First Group Trainee Train Drivers

[tiptoptaff]

All throughout my training , the askedaslef site was quoting trainee rate as 26k , despite it being 29k

ASLEF doesn't show a GWR training rate at all. It is out of date now as the pay claims and due dates, and salary levels are now different, following harmonisation.

 

[C.T.P.]

i got mine the following day

 

[Don Thurlow]

Did my SJT on Saturday evening, not heard anything more. Is it safe to assume I’ve not passed??
Do they tell u, or r u just left hanging?

 

[MostlyHarmless]

Did my SJT on Saturday evening, not heard anything more. Is it safe to assume I’ve not passed??
Do they tell u, or r u just left hanging?

I got an email back within 20 minutes asking me to do the next test, but I know that its taken longer for others in the past

 

[Jaytrains]

How long is the online assessment? And what kind of questions do they ask u?

 

[utternoob]

i did the SJT on friday and the alpha numerical one on saturday

 

[MostlyHarmless]

How long is the online assessment? And what kind of questions do they ask u?

The initial assessment is a series of 20 (maybe 19) situational judgement questions in which you are given a scenario and you have to choose the most and least helpful answers out of the 4 options given. They say it should take about 20 minutes to complete but it isn't timed so you can take longer if you need to.

 

[utternoob]

did the SJT on friday and the alpha numerical saturday, dont expect to hear anything back for a while.

 

[Trojan]

Hi guys! New to the forum so your advice will be greatly appreciated!
Is the SJT just a matter of common sense? Or is it worth practicing beforehand?
Thanks in advance

 

[utternoob]

common sense id say

 

[Lmc1976]

Hi guys! New to the forum so your advice will be greatly appreciated!
Is the SJT just a matter of common sense? Or is it worth practicing beforehand?
Thanks in advance

I think (and once again I’m no expert) that if you try to second guess what is being looked for in an SJT you will likely come unstuck if not immediately but certainly later in the process, none of them are trick questions they are just assessing how you would deal with a given situation. Answer the questions honestly and if you fail it then chances are your not the right person for the job anyway, if you pass then you give yourself a chance of moving onto the next stage of selection.

 

[Trojan]

I think (and once again I’m no expert) that if you try to second guess what is being looked for in an SJT you will likely come unstuck if not immediately but certainly later in the process, none of them are trick questions they are just assessing how you would deal with a given situation. Answer the questions honestly and if you fail it then chances are your not the right person for the job anyway, if you pass then you give yourself a chance of moving onto the next stage of selection.

Thankss for the reply. Appreciated. Just wanted to know before as I’m looking at trainee positions. Thanks

 

[Stigy]

I think (and once again I’m no expert) that if you try to second guess what is being looked for in an SJT you will likely come unstuck if not immediately but certainly later in the process, none of them are trick questions they are just assessing how you would deal with a given situation. Answer the questions honestly and if you fail it then chances are your not the right person for the job anyway, if you pass then you give yourself a chance of moving onto the next stage of selection.

I agree about trying to second guess what you think the TOC expect/want you to answer, however disagree that if you fail the SJT you’re probably not right for the job. Most SJTs are intended to judge your decision making, however there’s not usually blatantly obvious answers. It’s harder when you have SJTs where you have to give numbers (1 to 4) in order of priority, as the possible answers are so close together in what one would naturally do, it’s almost impossible to prioritise in that way.

The other end of the spectrum is just having to give one answer and say what you WOULD do, and this is usually quite straightforward.

 

[PaulBusDriver]

I agree about trying to second guess what you think the TOC expect/want you to answer, however disagree that if you fail the SJT you’re probably not right for the job. Most SJTs are intended to judge your decision making, however there’s not usually blatantly obvious answers. It’s harder when you have SJTs where you have to give numbers (1 to 4) in order of priority, as the possible answers are so close together in what one would naturally do, it’s almost impossible to prioritise in that way.

The other end of the spectrum is just having to give one answer and say what you WOULD do, and this is usually quite straightforward.

I found the differences in answers on the SJT very subtle but there were some very obvious things about the answers like whether you prioritised your colleagues advice over the rules and regs.
I passed but the unknowledgable applicants amongst us could easily fail to appreciate the significance of the differences.

 

[Trojan]

I agree about trying to second guess what you think the TOC expect/want you to answer, however disagree that if you fail the SJT you’re probably not right for the job. Most SJTs are intended to judge your decision making, however there’s not usually blatantly obvious answers. It’s harder when you have SJTs where you have to give numbers (1 to 4) in order of priority, as the possible answers are so close together in what one would naturally do, it’s almost impossible to prioritise in that way.

The other end of the spectrum is just having to give one answer and say what you WOULD do, and this is usually quite straightforward.

Well said! Thanks

 

[Stigy]

I found the differences in answers on the SJT very subtle but there were some very obvious things about the answers like whether you prioritised your colleagues advice over the rules and regs.
I passed but the unknowledgable applicants amongst us could easily fail to appreciate the significance of the differences.

I agree. But it’s not the same for all questions, and some SJTs differ in which type of questions are asked. For example some TOCs use non-railway scenarios which more people could relate to, but the safety aspect is far less evident.

Also as an example, before we became part of First Group, and thus the forms and online assessments changing, I failed the SJT three times. In the end I was almost giving the most silly answers because I didn’t know what else to do! Yet with Freightliner (and any other TOC including my own now they are the same as GWR’s online assesments), I’ve passed these without issue first time round. It’s not very consistent sometimes haha.

 

[simonw22]

Thanks for that....I’ve just applied. Another application in.

Can you apply for more than one? Im still in the process for another toc

 

[Jaytrains]

Has anyone done both online assessments and passed them? And if u have what happens next? Do u get a date for the proper exams??

 

[Stigy]

Can you apply for more than one? Im still in the process for another toc

Yes, however you’ll only be able to do one set of Pschonetric assessments at a time. You can have as many applications in as you like though.

 

[simonw22]

Yes, however you’ll only be able to do one set of Pschonetric assessments at a time. You can have as many applications in as you like though.

Ive passed everything including mmi just DMI to do but ive applied for this whilst i wait

 

[PrimarchVulkan]

Hello and Good Evening!
Wandering who does the background checks for GWR?

 

[PrimarchVulkan]

Has anyone done both online assessments and passed them? And if u have what happens next? Do u get a date for the proper exams??

Hi Jaytrains,
You get your dates for stage 1 assessments, however, the assessments date itself? Can be anytime! TOC's dates are unpredictable, it could be a few months from now or a few weeks. It would be best to give them a ring next week.

 

[Stigy]

Hello and Good Evening!
Wandering who does the background checks for GWR?

In what respect?

 

[LeGrimpeur]

Are the first group online tests via opc or are they internal?

I’ve passed the sjt. Got an invite to the numerical test/ next stage.

 

[LeGrimpeur]

Edit: just read through the the thread which I should have done before posting, looks like they are internal tests.

 

[simonw22]

Ive applied today, done the sjt got an email 10mins later inviting me to do the next test which i did straight away. Ive passed stage 1 and 2 assessments including mmi so il sit and wait now. All the best to everyone.

 

[Stigy]

Ive applied today, done the sjt got an email 10mins later inviting me to do the next test which i did straight away. Ive passed stage 1 and 2 assessments including mmi so il sit and wait now. All the best to everyone.

Same here....and the online ones mentioned here....I just have to wait and see.

 

[PrimarchVulkan]

In what respect?

Hey Stigy,
Pre employment checks for GWR, reference check for this position of trainee train driver. What third party company does GWR's employee backchecks? Cheers

 

[Stigy]

Hey Stigy,
Pre employment checks for GWR, reference check for this position of trainee train driver. What third party company does GWR's employee backchecks? Cheers

If it’s the same as SWR they’ll use the DBS for criminal record checks and any referencing they’ll do themselves. Why do you ask? Just curious

 

[PrimarchVulkan]

If it’s the same as SWR they’ll use the DBS for criminal record checks and any referencing they’ll do themselves. Why do you ask? Just curious

Like to know in advance! I come from LUL, know little about TOCs, really friendly bunch and the checks were hassle free at LUL, unlike my previous company rude!