A career as a train driver

[ItsFurbs]

Totally agree. Taking GTR is a no brainer in this situation

Good to know!

 

[Kay_M]

I am in the very fortunate position of having two trainee job offers, one from GTR (Thameslink) and one from Southeastern. Beyond salary, pension and routes, does anyone have any knowledge of what the companies are like to work for? I have done my research on the companies but it would be good to have some experienced opinions from those within. Many thanks all

GTR 100% from my end

 

[bob reb]

Hi all, I applied for the trainee train driver position at CrossCountry and received an email from Arriva to say I was successful on Oct 1st 2024, I then completed the initial assessment and received an email with the subject 'Invite for Interview - Please Create a Candidate Home Account' which I completed right away on Oct 15th.

Since then I haven't received an invite for interview and my candidate home page states 'pending' ever since. There is no option to book an interview or any more assessments to complete. I called customer service and was advised to email the HR team but haven't got a reply.

Is it normal to not hear anything for several months at this stage? Anything I can do or person to contact?

Thanks in advance.

Bob

 

[ItsFurbs]

Hi all, I applied for the trainee train driver position at CrossCountry and received an email from Arriva to say I was successful on Oct 1st 2024, I then completed the initial assessment and received an email with the subject 'Invite for Interview - Please Create a Candidate Home Account' which I completed right away on Oct 15th.

Since then I haven't received an invite for interview and my candidate home page states 'pending' ever since. There is no option to book an interview or any more assessments to complete. I called customer service and was advised to email the HR team but haven't got a reply.

Is it normal to not hear anything for several months at this stage? Anything I can do or person to contact?

Thanks in advance.

Bob

Whilst I haven't gone through the process with that TOC, the ones I have, have discussed multi year wait times in some recruitment phases while that catch up. I myself went multiple months hearing nothing before next stages were booked. I wouldn't worry too much, you have emailed HR, nothing more you can do.

 

[Amnesiac]

Hi all, I applied for the trainee train driver position at CrossCountry and received an email from Arriva to say I was successful on Oct 1st 2024, I then completed the initial assessment and received an email with the subject 'Invite for Interview - Please Create a Candidate Home Account' which I completed right away on Oct 15th.

Since then I haven't received an invite for interview and my candidate home page states 'pending' ever since. There is no option to book an interview or any more assessments to complete. I called customer service and was advised to email the HR team but haven't got a reply.

Is it normal to not hear anything for several months at this stage? Anything I can do or person to contact?

Thanks in advance.

Bob

Contact their recruitment. It might be that the Driver Managers at the depot haven't had a chance to sort out dates yet

 

[MO12110]

How often do Arriva recruit?

 

[Kay_M]

Morning folks

I have a question. For the drivers on here. Whenever the snow has happened, how has it affected your shifts when it snowed and did you have to find alternative ways to get to the depot or were you told to not come in if it wasn't feasible to do so?

I'm actually intrigued by this as I was thinking about it the other day as I would hopefully like to be a driver one but wanted to get a perspective on this.

 

[TySam]

I am currently 18, and about to finish my A Levels
I would love to pursue a career in driving trains but I believe the age requirement is about 21

I intend on going to university once I'm done so my question is:

What can I do to prepare?
What can I expect?
Is it worth to apply *during* Uni if vacancies open or what till I get my degree?

Many thanks

 

[AverageJoe]

I am currently 18, and about to finish my A Levels
I would love to pursue a career in driving trains but I believe the age requirement is about 21

I intend on going to university once I'm done so my question is:

What can I do to prepare?
What can I expect?
Is it worth to apply *during* Uni if vacancies open or what till I get my degree?

Many thanks

You don’t necessarily have to do anything to prepare. It’s possible to have no qualifications and no experience of the railway and still be offered the job.

However there does seem to be a leaning on those that have worked shift work before or roles with high pressure situations. This may be just because they are able to provide better answers and scenarios on the interview stage.

Applying to for trainee driver jobs can be quite ruthless and you only get 2 changes to fail the psychometrics so i wouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket just in case it didn’t work out.

So I would say have a career in mind other than train driver and then when you are old enough apply for any trainee driver positions you can do, then if you get accepted great, if not then at least you have another career to fall back on.

 

[TySam]

You don’t necessarily have to do anything to prepare. It’s possible to have no qualifications and no experience of the railway and still be offered the job.

However there does seem to be a leaning on those that have worked shift work before or roles with high pressure situations. This may be just because they are able to provide better answers and scenarios on the interview stage.

Applying to for trainee driver jobs can be quite ruthless and you only get 2 changes to fail the psychometrics so i wouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket just in case it didn’t work out.

So I would say have a career in mind other than train driver and then when you are old enough apply for any trainee driver positions you can do, then if you get accepted great, if not then at least you have another career to fall back on.

Ohh alright then I see!

thanks for the advice ^^

 

[newguy1998]

Probably been posted a million times but recently applied for GTR southern and thameslink. First time was with southern and think I definitely failed due to not having any practice on the mini scatt. There was no mention of the 6 month cool down. 2nd time thameslink I was confident in the scatt got through finding 1 letter all the way finished it as time ran out 2nd one was the same and 3rd I was probably two rows I hadn’t got through but don’t think I missed any and hadn’t clicked the wrong letter. I was disappointed I hadn’t got through the next stage on that one. And says I can’t apply for another 6 months. Anyone know if it’s just thameslink or all of GTR as I only see it advertised on thameslink applications regarding the 6 months. Apon further reading I’ve seen GTR are very particular with CVs and the 3 questions apon applying. I’m currently a purser on the planes and I mention safety and procedures a lot. And feel I go into detail regarding travelling to work and the other questions. I just really want some help in giving them what they want to see on the CV and questions as I’ve got my heart set on this career move. Thanks for anyone/everyones help.

 

[sam_daly11]

Hi everyone, I hope you’re all doing well!


I’ve just applied for a train shunter driver position at a railway in the UK. The application closes tomorrow, and I’m really hoping to get an interview. If I do, I want to be as prepared as possible.

I was wondering if anyone could share some insights on what the job involves?


A bit about me—I’m 20 years old and currently working as an IT technician/network manager with three years of experience. This job would be a huge opportunity for me, and I want to do everything I can to secure it.


Would my IT skills be useful in the interview to help make my case? Also, does age play a role in hiring for this position?


Lastly, how long does it typically take to hear back after applying? I’ve seen some people say it can take months.


Any interview tips or advice on improving my chances would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much!

 

[Ghostbus]

I think the most obvious issue will be how do you intend to answer the question, why do you want to leave a career in IT to work on the railway?

In my experience, prospective employers don't really believe you when they say this is my dream job.

 

[Horizon22]

Hi everyone, I hope you’re all doing well!


I’ve just applied for a train shunter driver position at a railway in the UK. The application closes tomorrow, and I’m really hoping to get an interview. If I do, I want to be as prepared as possible.

I was wondering if anyone could share some insights on what the job involves?

You are normally doing slow moves and shunts (within different lines or 'roads' on the sidings) as required and possibly (depending on your location) driving trains from a depot to a mainline station but no further. Sometimes this is seen as a step before a 'mainline' driver (i.e driving on Network Rail infrastructure) but it is not guaranteed.

A bit about me—I’m 20 years old and currently working as an IT technician/network manager with three years of experience. This job would be a huge opportunity for me, and I want to do everything I can to secure it.

Would my IT skills be useful in the interview to help make my case? Also, does age play a role in hiring for this position?

I'll be honest your IT skills probably won't be that useful directly. But if you can prove transferable skills (e.g. proactive, problem-solving, an understanding of safety and rules), then that will help.

And no age does not play a role - with the exception of a current minimum age of 20 for train driving (discussion on lowering to 18 by RSSB) - as that would be against protected characteristics. However of course a 20 year old has less work experience than a 40 year old, so you have to consider that in terms of your application / strength of CV / your interview examples

Lastly, how long does it typically take to hear back after applying? I’ve seen some people say it can take months.

How long is a piece of string! It can indeed take many months.

 

[sam_daly11]

Thank you that's really helpful. Just want to be as prepaired as I can in case I get an interview. Thank you for your help, have a good day!

 

[Lee_3440]

There's absolutely loads of stuff on here. Who is the interview with?

It was with Hull, passed the OPC tests

 

[nolypops83]

It was with Hull, passed the OPC tests

Congrats! Thats great news.

 

[LooperTrack21]

Hello, I am fortunate enough to have passed both assessments and am in the waiting list for a D.I (Drivers Interview)

Can anyone give some advice how to do well? Tips? What to expect etc... Anything that can help basically!

If there is a similar thread with answers please put a link to it. Thanks

 

[GoesChooChoo]

Hi there.
I'm in the early stages of a Trainee application and managed to fail the 1st assessment!

I have a Ba Hons 1st class in Languages and a Masters Degree in Advanced Criminal Litigation so was quite surprised to have stuffed it up!
What exactly are they looking for as the variance between responses seemed to not be enormous and it seems they were looking for common sense and health and safety as priorities?

Any advice would be most appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[S-Car-Go]

Hello, I am fortunate enough to have passed both assessments and am in the waiting list for a D.I (Drivers Interview)

Can anyone give some advice how to do well? Tips? What to expect etc... Anything that can help basically!

If there is a similar thread with answers please put a link to it. Thanks

Well done on getting to this stage. I've done 2 DMIs for different TOCs. 1 asked what I knew about the company, rolling stock fleet, routes, etc. The other didn't ask me any of that. Both asked situational questions, similar to the MMI.

Do a search of the forums (with the top right icon) and search titles only for DMI. Several threads will come up with this same question & replies to them.

If it's any help, always demonstrate safety first, challenge unsafe practices or errors, honesty and owning up to mistakes, and working within the operational rules framework. Good luck!

 

[nolypops83]

Hi there.
I'm in the early stages of a Trainee application and managed to fail the 1st assessment!

I have a Ba Hons 1st class in Languages and a Masters Degree in Advanced Criminal Litigation so was quite surprised to have stuffed it up!
What exactly are they looking for as the variance between responses seemed to not be enormous and it seems they were looking for common sense and health and safety as priorities?

Any advice would be most appreciated.

Cheers.

Hiya, a few questions

• Which TOC was it for?
• Was this a situational judgement test?
• Is this your first time applying for trainee driver roles?

Congratulations on the degree and masters, but to put it bluntly, none of that matters. Having those qualifications on an application will look good from the perspective of you being able to keep up with the intense classroom phase of training so that's a good thing. For the rest of the application process it's based on your suitability for the role. I know plenty of people with degrees, even PhD's (I work at a University) that I wouldn't trust with a spoon, let alone drive a train full of passengers at 120mph so don't beat yourself up because you didn't get through. That's not to say you can't or won't in future.

I failed one of my psychometric tests, the 2 hand coordination test, despite having had a drivers licence for 23 years and also enjoying the odd session on my PS5. Apparently it's the easiest of all the tests so you can imagine how daft I feel. I'm also studying for a degree in Natural Sciences (just finishing my 2nd year) and that had absolutely no effect on my application status. I've still been rejected a few times. You've just got to take it on the chin and keep going if you really want it.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Mar 2025 ==

Well done on getting to this stage. I've done 2 DMIs for different TOCs. 1 asked what I knew about the company, rolling stock fleet, routes, etc. The other didn't ask me any of that. Both asked situational questions, similar to the MMI.

Do a search of the forums (with the top right icon) and search titles only for DMI. Several threads will come up with this same question & replies to them.

If it's any help, always demonstrate safety first, challenge unsafe practices or errors, honesty and owning up to mistakes, and working within the operational rules framework. Good luck!

I've only done 1 DMI with Northern but they asked all the situational questions, and also why you want to be a driver, what you know about Northern (that was open but I learned about routes, traction etc from this forum, plus EDI stuff and general facts from their website). I basically made a list of situations from work and home that I thought would be relevant and then chose which one I thought was best for for the question asked. Use the STAR technique to structure your answers. Mine was fairly informal and relaxed, the 2 DM's were lovely.

Be confident, take a minute to think about your response and don't be afraid to ask questions to clarify if you're not sure what they mean. Oh and dress smart.

 

[potentially]

Hi all, I'm looking into trainee train driver jobs. I'm currently a bus driver and wondering how realistic making a direct jump from bus to train is? I'm thinking with the volume of applications for external trainee driver advertisements, is it a better strategy to get a job within the railway and go for an internal trainee driver vacancy? I feel bus driving has given me many of the skills for train driving but I'm very open to what others have to say, particularly if there are alternative roles on the railway that are looked on favourably by recruitment. Thanks!

 

[AverageJoe]

Hi all, I'm looking into trainee train driver jobs. I'm currently a bus driver and wondering how realistic making a direct jump from bus to train is? I'm thinking with the volume of applications for external trainee driver advertisements, is it a better strategy to get a job within the railway and go for an internal trainee driver vacancy? I feel bus driving has given me many of the skills for train driving but I'm very open to what others have to say, particularly if there are alternative roles on the railway that are looked on favourably by recruitment. Thanks!

You are correct, the skills are very transferable.
I was a bus driver, then tram driver and now train driver.

You have as good a chance as any to get the trainee driver job.

 

[Unobrow]

Hi all, I'm looking into trainee train driver jobs. I'm currently a bus driver and wondering how realistic making a direct jump from bus to train is? I'm thinking with the volume of applications for external trainee driver advertisements, is it a better strategy to get a job within the railway and go for an internal trainee driver vacancy? I feel bus driving has given me many of the skills for train driving but I'm very open to what others have to say, particularly if there are alternative roles on the railway that are looked on favourably by recruitment. Thanks!

I was a lorry driver before finally getting a seat. It’s not necessarily what you do now that matters, it’s the skills you possess. Nothing stopping you getting a different role first, but you usually then have to be in that role for a number (2-5?) of years before moving on.

 

[potentially]

Thanks Unobrow and AverageJoe! I will keep that in mind

 

[SWR_DRIVER]

Hi all, I'm looking into trainee train driver jobs. I'm currently a bus driver and wondering how realistic making a direct jump from bus to train is? I'm thinking with the volume of applications for external trainee driver advertisements, is it a better strategy to get a job within the railway and go for an internal trainee driver vacancy? I feel bus driving has given me many of the skills for train driving but I'm very open to what others have to say, particularly if there are alternative roles on the railway that are looked on favourably by recruitment. Thanks!

I joined the railway as a guard, before progressing on to driver, so internal recruitment/ promotion does definitely happen. However, around half of my driver's course were external applicants who'd never worked on the railway before.

It's also worth mentioning that despite being an internal candidate, you still have to do the exact same drivers physcometric tests and interviews as everyone else. The majority of people do not pass these tests. This could potentially leave you stuck in a role on the railway which you only initially saw as a stepping stone to driver.

Being a bus driver certainly has many transferable/ desirable traits to train driving, and it can only help to increase your chances!

If you're only set on train driving, I'd personally recommend that you only apply for train driving jobs.

 

[JacksonDay]

Hi All,

first post here! I’m 20 and am really interested in becoming a train driver once I graduate my degree which I’m really not enjoying at the moment and am looking for as much information about the application process as possible. I’ve heard a lot of stories about the fact that you shouldn’t show the interviewers that you are overly interested in the railway? I‘m a huge fan of railway infrastructure and can geek out about it for hours, if I get an interview would this be a good idea to not say? I’m currently a part of a model district railway and am a part time signaller there, would that also be a good idea to put in? Honestly just really looking for what the interviewers want to hear and linking it up with my experience!

Also about the psychometric tests, Im aware you only get 2 shots at it, what can I do to prepare for them? Is it worth taking other tests to practice or just keep doing practice tests at home?

Many thanks

 

[driver333]

Hi All,

first post here! I’m 20 and am really interested in becoming a train driver once I graduate my degree which I’m really not enjoying at the moment and am looking for as much information about the application process as possible. I’ve heard a lot of stories about the fact that you shouldn’t show the interviewers that you are overly interested in the railway? I‘m a huge fan of railway infrastructure and can geek out about it for hours, if I get an interview would this be a good idea to not say? I’m currently a part of a model district railway and am a part time signaller there, would that also be a good idea to put in? Honestly just really looking for what the interviewers want to hear and linking it up with my experience!

Also about the psychometric tests, Im aware you only get 2 shots at it, what can I do to prepare for them? Is it worth taking other tests to practice or just keep doing practice tests at home?

Many thanks

I disagree with the not showing your overly interested, they want to know you and an interest in the railway (bar money) I’d of thought would peak there interest. I’m currently on a course and around half of the people on my course are train spotters/ locative firemen etc, and all told the interviewers this

 

[NeoNeko]

Hi All,

first post here! I’m 20 and am really interested in becoming a train driver once I graduate my degree which I’m really not enjoying at the moment and am looking for as much information about the application process as possible. I’ve heard a lot of stories about the fact that you shouldn’t show the interviewers that you are overly interested in the railway? I‘m a huge fan of railway infrastructure and can geek out about it for hours, if I get an interview would this be a good idea to not say? I’m currently a part of a model district railway and am a part time signaller there, would that also be a good idea to put in? Honestly just really looking for what the interviewers want to hear and linking it up with my experience!

Also about the psychometric tests, Im aware you only get 2 shots at it, what can I do to prepare for them? Is it worth taking other tests to practice or just keep doing practice tests at home?

Many thanks

You get 3 lives now I waited until I'd been given a date for my assessments, after which they sent through practice materials, and then I did additional practise for those specific tests using some different software over a few weeks. A lot of TOCs use different tests, so I don't think you need to start practising this early

 

[potentially]

You get 3 lives now

Apologies, do you get 3 attempts for each TOC or 3 attempts ever? Thanks