• Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Depot Driver age

Status
Not open for further replies.
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

E&W Lucas

Established Member
Joined
21 Jan 2010
Messages
1,358
What is the minimum age to apply for a Depot Driver with South West Trains? 18 or 21?
Thanks in advance

You keep asking the same question. Driving is 21. End of. However, that's probably the least important qualification. Have you held any real world responsibility?
If not, you'll struggle to get through the MMI, and you only have two attempts. Ever.

You don't see many trainee drivers so young. There have been a couple pop up on here, so worth asking them what their background was. All those that I know, have been up the guard / onboard crew leadership route.

Slow down, and make sure that you genuinely tick the other boxes.
 

PudseyBearHST

Member
Joined
28 Sep 2015
Messages
1,104
Location
South West
You keep asking the same question. Driving is 21. End of. However, that's probably the least important qualification. Have you held any real world responsibility?
If not, you'll struggle to get through the MMI, and you only have two attempts. Ever.

You don't see many trainee drivers so young. There have been a couple pop up on here, so worth asking them what their background was. All those that I know, have been up the guard / onboard crew leadership route.

Slow down, and make sure that you genuinely tick the other boxes.

Nope i asked it once/twice before for a mainline driver and now I'm asking it for depot driver. It doesn't say on the job specification and I thought some companies do allow 18 year olds for depot driving depending on how much driving is involved.
 

PudseyBearHST

Member
Joined
28 Sep 2015
Messages
1,104
Location
South West
You keep asking the same question. Driving is 21. End of. However, that's probably the least important qualification. Have you held any real world responsibility?
If not, you'll struggle to get through the MMI, and you only have two attempts. Ever.

You don't see many trainee drivers so young. There have been a couple pop up on here, so worth asking them what their background was. All those that I know, have been up the guard / onboard crew leadership route.

Slow down, and make sure that you genuinely tick the other boxes.

http://www.traindriver.org/medical-standards--age-limits.html
Says "18 on the London Underground or for employment wholly within depot confines."
 

E&W Lucas

Established Member
Joined
21 Jan 2010
Messages
1,358

PudseyBearHST

Member
Joined
28 Sep 2015
Messages
1,104
Location
South West
You've totally failed to recognise or acknowledge the point that was being made to you. If you think know better, then why ask the question on here?
Not an approach that will endear you to mainline instructors, if you ever get anywhere near the job.

I don't think you read my post carefully nor my question. I said 'some' depots/TOCs allow 18 year olds (or at least thats what I think or have read) depending on whether or not the driving is confined to the depot and my question specifically specifies South West Trains. I don't know whether they accept 18 year olds or not- I just thought that it is a possibility hence why I asked on here to see whether anyone who knows.

Also thank you very much for your concern about me getting the job but that does not answer my question nor do you know me well enough to know whether I have the capability/experience of becoming a Driver. And as the saying goes, you have to be in it to win it!
 

Economist

Member
Joined
24 Feb 2013
Messages
557
21 may be the minimum but in practice it's rare, I'm mid twenties and I was the youngest on my Rules course, the average age was mid-thirties.

I do know of someone at my place who started on a Rules course at 21, they were an internal and had three years of doing shifts on platforms behind them. Externals can get in at 21, I thin, there's one or two on here that have done so but it's rare.

The railways value life experience much, much more than a lot of other industries which offer trainee programmes.
 

E&W Lucas

Established Member
Joined
21 Jan 2010
Messages
1,358
21 may be the minimum but in practice it's rare, I'm mid twenties and I was the youngest on my Rules course, the average age was mid-thirties.

I do know of someone at my place who started on a Rules course at 21, they were an internal and had three years of doing shifts on platforms behind them. Externals can get in at 21, I thin, there's one or two on here that have done so but it's rare.

The railways value life experience much, much more than a lot of other industries which offer trainee programmes.

Your experience mirrors mine, but I don't think anyone is listening.....;)
 

GB

Established Member
Joined
16 Nov 2008
Messages
6,549
Location
Somewhere
If the depot is on or uses Network Rail infrastructure then the minimum age is 21. If the depot is "off network" then its 18.
 

beany

Member
Joined
17 Nov 2015
Messages
60
My advice to the OP would be to either try and get a job on the railway and then after a year or so apply as an internal.
Or if you have a driving licence,get free training with a bus company as a driver and after a year or so apply for a trainee train driver slot when one comes up.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top