GTR recruiting again

[mikey_1966]

Yes, I am starting with them on June 1st!

Hi

When you had your DMI, what questions were asked and what replies did you give?

 

[scaper28]

Hi

When you had your DMI, what questions were asked and what replies did you give?

Here

assumed was still on first page so didn't bother with link earlier

 

[mikey_1966]

Thanks scraper28.

 

[l0c0m0t1ve]

Cheers for linking that scaper28

I completely forgot about that one and was about to write it all over again here

 

[Bobbybox]

Know it's a bit random but does anyone know the shift pattern for GTR Tia

 

[inthearea]

week of earlies then week of lates and a week of nights every 5 or 6 weeks or something like that

 

[A-driver]

Know it's a bit random but does anyone know the shift pattern for GTR Tia

Depends on the depot. Generally on the GN it's a week early then a week late with nights every so often depending how much might work the depot has. Swap early to late on the Sunday (ie late sat then early mon or early sat, early or lat sun then late mon).

Roughly every othe Saturday on (subject to change in December with Moorgate opening) and a long weekend every 4 weeks (ie off Friday to Tuesday inclusive).

 

[Chamber]

week of earlies then week of lates and a week of nights every 5 or 6 weeks or something like that

How do the start times differ between lates and nights please.

 

[A-driver]

How do the start times differ between lates and nights please.

Again I am only speaking for the GN side but depot depending early book on between roughly 0430-0830, most earlies book on around 5-6. Lates book on as early as 1215 and as late as 1730 and nights between about 2100-2230.

All depends on the specific depot and changes every 6months as the diagrams are changed.

Currently a maximum diagram length is 09:54 so an early could be 0500-1454 for example.

Most lates (even the last few book one) will book off by about 0100 latest. Nights will generally book off between 0600-0700.

 

[Chamber]

xxxxxx

 

[A-driver]

Thank you for the reply. Ill be starting as a trainee driver at Hitchin with end of June start date, just waiting for the contract

Ok, then all the above is relevant to you. If you don't want nights then most depots (including Hitchin) have regular night men who'll bite your arm off for a swap. Pretty easy swapping to any shift though if you don't want earlies/lates etc.

 

[trickytrucker]

Ok, then all the above is relevant to you. If you don't want nights then most depots (including Hitchin) have regular night men who'll bite your arm off for a swap. Pretty easy swapping to any shift though if you don't want earlies/lates etc.

I'm going to presume this will also apply to Cambridge depot...I too start in June but on the 1st.

 

[A-driver]

I'm going to presume this will also apply to Cambridge depot...I too start in June but on the 1st.

Yes, very similar times at Cambridge. Nights are dead easy to give away at Cambridge to as they are generally very easy jobs-basically shunt the yard all night unlike Hitchin/kings x who do a fair bit of driving and work the late night and early morning trains from places like Welwyn/letchworth/Cambridge/Royston/peterborough.

 

[Chamber]

xxxxxx

 

[A-driver]

Thanks for the wealth of info. Would there be any premiums apply to night driving or is it some folk just prefer the nights.

No same money all round regardless of nights. Just some people prefer always doing nights and some hate doing any!

 

[Chamber]

xxxxxxxxxxx

 

[trickytrucker]

Yes, very similar times at Cambridge. Nights are dead easy to give away at Cambridge to as they are generally very easy jobs-basically shunt the yard all night unlike Hitchin/kings x who do a fair bit of driving and work the late night and early morning trains from places like Welwyn/letchworth/Cambridge/Royston/peterborough.

Thankyou for your reply greatly appreciated.

 

[Chamber]

xxxxx

 

[A-driver]

So I take it you always clock on at your depot. Is there any cycle to work schemes with GTR?

No cycle to work scheme but you are always paid from the time you book on at your Home Depot until the time you book off at the same location. So if a Cambridge driver finishes in London they are paid to travel back. If they finish in Cambridge yard they are paid to walk back. You are able to book on elsewhere though (any of the 5 depots plus Hornsey, Welwyn or letchworth). So if you are a Hitchin driver but your job starts (or ends) at Welwyn you can go straight there to book on.

 

[Chamber]

xxxxx

 

[A-driver]

Is that as the yard is far from the station?

Would there be any parking for staff or is it same as normal commuter parking? Im planning on cycling to Hitchin station as its only 1.5miles from my house.

Cambridge yard is about 20min walk from the driver singing on point. You shouldnt have a problem getting a cr park pass for your Home Depot, it's all free etc. Kings cross can be a little more problematic as there is no car park except at St Pancras. Hitchin and Cambridge are no problem though.

 

[Bobbybox]

Would Blackfriars have the same sort of shift pattern as the ones mentioned above have TIA

 

[Class2ldn]

Blackfriars is 4 day week long weekend every 3rd week so you have mon Tues off then wed Thursday the next week then Friday Saturday Sunday then back into the Monday Tuesday off so 5 days off.
Rostered 1 Sunday every other week give or take. 1 weeks notice to chuck it in or go permanently not available for sundays.
No starts before 5 am (cover) and latest finish is 0150 but your generally done well before that and then it's a taxi home. Taxis are available for shifts starting around 5am or finishing around or after midnight. Works sutton loop sevenoaks and brighton to Bedford.

 

[class373]

I read somewhere that on your training course you will be flown out to Germany can anyone clarify?

 

[A-driver]

I read somewhere that on your training course you will be flown out to Germany can anyone clarify?

Wouldn't have thought so! There are training and commissioning drivers being recruited from the driving grade to test and teach the 700s to other drivers who will go to
Germany.

 

[Class2ldn]

Yeah its just the test drivers who are going out there.

 

[Chamber]

xxxxx

 

[A-driver]

Parking spot sounds ace, tho with my current job its pretty physical, so Id try to cycle in on early shifts as minimum. So if signing on at a different depot, do you get paid to travel in from your home depot? And as you said previously about getting paid between depot and station, how is ot calculated?

Ive read on another thread, during training youll be paid between home depot and hornsey.

All walking and signing times are calculated by actually walking them so for example you are diagrammed (and paid) 9 mins to walk from the mess room to the platform at kings cross. From memory I believe you are given about 20mins to walk from Cambridge yard to the drivers depot as it involves a long walk along the line, over mill lane bridge and skirting round the car park etc.

During training, unless it's changed recently, you do get paid to travel from your depot to Hornsey. The reason is that you are contracted to work from your Home Depot. If they want you elsewhere then they pay you to get there. Otherwise a kings Lynn driver who lives 5min from the station and so applied to work there will find themselves having a 2+hour commute to work and same home again.

You don't get paid extra to book on elsewhere if you choose to book on there so if you choose to park in a yard so your car is there when you finish then you won't be paid the extra. but if they ask you to work another depots diagram from spare or rest day work then you are paid to get from your depot and back. So if a Cambridge man was asked to work a kings cross job which starts with the 1505 from kings cross they would be booked on and paid at Cambridge at about 1330 to travel pass on the 1347 in order to be in time to work the 1505, even though the kings cross diagram probably wouldn't book on until about 1445. Same applies with finishing-they would give you walking time to catch your train back to Cambridge and pay you for the journey back. If you were in too late to catch the last train back they would have to book you a taxi but the same applies-taxi times are calculated so you are paid for the duration of the journey.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Chamber]

xxxxx

 

[A-driver]

That's quiet a sweet set up travelling and getting paid for it. I guess it stops ppl from feeling punished for traveling further to sign on then others as they're compensated for it. So is all that part of the working hours for the day or is it on top? Is all over time flat rate?

Sorry for all the questions, I've been dying to post some of these but held off until I passed all assessments and interviews. [emoji4]

All flat rate. Rest day work is paid at a higher rate.

It's not really a sweet set up-just getting paid for what you work. If you are contacted to work at Hitchin then you need to be paid to start and finish there. If the company want you to start or finish at Cambridge instead then they need to pay you to get there or back. If they want you to finish at Cambridge after the last train back has left then it's up to them to get you back to your work location via a taxi if needed.