How 2 Become a Train Driver Course

[Steads]

Has anyone been on the one day 'How 2 Become a Train Driver' course in Kent?
I'm going on mine in November but just wondered if it has been any help to anyone. There are still spaces left for Sunday 11th November and it's about £100. Details on 'How 2 Become' website. It all helps I suppose!!!

 

[Darandio]

Very interesting, I had never noticed that place before.

However, the million dollar question would be whether any TOC/FOC looks favourably on this day of training. Anyone know? I don't suppose it can do any harm.

 

[GB]

The harm it will do is needlessly reduce your bank account by £100 and possibly give people false hope or a false impression of being able to attain a drivers job.

No worthwhile TOC or FOC will care about this 1 day "training"

 

[Greenback]

The harm it will do is needlessly reduce your bank account by £100 and possibly give people false hope or a false impression of being able to attain a drivers job.

No worthwhile TOC or FOC will care about this 1 day "training"

My feelings are pretty similar. On eof my first questions would be 'What are the credentials of those running the course?', swiftly followed by 'What accreditation do they have within the industry?'.

 

[Darandio]

The harm it will do is needlessly reduce your bank account by £100 and possibly give people false hope or a false impression of being able to attain a drivers job.

No worthwhile TOC or FOC will care about this 1 day "training"

Well yes, harmed financially. But by harm I meant that it won't do any harm to your prospects of attaining a job, but it equally won't do any good as well.

 

[Steads]

Well yes, harmed financially. But by harm I meant that it won't do any harm to your prospects of attaining a job, but it equally won't do any good as well.

The course is designed to help with application forms, assessments and interview techniques. I agree that Tocs would not be interested in this course and I'm not doing it to even mention it on an application or at interview. It is just something to hopefully just freshen me up on appliction forms and interviews, neither of which l have done in a while. It's not a course on how to drive a train!!!

 

[Darandio]

It's not a course on how to drive a train!!!

Nobody said it was!

I can see why it would be useful though, in terms of freshening you up on applications etc. All I can say is good luck and also pop back and let us know how it went, how useful you found it etc.

 

[Steads]

Nobody said it was!

I can see why it would be useful though, in terms of freshening you up on applications etc. All I can say is good luck and also pop back and let us know how it went, how useful you found it etc.

Sorry, that was not meant to sound rude (not a course on how to drive a train). I was just joking! I will go on the course and indeed let you all know how it goes. If I've wasted a £100 it's just a pair of shoes the wife will have to go without!!!

 

[BLS]

Wouldn't bother with the course but I'd definitely recommend the DVD (there's one for the managers interview, too). You can probably get the same info online but they both helped me no end. Can get them both cheaper on eBay

 

[Lanc688]

Wouldn't bother with the course but I'd definitely recommend the DVD (there's one for the managers interview, too). You can probably get the same info online but they both helped me no end. Can get them both cheaper on eBay

I got hold of the DVD also to assist with the interview and the book to assist with the application.

The book was reasonably useful for filling out the application and helping me with this aspect.

The managers interview DVD was useful for generic interview information, although I take umbridge at his reasoning on attitide towards sickness. He incinuated that you DON'T go sick (or that's the attitude towards any job at least) which to me would encourage the compromising of safety. Ok, I don't have the train job yet, but I would suggest that to even slightly hint that we should all be superhuman and hide any ailments is wrong.

The whole thing lost a little credibility at that point, however for someone such as me who has no experience of the process as a whole, it was worth the small amount of money.

I wouldn't however take the course....the info on this board is free !

Regards
Lanc

 

[the stripler]

I have just been offered a train drivers job with Scotrail.....
I used the scotrail website along with online blogs and forums, here you will find all the info needed along with self application to have a chance with getting that elusive job......

If you wanna blow £100 go ahead, but there are other resources there which are free.

Just my opinion mind...

 

[E&W Lucas]

Has anyone been on the one day 'How 2 Become a Train Driver' course in Kent?
I'm going on mine in November but just wondered if it has been any help to anyone. There are still spaces left for Sunday 11th November and it's about £100. Details on 'How 2 Become' website. It all helps I suppose!!!

Someone is just trying to make their living, out of your desire to secure a better one.

Any advice thry are able to give, is available free online. If I were you, I'd seek to get my money back.

 

[NHG66]

I have a conditional job offer from FGW, as others have said and I can attest to.....all the info you need is here on the net for free, this is where I got all of my info. Use the 100 quid saved to treat the missus and kids to a slap up meal

Best of luck with your application.

 

[E&W Lucas]

Just had a look at the online publicity for this. Read with care, it's very cleverly written. The "expert" has considerable experience in the recruitment industry, and in preparing people for the selection process (ie by doing this course).

I have never come across the recruitment industry being involved in driver recruitment.

A personal observation - this is a career for people that are self - reliant, and who get things right without supervision. eg If you need someone to proof - read your application form, I doubt it is the right job for you. As for the selecton tests, they are aptitude based. No amount of courses can give you aptitude; you're born with it, or you're not.

I passed the tests without any special "insider help" - so did the others who were successful on that day.

 

[Steads]

Just had a look at the online publicity for this. Read with care, it's very cleverly written. The "expert" has considerable experience in the recruitment industry, and in preparing people for the selection process (ie by doing this course).

I have never come across the recruitment industry being involved in driver recruitment.

A personal observation - this is a career for people that are self - reliant, and who get things right without supervision. eg If you need someone to proof - read your application form, I doubt it is the right job for you. As for the selecton tests, they are aptitude based. No amount of courses can give you aptitude; you're born with it, or you're not.

I passed the tests without any special "insider help" - so did the others who were successful on that day.

Thank you for all your comments regarding this subject and in fairness your probably all right. I booked this course earlier in the year when my knowledge of the recruitment process and industry was not as it is now. I did try and get a refund but could not get one, so rather than completely waste the money l am going in November. I am very capable of submitting a good application form, have several books on the assessments and can hit a mean score of 119 on 'bop it'!!! so l don't think l now need this course. I think my enthusiasm got the better of me! I will go anyway and let you all know what l think. Thanks again and l have certainly learnt a hell of a lot from this forum. A £100 poorer want to be train driver!

 

[AlexRostron]

Thank you for all your comments regarding this subject and in fairness your probably all right. I booked this course earlier in the year when my knowledge of the recruitment process and industry was not as it is now. I did try and get a refund but could not get one, so rather than completely waste the money l am going in November. I am very capable of submitting a good application form, have several books on the assessments and can hit a mean score of 119 on 'bop it'!!! so l don't think l now need this course. I think my enthusiasm got the better of me! I will go anyway and let you all know what l think. Thanks again and l have certainly learnt a hell of a lot from this forum. A £100 poorer want to be train driver!

**** YOU RICHARD MCMUNN. You're interview DVD was the worst thing I've watched...ever. I wouldn't give you a job you bald shmuck. (no offence to any other bald people out there!) The only job you're good for is sending people to sleep....what a con artist. As previously mentioned by everyone all the information is available for free online, someone lent me his How 2 become a train driver book, it was laughable...I notice there's a whole range in the How 2 series which I expect are pretty much exactly the same content doctored to fit each job to make money out of people trying to join an industry they love.:-x rant over. don't give your money to this guy.

 

[GB]

I remember a while back on here about the online mechanical comprehension tests from H2B having wrong answers.:roll:

 

[E&W Lucas]

Many of the other jobs featured on the site, require very specific personal qualities and aptitudes. Police, HM Forces Officers, etc. Very much "dream jobs" for many.

You can watch all the videos you want; without those qualities, you won't pass their selection processes.

 

[Mix107]

I remember a while back on here about the online mechanical comprehension tests from H2B having wrong answers.:roll:

Richard McMunn also produces a fairly new book called 'Train Driver Tests'. It focuses on 2 tests, trainability for rules and procedures - Dials and Group Bourdon - Dots. I found the tests very helpful in preparing, especially the 50 blocks of dots. However it would of helped if it had been proofread better as the answers contain about 9 wrong answers to the dot tests, with one missing altogether. This is not the sort of book you can sell with wrong numbers of dots given. I had to double check numerous times to make sure it wasn't me missing them or counting too many. However for practising the paper version which I passed with GA, I still found it helpful for testing 10 mins concentration under pressure.

Also read the H2B book which again has a few practice tests in it which are helpful and I've watched the Interview DVD before I discovered this forum and completed the process. The problem is both materials are becoming outdated, as some TOC's don't use the mechanical tests anymore and the Interview DVD questions aren't necessarily the ones you get asked. My manager's interview with GA was more customer focused and didn't get asked about the role of a train driver or why do you want the job. The problem is one book/DVD can't cover all TOC's. The best advice is on here as other uses can give you advice on each specific TOC based on their experiences.

So to sum it up, the tests books can be helpful/useful but be mindful of any misprints.