• Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

A career as a signaller

Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Woody27

Member
Joined
10 Apr 2020
Messages
155
Location
Plymouth
Applied for a relief post and a grade 6 post and had an unsuccessful email for the grade 6 before it even reached the closing date. What a kick in the teeth. :(:(
Hi mate, same here, unfortunately the dreaded emails always seem to include such generic feedback!
 

Hylo

Member
Joined
23 Feb 2020
Messages
18
Location
Grimsby
About half of the roles currently up seem to have 'Our fatigue management standard means we're unable to accept any applications from candidates not already living within a 60 minute commute time of the location(s) they wish to be considered against.'

Which as someone who's been trying to get in for two years, and lives on the east coast, is not good. I'm happy to relocate, I've actively put funds aside to make it easy. I hate not being given the option to at least try.
 

Hylo

Member
Joined
23 Feb 2020
Messages
18
Location
Grimsby
So many people promised to relocate but never did hence the tightening of the requirement.
I understand and i don't mean to vent in any one direction either. It's just really frustrating when relocating is something I'm not just willing to do, something I'd actively like to. I understand there isn't much opportunity around me, that's one of the reasons I'd like to move.
 

Trothy

Member
Joined
22 May 2013
Messages
120
To answer a couple of points:

There is a 75% discount scheme on season tickets for NR employees. It has some tax implications as a benefit in kind but it is usually worth it.

If you get displaced from your role and are required to travel for your new role you will get some payment under PTR and R. This compensates you to some degree for the additional travel. There are plenty of people in Manchester ROC being paid for travel from the Blackpool and Liverpool area.
 

ArkUTD

Member
Joined
28 Sep 2020
Messages
71
Location
Leicestershire
Post what vacancies you can see and will see if we can help.
I'm looking at the following:

Gloucester Panel
Westbury Panel
Exeter Panel
Plymouth Panel

These are the only current locations on the external Vacancies that i would have thought are multi manned.

I also think managers are disinclined to hire out of area since many have had burn out of people saying they will start for them, but while in IST they go and get a job closer to home, so I'd still expect to get rejected for these haha!

I am thinking of going back to the NHS and asking for a implant to improve my hearing so i can work in a single man box, but that could be a year away.
 

77Wonersh

New Member
Joined
17 Feb 2022
Messages
1
Location
At a Thameslink extremity
Good afternoon all,

I was wondering what the grey dot test meant seeming as the only box I know of that uses a grey on grey background is Bournemouth? Or is it just to test eyesight and memory?
 

Frothy_B

Member
Joined
20 Aug 2021
Messages
143
Location
Northamptonshire
About half of the roles currently up seem to have 'Our fatigue management standard means we're unable to accept any applications from candidates not already living within a 60 minute commute time of the location(s) they wish to be considered against.'

Which as someone who's been trying to get in for two years, and lives on the east coast, is not good. I'm happy to relocate, I've actively put funds aside to make it easy. I hate not being given the option to at least try.
Have you applied for these ones anyway? Do you immediately get a rejection email? I'm in a similar situation as the only job I've seen within an hour of me in the past 8 months is Peterborough, and that's going to close 2023 -.-

I've seen people say they have been taken on after saying willing to relocate, so it may still be worth a shot to send in the application.

It's kind of a shame, as I'd really quite like to relocate down to Devon/Cornwall way in regards to the jobs currently up, but I'm not going to relocate my family BEFORE getting employment.

Edit: Have just looked and the two that I can see that say "not already within x distance" are the apprentice positions. Maybe there is something different about them, such as the funding to make it an apprentice scheme means it can only be open to people within the local community. Or those positions are aiming at the younger demographic where experience has shown relocating is more difficult. Not sure, just thinking out loud really.
 
Last edited:
Joined
17 Oct 2021
Messages
8
Location
London
Does anyone know if you get discounted rail within the company such as if you wanted to get the train to work rather than driving?
Hi you can get up to 70% off on travel with a railcard from the company which looks good initially but is subject to tax unfortunately which means your not much better off. That’s at least what i found. I used to get a travel card through the company for 3 years when I was on maintenance. But I just felt I was getting taxed a ridiculous amount as a result, so stopped. I just started getting a normal monthly one in the end but adjusted my journey so I didn’t go through the more expensive zones. I live in London so travel is expensive here as it is. Hope this helps.
 

SignalShez

Member
Joined
15 Dec 2021
Messages
14
Location
West Midlands
Hi you can get up to 70% off on travel with a railcard from the company which looks good initially but is subject to tax unfortunately which means your not much better off. That’s at least what i found. I used to get a travel card through the company for 3 years when I was on maintenance. But I just felt I was getting taxed a ridiculous amount as a result, so stopped. I just started getting a normal monthly one in the end but adjusted my journey so I didn’t go through the more expensive zones. I live in London so travel is expensive here as it is. Hope this helps.
To answer a couple of points:

There is a 75% discount scheme on season tickets for NR employees. It has some tax implications as a benefit in kind but it is usually worth it.

If you get displaced from your role and are required to travel for your new role you will get some payment under PTR and R. This compensates you to some degree for the additional travel. There are plenty of people in Manchester ROC being paid for travel from the Blackpool and Liverpool area.
Thank you both! Will look into it after the IST
 

Chrisjhbrown

Member
Joined
21 Dec 2020
Messages
22
Location
Peterborough
Congratulations. How did you find it? And which training centre did you attend?
Went to York , wouldn’t say I struggled with any thing it’s just the shear volume of info you have to learn and bringing 9 years of track and overhead experience it only amounted to about 20% of knowledge as it’s all from a signaller perspective. They are long days of morning sim or afternoon sim and would revise with a friend for 2 hours each night
 

CivilSig

Member
Joined
18 Feb 2022
Messages
6
Location
Middlesbrough
Hello,

I've been trawling this thread for the past couple of months and it was very helpful in my interview process, so thanks for that! Wealth of information.

I applied for a Grade 2 signaller position recently and have been placed on the reserve list for both the Middlesbrough role and Worksop, Harrogate, Scarborough etc role.

I was just wondering what the chances are of being called up, if any? I can't imagine many people would refuse the job offer!

Thank you
 

Ducatist4

On Moderation
Joined
29 Apr 2019
Messages
988
Location
Mansfield
Some do and even more fail the medical! The worsop role covers a huge area - the winner may not be able (or willing) to travel to whichever box they are selected for.
 

ThanksGordon

Member
Joined
5 Feb 2022
Messages
9
Location
Wales
Hello,

I've been trawling this thread for the past couple of months and it was very helpful in my interview process, so thanks for that! Wealth of information.

I applied for a Grade 2 signaller position recently and have been placed on the reserve list for both the Middlesbrough role and Worksop, Harrogate, Scarborough etc role.

I was just wondering what the chances are of being called up, if any? I can't imagine many people would refuse the job offer!

Thank you
Same thing happened to me earlier this week. If you search back through this thread you can find a few people initially on a reserve list who then had a call out of the blue offering them a post, and also others where it seemed that was the last they heard. I imagine it just depends on the situation at the time, if another role comes up or someone doesn't end up taking the offer for whatever reason. But it's entirely possible judging off past posts here.
 

Tifudog

Member
Joined
18 Feb 2022
Messages
9
Location
Gainsborough
Hello,

I've been trawling this thread for the past couple of months and it was very helpful in my interview process, so thanks for that! Wealth of information.

I applied for a Grade 2 signaller position recently and have been placed on the reserve list for both the Middlesbrough role and Worksop, Harrogate, Scarborough etc role.

I was just wondering what the chances are of being called up, if any? I can't imagine many people would refuse the job offer!

Thank you
Hi, I was on the reserve list for worksop area, didnt think id hear back, but got an offer last week, medical in Doncaster yesterday…start York sig school 4th Apr..so you may well hear something
 

CivilSig

Member
Joined
18 Feb 2022
Messages
6
Location
Middlesbrough
Thank you for the replies!

Ahh, I won't get my hopes up, but at least it's more encouraging than an all out 'unsuccesful'. I've asked for feedback anyway to improve should anuthing else come up in future.

Congratulations on the job offer Tifudog!
 

Top