract and paperwork there seems to be very little in the way of information regarding the benefits package associated with the role. Im sure I will receive more information during my induction, but is anyone able to comment and provide any inside knowledge? Cheers

 

[12guard4]

Hello Everyone,
Im due to start as a Trainee Driver this coming Friday for the GTR group under Great Northern. Having leafed through my joining contract and paperwork there seems to be very little in the way of information regarding the benefits package associated with the role. Im sure I will receive more information during my induction, but is anyone able to comment and provide any inside knowledge? Cheers

****

What do you want to know? Travel benefits? Free staff pass on all Govia services and 75% off everyone else with a priv card plus European travel discounts.

 

[332 > 444]

I understand GTR pay every 4 weeks, is it a fixed date?

What depot you starting for? I start induction tomorrow in Kentish Town, then will be training for Kings Cross depot.

 

[12guard4]

I understand GTR pay every 4 weeks, is it a fixed date?

What depot you starting for? I start induction tomorrow in Kentish Town, then will be training for Kings Cross depot.

Every 4th Friday I believe this coming Friday is payday although I may be incorrect.

 

[tsr]

Well done and welcome to the railway (unless you've been here before, in which case welcome back...).

You get...

Unlimited free travel on the UK's Go-Ahead train operating companies (these are GTR, so the Southern / Thameslink / Great Northern / Gatwick Express brands, as well as London Midland and Southeastern), as well as the Croydon Tramlink and a range of Uno Buses. You can generally travel for leisure, commuting or on duty; if you have a spouse/partner and/or dependent children, they can travel for leisure purposes.

75% off leisure travel on other operators (known as "Priv", or Privilege Rate fares) and on the Tube/DLR (via paperwork which you can usually pick up at your depot, with a discount then applied to your Oyster card at a Tube station).

Salary Extras scheme (speak to your manager) with varying discounts off retail, leisure activities, coffee chains and occasionally car and car breakdown schemes.

Railway pension scheme as per whatever they tell you when you start.

Unlimited semi-amusing banter at selected messrooms between London and the outer boundaries of East Anglia.

 

[AlterEgo]

Congratulations on starting a new job - a very coveted job at that.

 

[Class2ldn]

No last Friday the 23rd was payday.
Bare in mind you'll be required to work 12 Sundays a year now.

 

[313103]

You should get all this info when you have your induction...

 

[baz962]

congrats mate and btw how long from first assessment till now bud if you dont mind me asking

 

[NewDriver2017]

I understand GTR pay every 4 weeks, is it a fixed date?

What depot you starting for? I start induction tomorrow in Kentish Town, then will be training for Kings Cross depot.

I'm on my induction this Friday. I'll be training at Hornsey, and once qualified I'll be working the southern routes of Great Northern. So far as I've been told I'll be based at Kings Cross too so I'm sure we'll meet pretty soon.

 

[NewDriver2017]

congrats mate and btw how long from first assessment till now bud if you dont mind me asking

Cheers. I first applied in February, sat my assessment in April, had two phases of interviews throughout May and my medical 3 weeks ago.

 

[NewDriver2017]

Congratulations on starting a new job - a very coveted job at that.

Cheers buddy. I'm chuffed to bits to be honest, can't wait

 

[NewDriver2017]

Well done and welcome to the railway (unless you've been here before, in which case welcome back...).

You get...

Unlimited free travel on the UK's Go-Ahead train operating companies (these are GTR, so the Southern / Thameslink / Great Northern / Gatwick Express brands, as well as London Midland and Southeastern), as well as the Croydon Tramlink and a range of Uno Buses. You can generally travel for leisure, commuting or on duty; if you have a spouse/partner and/or dependent children, they can travel for leisure purposes.

75% off leisure travel on other operators (known as "Priv", or Privilege Rate fares) and on the Tube/DLR (via paperwork which you can usually pick up at your depot, with a discount then applied to your Oyster card at a Tube station).

Salary Extras scheme (speak to your manager) with varying discounts off retail, leisure activities, coffee chains and occasionally car and car breakdown schemes.

Railway pension scheme as per whatever they tell you when you start.

Unlimited semi-amusing banter at selected messrooms between London and the outer boundaries of East Anglia.

Great info cheers for that. No new to the railway, having just left the military. Semi-amusing banter better be of high standard as I've been surrounded by it for the last 12 years.

 

[Jme_Bud]

Thanks for asking this question OP, and to the others that have replied. This has answered many questions I had. Especially for me whether SouthEastern was included in the free travel.

Does anyone know if we are to pay into a pension and the union from day 1 of training and is it a set percentage? I'm trying to calculate living expenses.

Sent from my LG-H870DS using Tapatalk

 

[Bucko]

Hello Everyone,
Im due to start as a Trainee Driver this coming Friday for the GTR group under Great Northern. Having leafed through my joining contract and paperwork there seems to be very little in the way of information regarding the benefits package associated with the role. Im sure I will receive more information during my induction, but is anyone able to comment and provide any inside knowledge? Cheers

Hi Mate

Well done on getting the job. Congrats

 

[sw1ller]

Thanks for asking this question OP, and to the others that have replied. This has answered many questions I had. Especially for me whether SouthEastern was included in the free travel.

Does anyone know if we are to pay into a pension and the union from day 1 of training and is it a set percentage? I'm trying to calculate living expenses.

Sent from my LG-H870DS using Tapatalk

No, you'll have someone come in during induction week for the pension. It's completely up to you if and when you join a union, I've been fully qualified as a main line driver for 4 months now but only just joined ASLEF. It's a good thing to be in but take your time with any decisions like this. No rush until you're at least out with an instructor.

 

[Need2]

No, you'll have someone come in during induction week for the pension. It's completely up to you if and when you join a union, I've been fully qualified as a main line driver for 4 months now but only just joined ASLEF. It's a good thing to be in but take your time with any decisions like this. No rush until you're at least out with an instructor.

Sorry but the pension advice is not correct. You will be automatically enrolled into the pension scheme as a matter of course and will have deductions made from your first pay packet.
As far as I'm aware you can 'opt out' but why would you want to opt out of a final salary pension scheme?

(we never had anybody come in to talk about pension on our induction)

 

[George999]

Sorry but the pension advice is not correct. You will be automatically enrolled into the pension scheme as a matter of course and will have deductions made from your first pay packet.
As far as I'm aware you can 'opt out' but why would you want to opt out of a final salary pension scheme?

(we never had anybody come in to talk about pension on our induction)

Is it something you could opt out of and the back into once training is complete?

 

[whoosh]

Not worth opting out. Someone at a depot I used to work at got annoyed that the contributions we were paying were going up and threw his dummy out and left the pension scheme. He then had to pay National Insurance and Income Tax on the money he saved which left him with not all that much really. Then factor in that the company saved the contributions that they had been making into his pension (they pay one and a half times what you do) but kept those to themselves - they don't give those out as cash instead if you aren't in the scheme.
What a Wally!

I would advise joining the union as soon as you can. You never know what can happen and you may need their help or advise.

 

[djsmith200]

Opt out of pension during training due to lower wage and opt in once salary goes up?

 

[ESONEULB]

Can someone clarify what travel benefits my partner and kids would get?

Also could anyone tell me what is the literature that they use on the driver training courses so I can maybe do a little pre reading etc?

Cheers

 

[dctraindriver]

Can someone clarify what travel benefits my partner and kids would get?

Also could anyone tell me what is the literature that they use on the driver training courses so I can maybe do a little pre reading etc?

Cheers

Answer is above in regards to partner..... Leisure only.

Don’t worry about pre reads, just turn up on time and ready to learn.

 

[ESONEULB]

Answer is above in regards to partner..... Leisure only.

Don’t worry about pre reads, just turn up on time and ready to learn.

I was just checking

I will enjoy my summer

 

[Lab]

No, you'll have someone come in during induction week for the pension. It's completely up to you if and when you join a union, I've been fully qualified as a main line driver for 4 months now but only just joined ASLEF. It's a good thing to be in but take your time with any decisions like this. No rush until you're at least out with an instructor.

Hi sw1, could you give a summary of what the training is like? Is it very much technical?
Would someone who's in admin all their life cope with the training ?
Just curious has had a few friends wanting to apply for future vacancies with some me awaiting assessments too.
Are the assessments harder than the training itself?
Cheers

 

[Hoolay88]

Hi sw1, could you give a summary of what the training is like? Is it very much technical?
Would someone who's in admin all their life cope with the training ?
Just curious has had a few friends wanting to apply for future vacancies with some me awaiting assessments too.
Are the assessments harder than the training itself?
Cheers

although i can't comment on the training as i haven't got that far, i would say its impossible to know what someone is capable of based on their current job.