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Trainee jobs in Scotland

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6Z09

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Not seen Trainees at Mallaig or Kyle advertised before, have they been?
 
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Bennski

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These positions seen to always appear, I bet its down to their locations. Being in the highlands I doubt many people would commit to moving there just for the Trainee positions which is why there always come back around. They had advertised for qualified drivers for these same locations last week, obviously didn't get enough or anyone applying so now they are trying for trainees. I mean is there anyway you could even take these jobs if you weren't living close to them? I highly doubt commuting from say Glasgow to Mallaig is even practical or is it?
 
MostlyHarmless

MostlyHarmless

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Bennski said:
These positions seen to always appear, I bet its down to their locations. Being in the highlands I doubt many people would commit to moving there just for the Trainee positions which is why there always come back around. They had advertised for qualified drivers for these same locations last week, obviously didn't get enough or anyone applying so now they are trying for trainees. I mean is there anyway you could even take these jobs if you weren't living close to them? I highly doubt commuting from say Glasgow to Mallaig is even practical or is it?
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My thoughts precisely. The nearest large town (to Mallaig) is Inverness I think and that's over 2 hours away. Even Fort William is over an hour, so unless you are very local or own your own helicopter, then its going to be very difficult to get there in 45 mins!
 
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Bennski

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MostlyHarmless said:
My thoughts precisely. The nearest large town (to Mallaig) is Inverness I think and that's over 2 hours away. Even Fort William is over an hour, so unless you are very local or own your own helicopter, then its going to be very difficult to get there in 45 mins!
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I think this is why there are advertising constantly, in a hope to attract some local attention. Its an absolutely stunning route to ride yet alone drive however it is hard to consider such a big move to the highlands for a driver job.
 
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paepo

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MostlyHarmless said:
Oh they are at it again - how many times are these jobs going to be advertised and then withdrawn!
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They'll be advertised and filled and then if drivers in these depots retire, transfer to other depots, are OTR, are downgraded for operational incidents, etc. then there will obviously be a necessity to advertise for replacements (if there is nobody waiting to transfer in) for those depots where a vacancy has arisen.
Rural depots can have a high turnover of staff due to people taking jobs there, passing out, doing their 3 years production and then transferring out. This is not always the case but don't assume jobs have been pulled just because the same location pops up every year or a couple of times a year.
These vacancies, same as all other vacancies are open for candidates who are willing to relocate and candidates current location at time of applying may be queried at interview (if the candidate submits a strong enough application to make it through the initial sift and subsequently passes and scores high enough to make it through to the DMI) but if a satisfactory answer regarding relocation is given then that's the matter closed. Many people would love the opportunity to live in these locations but are unable to because their current jobs don't allow them to as they are too remote for a lot of people to commute. Landing the trainee driver's role then allows them to switch career and move to somewhere near these more remote depots, the positions are not only wanted by people local to these areas but are sought after by people wanting to escape busy inner-city areas across the UK and enjoy a different way of life. As already mentioned by someone else, the routes that rural depots have are fantastic for scenery and don't have station stops every minute or two like you have in Glasgow!
 
tiptoptaff

tiptoptaff

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Had a quick look at rental properties for all 3 locations, (Oban is also advertised) and there is nothing within 40miles of any of them. I mentioned it to the OH and she'd love to live there but as we don't have a house to sell, and aren't in a position to become first time buyers, we're out. No wonder they struggle.

I guess a lot of the locals will be invested in the local fishing industries, so may not want these jobs.

Must be hard to fill
 
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Static65

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tiptoptaff said:
Had a quick look at rental properties for all 3 locations, (Oban is also advertised) and there is nothing within 40miles of any of them. I mentioned it to the OH and she'd love to live there but as we don't have a house to sell, and aren't in a position to become first time buyers, we're out. No wonder they struggle.

I guess a lot of the locals will be invested in the local fishing industries, so may not want these jobs.

Must be hard to fill
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I have done exactly the same, checking properties to buy or rent as I'm quite at home living in a small rural community but I came to the same conclusion unfortunately. I'm used to slow rural internet, but putting some postcodes into a broadband checker was an eye opener, as was over 300 rainy days per year.

I would have thought that anyone that isn't used to the type of lifestyle that these roles require will have a lot of adjusting to do if just moving for a foot in the door.
 
Esker-pades

Esker-pades

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I'd apply for the Kyle position if I wasn't in education and didn't lack experience. The only downside is the length of constant driving (up to 4h30m for the full length of the FNL).
 
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Tractor2018

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tiptoptaff said:
Had a quick look at rental properties for all 3 locations, (Oban is also advertised) and there is nothing within 40miles of any of them.
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Don't know about Kyle. You'd easily get a rental property in Oban, there's a reasonable supply. Mallaig? You're more likely to get the lottery up than find a rental.
 
tiptoptaff

tiptoptaff

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Tractor2018 said:
Don't know about Kyle. You'd easily get a rental property in Oban, there's a reasonable supply. Mallaig? You're more likely to get the lottery up than find a rental.
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0 properties available on Rightmove within 40miles of any of the locations
 
tiptoptaff

tiptoptaff

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Tractor2018 said:
Yeah, I read it. I thought some local knowledge might've been useful to you. Never mind.
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I appreciate local knowledge but if I'm unable to see available properties I can't say for certain there's somewhere to go...?
 
Highlandspring

Highlandspring

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Perhaps it’s a controversial opinion but I think that given the toughness of the present jobs market and the major brain drain in the Highlands and rural Scotland in general it would be much better to give locals the best chance of obtaining a well paid secure job rather than folk relocating from the south. If I were in charge of hiring at the rural Highland depots I’d certainly prioritise local candidates to the exclusion of anyone who currently lives outwith the 1hr radius, regardless of promises to move from the far end of England.
 
MostlyHarmless

MostlyHarmless

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Highlandspring said:
Perhaps it’s a controversial opinion but I think that given the toughness of the present jobs market and the major brain drain in the Highlands and rural Scotland in general it would be much better to give locals the best chance of obtaining a well paid secure job rather than folk relocating from the south. If I were in charge of hiring at the rural Highland depots I’d certainly prioritise local candidates to the exclusion of anyone who currently lives outwith the 1hr radius, regardless of promises to move from the far end of England.
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Well maybe they are already doing that... after all if you pass all the tests and live within an hour then I'd imagine you'd be ahead of everyone else. However I suspect that there are probably not that many people who do fit that criteria
 
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Mouseketeer

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I live in the north west and have applied for both of these positions.
I’m prepared to re locate, realistically what are my chances?
I’m currently an operations supervisor for a large bus company.
 
MostlyHarmless

MostlyHarmless

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Mouseketeer said:
I live in the north west and have applied for both of these positions.
I’m prepared to re locate, realistically what are my chances?
I’m currently an operations supervisor for a large bus company.
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Pass the tests and interviews and see what happens! I assume they will look at people who can relocate if they can't fill the positions locally.

Good luck to you
 
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paepo

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MostlyHarmless said:
Pass the tests and interviews and see what happens! I assume they will look at people who can relocate if they can't fill the positions locally.

Good luck to you
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ScotRail will look at EVERYONE whether they live within 45 minutes or if they are willing to relocate. Only if a candidate does not stay within 45 minutes of the depot they are applying for and does not state that they will relocate will they be removed from the recruitment process and this happens at the initial sift. The position will be offered to the candidate who overall has the best application and interview score, who passes psychometric assessments, passes a safety critical medical and passes a criminal record check (Disclosure Scotland). It is not a case of the closer person to the depot gets the job, it's a case of the better person gets the job.
Applicants who don't pass the initial application to get invited to Stage 1 assessment simply aren't good enough. Harsh but unfortunately true. If they don't get to interview or don't progress after that to Stage 2 assessment then again, they simply aren't good enough. This doesn't necessarily mean the applicant isn't good enough to meet the company standards, it just means there are other candidates who are better. You don't only need to meet the company standards but you need to beat every other applicant - a tall order given the fierce competition for a train driver's vacancy!
Proximity to a yard, depot or station doesn't matter so don't think you can't apply for a job due to where it is. If you're willing to relocate then state that and you have as good a chance as anyone else!
 
MostlyHarmless

MostlyHarmless

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paepo said:
ScotRail will look at EVERYONE whether they live within 45 minutes or if they are willing to relocate. Only if a candidate does not stay within 45 minutes of the depot they are applying for and does not state that they will relocate will they be removed from the recruitment process and this happens at the initial sift. The position will be offered to the candidate who overall has the best application and interview score, who passes psychometric assessments, passes a safety critical medical and passes a criminal record check (Disclosure Scotland). It is not a case of the closer person to the depot gets the job, it's a case of the better person gets the job.
Applicants who don't pass the initial application to get invited to Stage 1 assessment simply aren't good enough. Harsh but unfortunately true. If they don't get to interview or don't progress after that to Stage 2 assessment then again, they simply aren't good enough. This doesn't necessarily mean the applicant isn't good enough to meet the company standards, it just means there are other candidates who are better. You don't only need to meet the company standards but you need to beat every other applicant - a tall order given the fierce competition for a train driver's vacancy!
Proximity to a yard, depot or station doesn't matter so don't think you can't apply for a job due to where it is. If you're willing to relocate then state that and you have as good a chance as anyone else!
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Well I'm not familiar with ScotRail's recruitment processes but if they are happy to assess people who will relocate then that's great. Not all TOCs seem to accept relocation and will specifically say that if you don't currently live within their specified traveling times, then your application won't be accepted.
 
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