Any jobs for 16 year olds?

[oliverj8]

Hi all,

Sorry if this has been mentioned before.

I am 16 years old and am really desperate for a job, does anyone know if I am old enough to get one on the railways?

Thanks in advance,

 

[devon_metro]

Considering employment hours below 18 I would suspect not, as only being allowed to work 4.5 hour stints before a break would not be efficient use of a time for a TOC, compared to employing somebody 18+.

 

[Mojo]

I doubt it, purely on the grounds there is high competition for rail jobs and recruiters will be looking for past work experience. It's not impossible though, I worked with someone who is 17, but she worked part-time, and her dad was a manager for the TOC.

 

[HSTfan!!!]

unless you go in on a modern apprenticeship I would have thought not, I'd go in at 18 tbh

 

[oliverj8]

So just doing a few hours in the local station ticket office isn't ok?
The TOC I wrote to said that I have to be 18 due to health and safety although I didn't mention anything to them about having a health and safety certificate, should I write to them again?

Thanks,

 

[devon_metro]

If they said no then that's their answer. Their insurance probably doesn't cover under 18s.

My advice would be some form of education, getting a full time job at 16 is so difficult these days, what with the lack of jobs.

 

[Greenback]

Ticket office work often requires quite high level of trust and responsibility. You would be handling cash, processing cards and in small stations re responsible for security, such as opening and locking up. As such, TOC's look for a checkable work history, and are very unlikely to take someone on who is under 18. Sorry!

 

[HSTfan!!!]

I'd consider staying in education a bit longer if I were in your position, I wanted to do the same at 16, but I stayed on did my A-levels whilst working at mcdonalds, even qualified as a manager whilst there, then walked straight onto the railway at 18. You need to get some life experience to get onto the railway as there is alot of competition for jobs.

 

[Donny Dave]

Considering employment hours below 18 I would suspect not, as only being allowed to work 4.5 hour stints before a break would not be efficient use of a time for a TOC, compared to employing somebody 18+.

That's the same for everyone, not just under 18s.

The biggest restriction for those under 18s is that they can not work between 10pm and 6am (11pm and 7am for railway related work).

Another thing for those under 18, they can't have any safety critical jobs, or work on board trains, so if you do apply to a TOC for a job, be prepared to be a general dogsbody and/or cleaner on a station.

If you want to get a customer focused job on the railways and seeing your only 16, then I recommend you volunteer at a local charity shop (British Heart Foundation (Furniture and Electrical) for example). This will give you a good entry on your CV (providing you volunteer long enough), plus get you a reference that's not from college/school.

 

[oliverj8]

I was thinking of a job to pay for my travels on trains, I finish school on May 7th and would need between then and the holidays and for the holidays plus I could still do it once the college day has ended.
Hope this makes sense.

 

[142094]

Some TOCs have work experience, one person on here was with GC and another is doing one this summer with EMT. However I don't know their ages and if they were paid. Best bet would be to look for a job not involving the railways until you are 18.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Where are you based? If there is a heritage railway nearby you could volunteer there, and get the hours down - showing dedication etc.

TOCs do do work experience, but as I've found down south, it's not what you know it's who you know. I've got 2 placements through people I know rather than through their HR departments where I was refused (though they weren't the same TOCs).

As I gather it 18 is the age for ticket office/train dispatch/stations and 21 is for guard, driver or signaller jobs.

There can't be any harm in sending them your CV - if you ask they may have a general dogsbody intern office job going - filing and shredding etc.

 

[oliverj8]

Where are you based?

I am based at Winsford, so the nearest heritage site is Crewe but the nearest heritage railway is in Bury at the East Lancs.

My friend's dad is a driver for LM (my local TOC), should I ask him?

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Definatly try the heritage railway - you meet great people (one of whom I got a work experience placement through). The other person whom I got some work experience through was a member of this forum whom I knew.

You could try your friends dad - see if he knows anyone.

 

[37401]

I worked with someone who is 17

Is she nice some staff ive seen are quite nice indeed....


oh sorry getting back on track (hmm no pun intended) there are jobs you can do at 16/17 but as said compared to someone that can do shifts and all sorts of hours you dont have much of a chance, I recomend doing what im going to do and get a job at somewhere like Tesco may not be the best job going but it gives you experience and im sure you can take a Customer service BTEC, I did read about this last year so im going from memory here but all the best anyways! hope at least one of us gets a job on the rails

 

[90019]

Is she nice

Let's not start that again

 

[37401]

hehehe

 

[HSTfan!!!]

As I gather it 18 is the age for ticket office/train dispatch/stations and 21 is for guard, driver or signaller jobs.

18 for guards

 

[the sniper]

I was under the impression that it's 18 for signallers too, though I may be wrong...

 

[GB]

No you are correct, 18 for signallers.

 

[TDK]

Hi all,

Sorry if this has been mentioned before.

I am 16 years old and am really desperate for a job, does anyone know if I am old enough to get one on the railways?

Thanks in advance,

You obviously have a passion for trains however I would get an education first other than trying to get money to bash trains, in 5 years time you may not be interested in trains and my be interested in starting a family in this day and age if I was 16 again I would have enhanced my education, why don't you look on doing an engineering course at College and then going onto the railways as an engineer, maybe S & T or signaller or even a driver, worring about working on the railway so you can enhance your hobby will not get you far when it comes to getting a well paid job later on! Sorry to sound negative but I have seen many youngsters go your way and none of them have much of a future!!

 

[oliverj8]

You obviously have a passion for trains however I would get an education first other than trying to get money to bash trains, in 5 years time you may not be interested in trains and my be interested in starting a family in this day and age if I was 16 again I would have enhanced my education, why don't you look on doing an engineering course at College and then going onto the railways as an engineer, maybe S & T or signaller or even a driver, worring about working on the railway so you can enhance your hobby will not get you far when it comes to getting a well paid job later on! Sorry to sound negative but I have seen many youngsters go your way and none of them have much of a future!!

Thanks for the advice

Yes I have a big passion for trains, I am going into further education and will be doing a BTEC National Diploma in Engineering worth 3 A Levels. My ideal career is a train driver but have had advice to start early on the railways to have any chance.

 

[GNERman]

Some TOCs have work experience, one person on here was with GC and another is doing one this summer with EMT. However I don't know their ages and if they were paid. Best bet would be to look for a job not involving the railways until you are 18.

Wensley and I were at GC but we didn't get paid, not that we minded at all because of what else we actually did. We were both 15 at the time...

 

[37401]

Wensley and I were at GC but we didn't get paid, not that we minded at all because of what else we actually did. We were both 15 at the time...

Aye intresting but im sure the op doesn't want to work for free for the rest of his life on work ex.

Best of luck in finding a job pal

 

[142094]

Wensley and I were at GC but we didn't get paid, not that we minded at all because of what else we actually did. We were both 15 at the time...

Thought I remembered your sig! Sounds quite good, never knew GC did work experience.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Thought I remembered your sig! Sounds quite good, never knew GC did work experience.

One of the very few that actually do.

 

[Dolive22]

Have you tried the 'I'm studying engineering at college' angle to get work experience or even paid work? Firms can be pretty good with work experience for engineers. I know the BTEC ND isn't an engineering degree, but it might well help to get experience that you are studying it.

A couple of my friends are doing the ND. I can't really think of any advice for it, expect warning you that they have managed to find a way to make engineering students write essays.

Good luck.

 

[devon_metro]

That's the same for everyone, not just under 18s.

Over 18s can work 6 hours between breaks last time I checked, certainly where I work under 18s are highlighted on the rota to specify that the hours are more restrictive.

 

[HSTfan!!!]

My ideal career is a train driver but have had advice to start early on the railways to have any chance.

I think there is a general consensus that it's better to work your way up the ranks, but honestly, from someone at the bottom of those ranks, as far as I can see at the moment, certainly at arriva, you'd be better to walk into a drivers job off the street with your engineering qualifications etc.

 

[TDK]

I think there is a general consensus that it's better to work your way up the ranks, but honestly, from someone at the bottom of those ranks, as far as I can see at the moment, certainly at arriva, you'd be better to walk into a drivers job off the street with your engineering qualifications etc.

I agree on this one, although companies do advertise internally they also have to advertise externally as well and the best candidate gets the job even if it is from outside the business, of course if a guard gets a drivers job that means the company has to employ another guard and this in turn can work out more costly!