Job Interview with Northern Rail

[woahmike]

Hi there,

This is my first post, but after doing a bit of Googling about exactly what I'm about to ask, a lot of results were pointing to archived threads on here - so I thought who better to ask than the guys on here.

I recently turned 18 in February, and applied for a job with Northern Rail as a Trainee Conductor Manchester Depots. I wouldn't call myself a train enthusiast, but they do interest me. I didn't really rate my chances of getting an interview, I have two years experience with customer service, but no A-Level qualifications and certainly no experience on the Railway.

Anyway today I was offered an interview which takes place on the 31st March in the Hilton Hotel, Manchester. I'm actually really excited, I've seen some people saying how they see being a conductor is a low-grade job nobody wants to do, to me £17,000 a year moving up to £25,000 is outstanding at the age of 18 with only GCSE's! On saying that, I am not applying for the money, this job really appeals for me!!

I was just wondering if anybody has previously or still does work for Northern and if they can give me some insight into the job. What can I expect day in day out? Are colleagues nice to work with? Being 18 will I be looked down upon? Also, what can I expect from the Conductor Psychometric Assessment?

Thanks in advance for the replies.

 

[notaspotter]

I was a conductor with Northern, based at Man Vic from 2000-2005 formerly FNW, until I went driving with them, now at TPE. Everyone at Man Vic are really nice and you will join a great railway family if you are based at Vic. No one looks down at anyone and you will always be offered help, may you need it. Daily life is book on, check notices, collect machine, and away you go on whatever is on your docket. End of shift, put in machine and check your times for your next turn of duty. Whilst out on the train you will be doing door operation duties, as well as revenue and customer service. Is a great job overall

 

[woahmike]

I was a conductor with Northern, based at Man Vic from 2000-2005 formerly FNW, until I went driving with them, now at TPE. Everyone at Man Vic are really nice and you will join a great railway family if you are based at Vic. No one looks down at anyone and you will always be offered help, may you need it. Daily life is book on, check notices, collect machine, and away you go on whatever is on your docket. End of shift, put in machine and check your times for your next turn of duty. Whilst out on the train you will be doing door operation duties, as well as revenue and customer service. Is a great job overall

Really appreciate the insight there. Reading about it seems the Rail Industry is an excellent place to be in terms of developing a career!

 

[hughavinalaf]

Hi Mike,i'm also attending on the 31st,so you wont be alone!
I'm a liitle bit older....but like you,i'm very excited and looking forward to the process and the potential of a new career.

 

[jadam35]

Hi there,

This is my first post, but after doing a bit of Googling about exactly what I'm about to ask, a lot of results were pointing to archived threads on here - so I thought who better to ask than the guys on here.

I recently turned 18 in February, and applied for a job with Northern Rail as a Trainee Conductor Manchester Depots. I wouldn't call myself a train enthusiast, but they do interest me. I didn't really rate my chances of getting an interview, I have two years experience with customer service, but no A-Level qualifications and certainly no experience on the Railway.

Anyway today I was offered an interview which takes place on the 31st March in the Hilton Hotel, Manchester. I'm actually really excited, I've seen some people saying how they see being a conductor is a low-grade job nobody wants to do, to me £17,000 a year moving up to £25,000 is outstanding at the age of 18 with only GCSE's! On saying that, I am not applying for the money, this job really appeals for me!!

I was just wondering if anybody has previously or still does work for Northern and if they can give me some insight into the job. What can I expect day in day out? Are colleagues nice to work with? Being 18 will I be looked down upon? Also, what can I expect from the Conductor Psychometric Assessment?

Thanks in advance for the replies.

Its certainly not a low grade job nobody wants as you will read on here. Remember £25000 is your basic pay. I am a Conductor at Vic and have earned £32500 this tax year, so if you are prepared to work the odd rest day you can have a decent living from the job. Good luck at your interview...

 

[woahmike]

Hi Mike,i'm also attending on the 31st,so you wont be alone!
I'm a liitle bit older....but like you,i'm very excited and looking forward to the process and the potential of a new career.

That's great, makes me feel a bit better actually! Is it a Group Interview do you know? I've been told to be there for 13:30, and ask for the Northern Rail Event. By the word "event", it sounded a bit like a group interview?

Its certainly not a low grade job nobody wants as you will read on here. Remember £25000 is your basic pay. I am a Conductor at Vic and have earned £32500 this tax year, so if you are prepared to work the odd rest day you can have a decent living from the job. Good luck at your interview...

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. I had been reading through other forums where people were saying things like "People don't want to be conductors, they just want to be drivers" etc along those lines. £32500 is crazy, I'm prepared to work whatever they throw at me though!

One other thing, I can't drive yet but I live about 25 miles outside Manchester, on a line that is directly connected to Manchester Pic via Northern Rail. Takes 45 mins on the train. Shouldn't be an issue should it?

 

[Louby]

That's great, makes me feel a bit better actually! Is it a Group Interview do you know? I've been told to be there for 13:30, and ask for the Northern Rail Event. By the word "event", it sounded a bit like a group interview?



Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. I had been reading through other forums where people were saying things like "People don't want to be conductors, they just want to be drivers" etc along those lines. £32500 is crazy, I'm prepared to work whatever they throw at me though!

One other thing, I can drive yet but I live about 25 miles outside Manchester, on a line that is directly connected to Manchester Pic via Northern Rail. Takes 45 mins on the train. Shouldn't be an issue should it?

Depends if you can get in for the early shift, which will prob be before the first train passes you?

 

[woahmike]

Depends if you can get in for the early shift, which will prob be before the first train passes you?

Relocating to Manchester in the summer, not in anticipation of this job, just due to personal reasons. Shouldn't be an issue getting there. As for in the mornings, father commutes to Manchester early every single day so not an issue there either. What is the earliest shifts tend to start?

 

[Louby]

Relocating to Manchester in the summer, not in anticipation of this job, just due to personal reasons. Shouldn't be an issue getting there. As for in the mornings, father commutes to Manchester early every single day so not an issue there either. What is the earliest shifts tend to start?

Not sure with conductors as I'm in the talent pool for drivers but I would say between 4-5 ( I stand corrected if I'm wrong )

 

[woahmike]

Not sure with conductors as I'm in the talent pool for drivers but I would say between 4-5 ( I stand corrected if I'm wrong )

Thanks for the info!

 

[jadam35]

Thanks for the info!

Earliest start at Vic is 4am, latest finish currently 01.39 so no trains running at that time...

 

[leigh1990]

Hi, just looking for a bit of background really, i passed the interview for a conductor role at Manchester Victoria last Tuesday and have been placed on the assessment centre on the 24th of this month. I have been studying the pack they have sent me and working through it quite alot. Anybody offer me any tips or advice for the assessment? it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Bluebri]

Relocating to Manchester in the summer, not in anticipation of this job, just due to personal reasons. Shouldn't be an issue getting there. As for in the mornings, father commutes to Manchester early every single day so not an issue there either. What is the earliest shifts tend to start?

Get your CBT done and a cheap scooter. Viola! Problem solved. Good luck.

 

[Beveridges]

I got a list of past Interview questions for most Northern roles. Which role are you after?

 

[387star]

Its certainly not a low grade job nobody wants as you will read on here. Remember £25000 is your basic pay. I am a Conductor at Vic and have earned £32500 this tax year, so if you are prepared to work the odd rest day you can have a decent living from the job. Good luck at your interview...

A conductor at barnham, once told me he made 40k but not sure ow serious he was

 

[K Amos]

I got a list of past Interview questions for most Northern roles. Which role are you after?

Do you have any for trainee train drivers?

 

[Withnailandi]

40k is achievable. I know of people who make that as a guard. 32k is about right with RD work and commission.

 

[dannyfj30]

Hi,

I have also passed my interview on the 1st April, and I have now been progressed to the final stages which is the psychometric testing on 24 april. I am really pleased, and I am really hoping I do pass. I have been sent the practice test materials which seems straight forward. any help or tips would be greatly received as i have not done these type of tests for about 4 years!

Thanks

Danny

 

[leigh1990]

Hi,

I have also passed my interview on the 1st April, and I have now been progressed to the final stages which is the psychometric testing on 24 april. I am really pleased, and I am really hoping I do pass. I have been sent the practice test materials which seems straight forward. any help or tips would be greatly received as i have not done these type of tests for about 4 years!

Thanks

Danny

Hi Danny you may have been at the same interview as me then! at Doubletree hotel in Manchester? how are you getting on with the practice stuff?? im finding it ok but i am dreading doing them for real!

 

[dannyfj30]

Yes i had my interview at the Doubletree hilton. Looking at the practice papers and going through them, it seems ok. the only thing i am trying to get my head round is that we will be timed on each section on the day. so have started to time myself but although the papers give the timings on them for each section, are we to to take it that this will be the actual times to complete each section on 24 april. if so i am just outside of this, but i will keep testing myself. How are you getting on?

 

[leigh1990]

Yes i had my interview at the Doubletree hilton. Looking at the practice papers and going through them, it seems ok. the only thing i am trying to get my head round is that we will be timed on each section on the day. so have started to time myself but although the papers give the timings on them for each section, are we to to take it that this will be the actual times to complete each section on 24 april. if so i am just outside of this, but i will keep testing myself. How are you getting on?

Im not to sure mate, iv just been practising every day, i am finishing them within the time limit set, but i wouldnt worry to much about that as it says that most people dont answer all the questions within the set time limit, think its more about the accuracy of your answers if im honest....i wonder how many vacancies there are!

 

[Andrew32]

i wouldnt worry to much about that as it says that most people dont answer all the questions within the set time limit, think its more about the accuracy of your answers if im honest...

Sound advice and totally correct
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Looking at the practice papers and going through them, it seems ok. the only thing i am trying to get my head round is that we will be timed on each section on the day. so have started to time myself but although the papers give the timings on them for each section, are we to to take it that this will be the actual times to complete each section on 24 april. if so i am just outside of this, but i will keep testing myself.

Just practice the material they send you, everything will be explained to you before each test

Go at your own pace as getting through less questions but getting them correct is better than completing loads and getting most of them wrong.

 

[dannyfj30]

Hi think they are recruiting a fair few, from what i could tell at the interview. Not had a time confirmed for the tests of the 24th have you? Thanks Andrew for that bit of advice which i am gladly going to follow. I am just not going to worry about it and I am sure will be fine!

 

[Andrew32]

No Problem mate

 

[leigh1990]

Hi think they are recruiting a fair few, from what i could tell at the interview. Not had a time confirmed for the tests of the 24th have you? Thanks Andrew for that bit of advice which i am gladly going to follow. I am just not going to worry about it and I am sure will be fine!

That's good if there's a fair few vacancies. And they confirm a time a week before mate I emailed HR.

 

[8J]

One thing to bear in mind. If you have been reading other threads on this forum, you will see that Northern Rail are notorious for placing candidates into the "Talent Pool". Essentially a holding pool and once vacancies on training schools become available, they place candidates from the pool on to the schools. The training courses cannot take a large quantity of people at once, therefore preference is given to the highest scoring candidates. I thought that you should know this in case you make plans around the job.

One other thing to bear in mind is that Manchester Vic depot crew will probably need to sign Cl319's for use on the Liverpool - Manchester Victoria services and therefore, training could coincide with when these units enter into service at the end of this year...

 

[hughavinalaf]

One other thing to bear in mind is that Manchester Vic depot crew will probably need to sign Cl319's for use on the Liverpool - Manchester Victoria services and therefore, training could coincide with when these units enter into service at the end of this year...

Which might suggest a training course starting late August(ish)

 

[hughavinalaf]

That's good if there's a fair few vacancies. And they confirm a time a week before mate I emailed HR.

Have you been given a time yet leigh?

 

[leigh1990]

Have you been given a time yet leigh?

Hi Mate, got an email yesterday afternoon confirming that we had to be there for 13:15 for a 13:30 start, did you not get an email??

 

[hughavinalaf]

Hi Mate, got an email yesterday afternoon confirming that we had to be there for 13:15 for a 13:30 start, did you not get an email??

Yep,got mine too,0945 arrival for 1000.

cheers