NR 2 months' notice vs Trainee Driver talent pool...

[Elf]

Please excuse me if I am asking the obvious... so the questions are:

Network Rail is offering a job which has a 2 months' notice period. Is it common across the railway industry to have such a longer notice period?

Would a 2 months' notice period put a trainee driver candidate in significant disadvantage, considering the fact that call-up from the talent pool often gives a short notice period?

How would you guys approach this? Would you rather write down '1 month' on the driver application (and pay to leave NR early should a driver vacancy arises)?

Thank you!

 

[Horizon22]

Yes quite common and 3 months is fairly standard too. The more senior you are, the longer it naturally is.

Many trainee drivers come internally from the railway - even from their own company or another - so such things are often factored in. So no there's no disadvantage, just be truthful.

 

[Reactor Scram]

Please excuse me if I am asking the obvious... so the questions are:

Network Rail is offering a job which has a 2 months' notice period. Is it common across the railway industry to have such a longer notice period?

Would a 2 months' notice period put a trainee driver candidate in significant disadvantage, considering the fact that call-up from the talent pool often gives a short notice period?

How would you guys approach this? Would you rather write down '1 month' on the driver application (and pay to leave NR early should a driver vacancy arises)?

Thank you!

My notice period was 12 months. I disclosed this in the application and at the DMI. Just be truthful - things generally work out.

 

[driver9000]

One of the things they look for in a Driver is honesty.

 

[Elf]

Thank you everyone for your reassurance.

My notice period was 12 months. I disclosed this in the application and at the DMI. Just be truthful - things generally work out.

I have the impression that the TOC I have been applying to is unable to provide confirmation until very close to the proposed start date. Was your employer able to offer a start date 12 months in advance back then?

One of the things they look for in a Driver is honesty.

If the question was seen as dishonest, please kindly consider it has been a lesson learnt. When I started the thread, I thought notice periods only concerned one's own employment prospect, indicating when one would be willing to make themselves available. However, I think you are right, in that the prospective employer probably wants to know the actual notice period.

I understand - and appreciate - the fact that honesty is of utmost importance in this line of work. I only asked this question, with huge hesitation, as it was the first time I took a job with a notice period longer than 1 month, combined with the impression I had that trainee driver recruitment contacts a candidate with very short notice. The intent of my question was to know if one was normally expected to make oneself very readily available, to the extent that one needed to pay their current employer to leave early.

Thank you for taking the time to advocate honesty. I genuinely appreciate it. Last but not least, I would like to reassure everyone that I had already told the truth even before starting the thread. (I guess I asked the unintentionally dishonest question out of sheer insecurity... no excuse though. Apologies.)

 

[Horizon22]

If the question was seen as dishonest, please kindly consider it has been a lesson learnt. When I started the thread, I thought notice periods only concerned one's own employment prospect, indicating when one would be willing to make themselves available. However, I think you are right, in that the prospective employer probably wants to know the actual notice period.

When did you get that impression from? Of course the company is going to want a mutual notice period, as they have their own costs for recruitment and hiring to replace you. A little concerning you had this opinion, but glad you've changed your mind.

 

[Reactor Scram]

Thank you everyone for your reassurance.


I have the impression that the TOC I have been applying to is unable to provide confirmation until very close to the proposed start date. Was your employer able to offer a start date 12 months in advance back then?


If the question was seen as dishonest, please kindly consider it has been a lesson learnt. When I started the thread, I thought notice periods only concerned one's own employment prospect, indicating when one would be willing to make themselves available. However, I think you are right, in that the prospective employer probably wants to know the actual notice period.

I understand - and appreciate - the fact that honesty is of utmost importance in this line of work. I only asked this question, with huge hesitation, as it was the first time I took a job with a notice period longer than 1 month, combined with the impression I had that trainee driver recruitment contacts a candidate with very short notice. The intent of my question was to know if one was normally expected to make oneself very readily available, to the extent that one needed to pay their current employer to leave early.

Thank you for taking the time to advocate honesty. I genuinely appreciate it. Last but not least, I would like to reassure everyone that I had already told the truth even before starting the thread. (I guess I asked the unintentionally dishonest question out of sheer insecurity... no excuse though. Apologies.)

It's a difficult one. I know of others who have had 12 months notice to worry about have been offered a job but were unable to take it owing to the notice period. Sometimes the TOC might be able to book you on a course later down the line.

For me - I triggered my 12 months notice once I got into the Talent Pool to give me the best chance of the notice period not getting in the way. I've left my job now and still in the Talent Pool without a job offer yet. I'm now just doing something to tick over until I get a call.

In the perfect world it will have lined up to leave and roll straight into a new career but it was a risk I was willing to take so I could take an offer as soon as it is given.

Good luck with it all