Recent content by donny12

43066 - possibly not the right way to do it but would appreciate your advice on something having seen some of your other posts. Can you DM me as your profile is currently private. Cheers

How easy is it to move from a commuter TOC to an intercity? For example, if you got a trainee position with Northern, what are your prospects of being able to move to LNER/XC/Avanti and when would you expect to make the move? Understand there are many variables involved and it’s not a simple...

What are the better T&Cs you mention please? I currently have ongoing applications with both Northern and LNER, and had viewed LNER as the superior option (although would be delighted to get any trainee position to be clear!)

I applied for the Leeds trainee driver role around a month ago now but not heard anything further. Anyone else in the same boat? @RBSN not surprising all current trainees have been stood down for now and presumably this will have a knock-on effect on the current wave of recruitment. Seems...

Is the top rate of pay you refer to the current £54.5k? So a new trainee would expect to be on this from Year 3 onwards? Do newly qualified drivers in Years 1 and 2 work any rest days?

Thanks Efini92, that's answered my question spot on! Based on the current Northern driver's salary (£54.5k advertised) does that not mean people are working significant overtime/rest days to get up towards £90-100k? Realistically, to earn say £70k, how much extra is a driver going to have to work?

Congrats for making it to the talent pool! I’m currently applying for a trainee driver role with Northern. As part of my application I had to give details of someone to provide a future reference. Do you know at which point this will be used? I’m concerned it will alert my current employer to...

Does anybody know the overtime arrangements for Northern drivers? How does overtime pay work and how much does the average driver work? Sorry if that question is a bit of a ‘how long’s a piece of string’ type question!

Thanks again RBSN, really appreciate your advice!

Thanks for the reply RBSN, really appreciate your detailed answer! Following what has happened with the Northern franchise in recent times, has this affected those drivers working for the company? Is it still a good place to work and what does the future now look like for Northern drivers and...

Sounds like there's a bit of a split between TOCs with some offering trainee positions (e.g. Northern) and others mainly hiring qualified drivers (Xc, Avanti, TPE etc). Does this mean there is a natural progression in the industry, with people starting out at the likes of Northern and moving...

Are there any Northern drivers willing to share their experiences of being a Northern driver on here? Maybe the things you like most about working for them and what makes this job such a good opportunity? Would be great to hear your views!

Does anyone know what the pension arrangements are for new Northern drivers please?

Mine also lasted 16 minutes, not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing! I felt like the interviewer didn’t really push me on any questions, just seemed to accept what I said and moved on. Feels a bit like it might be luck of the draw with some of this... Best of luck to everyone involved...

Although I'm not expert on railway technology, I have to agree with this comment in relation to the wider rate of tech change across sectors and industries. Technology advances at an exponential rate and surely, with such a process driven activity such as train driving, you would expect...