London Underground CSA to Tube Driver timeline?

[Jim123]

Evening all,

I'll put this out there to see if anyone has any idea. I know that this is more of a mainline site but if i don't ask i'll never know.

Does anyone have any idea as to how long you would have to work as a CSA(Customer services assistant) for TFL before they can apply for any tube driver positions (trainee obviously)? Is it a case that you're 'expected' to put a couple of years service in before you go for it or if there's some kind of pecking order or waiting list that you have to join to do it? I know it may be a bit of a vague one but any info would be grateful. It's just that i wouldn't want to be a CSA for ten years in order to get to a position where i can apply for a trainee tube driver if i wanted to do it.

Thanks All!

 

[Tubeboy]

You have to complete your probation, which in most cases is 6 months. Then you can apply. Most people who apply for driver jobs fail to get it. As fellow staff say, it's the hardest job to get, but the easiest to lose.
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If you are successful though, you would be placed on a waiting list. In some cases, it's quite a while.

 

[bionic]

I think it's quite easy to get a driver's job on the tube these days. I was a driver for 13 years and an instructor operator (DI) for 5. I worked a few lines and thoroughly enjoyed my years there. They don't recruit off the street (although they have in the past). There was a period of 3 or 4 years where nobody came through at all, but there has been a fair bit of recruitment from stations in the last few years. I used to love the job and training up new drivers but in the end I left for pastures new. It's not bad, as jobs go, but with the creeping introduction of auto trains and the politics on LU, if you want to be a train driver I strongly suggest the mainline is the way to go.

 

[Vicpaul]

As has been said you have to sit your probation before you can apply. It's can take a couple of yeas before you get a start date if you were to be successful.

For reference I applied December 2002 and didn't get a start date until June 2006 despite having 13 depots to go to.

My advice is to avoid it purely on the factors of it going ATO. mainline is a better option

 

[TheVicLine]

Not aware of any specific mapped route from CSA to train driver on LU unlike the mainline one that you seem to have a slight advantage applying with TOC's when going from train despatch-guard-driver. The only advantage that you would have is that you can apply for drivers positions when they are advertised internally which I guess could be a fairly big one.

I left LU a couple of years ago and they had just advertised for 100 or so internal staff to be put on a standby list for as and when positions and training courses became available. There were a very large amount of applicants and a lot of unsuccessful staff. I would think that there are still a few internals waiting though, it is a slow process.