Career change into railway/underground

[Liveforeverman]

Hi, I’m a 32 yr old gas engineer with 16 yrs experience in my field and I feel a little bored and tired Of the industry and the way my company is going. I have always had a strange fascination with everything rail/tube related, maybe its the heritage or staring vacantly out a train window to pass the time lol but I’m considering a career change.

this would be a big change for me and my family, I am the only bread winner in my home as my wife looks after our 2 young children. I’m not used to shifts but I don’t feel i would struggle with it. I am not shy to a bit of grafting either so I think I have a lot to offer. I have a very mechanical mind. But I need to make sure I earn enough from day one to keep the family and house going. I’m used to a take home pay after tax/ni of around £2,300 every month. If I want overtime the option is there for things like Xmas etc.

so my question is simple, is it a viable career change to earn enough money monthly for me to support my family from day one while I’m still learning the job? With all allowances included like unsociable hours pay and possible London weighting? I live just outside north London if that helps.

please be honest as I don’t want to waste any possible recruiters time. Thanks for any response guys, it is much appreciated.

 

[Ducatist4]

Can't answer specifically but be aware that last time LU advertised for drivers many thousands of people applied (was it 10,000?). Of course one way to guarantee not getting the job is not to apply in the first place!

 

[bramling]

Hi, I’m a 32 yr old gas engineer with 16 yrs experience in my field and I feel a little bored and tired Of the industry and the way my company is going. I have always had a strange fascination with everything rail/tube related, maybe its the heritage or staring vacantly out a train window to pass the time lol but I’m considering a career change.

this would be a big change for me and my family, I am the only bread winner in my home as my wife looks after our 2 young children. I’m not used to shifts but I don’t feel i would struggle with it. I am not shy to a bit of grafting either so I think I have a lot to offer. I have a very mechanical mind. But I need to make sure I earn enough from day one to keep the family and house going. I’m used to a take home pay after tax/ni of around £2,300 every month. If I want overtime the option is there for things like Xmas etc.

so my question is simple, is it a viable career change to earn enough money monthly for me to support my family from day one while I’m still learning the job? With all allowances included like unsociable hours pay and possible London weighting? I live just outside north London if that helps.

please be honest as I don’t want to waste any possible recruiters time. Thanks for any response guys, it is much appreciated.

From what you've written it sounds like you'd be ticking the boxes. You have safety right there which is the big one they're looking for, and presumably would be able to demonstrate customer service/focus too?

There are variations in pay between the various rail operators, so it would be worth shopping around.

If you type in "ASLEF train driver salaries" into Google you will find some reasonable up-to-date information regarding pay and conditions for the various operators, including LU.

Choosing between LU and mainline is a personal choice. LU is a quicker training process, but at the moment their recruitment is completely up in the air as Night Tube has become the preferred way of getting people off the street, otherwise you'd have to have a period "on the stations" first where you'd be taking home less than you are now. LU and one or two others don't do rest day working, so there's no way to top up income if desired.

I'd start by having a look at which operators are local to yourself and see if any are advertising at convenient locations, and give it a go. Location is important as some operators specify that applicants must live within a certain distance of location (and remember you have to do the journey twice a day so need to be comfortable with the journey to/from work). It's also worth remembering that process is very competitive and failing the assessments can mean game over going forward, so the application process will require a certain amount of preparation, however that preparation greatly increases the chance of reaping the end reward, so it's well worth putting the time in.

 

[Liveforeverman]

Can't answer specifically but be aware that last time LU advertised for drivers many thousands of people applied (was it 10,000?). Of course one way to guarantee not getting the job is not to apply in the first place!

Thanks for the reply,im sorry if Ive confused anyone but I dont mean as a driver I mean as a signaller/technician/operative or any other role I could apply myself too

 

[Liveforeverman]

From what you've written it sounds like you'd be ticking the boxes. You have safety right there which is the big one they're looking for, and presumably would be able to demonstrate customer service/focus too?

There are variations in pay between the various rail operators, so it would be worth shopping around.

If you type in "ASLEF train driver salaries" into Google you will find some reasonable up-to-date information regarding pay and conditions for the various operators, including LU.

Choosing between LU and mainline is a personal choice. LU is a quicker training process, but at the moment their recruitment is completely up in the air as Night Tube has become the preferred way of getting people off the street, otherwise you'd have to have a period "on the stations" first where you'd be taking home less than you are now. LU and one or two others don't do rest day working, so there's no way to top up income if desired.

I'd start by having a look at which operators are local to yourself and see if any are advertising at convenient locations, and give it a go. Location is important as some operators specify that applicants must live within a certain distance of location (and remember you have to do the journey twice a day so need to be comfortable with the journey to/from work). It's also worth remembering that process is very competitive and failing the assessments can mean game over going forward, so the application process will require a certain amount of preparation, however that preparation greatly increases the chance of reaping the end reward, so it's well worth putting the time in.

thanks for the response and the assurance that I’m not barking up the wrong tree. I work in customers homes all the time and the company I work for are a very big gas company (not hard to guess who) and they are very safety orientated. I’m thinking of applying for an OHL technicians role near me. I think i tick all the criteria but I would really like to know if there is any unsociable hours pay or shift pay on top of base salary.

 

[bramling]

im sorry if Ive confused anyone but I dont mean as a driver I mean as a signaller/technician/operative or any other role I could apply myself too

For mainline I suspect as a signaller you'd not be making much of an increase in pay compared to now, though could top it up with copious amounts of overtime. NR quite regularly advertise for signallers, again with a safety background you should be ticking boxes.

I don't think LU take signallers off the street, and that's an odd beast as the signal cabins are supposed to be closing over the next few years. Most LU signallers tend to come from internally or off the back of being an apprentice. Most of LU's control rooms now have a combined controller/signaller grade, which would be quite an increase on what you're taking home now, and for which they *have* recruited off the street in the past (and with a current severe shortage may do so again), however LU controller is regarded as a pretty challenging role for which quite considerable railway experience is preferred, when they do take people off the street there is a preference to try and target specific experience like ex-military. Being frank many struggle as there's a massive amount of railway knowledge to pick up in a short space of time, as well as learning a job which is quite a "black art" even for those with railway experience. That's not to say it's not worth giving it a go, however some prior testing-the-water would be essential to see if it's the right thing for you.

As far as technician goes, many LU roles tend to go to ex apprentices again, again areas like signal technician are extremely specialised. It's a wonderfully secure and lucrative vocation for those who can get into it, but is a bit of a closed shop unfortunately. Others will no doubt be able to comment on the NR position.

 

[Jadey]

Hello,
I have just left BG as a Gas Engineer after 13 years service.

I am also 32 years old and it was a big decision for myself to leave. I am currently training to be a train driver and started in May this year.

My training salary lasts for 1 year, which brings home 2k after pension deductions. Even though this is less than I was getting at BG, once I qualify I will be on a lot more basic. Plus it’s only a 35 hour week (which your lunch is paid for) and you only have to work 4 days a week.

So far it was the right decision and I am enjoying the training. I am also north Hertfordshire.

 

[Liveforeverman]

Hello,
I have just left BG as a Gas Engineer after 13 years service.

I am also 32 years old and it was a big decision for myself to leave. I am currently training to be a train driver and started in May this year.

My training salary lasts for 1 year, which brings home 2k after pension deductions. Even though this is less than I was getting at BG, once I qualify I will be on a lot more basic. Plus it’s only a 35 hour week (which your lunch is paid for) and you only have to work 4 days a week.

So far it was the right decision and I am enjoying the training. I am also north Hertfordshire.

hey, it will be great to speak to you in a pm if I can. I’m new to this site lol what Operator was you successful with?

 

[LOM]

For mainline I suspect as a signaller you'd not be making much of an increase in pay compared to now, though could top it up with copious amounts of overtime. NR quite regularly advertise for signallers, again with a safety background you should be ticking boxes.

Anything over a NR grade 3 or 4 signaller role (depending on tax code) and he will be taking home more after tax than now. By the time you are up at grades 7/8/9 it will be a large uplift.

 

[Spurs1961]

Hi liveforeverman,
Normally if you become a rolling stock (train) technician you will start off as a basic technician and around the London area with London weighting and shift pay most companies would pay around £40k.
They will normally then assess you and put you through training where your skills and pay would increase with your role: ie basic technician £40k. Newly qualified tech £42.5k. Qualified tech £45k and advanced fault finding tech or higher tech as it is known £48-51k.
These are just rough estimates from companies i have worked for around London area. It can take a couple of years to work through the different levels of tech but the hardest is normally higher tech as a lot of the time you need a good understanding of electrical/electronics but if you can understand schematics your half way there.
Again this is rough and various companies/train operators do this slightly different.
Hope this helps.
Good luck