IT Jobs

[AndyP]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone here could give me advice about IT jobs avaliable in TOC's?
I also enjoy planning and would definatly like the idea of becoming a timetable planner.
I have written to some TOC's but I get just get a standard letter back saying that there are no positions avaliable and to look on their vacancies page, which never advertise these type of roles.

Whats the best way of getting in to these positions? Does it help to have contacts? What about Railway recruitment agencies?

Hope someone can help
Andy

 

[Mojo]

I have seen a number of trainee train planner jobs on many TOC websites and they all seem to request a transport or logistics related degree.

 

[91101]

Train Planning and Trainee Train Planners come up regularly especially with Southern, South Eastern and FCC for some reasons. The salary isn't great through training, but you end up with about 22-25k depending on what job you eventually slot into. There's quite a few different roles within train planning, from LTP and STP work, Service, Unit or Train Crew planners. All quite complex, and the guys that we have at my company have a wealth of experience amongst them, what they couldn't tell you about rules of the route, minimum turnarounds, Hidden is not worth knowing!

As for IT, IT within TOC's seems to be like IT within everyothe company I've ever worked for "Have you turned it off and back on again?" "I'll come around in an hour" only no one ever does!!!!

 

[Mojo]

There's quite a few different roles within train planning, from LTP and STP work, Service, Unit or Train Crew planners. All quite complex, and the guys that we have at my company have a wealth of experience amongst them, what they couldn't tell you about rules of the route, minimum turnarounds, Hidden is not worth knowing!

Which is of course something a degree will never teach you, presumably why such entry level jobs are only posted as "trainee _____."

 

[91101]

There does appear to be a relatively high turnover of staff withing Train Planning Units, be that that people move up within the company, or just dont hack it I don't know, I have my suspicions that its the later given the complexity of the task involved.

I know that TPU's often get slated for mistakes made with diagrams especially on STP's, but at the end of the day, they do a fantastic job of putting the service together given the short timescales, and restrictions placed upon them by the commercial interests of the company, and by Network Rail.

 

[AndyP]

Thanks for the info.

I have checked many TOC's websites but cannot find anything at the moment, but I will keep checking.
I regularly check Northern Rail and Transpennine Express's websites but mostly see customer service forcused vacancies.

I have a Bsc in Computer Science (2:1) but I guess this would not be eligible for a trainee train planner job.