Northern Trainee Conductor - honest answers?

[T12EAD]

I am due to start with Northern in April as a trainee conductor working out of Hull. The course is at York I believe.

Just wondering if anybody can put my mind at ease and assure me I’m making a good decision by completely changing my career! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[LCC106]

It’s a safety critical job with lots of responsibility and shift work that can wreak havoc with your body. You may have to miss some family events from time to time unless you can swap shifts but… you get a mix of some weekends and some midweek days off depending on the rota, decent money, decent holidays, an opportunity to chat with passengers, and really the job is only as hard as you make it! Prepare for decent graft while learning rules, traction and routes but come with a professional approach and it’s all good.

 

[Oska]

Depends what your current career is, a guards job is not for everyone.

 

[LokiB]

I'm nearly a year in and honestly I love it.
As already mentioned it's shift work, swapping from earlies to late which can be a bit tough and missing social events if you can't swap/get holidays etc but the pros far outweigh the cons.

 

[Lewlew12]

I left a teaching career to become a conductor at Northern (also in Hull). I never regretted it and really enjoy the shifts. Plenty of rest day working is available so you'll be able to make a decent amount if you want to work extra.
You'll be amazed how much time off you seem to get.

The training will be proably harder than you're expecting. Its not the difficulty of the information just the sheer amount thrown at you.
Downsides include dealing with fare avaders and rowdy passengers on weekend. But if you don't take it personally its fine.
Ctms in Hull are spot on and will help you with any issues you have.
Your work colleagues are also a really good group of people and you'll be made welcome. There's always someone to ask if you're not sure about something.
Good luck - I won't get to meet you when you start as I'm about to leave to take up a drivers job with another company.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Once you start working shifts (assuming you haven't worked them previously) pay attention to your sleeping arrangements both in terms of time and environment. It can be really tough trying to go to bed at 2000 for a 0400 start in the middle of summer! Blackout curtains could be a good investment. And prepare for mealtimes being absolutely all over the place. Adjusting to railway shifts can be challenging but then all your colleagues have been through it so it's obviously doable!

 

[T12EAD]

Thank you all for your brilliant information, really got me excited to start the role. I’m currently a gas engineer for a big company so I’m used to an abundance of rules and regs. Looking forward to a new career!

 

[mart78]

Hi folks
I have sat my online tests and awaiting to here if i was successful. Currently work in ticket office , but see this as a way out of the current situation possibly. Have applied for manchester picc/vic. Can anybody tell me any information on shift patterns, overtime and sunday working and realistic earnings per month. Any info about the job would be appreciated really.

TIA