Recent content by TheVicLine

Fewer routes and only one traction may sound appealing to a trainee but once you pass out and you are driving one route in the same train day, after day, it will soon become a bit boring and repetitive. There may be financial penalties with your current TOC if you bail out half way through...

There are obscure parts that you will never need to know and therefore don't remember. However every time my rules exam comes around and I get out my rule book and notes I always realise to my astonishment that I actually know it all. It's the same with traction faults, there is so much that...

I've always considered talent pools to be a complete waste of time, the TOCs shouldn't be allowed to use them. TOCs frequently interview people and put them in talent pools for 12 months without employing them. They also re advertise for the same positions when there are people in the talent pools.

Yes that is fine.

"not a quick process", welcome to the railway :lol:

Like others have said really, split the time looking after the baby. Working shifts isn't really any different from working 9 to 5 where a baby is concerned, babies sleep shifts too in my experience lol. We had two, one who slept non stop and one who didn't sleep for much more than 4 hours over...

Upon successful completion of the trainee drivers course you will be offered the position of drain driver, you will not go into a talent pool.

A refillable water bottle and a spare set of keys are a definite. I've got a small plastic camping cutlery case for one person with a knife fork and spoon in it, which comes in handy every now and then. Coffee bags or tea bags for those far flung messrooms that sometimes don't have them and a...

Demand is huge throughout the country, there are 1000's of applicants for trainee driver positions when they are advertised irrespective of location. Applicants are tested to a national standard, although some TOCs do require enhanced pass rates but I think that is just down to the massive...

20+ years on the railway and I've never heard of a driver mentor, I guess that it's TOC specific.

Yes, just for the first 8 weeks of training and then it's straight on to full pay. I don't know why TPE started doing this as no other TOC does it.

I went from LUL to a TOC in the north. I put in multiple applications at the time and was also offered a position with NR, you will need to retrain as a trainee driver. They allow relocation too despite what others have said, relocation is considered different from commuting. 1741419614 Not...

Apply for other positions, they have put you on hold and until you get a firm job offer from them there is no reason why you shouldn't do the same. Talent pool placements more than often result in nothing more.

I wouldn't waste my time with a talent pool, it seems to be that the vast majority of the time people get put in a talent pool void never to hear another thing from the TOC. The fact that they don't even bother to reply tells you a lot about the company.

Transferring between locations within the same company is usually pretty straight forward, assuming there are vacancies.