Scotrail Trainee Drivers (Ongoing)

[Victor Meldrew]

That's interesting! I haven't heard anyone talking about that yet. The last thing our LLC put out was in the autumn saying that the company has permission from the Scottish government to make an offer but nothing has been put out by them since then. Though recruitment for trainees is definitely slowing down for this year where I am. I've heard that some of the depots in the central belt work like 1 in 2 Sundays so they'd lose a lot of money unless it was an offer worth matching that, so maybe the goverment can't afford it.

Nothing official from CC or LLC but one of the things that were said was that they couldn’t afford it and were asking to bring it in for free but have booked overtime on other days to cover the shortfall. Apparently told it was a non starter, could be nonsense but the people saying it have been right about plenty of other things.

On the actual Sundays worked, the most I know of is 1 in 3 although there will be drivers doing more than 1 in 2 by working additional Sundays So unlikely to be given away for free.

How much is gained from a Sunday shift?

Anywhere between £360 and £450 depending on hours worked.

 

[John Bishop]

Nothing official from CC or LLC but one of the things that were said was that they couldn’t afford it and were asking to bring it in for free but have booked overtime on other days to cover the shortfall. Apparently told it was a non starter, could be nonsense but the people saying it have been right about plenty of other things.

On the actual Sundays worked, the most I know of is 1 in 3 although there will be drivers doing more than 1 in 2 by working additional Sundays So unlikely to be given away for free.




Anywhere between £360 and £450 depending on hours worked.

Yeah I’ve been hearing that it’s been binned also. Not a chance they will get it for free, not in a million years. Someone in TS has done the maths and realised it’s a non-starter cost wise. I can see recruitment slowing down considerably once that decision has been made. Cheaper for them to pay the overtime and have less staff.

 

[Baz79]

For the current adverts?

Hi
Totally gutted for you !
What are the tests ?
Cheers

 

[marcy]

I have email my HR contact who I have been dealing with all the way through my assessment process twice now and I have had zero replies. Their communication is appalling. Goal posts moved at the last hurdle and left with more questions than answers.

There’s no rhyme or reason to the recruitment process. I was dec 22 applicant but heard nothing for 14 months, then all of a sudden things were moving very quickly, no mention of talent pools and was told I would start pretty much immediately if I passed.
At my second attempt in Oct 2024 all the candidates were from the March 2024 advert. It seems there’s been constant recruitment from at least 2023-24 onwards, don’t know if they’re maybe saturated with trainees now? And the lack of available instructors seems to be a big thing.

At my current job you aren’t given an option of stepping away from mentor/instructor duties, it’s in our contract to take new starts and students, totally different discipline to be fair but still safety critical environment

 

[ontrackforit]

Applied for a trainee driver job in March 2024 and completed the process in November of 2025. Just been advised that they are now using this role as a talent pool, anyone has something similar? What’s a rough time frame and how likely are you to get a role? Scotrail.

 

[afloattoast]

Applied for a trainee driver job in March 2024 and completed the process in November of 2025. Just been advised that they are now using this role as a talent pool, anyone has something similar? What’s a rough time frame and how likely are you to get a role? Scotrail.

Pretty much everyone is in the same boat at yourself, past 2 or 3 pages on this is everyone stating the same thing

 

[ontrackforit]

Yea they moved it into this forum just read it all back. I work for a company at the moment who ran talent pools, but usually with a forecasted demand for it. Recruitment couldn’t advise this time what the demands are based on. Pretty mental as throughout the full process not been advised about it.

 

[RiverDon]

The problem is Scotrail has only just moved to this system of talent/holding pool for driver recruitment this month so no one here can answer accurately about what it means or what the timescale is or how it applies to candidates already in the assessment process. Any answers are just going to be speculation until folk start to get offers. I feel really bad for the people who've had the rug pulled from under them, especially those who applied for the March 2024 campaign!

 

[ontrackforit]

I had been asking from the date I passed what’s happening as was told by the depot manager I’d be looking at a May start. I had informed Scotrail that I had taken a redundancy scheme in work and cease employment in September - recruitments reply; don’t leave your current employer…

 

[afloattoast]

The one glimmer of hope I’m holding onto, last month people were saying they’d received start dates for April/May, doesn’t appear to have been anyone given a start date after this (certainly noone has posted within the forum to state this). Hopefully they have put us in a talent bank to ease the pressure on them to properly plan when depots need drivers/have availability of DIs and fit us all in to the training schedule.

 

[jackboy]

We shouldnt be holding onto hope or otherwise we should be being communicated clearly with to let people know where they actually stand,I think thats all most people actually want

 

[ontrackforit]

We shouldnt be holding onto hope or otherwise we should be being communicated clearly with to let people know where they actually stand,I think thats all most people actually want

Crazy that they don’t just inform you of the talent pools the minute you pass. 0 communication from November to now.

 

[RiverDon]

Crazy that they don’t just inform you of the talent pools the minute you pass. 0 communication from November to now.

In fairness they only started the talent pool thing less than a week ago (Monday 2nd March).

 

[afloattoast]

Crazy that they don’t just inform you of the talent pools the minute you pass. 0 communication from November to now.

I don’t think the talent bank was on their radar at the time though. There have been people waiting an awful lot longer that you or I who are now in this same situation

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Mar 2026 ==

Also think this fire today might put things back a bit at well. Can’t see central operation for a while, less trains from other depots heading in and drivers from there being sent to help out at other depots I’d think

 

[John Bishop]

Crazy that they don’t just inform you of the talent pools the minute you pass. 0 communication from November to now.

As has been said, the Talent Pool is a very recent thing so wasn’t known in November. You need to understand the sheer numbers in the recruitment system, and whilst you’d like a daily or weekly update on progress, it simply isn’t possible to do for the aforementioned reasons.

Railway recruitment is notoriously slow and you need to be patient. If you really want the job then you have to stick with it, if not then there’s several thousands who will gladly take your place.

 

[mikeccccccc]

As has been said, the Talent Pool is a very recent thing so wasn’t known in November. You need to understand the sheer numbers in the recruitment system, and whilst you’d like a daily or weekly update on progress, it simply isn’t possible to do for the aforementioned reasons.

Railway recruitment is notoriously slow and you need to be patient. If you really want the job then you have to stick with it, if not then there’s several thousands who will gladly take your place.

I think the general point is applicants are genuinely feeling frustrated and disheartened, with some possibly handing in their notice to their current jobs only to be put in a Talent pool ~ so although you're saying there's several thousand people who will gladly take your place and to "just be patient" it's not the most helpful.

We're all just looking for help on this forum.

 

[afloattoast]

I think the general point is applicants are genuinely feeling frustrated and disheartened, with some possibly handing in their notice to their current jobs only to be put in a Talent pool ~ so although you're saying there's several thousand people who will gladly take your place and to "just be patient" it's not the most helpful.

We're all just looking for help on this forum

No one should be handing in their notice until they’ve been given a start date though?

 

[mikeccccccc]

No one should be handing in their notice until they’ve been given a start date though?

True, but as it seems so far we're all getting mixed correspondence - so who knows what was said to particular candidates after being successful during the interviews

 

[gmc568]

Does anyone think talent pools for other depots will be advertised or do we think that those ones advertised and taken down last week were only ones being done this year?

 

[afloattoast]

True, but as it seems so far we're all getting mixed correspondence - so who knows what was said to particular candidates after being successful during the interviews

I think everyone towards the end of the year. would’ve been told roughly the same thing “it’s looking like between April 2026 and 2027”.

 

[KelvinM]

The one glimmer of hope I’m holding onto, last month people were saying they’d received start dates for April/May, doesn’t appear to have been anyone given a start date after this (certainly noone has posted within the forum to state this). Hopefully they have put us in a talent bank to ease the pressure on them to properly plan when depots need drivers/have availability of DIs and fit us all in to the training schedule.

They will have filled the years courses ahead.

But, they may have only told April's course starters of their start date.

There will be other courses starting around June, September and November.

As they run for roughly 3, months at a time. But there is a good chance they already have candidates filled for those courses, just a case of informing them nearer the time of their start date.

I'd say anyone in the talent pool won't be accounted for in those courses, hence why they are in a talent pool.

That is not official and just my thoughts on how it will be run, from my recent experience of training and speaking to experienced folk in the railway.

Hopefully I am wrong, and folk can get started sooner rather than later, but I think that's wishful thinking.

 

[scottgl]

They will have filled the years courses ahead.

But, they may have only told April's course starters of their start date.

There will be other courses starting around June, September and November.

As they run for roughly 3, months at a time. But there is a good chance they already have candidates filled for those courses, just a case of informing them nearer the time of their start date.

I'd say anyone in the talent pool won't be accounted for in those courses, hence why they are in a talent pool.

That is not official and just my thoughts on how it will be run, from my recent experience of training and speaking to experienced folk in the railway.

Hopefully I am wrong, and folk can get started sooner rather than later, but I think that's wishful thinking.

I get the impression that anyone who hasn’t already been given a start date has received the talent pool email, but who really knows?


I’ve seen people on here saying they’ve received start dates for April/May within the last month or so, but nothing for anyone from the Glasgow area I don't. Again, I could be wrong, but I would think (and hope, because that’s where I’ll be) that there would be a start before the year is out, seeing as it’s probably the largest in Scotland.

 

[afloattoast]

They will have filled the years courses ahead.

But, they may have only told April's course starters of their start date.

There will be other courses starting around June, September and November.

As they run for roughly 3, months at a time. But there is a good chance they already have candidates filled for those courses, just a case of informing them nearer the time of their start date.

I'd say anyone in the talent pool won't be accounted for in those courses, hence why they are in a talent pool.

That is not official and just my thoughts on how it will be run, from my recent experience of training and speaking to experienced folk in the railway.

Hopefully I am wrong, and folk can get started sooner rather than later, but I think that's wishful thinking.

But if those courses have candidates filled and no one has been informed, those people are now in the talent pool so…

 

[John Bishop]

I think the general point is applicants are genuinely feeling frustrated and disheartened, with some possibly handing in their notice to their current jobs only to be put in a Talent pool ~ so although you're saying there's several thousand people who will gladly take your place and to "just be patient" it's not the most helpful.

We're all just looking for help on this forum.

Yes, and that’s unfortunate but as I’ve said, it’s not possible to inform every individual candidate of their specific progress and likelihood of if/when they will be called forward. It’s a fluid dynamic, especially given the recent news (see earlier posts) which could severely influence the recruitment moving forward.

The “just be patient” etc was aimed at that specific poster who came across as being a bit entitled IMO. If you want to be a Train Driver then unfortunately you have to play the game, whether you agree with it or not, it matters not. It’s a long game and requires a great deal of patience. It took me 6 years of applying before I was offered the job. Trust me, it’s worth the wait!

 

[KelvinM]

But if those courses have candidates filled and no one has been informed, those people are now in the talent pool so…

Possibly, or they have not emailed those candidates the talent pool email.

I know someone who is due to start in April, they didn't receive the talent pool email.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Mar 2026 ==

I get the impression that anyone who hasn’t already been given a start date has received the talent pool email, but who really knows?


I’ve seen people on here saying they’ve received start dates for April/May within the last month or so, but nothing for anyone from the Glasgow area I don't. Again, I could be wrong, but I would think (and hope, because that’s where I’ll be) that there would be a start before the year is out, seeing as it’s probably the largest in Scotland.

I know of someone starting at Motherwell in April, well starting at the training school in April, for Motherwell depot.

Motherwell are getting or supposed to be getting 22 new trainees this financial year.

As other folk have alluded to, the Sunday as part of the working week, is why the mass recruitment was introduced, alongside ageing workforce.

But, the ScotGov/Transport Scotland have spent an absolute fortune since they nationalised ScotRail.

I think that is now starting to show and things will get reeled in, like recruiting and other expenditure.

 

[afloattoast]

Possibly, or they have not emailed those candidates the talent pool email.

I know someone who is due to start in April, they didn't receive the talent pool email

Yes those that got the start date email received them a week or 2 before the talent pool emails were sent out

 

[garto123]

I suppose what I don't really understand is, if recruitment is slowing down for whatever reason, why is there a current campaign for more trainee drivers when there is a bank of people who have passed everything bar the medical, but have nowhere to go?
Would it not make sense to see that lot of people through to a start date or at least a projected start date before recruiting more people to join the waiting pool?

 

[henke7]

I suppose what I don't really understand is, if recruitment is slowing down for whatever reason, why is there a current campaign for more trainee drivers when there is a bank of people who have passed everything bar the medical, but have nowhere to go?
Would it not make sense to see that lot of people through to a start date or at least a projected start date before recruiting more people to join the waiting pool?

It's a campaign for a talent bank, ScotRail are under no obligations to give anyone a job in there. Plus the majority of applicants will probably fail at some stage of the process. Honestly if you think this is bad have a look at the Avanti threads. Can never have enough people lined due to retirements and people leaving, also some prospective trainees might get cold feet and change their minds or even fail their medical.

Medicals have a validity period of 6 months, so if people have passed or have been booked on that it's a good indication for them.

 

[KelvinM]

Yes those that got the start date email received them a week or 2 before the talent pool emails were sent out

I reckon those in the talent pool won't be starting anytime soon.

Just my tuppence worth.

Far from ideal for folk waiting, but that's the railway. It's a waiting game. Most folk wait on average 18 months to 2 years before they get started from the beginning of the recruitment process.

Money and finances will dictate future recruitment.

Budget annually has went from £400 million spend by Abellio to £800 million under ScotRail Ltd. Massive hike in expenditure, that can't be sustained by the tax payer.

 

[garto123]

I reckon those in the talent pool won't be starting anytime soon.

Just my tuppence worth.

Far from ideal for folk waiting, but that's the railway. It's a waiting game. Most folk wait on average 18 months to 2 years before they get started from the beginning of the recruitment process.

Money and finances will dictate future recruitment.

Budget annually has went from £400 million spend by Abellio to £800 million under ScotRail Ltd. Massive hike in expenditure, that can't be sustained by the tax payer.

I can't speak for everyone, but I think those of us who applied on March 24 were hoping for this year, but knew it could be next year, as the original advert we applied for stated a 26/27 intake. The wait is not the pressing issue; it's already been over 2 years to date. The main concern that hasn't been addressed by ScotRail is what happens if we go over the 2-year mark after passing all assessments. It is a real concern that our applications expire, and we need to start over again.

Personally, if they could clarify that, then it would make me feel that I still had a bit of security in the fact that I know I have passed all the tests, and it's just a waiting game. We were told the tests last for 5 years during the selection process, but now there seems to be a mixed reaction from their email telling us we are now in the talent pool, that the 5 years could be down to 2 years.

I don't think any of us are demanding a job or demanding daily updates. We just want a bit more clarity on this new process and how our current situation fits in with the new system.