TransPennine Trains - Conductor Recruitment and Discussion

[Quantumspotter]

Hello there,

I hope everyone is well today?

I have noticed a vacancy for trainee guards for TPE at their York crew depot. As always I have a few questions which I think the fellow members maybe able to help with. I know that TPE run services to Manchester airport 24/7 however, how does that work regarding staffing? Do they have a separate link for specific routes/services/days & nights? Is a rota system in that you work night services every so often? Anything else that maybe useful would be extremely helpful. Many thanks.

Kind regards.

QS.

 

[Bunglejim]

TPE guards at York sign from Newcastle/Redcar/Scarborough through to Liverpool and Manchester Airport. They sign all the TPE North diversions, Calder Valley, Leeds to Hudds via Normanton and Leeds to York via Castleford. They sign both 185 and 802 traction.

That work is spread across two links equally. Both links cover 24/7. Whilst booking off after 2 am takes some getting used to, you do get a good mix of work be it express/stopper or coast to coast.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Mar 2024 ==

TPE guards at York sign from Newcastle/Redcar/Scarborough through to Liverpool and Manchester Airport. They sign all the TPE North diversions, Calder Valley, Leeds to Hudds via Normanton and Leeds to York via Castleford. They sign both 185 and 802 traction.

That work is spread across two links equally. Both links cover 24/7. Whilst booking off after 2 am takes some getting used to, you do get a good mix of work be it express/stopper or coast to coast.

Should of course say Saltburn not Redcar! Too many hours spent sat in Redcar loop..

 

[GD2464]

Hi all,

I am soon to complete OPC assessments online for a guards role with TPE. I am just a little confused about the SCAAT test as people have said to me that it is the dots test (GB), then others have said its shapes or letters.

Would anyone be able to help clarify?

 

[RossMc]

Hi all,

I am soon to complete OPC assessments online for a guards role with TPE. I am just a little confused about the SCAAT test as people have said to me that it is the dots test (GB), then others have said its shapes or letters.

Would anyone be able to help clarify?

Personally, I would practice both. It will get your eye in and one will assist with the other. That's what I did for my driver assessment and it really helped. Found it quite easy on the day.

 

[feaky4]

It’s the shapes, I didn’t find it to bad just take your time don’t rush and most importantly don’t stress

 

[notspy]

Hi, I've just had an email saying I've been successful through the recruitment progress and have been placed in a talent pool for a Conductor role. I'm obviously super excited but what are the chances that a vacancy becomes available? Also if one does become available what are the next steps? Is it straight into training or are there more stages and assesments?

Many thanks for any insights

 

[Bolero]

I would have thought it'd be straight into training. There's not usually any more assessments after talent pool, it's just waiting for them to call you up

 

[WF4HA5HE]

Hi, I've just had an email saying I've been successful through the recruitment progress and have been placed in a talent pool for a Conductor role. I'm obviously super excited but what are the chances that a vacancy becomes available? Also if one does become available what are the next steps? Is it straight into training or are there more stages and assesments?

Many thanks for any insights

Congratulations! Usually the next steps are they will contact you with a provisional start date pending medical then if all is in order, a confirmed start date and unconditional offer. What depot are you in the talent pool for?

 

[notspy]

Congratulations! Usually the next steps are they will contact you with a provisional start date pending medical then if all is in order, a confirmed start date and unconditional offer. What depot are you in the talent pool for?

Manchester Airport

It's exciting but I don't want to get too excited as there is the possibility that a vacancy doesn't become available I guess!

 

[1867Blue]

Pretty sure they will have put you in a talent pool as they’re expecting a position to come up, be that cause they’re getting more work. Or they’re planning for retirements etc

Well done btw

 

[Ducatist4]

Sadly that's often not the case. There are more than a few stories of people being in talent pools for years and then getting told their application has expired.

 

[thomaschan54]

Hi, I've just had an email saying I've been successful through the recruitment progress and have been placed in a talent pool for a Conductor role. I'm obviously super excited but what are the chances that a vacancy becomes available? Also if one does become available what are the next steps? Is it straight into training or are there more stages and assesments?

Many thanks for any insights

Hi wonder if you have any updates?

 

[notspy]

Hi wonder if you have any updates?

Forgot to update this post! Started a few weeks back and am in training!

Thanks to all for the advice

 

[hux385]

Hi everyone,

I've got an interview for a TPE guard position at Glasgow next week and I was wondering if anyone's got any insights on the day-to-day job? I know that Glasgow conductors also cover Edinburgh-Newcastle services so there will be some amount of taxi-ing back and forth.

Does anyone know what the roster is like; are Sundays contractual overtime or part of the working week? Any info at all/any tips of what to revise for the interview would be appreciated!

Cheers

 

[thomaschan54]

Forgot to update this post! Started a few weeks back and am in training!

Thanks to all for the advice

May I know how long you had waited for after being told you are in the talent pool? And also what interview questions you had been asked during face to face interview? I am going to have face to face interview soon. So nervous for that!

 

[AverageJoe]

May I know how long you had waited for after being told you are in the talent pool? And also what interview questions you had been asked during face to face interview? I am going to have face to face interview soon. So nervous for that!

I would recommend not asking that question for a few reasons.

1, the questions may be different and that can leave you extremely unprepared

2, if it is the same questions your answers could come across too rehearsed and be obvious that you knew what they will ask.

3, you want to get the job off your own back know that you have the abilities they are looking for.

What would suggest is learn about the company and what’s going on with network rail infrastructure right now and in the future.

Just my opinion.

 

[scott little]

Hi everyone,

I've got an interview for a TPE guard position at Glasgow next week and I was wondering if anyone's got any insights on the day-to-day job? I know that Glasgow conductors also cover Edinburgh-Newcastle services so there will be some amount of taxi-ing back and forth.

Does anyone know what the roster is like; are Sundays contractual overtime or part of the working week? Any info at all/any tips of what to revise for the interview would be appreciated!

Cheers

sundays outside the working week, but u r booked to work 1 in3 roughly which is paid at overtime, general railway info on interview questions look at TPE network what trains they run and services to/from what stations. Most other questions will be general customer service type.
day to day is like any safety critical on board role, patrol the train checking tickets and talking to customers. only taxis is 1st and last job most time its passenger train rides

 

[notspy]

May I know how long you had waited for after being told you are in the talent pool? And also what interview questions you had been asked during face to face interview? I am going to have face to face interview soon. So nervous for that!

Don’t be nervous, the interviewers will be very friendly! Just think about how your past experiences with customer service and safety will relate to the job. Read the job description and that will tell you what you need to relate it to! And be yourself!

I can’t quite remember the dates but it was about two months in the talent pool, and about 5 or 6 months in total from application to start date. They may tell you in the interview a rough date for talent pools, but I’m sure everyone’s experience was different.

Good luck!!

 

[Alfpp]

Hi, anyone on here work with TPE? Just wondering what their waiting times was between emails to advance through to the next stages? I’ve completed the OPC test they send out but still yet to hear anything back and the deadline was over a week ago.

 

[Alfpp]

Hi everyone,

I've got an interview for a TPE guard position at Glasgow next week and I was wondering if anyone's got any insights on the day-to-day job? I know that Glasgow conductors also cover Edinburgh-Newcastle services so there will be some amount of taxi-ing back and forth.

Does anyone know what the roster is like; are Sundays contractual overtime or part of the working week? Any info at all/any tips of what to revise for the interview would be appreciated!

Cheers

How did you get on? Also what was the timeline for it all? Like how long after doing the OPC assessment did they get back in touch with you?

 

[akaMcMonagle]

Hi, anyone on here work with TPE? Just wondering what their waiting times was between emails to advance through to the next stages? I’ve completed the OPC test they send out but still yet to hear anything back and the deadline was over a week ago.

Which depot did you apply for? I applied for Manchester end of September, OPC assessments middle of December, then emailed them this week to see if I had passed. They said I had, but were waiting for Interview dates.

 

[Alfpp]

I applied for York. Yours has moved a lot slower than mine than it seems. I applied Mid December got OPC assessment mid January & now just waiting to see if I’ve passed. Such a waiting game isn’t it.

 

[akaMcMonagle]

It's always the way! If something does come of it then it will be worth it. Good Luck!

 

[Alfpp]

It's always the way! If something does come of it then it will be worth it. Good Luck!

Yeah & same to you, btw how many OPE assessments did you have to complete? I only had the one to do.

 

[akaMcMonagle]

how many OPE assessments did you have to complete?

I had to complete 5 tests for Manchester. Ticket Checking, Numerical Test, SCAAT, RAAT & CSS.

 

[Alfpp]

I had to complete 5 tests for Manchester. Ticket Checking, Numerical Test, SCAAT, RAAT & CSS.

See I was expecting all them but when I went on mine it was only the CSS that I had to do. Really strange I thought?

 

[transportphoto]

Mod Note - A handful of threads have been merged together to create a more general conversation for TPE Conductor recruitment. This has worked well for other TOCs such as TFW.

 

[Alfpp]

Which depot did you apply for? I applied for Manchester end of September, OPC assessments middle of December, then emailed them this week to see if I had passed. They said I had, but were waiting for Interview dates.

I also emailed them to check on the status, they said I’d been added to the talent pool, waiting for a spot/course to come up.

 

[Alfpp]

Which depot did you apply for? I applied for Manchester end of September, OPC assessments middle of December, then emailed them this week to see if I had passed. They said I had, but were waiting for Interview dates.

You had an interview yet?

 

[shaw1324]

Hi, I have got an interview for TPE conductor and was wondering if anyone had any recent insight into the sort of interview and what the questions will be like? I have passed the OPC tests and now have interviews with the customer service managers.