Northern accepting Trainee Driver apps again...

[1Paul1]

Ye York was a great place, really enjoyed the bars down by the river. Some of the bars further inside the city were great but they were just far far too busy. Would love to go back, even as a choo choo driver!!

Best of luck with your applications anyway..
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Just wondering if anyone who has applied for the Manc, Liverpool or Wigan trainee driver roles have heard anything back yet?

I've heard nothing yet mate. Fingers crossed we here back sooner rather than later.

 

[stargazer]

Was the recent Leeds position only up for one day also? I only spotted it on the 18th which was the closing date.

What is the reasoning for such short adverts? A type of filter to only get potential candidates who are actively seeking the job? I didn't get the email alert either which I signed up for.

 

[ChrisTheRef]

Was the recent Leeds position only up for one day also? I only spotted it on the 18th which was the closing date.

What is the reasoning for such short adverts? A type of filter to only get potential candidates who are actively seeking the job? I didn't get the email alert either which I signed up for.

I think it's exactly that, trying to put down the number of applicants

 

[Neil73]

I think it can only be that. Mind you I suppose if you was quick enough to get an application in then you are one of a handful rather than the 4000+ that apply for these trainee jobs so that can only be a good thing

Mind you I wish they'd hurry along with the sift process and give us some (good) news :roll:

 

[stargazer]

I wonder how many applications thay got?

So Neil, you are still waiting for a response to the application form, from an application you sent in may? Yikes!

The suspense is driving me mad already. It's only been a week!

 

[Sammy h]

I got an e-mail regarding the Barrow position that the vacancy had been withdrawn due to a swap in the train crew (reshuffle)

Still waiting on the Wigan vacancy, fingers and toes crossed

 

[Neil73]

No Stargazer, the May application was for the trainee role at Blackpool which got pulled after I had completed the online visual test and got through the sift. Because I passed the sift my scores counted for the Manc/Liverpool/Wigan recruitment campaign which meant I didn't have to re-sit the test and now just wait for the application sift to see if I've made it to the next stage. I'm also sat in a 'talent pool' for any Blackpool vacancies that may arise in next couple of months.

The waiting game is a bit tense but it gives me more time to practice the GB test and reaction tests I suppose

 

[NI 271]

Was the recent Leeds position only up for one day also? I only spotted it on the 18th which was the closing date.

What is the reasoning for such short adverts? A type of filter to only get potential candidates who are actively seeking the job? I didn't get the email alert either which I signed up for.

I spotted it - and applied instantly, obv - last Wednesday (17th), and only by chance as the alerts I'd set up didn't trigger...

 

[stargazer]

I spotted it - and applied instantly, obv - last Wednesday (17th), and only by chance as the alerts I'd set up didn't trigger...

17th - yep! So excited I can't remember what day it was! I flew home from work as soon as I saw it to get the application in. My alert didn't trigger. Luckily it was after I should have finished work anyway when I spotted it!

 

[NI 271]

17th - yep! So excited I can't remember what day it was! I flew home front work as soon as I saw it to get the application in. My alert didn't trigger. Luckily it was after I should have finished work anyway when I spotted it!

Maybe they deliberately made the opening very short, and didn't send out the alerts, specifically so they know those who did apply were trawling their careers page? Probably unlikely, but if so I was very lucky to have been on an early shift and therefore able to be tooling around on the internet at night!

Anyway, good luck to all who applied.

 

[Dave1987]

Hi Guys

TOC's don't generally tend to widely advertise the trainee positions so they only get applicants who are truly dedicated to wanting to become a driver, ie ppl like yourselves who trawl the jobs pages every day.

Good luck to you!

Regards

David

Driver for GA

 

[ainsworth74]

TOC's don't generally tend to widely advertise the trainee positions so they only get applicants who are truly dedicated to wanting to become a driver, ie ppl like yourselves who trawl the jobs pages every day.

And they'll still get thousands of applications for often just a couple of jobs.

 

[Dave1987]

Indeed ive heard quotes of 3000 applicants for a handfull of positions on trainee courses.

Regards

David

 

[Geargrinder]

Indeed ive heard quotes of 3000 applicants for a handfull of positions on trainee courses.

Regards

David

This is indeed so. 4500 applied for 10 (possibly +another 10 in June 2013), trainee driver posts with Transpennine Express ! From reading the thread on this, TPE then computer/paper sifted 4500 straight down to 150 for testing. That 150 was down to around 20 after the tests, so it seems people are culled without mercy from the recruitment process. I think that your intitial application to any TOC has to hit the mark straight away, and that there is also a huge element of Luck involved...

 

[rochdalecowboy]

are northern rail drivers the lowest paid drivers on the network?

 

[Cherry_Picker]

The contracts of all companies is freely available on the internet. (via ASLEF)

It's not 100% up to date, but it's probably the most complete list you will find.

 

[rochdalecowboy]

could a train driver have another job and earn money outside the rail industry if he was employed as a driver?

 

[TheVicLine]

This is indeed so. 4500 applied for 10 (possibly +another 10 in June 2013), trainee driver posts with Transpennine Express ! From reading the thread on this, TPE then computer/paper sifted 4500 straight down to 150 for testing. That 150 was down to around 20 after the tests, so it seems people are culled without mercy from the recruitment process. I think that your intitial application to any TOC has to hit the mark straight away, and that there is also a huge element of Luck involved...

There were over 5000 external applicants for the 10 positions plus internal applicants on top of this too, or so TPE HR said at the first assessment as I asked. Crazy really.

 

[Silv1983]

are northern rail drivers the lowest paid drivers on the network?

Not the best, but far from worst. In January it will be roughly £41.5k per annum plus worked sundays (about 10 a year) add another £2k ontop.

Also, Northern have better working conditions than other local TOCs such as FTPE which is why many see out their careers with them.

 

[Geargrinder]

Not the best, but far from worst. In January it will be roughly £41.5k per annum plus worked sundays (about 10 a year) add another £2k ontop.

Also, Northern have better working conditions than other local TOCs such as FTPE which is why many see out their careers with them.

That's interesting. Other than FTPE having Sundays included as a normal working day, what other working conditions are better at Northern. I'm a hopeful Northern applicant who missed the cut with FTPE

 

[Dave1987]

Hi

The better paid drivers usually have traded in their conditions for extra pay. One example is for us on GA if we are spare we can only have our shift moved by 3 hours if we are given less than 24 hrs notice or something like that. Things like that.

I believe East Coast drivers are paid the most but dont have any of the conditions that drivers of other TOC's have. Apologies to East Coast drivers if I have got that wrong.

More basic pay does not always mean a better job. If you are paid more you might find that sundays are compulsary/You dont get extra money for overtime or bank holidays/They can chop and change your shift pattern, things like that.

Regards,

David

 

[Silv1983]

TPE drivers have links which often comprise working nearly 2 weeks without a break - whereas Northern never work more than 4 or 5 days without rest days. The pattern is also fixed over a 3 week cycle which includes a long weekend off. Northern is also quite a good company when it comes to helping drivers and other staff with personal issues that might affect their work; whereas I imagine First are quite impersonal.

 

[Beveridges]

In most links on mainline driving west side you never have to work more than 4 days in a row. No "enforced overtime" although apparantly certain managers put pressure on you to work it (or even threaten you) but I believe they can never really enforce it or discipline you for not turning up for unwanted overtime. In some companies with exceptionally poor T&C's you can't guarantee annual leave dates, which means you can never go on holiday. Some point in being on £50k if you can never go abroad??

Depot Drivers west side have best traincrew T&C's of the lot, which is why I'll stay where I am. Sometimes a higher salary is not worth it.

 

[TRACY TRAIN]

Have you heard anything yet? I'm also still awaiting a response about Wigan, the waiting is killing me. Checking my emails has become an obsession.

 

[Neil73]

Have you heard anything yet? I'm also still awaiting a response about Wigan, the waiting is killing me. Checking my emails has become an obsession.

Nope not yet. I've checked over my most recent e-mails from HR (10th Oct) and it stated that they will be in touch again in 4-6 weeks so I'm not expecting any news til around mid/end of November. It still doesn't stop me from checking them every day though!

 

[rochdalecowboy]

so I take it your all railenthuiasts going for these northern driver jobs ? as applying for jobs all over the northwest seems pretty desperate you do know that northern still have about 60 142's they'll ruin your back and posion your lungs although theyre suppose to be withdrawn in 2019 I wouldnt count on that lol

 

[Neil73]

so I take it your all railenthuiasts going for these northern driver jobs ? as applying for jobs all over the northwest seems pretty desperate you do know that northern still have about 60 142's they'll ruin your back and posion your lungs although theyre suppose to be withdrawn in 2019 I wouldnt count on that lol

Judging from your earlier posts regarding Northern Rail, I assume you're not a fan? The reason I've applied for jobs 'all over the Northwest' is because I live in the Northwest! And, NO I am not a rail enthusiast and YES I am desperate for a drivers role with Northern. Any more questions m'lurd?!

 

[skinnymat]

Judging from your earlier posts regarding Northern Rail, I assume you're not a fan? The reason I've applied for jobs 'all over the Northwest' is because I live in the Northwest! And, NO I am not a rail enthusiast and YES I am desperate for a drivers role with Northern. Any more questions m'lurd?!

I am in the same boat Neil73. I am applying for Northern jobs all the time and still waiting to hear back from them. Hopefully they will start the assesments soon and then I can get things moving. Good luck anyway

 

[stargazer]

so I take it your all railenthuiasts going for these northern driver jobs ? as applying for jobs all over the northwest seems pretty desperate you do know that northern still have about 60 142's they'll ruin your back and posion your lungs although theyre suppose to be withdrawn in 2019 I wouldnt count on that lol

No, I never knew that. Thanks for that nugget of information, I shall retract my application at once!

Edit - lol

 

[rochdalecowboy]

are you up for terrible shifts ,3am starts and 3am finishes (not the same shift obviously) ,incidents eg hitting a person ? how do you think you'd cope? or large animal ,having a brick thrown threw your window and ending up in hospital ,failures that go wrong ,and of course no matter what time of day or what degraded conditions your working too ,you have to be on the ball all the time even though alot of the journey is fairly boring?

theres no hard work what so ever in being a train driver infact its a fairly lazy job ,just the shifts and the diesel fumes to consider