Hi everyone. I am in desperate need for help on how to become a train driver. I have searched the web for any information on train driver trainee opportunities but can't find anything. I've been an electrician since leaving school in 1997 and am now looking for a career change. Any help would be much appreciated!!
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Becoming a train driver
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Beveridges
Established Member
A very difficult task and may require joining a TOC as another grade first and working your way up through all the grades, maybe working as an MDD Driver or a Conductor before becoming a Driver, maybe paying for and passing the Psychometric tests first may be another good step. Railway experience is sometimes very important at the Interview stage as well as a lot of preperation, have plenty of examples ready as they normally ask tonnes of questions about previous experiences.
The skills they are looking for at application and interview can include anything from concentration, able to work safely, ability to follow rules, procedures and instructions, communicate clearly, decision making, reliability, punctuality, flexibility, problem solving, able to use common sense, able to help customers, able to work alone, able to work as a team, able to review previous performance and find better ways of doing things, the list is endless they can ask anything or may not even ask any of these and ask stuff I have not mentioned.
Searching the TOC's websites for jobs is the best (and only?) way to look for vacancies.
I am one of the many on here who has been "trying" to become a Mainline Driver for a long time now, had 24 attempts up to now.
The skills they are looking for at application and interview can include anything from concentration, able to work safely, ability to follow rules, procedures and instructions, communicate clearly, decision making, reliability, punctuality, flexibility, problem solving, able to use common sense, able to help customers, able to work alone, able to work as a team, able to review previous performance and find better ways of doing things, the list is endless they can ask anything or may not even ask any of these and ask stuff I have not mentioned.
Searching the TOC's websites for jobs is the best (and only?) way to look for vacancies.
I am one of the many on here who has been "trying" to become a Mainline Driver for a long time now, had 24 attempts up to now.
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iceman0303
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- 48
Where do you live as there are a few trainee train drivers needed just now
Beveridges
Established Member
I'd suggest the MDD Driver or Conductor grades for gaining the most relevant experience that would help towards becoming a Driver.
However even then getting a Drivers position is not guaranteed and you may find yourself stuck in a job you don't want, so there is always that risk.
On the positive side, some people would actually rather stay an MDD or Conductor than become a Mainline Driver, so you may find yourself liking that better than you would like Driving, every job has its pros and cons.
However even then getting a Drivers position is not guaranteed and you may find yourself stuck in a job you don't want, so there is always that risk.
On the positive side, some people would actually rather stay an MDD or Conductor than become a Mainline Driver, so you may find yourself liking that better than you would like Driving, every job has its pros and cons.
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I know of at least two qualified mainline drivers who begged to become 'shed' drivers.
I also know of two 'shed' drivers who were offered the opportunity of promotion into the mainline links on several occasions and kindly declined the offer.
There's a lot to be said for a job that still pays decent money but doesn't have the associated stresses of high speed/mainline work.
Well worth investigating imho.
Beveridges
Established Member
Shed driving vs mainline driving say they have their pros and cons.
Shed driving pros - you aren't stuck in a cab all day as you have to get out and do other stuff like prepping, fuelling, ground shunting, walking to your next unit, etc.
Driving at slow speed not stressful.
You don't have to get up at 04:00 in the morning.
Cons - there are other stresses like all the aggro you get off other depot staff! You tend to get a lot of aggro on depots just for doing your job and following the rules.
For the "manual" parts of the job you have to be FAST
Forget about working a 35 hour week!!! You are often pressured or forced into working overtime on an almost weekly basis.
Loads of night shifts and you don't get finished until after 06:00 some mornings.
Depot drivers are regarded as quite low on the ladder (below the fitters) at a depot while on the mainline, drivers are at the top.
Regarding the mainline drivers who begged to become Shed drivers, which TOC and location are we talking about? I have heard of Drivers who want to move to MDD Driving and also had a few Drivers who've done both say they actually preferred the 5mph job.
Shed driving pros - you aren't stuck in a cab all day as you have to get out and do other stuff like prepping, fuelling, ground shunting, walking to your next unit, etc.
Driving at slow speed not stressful.
You don't have to get up at 04:00 in the morning.
Cons - there are other stresses like all the aggro you get off other depot staff! You tend to get a lot of aggro on depots just for doing your job and following the rules.
For the "manual" parts of the job you have to be FAST
Forget about working a 35 hour week!!! You are often pressured or forced into working overtime on an almost weekly basis.
Loads of night shifts and you don't get finished until after 06:00 some mornings.
Depot drivers are regarded as quite low on the ladder (below the fitters) at a depot while on the mainline, drivers are at the top.
Regarding the mainline drivers who begged to become Shed drivers, which TOC and location are we talking about? I have heard of Drivers who want to move to MDD Driving and also had a few Drivers who've done both say they actually preferred the 5mph job.
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Thetrainspod
Member
Hi guys!
I have just joined this forum and i'm an avid 12 year old train spotter and I just want to let you know how much I want to be a train driver, I really want to drive either class 90's or class 225 or 170
I have just joined this forum and i'm an avid 12 year old train spotter and I just want to let you know how much I want to be a train driver, I really want to drive either class 90's or class 225 or 170
It's a long road ahead mate.
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Very interesting read. What are the manual parts of the job please?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Very interesting read. What are the manual parts of the job please?
Beveridges
Established Member
Prepping, Ground Shunting, Fuelling, Tanking, and disposing of one unit then getting another Unit ready to go. You have to be fast at all that.
Thinking of becoming MDD?
Thinking of becoming MDD?
Cherry_Picker
Established Member
I'd imagine it is easier to get a mainline driving job than a depot driving based purely on the fact that there are significantly more mainline driving positions out there.
Beveridges
Established Member
Maybe I just landed unlucky (or was I lucky?) that the only Driving job I was successful for was an MDD one.
But it must be said the recruitment process is exactly the same for both jobs, you write the same app form, sit the same psychometrics, do an interview with the line managers and go for the same medical.
Though the salary difference (normally 30k on the depot vs 40k for the mainline) probably means there is less competition, and the nights put off more people
But it must be said the recruitment process is exactly the same for both jobs, you write the same app form, sit the same psychometrics, do an interview with the line managers and go for the same medical.
Though the salary difference (normally 30k on the depot vs 40k for the mainline) probably means there is less competition, and the nights put off more people
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I was invited for a depot drivers role but turned it down as it is near Central London where prices are unaffordable and I am not sure where I'd live. I thought I was applying for Brighton but got confused as Selhurst is London, Lovers walk is Brighton. For some reason I thought Selhurst was Brighton. A shame but good to have some more time to practice before I use up one of my two attempts. Tanking means toilet emptying etc? Sorry a beginner to the terms here.
Southern Rail: It seems if you apply too many times in succession and are unsuccessful eg conductor you can't apply again for 6 months. Why do they want you to wait six months? Is there application process in writing anywhere as it does not seem to tell you this in advance? Also what does 'failed to meet the required standard' really mean as it can differ between this and simply 'you have been unsuccessful'. By standard do they mean your individual competencies or as compared to the competition
Southern Rail: It seems if you apply too many times in succession and are unsuccessful eg conductor you can't apply again for 6 months. Why do they want you to wait six months? Is there application process in writing anywhere as it does not seem to tell you this in advance? Also what does 'failed to meet the required standard' really mean as it can differ between this and simply 'you have been unsuccessful'. By standard do they mean your individual competencies or as compared to the competition
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Cherry_Picker
Established Member
Yeah, it means emptying the toilets. I drive on the main line, but do yard work when the night shift rolls around and the toilet emptying isnt as disgusting as it sounds. The specifics of it depends on the unit and the yard of course, but broadly speaking somebody puts a pipe into the toilet tank and presses a button. You might have to move the train forward 25 yards to do the next coach and the coach after that, you might be on a depot where they have the facility to empty all of the tanks without moving the train but it really is just like filling up with fuel in reverse. I have never had to touch the tank myself, depots I have been on have always had a shunter to do that for me but I would imagine there are yards out there where the driver connects and disconnects the pipe too.
There's a lot of information posted on here already, so it's worth ploughing through it. However, concentrate on posts made by drivers, rather than those that aren't giving some not always accurate opinions.
There is absolutely no need to work through the grades to become a driver. Some people have to try and do that, as they do not have a strong enough cv to get straight in. Nothing wrong with that, but it is unfair to tell everyone else that they have to do the same thing, when that is not the case.
A sparkie is a skilled, responsible job, where you have to concentrate, work unsupervised, follow procedures, etc. Apply directly for driver jobs; only go for the other roles if you actually want to do them. Circulate your cv to operators that you would wish to work for. Do not wait for jobs to be advertised. If you are in a position to relocate for London area jobs, you will give yourself far more opportunities.
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Hi guys!
I have just joined this forum and i'm an avid 12 year old train spotter and I just want to let you know how much I want to be a train driver, I really want to drive either class 90's or class 225 or 170
Grow out of trainspotting quickly!
Work hard at school, as you need a decent standard of education. Get involved in activities that develop skills that will be useful in any job, like working with others, solving problems, etc., and where you will get the chance to learn to take responsibility. Think of Duke of Edinburgh's award, cadets, scouts, competitive sport of whatever type, young enterprise activities. Maybe even a junior volunteers group on a heritage railway, but broaden your interests too.
Any of the above will help you, whatever career you end up in.
Driving tends to be a job that people move into later in life. We come from all sorts of backgrounds, but ones where you have held a fair level of tesponsibility. This can include people from within the rail industry, who have worked their way up, but that is far from being a guaranteed path. There is no entry point for school levers that leads to driver. School lever options are platform stsgf, and catering crew, but I wouldn't stake my future on either of those roles!
The minimum age for driving is 21, but the 21 yr. old trainee is a very rate beast. Most new drivers are late 20s onwards.
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Thetrainspod
Member
Thanks for the info E&WLUCAS it was very helpful on making me think twice, when I say I'm an avid train spotter I only usually go to wolverton or milton Keynes or very rarely Kettering for an hour at the weekend but when I go I take it to the full by taking down numbers and filming for YouTube but otherwise it's not as bad as it might sound, but anyway thank you for the help, I'll keep it all in mind for when I'm driving a pendolino at 125mph thru Milton Keynes
Beveridges
Established Member
Firstly I don't see why being a Rail fan/enthusiast would make any difference on whether your suitable or not, so no need to force yourself out of it if you like doing it. Though you can't be fussy about what train type you drive obviously, you'd be lucky to get a job driving class 90's or 225's.
Though not a conventional driver, I'm still in a Driving grade (MDD) and I still do the occasional Rail fanning when I'm not working and it does not distract me from getting the job done. I know other rail staff who still do it in their 50's. Having an interest in railways helps reduce the boredom level I think, and a lot of railway jobs have times when they can be very boring.
Secondly, working up through the other grades, though not essential, would increase your chances over someone who has not, unless its with a company who never advertises for trainees like DB Schenker. Although obviously only apply for something you would actually want to do. Don't force yourself to be a cleaner for example if you have no interest in being one. Also like I said earlier if you work up through the grades you *could* potentially find you actually like something else better than Driving.
Though not a conventional driver, I'm still in a Driving grade (MDD) and I still do the occasional Rail fanning when I'm not working and it does not distract me from getting the job done. I know other rail staff who still do it in their 50's. Having an interest in railways helps reduce the boredom level I think, and a lot of railway jobs have times when they can be very boring.
Secondly, working up through the other grades, though not essential, would increase your chances over someone who has not, unless its with a company who never advertises for trainees like DB Schenker. Although obviously only apply for something you would actually want to do. Don't force yourself to be a cleaner for example if you have no interest in being one. Also like I said earlier if you work up through the grades you *could* potentially find you actually like something else better than Driving.
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I've done both jobs myself (shed turns were 'linked' at my old depot) and mainline work is far more stressful,there are far more incidents/out of course running and depot working gave you guaranteed start and finish times (overtime was voluntary at my place no matter how much pressure middle management try to apply
).It's rare to get modified working,signal irregularities,single line working,bi-di and points failure 100 miles from home when you're working on the shed
The average £10K difference in pay doesn't matter a great deal either - you always live up to your wages and big hikes in wages are soon forgotten about.
PM sent re:TOC & Depot(s).
Beveridges
Established Member
I don't mind a challenge now and then, would be repetetive if every day was the same. In fact yard work is very routine and the same every night (apart from the aggro) and would become very boring if that is all I did for the rest of my working life without ever getting a challenge or having to think. The only thing that livens it up a little is when you get some faults on units preventing you from getting them moving.
Plus working a 35 hour week and hardly any night turns really does appeal. I am not bothered about getting stuck somewhere and working extra hours the odd day, as like I said before, that's nothing compared to getting forced into working overtime all the time. Guaranteed days off are more important than guaranteed finish times.
Plus working a 35 hour week and hardly any night turns really does appeal. I am not bothered about getting stuck somewhere and working extra hours the odd day, as like I said before, that's nothing compared to getting forced into working overtime all the time. Guaranteed days off are more important than guaranteed finish times.
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I think there's a hidden message here! You maintain that industry experience is a serious advantage. You've got the industry experience, indeed you are in a job that contains elements of the driving task. Yet you are banging your head against a wall trying to get a driving job.
I'm actually doing the job, have done for some considerable time now, and I have been involved in training others to do it. That experience tells me that a prior railway background is unnecessary. Indeed, I had no mainline railway background myself, and I secured the job with my second application. What's gone before is irrelevant - everyone is treated as a "blank canvass".
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Thanks for the info E&WLUCAS it was very helpful on making me think twice, when I say I'm an avid train spotter I only usually go to wolverton or milton Keynes or very rarely Kettering for an hour at the weekend but when I go I take it to the full by taking down numbers and filming for YouTube but otherwise it's not as bad as it might sound, but anyway thank you for the help, I'll keep it all in mind for when I'm driving a pendolino at 125mph thru Milton Keynes
Congratulations on some very mature and articulate posts!
There's nothing wrong with having an interest, but see if you can steer it into a practical direction. Heritage lines give you the chance to try your hand at all sorts of things, and the experience that you build up over time certainly gives you something to talk about in uni or job interviews, which must seem to be an awfully long time away for you right now!
If you can persuade your parents to take a holiday - http://www.nymr.co.uk/volunteers/junior-volunteers/
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Beveridges
Established Member
I started off applying without the industry experience. I was not even getting past the application form stage. This was back in the days when there were not even as much competetion for jobs.
These days, with a psychometric test pass as well, I keep getting to the final stage and tripping up on an interview question. There has been an occasion where I have passed all stages from app form through to medical, got put "on hold", and the job vacancy got withdrawn, so I have managed to "beat" the recruitment stages once for a mainline job but ended up having to stay at the sidings.
Now once again I'm not saying its essential and its not recommended if you don't want to work in the industry as another grade first, but it helped me and think it's given me a serious chance of going on the mainline in the near future.
It's obvious you don't apply for another grade if you don't want the job though, who would apply to be a Cleaner, Platform Staff, Conductor, MDD (etc) if they really do not want to be one?? No point applying for a job you'd hate whether it could lead you to a Driving job or not?
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Moodster020
Member
- Joined
- 18 Dec 2008
- Messages
- 137
I second that notion,
I've seen a fair number of young 'uns secure jobs in the railway industry through being regular volunteers throughout their teenage years at the heritage line i volunteer at.
toot toot
Member
- Joined
- 25 Aug 2011
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- 47
Hello there just joined forum alot of helpfull advice on here great site.Iv just passed the assessment stage to become a trainee driver and have my 1st interview in 2weeks.
My question is do you think it would be a good idea for me to go to the respective station beforehand and ask a driver manager for info?? if so what questions do you think i should ask?
My question is do you think it would be a good idea for me to go to the respective station beforehand and ask a driver manager for info?? if so what questions do you think i should ask?
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You're being interviewed for a job that requires self reliance, and where you will largely have to manage yourself.
Are you sure such a career is for you?
You're being interviewed for a job that requires self reliance, and where you will largely have to manage yourself.
Are you sure such a career is for you?
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Beveridges
Established Member
It must be said, never heard anyone pass because they went to a station and spoke to the DTM first. What normally works for me is simply spending ages writing and remembering interview answers to likely questions. When I say ages I mean maybe 50 - 100 hours or more, you cannot over prepare.
I have still yet to secure a mainline drivers position, but in all my time applying I have managed to pass 2 DTM Interviews, 1 telephone interview, 2 psychometric assessments (all tests Inc structured interviews) and 2 driver medicals, so I think I have enough experience of the "process" to make a comment.
I have still yet to secure a mainline drivers position, but in all my time applying I have managed to pass 2 DTM Interviews, 1 telephone interview, 2 psychometric assessments (all tests Inc structured interviews) and 2 driver medicals, so I think I have enough experience of the "process" to make a comment.
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Well Bevridges in my experience you have just gave that guy complete crap advice. I visited the depot that I now work in as a driver before my interview and was told at my interview that I was the only one who had bothered. The knowledge I recieved at the depot helped me with my firrST 20 or SO questions. Not bad for ten minutes.
Beveridges
Established Member
When I did that GBT Dots Test back at CCL in 2008 & 2009 I did it on one of the PC's (the harder version) but it did not move onto the next page until I got to the very bottom! Maybe I was either just very fast at it or it was a different version that did not move on until you had completed each page, I am not entirely sure. I think its the latter because they said I "only" got a "Good pass" but not an "Outstanding pass", despite not making a single error.
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