Hi all, so after years of applying & many interviews I have finally gotten my start date for Network Rail in London, I'll be starting the 03/01/17 so it's a good start to the new year I'm very happy. I'd just like to ask what is the norm for the first day? I've no previous track experience but I do have a PTS on a course I paid for myself. I'm feeling very nervous but also very excited to be starting my new career! I'd also like to thank many of you who have helped with questions I've posted in the past, this site has been a great help! Thank you!
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Operative First Day
- Thread starter DylanUK
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Dude, everyone knows that the first day involves finding that you know absolutely nothing! ha ha ha.
Seriously Dylan, stop worrying about what is to come. Enjoy it, pay attention, do your homework.
Congratulations. Have fun.
Bromley boy
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If it's anything like the first day at a TOC, you might just find yourself starting another PTS course! A guy on my trainee driver course had previously worked in S&T and had a valid PTS but still had to take the TOC's PTS course along with the rest of us.
ItchyRsole
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First day you'll be told about the company, site and company induction, group chat to see where you've all come from etc to settle the nerves. They'll explain your training plan if you need one or the job role and times of breaks, shift patterns etc. who to call about sickness, where you go if there's a fire, all that boring stuff. Chill, it'll be fine and well done and good luck.
Sorry missed the start date, hope all goes well. And would be interesting to hear how you got on. What you did. Thanks
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So how are you finding it ? What have you been doing since starting. Very interested to know as hopefully be me this year !
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So how are you finding it ? What have you been doing since starting. Very interested to know as hopefully be me this year !
I love it, received all my PPE and meeting my gang was great. I was nervous but
settled in quickly, you get allocated a buddy to help you learn as you go along. I've never had railway experience before except the PTS course I put myself through, I'm booked in for some courses to use machinery and such as you can't use much unless to have tickets to do so. It's great banter with the lads too, we all support different football clubs so the banter and joking is high. It's a great job, I'm looking forward to learning more and getting to know my gang better. Good luck to anybody applying, it's taken me years but I kept applying kept getting interviews and was successful in the end, just read through these forum pages and keep trying and you will eventually get there in the end!!
settled in quickly, you get allocated a buddy to help you learn as you go along. I've never had railway experience before except the PTS course I put myself through, I'm booked in for some courses to use machinery and such as you can't use much unless to have tickets to do so. It's great banter with the lads too, we all support different football clubs so the banter and joking is high. It's a great job, I'm looking forward to learning more and getting to know my gang better. Good luck to anybody applying, it's taken me years but I kept applying kept getting interviews and was successful in the end, just read through these forum pages and keep trying and you will eventually get there in the end!!
Great to here well done! What department are you an operative in? Do you know what sort of shifts you will be doing. Thanks for replying great insight in what I hope is to come for me. Cheers
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Last thing I have read many different things on these forums regarding night and weekend rates. 10% 20% ect have you an idea on what these are ?
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Last thing I have read many different things on these forums regarding night and weekend rates. 10% 20% ect have you an idea on what these are ?
Have you got any tips for the interview. I've got mine next week for an operative working in norfolk.
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I'm in p-way maintenance department, its physical work and I enjoy it. Shifts are over a roster which is a mixture of days and nights weekdays and weekends.
For the interview just look up the 8 non-technical skills, basically a competency interview of which questions start with "can you tell me a time when...." it's nothing too difficult just be honest and be yourself and just think about what your saying. As for the rates of nights and stuff I'm not really sure, I've only done one night shift so far but didn't really ask.
For the interview just look up the 8 non-technical skills, basically a competency interview of which questions start with "can you tell me a time when...." it's nothing too difficult just be honest and be yourself and just think about what your saying. As for the rates of nights and stuff I'm not really sure, I've only done one night shift so far but didn't really ask.
Operative is just the grade.
NR use Operative, Technician, and Team Leader grades across the P-Way, S&T and E&P.
What complicates things is all staff across Britain are on different conditions, dating from the IMC days.
They did try to harmonise them, but that was heavily rejected, as they just plucked the worst from all different packages!
The latest pay deal offered, (and will hopefully be rejected), has proposed new conditions for new entrants, so you probably got in at the right time Dylan!
NR use Operative, Technician, and Team Leader grades across the P-Way, S&T and E&P.
What complicates things is all staff across Britain are on different conditions, dating from the IMC days.
They did try to harmonise them, but that was heavily rejected, as they just plucked the worst from all different packages!
The latest pay deal offered, (and will hopefully be rejected), has proposed new conditions for new entrants, so you probably got in at the right time Dylan!
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What do you mean by different conditions? Any specifics being proposed ?
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What do you mean by different conditions?
any specifics ?
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What do you mean by different conditions?
any specifics ?
No. It was briefly mentioned in the RMT Circular. The paltry pay offer, leave in hours, team size by task. Just the usual attack on jobs and conditions then :roll:
"Standard terms and conditions for new starters within maintenance - to agree a set of national terms and conditions for front line maintenance employees for implementation in mid-2017"
Oh right ok, are you currently a operative ? Or do you know what the night premium is as it's been quite hard to find, curious is all as heard a few different rates floating about.
Thanks
No, I'm not an operative
You'll find it difficult to find terms without knowing which former IMC (Infrastructure Maintenance Company) area you are in, i.e. Amec, Amey, Balfour Beatty, First Engineering, GTRM and Jarvis.
Unite have a list of conditions, but some of these are many years out of date, but do form a lot of the existing conditions that have been adjusted over the years since we were brought back in house.
Find out what IMC was in the area you are applying for, and work it out from there.
But as I posted, it looks like NR want to harmonise by the back door.
No, I'm not an operative
You'll find it difficult to find terms without knowing which former IMC (Infrastructure Maintenance Company) area you are in, i.e. Amec, Amey, Balfour Beatty, First Engineering, GTRM and Jarvis.
Unite have a list of conditions, but some of these are many years out of date, but do form a lot of the existing conditions that have been adjusted over the years since we were brought back in house.
Find out what IMC was in the area you are applying for, and work it out from there.
But as I posted, it looks like NR want to harmonise by the back door.
Thanks for the reply, yeah will do. Forgive me if I sound a bit of a dimwit but what do you mean by harmonise by the back door ?
NR made an offer to bring all former IMC staff on to the same conditions, which, on the face of it, sounds like a sensible idea. However, the conditions being offered took the worst of all the conditions combined, with none of the benefits. It was heavily rejected, and the idea went quiet, until now.
With the current (terrible) pay offer, they're offering a standard set of conditions for new starts, bringing in yet another set of conditions.
What I mean by bringing in harmonisation through the back door is whether this is only for anyone who enters service from a certain date in the future, or will apply to any existing employee who applies for promotion or transfer as well.
I see, seems to be alot going on at the moment then. Thanks again for the reply finding all the info on these forums useful.
No I won't I've been trying for a while now. Recently done some weeding on my application which I hope will improve my chances, sounds like a good place to work with a career if your willing to put the work in. My application tends to always go under consideration but fails to make the cut for the next stage. From what I've read on here the best thing is to just keep trying, which I intend on doing.
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