ScotRail - Conductor Recruitment and Discussion

[grantos3000]

Hi folks I've had a good look through the previous messages but I can't see a conversation on this so apologies of this is a duplicate query.
I applied for ScotRail conductors recently. I have already passed the first stage of online assessments (SJT) but I have now been asked to complete two more "SHL" assessments (online again.

Can anyone tell me what these SHL tests are as what I have been able to find out online looks horrendous but I'm not sure it's the right tests I'm looking at.

I only have 3 days to complete tests (tomorrow will be day 2).

The two tests I have are

Safety and Dependability.
And
Verify Following instructions and Verify Process Monitoring.

I'm assuming these will be largely common sense and seeing how you think, but I would like to try some of these out first before taking the tests so I know what to expect - but I can't find example tests online, and the SHL website only provides a limited number of practice tests which do not cover either of these?

 

[Fat Pav]

I got an e-mail on Friday advising me the next step is a manager interview and they'd be in touch with those succesful in the coming days.

To be honest I'm not sure I even want to do it. The training salary is almost a £20k drop compared to my current salary and with prices ever increasing just not affordable I don't think. Even if it is only for 6 months.

You’d be a trainee for around 3/4 months max then onto full wages, about to increase to a full time salary of £42.2k per annum with the wage rise effective 01 April 26.

 

[Dross]

Hi folks I've had a good look through the previous messages but I can't see a conversation on this so apologies of this is a duplicate query.
I applied for ScotRail conductors recently. I have already passed the first stage of online assessments (SJT) but I have now been asked to complete two more "SHL" assessments (online again.

Can anyone tell me what these SHL tests are as what I have been able to find out online looks horrendous but I'm not sure it's the right tests I'm looking at.

I only have 3 days to complete tests (tomorrow will be day 2).

The two tests I have are

Safety and Dependability.
And
Verify Following instructions and Verify Process Monitoring.

I'm assuming these will be largely common sense and seeing how you think, but I would like to try some of these out first before taking the tests so I know what to expect - but I can't find example tests online, and the SHL website only provides a limited number of practice tests which do not cover either of these?

I have just been emailed about these too. Anyone know what these assessments are? I never had these last time?

 

[fozzy33]

I got an e-mail on Friday advising me the next step is a manager interview and they'd be in touch with those succesful in the coming days.

To be honest I'm not sure I even want to do it. The training salary is almost a £20k drop compared to my current salary and with prices ever increasing just not affordable I don't think. Even if it is only for 6 months.

It's usually around 90-100 days.

You're training at Atrium Court for 3 weeks, then out to your depot for route-learning (depending on where you are, this is probably the biggest variance. On average, I'd assume between 1-2 weeks per route, but conductors who work at the station you've applied to will have a better idea). Then 10 shifts with a CI, by the time you've had a traction day or a paperwork day, your usually looking at 3 working weeks. Then your assessments, and if you're unlucky it might take a week or two for your paperwork to go through.

 

[airantraigh]

Has anyone from the most recent batch of applicants heard back after the email on the 20th?

 

[Dross]

Has anyone from the most recent batch of applicants heard back after the email on the 20th?

Which station have you applied for?

 

[airantraigh]

Which station have you applied for?

Edinburgh- not heard anything yet either way

 

[p.d87]

I Got an email today confirming passed the assessments and invited to interview.

 

[airantraigh]

I Got an email today confirming passed the assessments and invited to interview.

What depot was this for?

 

[p.d87]

What depot was this for?

Edinburgh

 

[becca320394899]

 

[becca320394899]

.

 

[airantraigh]

Edinburgh

I’ve had a generic email advising that there are putting things in place and they are still reviewing results etc

 

[Mihigo26]

I’ve had a generic email advising that there are putting things in place and they are still reviewing results etc

Thanks again for completing the online assessment for the CONDUCTOR role.

We really appreciate your interest in ScotRail and your time so far. We’re currently reviewing results and getting things ready for the next stage of the process.

Thanks for bearing with us while we do this.

I'd be surprised if people are genuinely getting interveiw invites yet. Not suggesting the other is lying but I'd be surprised.

 

[grantos3000]

The interview invites are going out but it probably depends which depot you applied for. They probably do them in batches too so probably don't invite everyone all at once as I only had 2 days to choose from. I had my invite for Dundee yesterday. There's a few I know who had invites for Edinburgh the day before.

They don't give you a lot of notice or dates to choose from though. My invite arrived yesterday morning and I had two dates to choose from either next Tuesday or Friday at various times through the day. Think in all there was 12 appointments I could pick from over the 2 days but I'm pretty sure there will be more than 12 people who have passed the online assessments for Dundee!
Fortunately I am day off from work on Tuesday but I'd imagine it'll be difficult for people who work mon-fri or similar to attend an interview at such short notice unless they pull a sicky!.

 

[p.d87]

Thanks again for completing the online assessment for the CONDUCTOR role.

We really appreciate your interest in ScotRail and your time so far. We’re currently reviewing results and getting things ready for the next stage of the process.

Thanks for bearing with us while we do this.
I'd be surprised if people are genuinely getting interveiw invites yet. Not suggesting the other is lying but I'd be surprised.

I can assure you I am not lying. I know my date for interview as had to pick from 3 different dates and times. It is in two weeks.

 

[becca320394899]

.

 

[Fat Pav]

Anyone who has sat the Conductor assessments recently, can they confirm if it’s exclusively online or if they had to attend Atrium Court?

 

[grantos3000]

I'm going through the process just now. Ive had 2 sets of online tests - the initial SJT one then a week or 2 later I had 3 more to do that the invites were all sent for on the same day (sent by SHL). I'm.not disclosing what was in the tests as I had to sign a thing to say I wouldn't disclose this, and as my application from Scotrail is still in progress I don't want to screw it up by someone from Scotrail seeing I have revealed what the assessments are and broken a confidentiality agreement!
I now have an interview next Tuesday but don't know if there's further assessments to do at Atrium after that.
Excited for the interview but also worried at the same time as it's always been the interviews I don't pass despite trying to follow STAR etc I just never seem to hit the mark required .

 

[becca320394899]

I'm going through the process just now. Ive had 2 sets of online tests - the initial SJT one then a week or 2 later I had 3 more to do that the invites were all sent for on the same day (sent by SHL). I'm.not disclosing what was in the tests as I had to sign a thing to say I wouldn't disclose this, and as my application from Scotrail is still in progress I don't want to screw it up by someone from Scotrail seeing I have revealed what the assessments are and broken a confidentiality agreement!
I now have an interview next Tuesday but don't know if there's further assessments to do at Atrium after that.
Excited for the interview but also worried at the same time as it's always been the interviews I don't pass despite trying to follow STAR etc I just never seem to hit the mark required .

What are the interviews like?

 

[Fat Pav]

What are the interviews like?

Last round of interviews were STAR based around the job competencies which were: Communication, Customer Driven, Decision Making, Focus on Results, Collaboration, Resilience and Self Development.

 

[kevinlockley]

Passed my assessments last year and still waiting on a date for an interview. Got told that because their was so many applicants passed the assessment last year that interviews were put on hold last year.
Frustrating that I still haven't heard anything yet.

 

[watty30000]

Hi, I applied for the latest vacancies and got as far as the SHL assessments. Did those on the 23rd March. Just got an email yesterday saying I’ve been placed in the talent bank for 2 years. Just wondering if anyone’s had this before? I’m assuming that means I’ve passed but some folks were better than me this time round and they’ve got the interview/medical/offer?

 

[airantraigh]

Hello how is everyone.
I’ve passed my interview and patiently waiting in the talent bank now

 

[Dross]

Hello how is everyone.
I’ve passed my interview and patiently waiting in the talent bank now

Hello
Same here. Passed my interview in March and patiently sitting in the talent bank also. What station did you apply for?

 

[airantraigh]

Hello
Same here. Passed my interview in March and patiently sitting in the talent bank also. What station did you apply for?

Edinburgh here- just looked at your profile and it looked like you’re waiting for Inverness! Hope you’re not waiting too long

 

[becca320394899]

.

 

[rosse18701]

Wondering if anyone has heard back yet with course dates or anything? I passed my interview which was on the 28th July, got an email saying they expect more people to meet the standard for Conductor and are putting a talent bank in place.

My thinking is that they are currently reviewing who passed the interviews and are comparing scorers before organising the first batch of training candidates

 

[grantos3000]

Wondering if anyone has heard back yet with course dates or anything? I passed my interview which was on the 28th July, got an email saying they expect more people to meet the standard for Conductor and are putting a talent bank in place.

My thinking is that they are currently reviewing who passed the interviews and are comparing scorers before organising the first batch of training candidates

Normally the way I believe it works is they collate the results/scores from your online assessments and your interview responses and put you in a talent pool list. Where you are on that list will depend on your score (higher scores will be at the top of this list so will be offered vacancies sooner). This however does not guarantee you an eventual placement, as I have discovered in the past. It just means you are on a waiting list for both a place on the training school, and a vacancy at your depot. After your score, how quickly you are invited for a medical will depend on a number of factors - mainly space on courses at Atrium Court, current vacancies at your chosen depot, and how many conductors your depot is able to train at one time - this will depend on how many CI's (Conductor Instructors) your depot has. If you have holidays booked within the next 6 months, you will most likely not be offered a medical/start date until after your holidays are complete so this could also delay you, as a general rule you cannot take any holiday in roughly the first 6 months of your training but again this will depend on your depot and hom long the training takes.

What I will say is when they invite you for a medical, do whatever you can to attend the medical on one of the dates/times you are initially given. You will often only get about 1 weeks notice or so of a medical date and there likely wont be many times to choose from which isn't ideal. If you are working, tell your current employer you have a hospital appointment appointment or something, or as a last resort phone in sick if they wont give you the day off, but DO NOT ask Scotrail for a different medical date unless you absolutely have to, as this will mean someone else will be offered the medical date you were offered, and you will drop down the talent pool list again, awaiting the next available medical/slot on a training course etc. You should get your medical results witin about a week and assuming you pass, Scotrail will tell you to put your notice in with your current employer and then everything moves very quickly from there!

There are constant training courses being run at the minute (The bit at Atrium court takes 3 weeks and is Mon-Fri, so potentially they have a new intake every 3 weeks or so - but again they can only have so many on each course and it isnt a huge number (our class was 5 and I think the one after us was 8 people). Once youve done the 3 weeks at Atrium, you will be sent to you depot to do route learning. How long the route learning takes will depend on the depot you have applied for and how long the routes are. Edinburgh for example have a mad amount of routes and you need to do at least a week on most routes I believe. Once your route learning is done, you then get 10 days with a CI, which should be one-to-one training physically doing the job, You are then waiting for Atrium to issue your SCWID card so that you can go out on your own unmonitored (thats the stage I am currently at just now!)

 

[rosse18701]

Normally the way I believe it works is they collate the results/scores from your online assessments and your interview responses and put you in a talent pool list. Where you are on that list will depend on your score (higher scores will be at the top of this list so will be offered vacancies sooner). This however does not guarantee you an eventual placement, as I have discovered in the past. It just means you are on a waiting list for both a place on the training school, and a vacancy at your depot. After your score, how quickly you are invited for a medical will depend on a number of factors - mainly space on courses at Atrium Court, current vacancies at your chosen depot, and how many conductors your depot is able to train at one time - this will depend on how many CI's (Conductor Instructors) your depot has. If you have holidays booked within the next 6 months, you will most likely not be offered a medical/start date until after your holidays are complete so this could also delay you, as a general rule you cannot take any holiday in roughly the first 6 months of your training but again this will depend on your depot and hom long the training takes.

What I will say is when they invite you for a medical, do whatever you can to attend the medical on one of the dates/times you are initially given. You will often only get about 1 weeks notice or so of a medical date and there likely wont be many times to choose from which isn't ideal. If you are working, tell your current employer you have a hospital appointment appointment or something, or as a last resort phone in sick if they wont give you the day off, but DO NOT ask Scotrail for a different medical date unless you absolutely have to, as this will mean someone else will be offered the medical date you were offered, and you will drop down the talent pool list again, awaiting the next available medical/slot on a training course etc. You should get your medical results witin about a week and assuming you pass, Scotrail will tell you to put your notice in with your current employer and then everything moves very quickly from there!

There are constant training courses being run at the minute (The bit at Atrium court takes 3 weeks and is Mon-Fri, so potentially they have a new intake every 3 weeks or so - but again they can only have so many on each course and it isnt a huge number (our class was 5 and I think the one after us was 8 people). Once youve done the 3 weeks at Atrium, you will be sent to you depot to do route learning. How long the route learning takes will depend on the depot you have applied for and how long the routes are. Edinburgh for example have a mad amount of routes and you need to do at least a week on most routes I believe. Once your route learning is done, you then get 10 days with a CI, which should be one-to-one training physically doing the job, You are then waiting for Atrium to issue your SCWID card so that you can go out on your own unmonitored (thats the stage I am currently at just now!)

How long after your interview was it until you got offered for medical ?