First Great Western - Trainee Drivers

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[NX]

RUMOURS suggest that local guards managers are going to have to a nasty shock,Shirley when the release papers come rolling in for yet more student driver courses before Xmas !

The bulk of students are for Bristol, but that doesn't mean other West depots aren't taking anyone from the course.

Hang in there guys, I'd like to say it's worth it but......

NX

 

[d_kingscott]

My next step would be the medical, but not heard anything since June...

 

[nathan199226]

can anybody help me, i currently work in the aviation industry and i am after a career change.

i want to be a train driver...

i was wondering if anybody could tell me if there are any companies hiring trainee drivers at the minute?

also what sites can i find these positions on?

thanks a lot Nathan Henry

 

[NX]

Here's a tip top idea.... How's about taking a few minutes and actually looking at the various TOC recruitment pages ?

NX

 

[oxoneil]

Should a miracle happen, how far ahead of a start date do you tend to be sent for the medical?

 

[Johncleesefan]

Usually about 2 months or so I believe

 

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[Nuttytoffee]

Two and a half weeks from my medical to my start date a couple of years ago.

 

[spikesdad]

So is anybody else pretty pee'd off and slightly resentful of FGW for the whole management of the recruitment process?? I applied completely blind to the way recruitment for the rail industry works but frankly the lack of communication I've received and from reading others' posts, this is the general consensus of how it is, the whole process is a shambles.
'We'll advertise for jobs (with no mention of the possibility these jobs will never actually come to fruition, or mention of the purgatory that is "the talent pool"), and when we drag people through an intensive assessment and interview process we'll just leave them to rot, with an ever fading glimpse of the possibility that after all their hard work and effort they should be rewarded with an actual opportunity.'
Perhaps not the way the recruiting teams discussions actual go, but an accurate representation of the reality i feel.
My initial application was mid 2013 and I am fully aware others have waited longer. But 2 years???? That seems ludicrous, how many people would genuinely apply for a position with a company if they knew that over 2 years later there was still no guarantee of a job despite the commitment of travelling to assessments, interviews postponing holidays and generally basing your whole life around a slight possibility.
I may be more frustrated at the fact I was fully willing to relocate to accommodate an opportunity and at that point in my life 2 years ago my family and I could have done this without too much upheaval. However if I relocated my children now I don't know if I would ever be spoken to again!
Above all this I can't help thinking that of this is how prospective employees are treated, when surely you should be showing the company off in its best possible light, how are actual employees treated???
Frustrated, tired of having to guess my future and generally a but annoyed that I've put myself and my family through this would be an accurate description of my feelings right now.
Any one else relate to this?? Im surely not alone!!

Oh and to all those who have been put onto courses and are still waiting I genuinely wish you all the best of luck. My ranting is born purely out of frustration as I truly believe I could have (and still might) have enjoyed a long and fruitful career as a train driver.

 

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[spikesdad]

The first time I'd even heard of a Talent Pool was when I discovered this forum!!

My opinion is that the process is all a bit make it up as you go along!!

My application was for a trainee driver, the advert never stated 'potential vacancies, talent pool' or any words to that effect. I gather that some toc's state this on their trainee vacancies or give a time scale ie recruiting throughout 2015-16 etc. certainly not what I applied for.

apologies for my negative vibes I'm not always this grumpy!!

 

[d_kingscott]

The first time I'd even heard of a Talent Pool was when I discovered this forum!!

My opinion is that the process is all a bit make it up as you go along!!

My application was for a trainee driver, the advert never stated 'potential vacancies, talent pool' or any words to that effect. I gather that some toc's state this on their trainee vacancies or give a time scale ie recruiting throughout 2015-16 etc. certainly not what I applied for.

apologies for my negative vibes I'm not always this grumpy!!

Don't worry everyone is grumpy on here I started this 2 years ago and still waiting

 

[spikesdad]

Lol - fair play to you and all that hang on in there.
I know for some that this job is a lifelong goal and are willing to jump through hoops to get there but I genuinely feel that the whole system is morally wrong. It's just toying with people's lives/futures/aspirations With seeming complete disregard for the effect it has on those involved. This opportunity is not the holy grail for me, if I had been put on a course I would have been over the moon at the chance and worked my butt off, looking from a different perspective, I've been involved for over 2 years, I could be half way through a part time degree by now....... I could have retrained in umpteen different sectors and have established a start of a career in one of those. However I was misled into believing that as long as I was passing assessments and being successful at interviews I had a trainee drivers job waiting at the end of it.
I know my whining won't change anything and there's an endless stream of people willing to put themselves through the recruitment process but it's still wrong.

 

[d_kingscott]

No I agree with you. I've not applied for internal positions because of not wanting to let them down incase I leave. However now I've decided to forget about the possibilities and take what I can in my current role. For me the hardest thing, is family and friends asking every time they see you... I've had 3 good friends resign for new jobs since I was the first to mention leaving

Now it's just me left behind

 

[spikesdad]

I feel your pain on that!! If I had a pound for every time someone asked me 'any news yet?' Or 'do you know when your going yet?' Etc I'd be drivin round in a Ferrari!!

 

[d_kingscott]

I feel your pain on that!! If I had a pound for every time someone asked me 'any news yet?' Or 'do you know when your going yet?' Etc I'd be drivin round in a Ferrari!!

Reminds me of a joke, maybe we could all have a laugh:

Male Logic - Critical Thinking At Its Best!

Woman: Do you drink beer?

Man: Yes

Woman: How many beers a day?

Man: Usually about 3

Woman: How much do you pay per beer?

Man: £3.00

Woman: And how long have you been drinking?

Man: About 20 years, I suppose

Woman:

So a beer costs £3 and you have 3 beers a day which puts your
spending each month at £270. In one year, it would be approximately £3,240. correct?

Man: Correct

Woman:

If in 1 year you spend £3240, not accounting for inflation, the past
20 years puts your spending at $64,800, correct?

Man: Correct

Woman:

Do you know that if you didn't drink so much beer, that money could have been put in a step-up interest savings account and after accounting for compound interest for the past 20 years, you could have now bought a Ferrari?

Man: Do you drink beer?

Woman: No

Man: Where's your Ferrari then?

 

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[JohnFM]

ML, your understanding is slightly off kilter. Or should I say just plain incorrect?

If you get into the talent pool your score IS good enough. Who is telling you it isn't?

You're saying the process is far from perfect but look at it from the view of an employer. As an employer I'd get to choose the best of the best. I would get to set a standard, interview, fill a pot with those who passed then choose who I needed whenever I needed them.

It could not be more perfect.

Just becasue someone has not been chosen and is being grumpy about it does not mean that the system is wrong.

 

[oxoneil]

I think the main "gripe" for external candidates who don't know so much about the industry is that the initial advert undoubtedly makes it sound like you are applying for "a job" not a place in a talent pool in which you might sit and fester for years. If the initial advert made this more clear maybe people wouldn't be so disgruntled with the whole process, just a thought.

 

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[spikesdad]

ML, your understanding is slightly off kilter. Or should I say just plain incorrect?

If you get into the talent pool your score IS good enough. Who is telling you it isn't?

You're saying the process is far from perfect but look at it from the view of an employer. As an employer I'd get to choose the best of the best. I would get to set a standard, interview, fill a pot with those who passed then choose who I needed whenever I needed them.

It could not be more perfect.

Just becasue someone has not been chosen and is being grumpy about it does not mean that the system is wrong.

Of course the process is perfect for the employer, they have no obligation to substantiate recruitment campaigns with actual jobs. Being able to 'fill a pot' with the best candidates before choosing is part and parcel of any recruitment process and clearly of great benefit to any employer, however candidates should be aware of how the process is conducted which is down to the employer to manage and ensure. My feelings are that this hasn't been done, therefore the system is wrong...........
I didn't apply to be put into a talent pool and then be filtered out depending on the performance of my peers, I applied for a trainee train driver role, of which I would be judged on my ability to perform the necessary duties by a series of psychometric and aptitude assessments. ive passed, I've made the grade, I've invested time and effort to fulfil the employers requirements and I've succeeded. My reward for successfully negotiating the employers recruitment campaign should be the position I've applied for.
This concept doesn't just apply to train driver roles, that is life in general.

I'm bitter about the misleading portrayal of the vacancy, and therefore the position myself and others find ourselves in. The process has been an experience that has enabled me to develop and build confidence in my abilities. But if I'm led to believe that there is a job if I'm successful and this isn't the case then that is quite clearly wrong.

Oh and I haven't been chosen................ Yet

 

[455driver]

I applied for a trainee train driver role, of which I would be judged on my ability to perform the necessary duties by a series of psychometric and aptitude assessments. ive passed, I've made the grade, I've invested time and effort to fulfil the employers requirements and I've succeeded.

Um, I think you need to look at why the you have to do the psycho tests, they are nothing to do with your ability to drive trains!

In my life I have applied for about 20 jobs but didn't get any of them, it is part and parcel of life and there is no point getting het up about it!

 

[spikesdad]

Um, I think you need to look at why the you have to do the psycho tests, they are nothing to do with your ability to drive trains!

In my life I have applied for about 20 jobs but didn't get any of them, it is part and parcel of life and there is no point getting het up about it!

I'm not het up, I too have applied for countless jobs unsuccessfully. However I've been successful!! I passed the tests (some I sat twice!), I passed multiple interviews. Everything I've been asked to do to get the position I applied for I've been successful at.
In life you win some, you lose some and I'm more than used to sucking it up and moving on however as I explained the concept of a talent pool was never in the vacancy description nor was it explained by any member of HR nor in any correspondence so therefore to me that is wrong. I applied for one thing, passed the assessments and was rewarded with something different.

I'm not asking anybody to agree and I won't judge nor disregard anybodies opinion but I truly believe it is wrong.

Also I didn't say by passing the tests I proved I could drive a train - I said the tests were to judge my ability to perform the role of a trainee driver and therefore all that goes with it. I am aware the reason for the tests is to judge whether you will be able to cope with the demands put upon you whilst you are undertaking the training etc..

 

[oxoneil]

To be honest I don't see how anyone can disagree with spikesdad here, his points are totally valid. The perception that applicants all think that passing the tests will make them a good driver is often brought up but I can't believe any applicant thinks that. I'm pretty sure we all realise it's just part of the whittling down process and you'll only know you're competent at driving a train when you show that you can drive a train competently.

 

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[irish_rail]

Yes, I feel these tests are not a particularly good measure of whether or not you will be any good at the job. I for one passed without top marks, and had to wait in the equivalent of a "talent pool". I now drive HSTs and 57s between Plymouth and London and have never had a single safety of line incident in many years as a driver, so I don't buy that those with higher scores make better drivers. Especially as lately, lots of new blokes passing out with these so called top scores seem to be going onto have SPADs pretty quickly :roll:

 

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[irish_rail]

So to add to what I wrote above, don't give up, if your in a talent pool, your in with a chance, no matter how dejected you feel. Keep at it if you want it enough....

 

[455driver]

Yes, I feel these tests are not a particularly good measure of whether or not you will be any good at the job. I for one passed without top marks, and had to wait in the equivalent of a "talent pool". I now drive HSTs and 57s between Plymouth and London and have never had a single safety of line incident in many years as a driver, so I don't buy that those with higher scores make better drivers. Especially as lately, lots of new blokes passing out with these so called top scores seem to be going onto have SPADs pretty quickly :roll:

Those with higher scores are likely to be easier to train because they can absorb and remember the most information and have the concentration needed to learn, it has absolutely no correlation with their abilities to drive trains at all.

Edit-
Congratulations to ML for on getting in with GTR.