Career Advice Needed - From Cleaner to Train Driver

[Zanoh]

Hello all!

I peruse the forums from time to time when looking for jobs. I’m happy to say, as of this month, I have completed all requirements to work for Northern Rail in Leeds as a Train Presentation Leader. I am thrilled and honoured for such a prospect and after months of being under agencies and dead end jobs, I’m happy that my railway career begins in earnest.

That being said, I am in need of advice moving forward. My ultimate goal is to become a train driver before I reach retirement. I am 35. What are my prospects and how should I go about moving my way up to the position?

Kindest regards and hope to be more active ahead!

 

[Ducatist4]

Apply for the next drive position that comes up!

 

[baz962]

Hello all!

I peruse the forums from time to time when looking for jobs. I’m happy to say, as of this month, I have completed all requirements to work for Northern Rail in Leeds as a Train Presentation Leader. I am thrilled and honoured for such a prospect and after months of being under agencies and dead end jobs, I’m happy that my railway career begins in earnest.

That being said, I am in need of advice moving forward. My ultimate goal is to become a train driver before I reach retirement. I am 35. What are my prospects and how should I go about moving my way up to the position?

Kindest regards and hope to be more active ahead!

Prospects are the same as everyone else. I'm sure you will get there one day , but driver jobs are very popular. You might take many applications to get there. I started as a driver at 48. You should be fine.

 

[387star]

I went from cleaner on permanent nights to Guard then Driver. I had lone working experience as a result and following rules which helped. Train Driving is a job where it really doesn't matter what you were previously doing. Lots of success stories

 

[Fishplate22]

My advice would be to get into a safety critical role asap… dispatcher/conductor which is possible from the role your going into

 

[357]

Does your job include PTS? It is a good start.

Apply for any driving jobs, but also apply for train dispatch, guard, anything to take you up the "safety critical" ladder.

 

[Zanoh]

Does your job include PTS? It is a good start.

Apply for any driving jobs, but also apply for train dispatch, guard, anything to take you up the "safety critical" ladder.

Not sure to be honest, this is the description provided:

Train Presentation Leader Days Neville Hill

Train Presentation Leader Days Neville Hill

northern.engageats.co.uk

 

[skyhigh]

Not sure to be honest, this is the description provided:

Train Presentation Leader Days Neville Hill

Train Presentation Leader Days Neville Hill

northern.engageats.co.uk

Based at Leeds you don't do PTS, based at Neville Hill you do a basic PTS course if I remember correctly, not in as much detail as train crew would do.

 

[Zanoh]

Based at Leeds you don't do PTS, based at Neville Hill you do a basic PTS course if I remember correctly, not in as much detail as train crew would do.

In that case, I will have to take a PTS course outside of work to qualify for Conductor and then Train Driver.

 

[Fishplate22]

if you were offered a job as a driver or conductor you would be trained pts in the early stages of those courses, paying to do a PTS course yourself if that's even possible wouldn't gain you any advantage however holding a safety critical role would be advantageous whilst applying to be a driver

 

[Zanoh]

if you were offered a job as a driver or conductor you would be trained pts in the early stages of those courses, paying to do a PTS course yourself if that's even possible wouldn't gain you any advantage however holding a safety critical role would be advantageous whilst applying to be a driver

Ah righto, so basically:

Do well in current role, promote to conductor for experience with PTS, and then promote apply to Driver.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful insight!

 

[16.19]

Ah righto, so basically:

Do well in current role, promote to conductor for experience with PTS, and then promote apply to Driver.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful insight!

Nothing stopping you from applying for either the Trainee or Apprentice driver role. Have to be in it to win it.

Being in a safety critical role would be a slight advantage, however it wouldn’t guarantee a place.

If I was you apply whenever you see a position available. You will gain experience of the process if nothing else.

 

[skyhigh]

In that case, I will have to take a PTS course outside of work to qualify for Conductor and then Train Driver.

Definitely don't do that. Even if you hold PTS already (which I did) you still have to do the full company PTS course and assessment for a Conductor role and then do the full course again if you go driving - so holding PTS will make little difference to your application as you'll still have to do it. There is also no requirement to be a Conductor before going driving, on my course it was roughly a 50-50 split between internal and external applicants.

Being able to demonstrate in your application that you have the core skills required for the role is much more important than any qualifications - if you're successful you'll get all the training you need.

 

[Horizon22]

Definitely don't do that. Even if you hold PTS already (which I did) you still have to do the full company PTS course and assessment for a Conductor role and then do the full course again if you go driving - so holding PTS will make little difference to your application as you'll still have to do it. There is also no requirement to be a Conductor before going driving, on my course it was roughly a 50-50 split between internal and external applicants.

Being able to demonstrate in your application that you have the core skills required for the role is much more important than any qualifications - if you're successful you'll get all the training you need.

I would second this - no need to do an external PTS course. If you are successful in your application for a role that requires PTS (guard or driver for instance), then your training will take this into account. I wouldn't even say having holding PTS would be that beneficial in an application.

 

[T-Karmel]

Really just repeating what was said, but the only advantage of any safety critical role and having the PTS from those roles (not privately) is that it gives you good experience, transferable skills and helps you get the right mind set required for a train driver, hence helps you through the recruitment process - Psychometric testing and interview.

There's no such thing as progression on the railway and you're free to apply to most of the jobs with or without experience, as internal or external candidate with whatever background you have. What counts is that you can pass psychometrics and you can present all values required to be a driver at the interview.

It's only beneficial to you to do some form of "progression" and gain the experience, but if you'll get lucky and become a driver straight from a cleaner - that's just even better for you.

In my company on current courses there's hardly anyone internal and only a handful of people with railway background.

 

[Ducatist4]

You won’t get promoted just because you do well as a cleaner. You’ll have apply and go through the whole selection process like everyone else. A railway background might help but the vast majority of new drivers come from a non railway background.

 

[Bucephalus]

Ah righto, so basically:

Do well in current role, promote to conductor for experience with PTS, and then promote apply to Driver.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful insight!

Personally I think there will be enough experience in the role you already have to put in a shortlistable trainee driver application: (leadership, working under pressure, COSHH, concentration, working unsupervised, emergency situations, etc).

If and when you get past the application stage be sure to research this forum for the psychometric tests. They are very hard and you only get two attempts for life