- Joined
- 21 Jan 2010
- Messages
- 5,553
Welcome to the Jobs and Careers Forum
This forum is here to help members discuss careers and job opportunities across the railway industry. We hope you find the information useful and feel comfortable joining the discussion.
What this forum is for
This forum covers a wide range of jobs and careers topics, including (but not limited to):
- Discussing advertised vacancies,
- Talking about roles with applicants, current staff, and other members
- Advice and questions about applications, interviews, and assessments
- General discussion about careers in the railway industry
- Questions about work experience or specific recruitment processes
To keep discussions helpful and easy to follow, very vague questions, duplicate threads, or off-topic posts may be moved or removed.
For example, threads like "How do I become a [job title]?" or "When will X recruit again?" are likely to be removed or are covered elsewhere.
Please use the Search function before starting a new thread — it often answers questions more quickly than waiting for replies.
Reporting concerns
If you feel a post or thread doesn’t follow these guidelines or the wider forum rules, please use the Report button at the bottom of the post. This alerts the moderation team so we can take a look.
Commonly discussed roles
Some roles generate a lot of questions, particularly drivers, signallers, and the assessment/medical process. To keep information in one place, we have dedicated threads:
- Train drivers: main thread here | beginner’s guide here
- Signallers: discussion thread here
- Assessments & medicals: master thread here
These threads are extensive, so please read through them carefully and use the Search function within the thread.
We also have specific threads covering routes, depots, and traction which train crew ‘sign’:
If you have information to add or spot something that needs updating, contributions are always welcome.
Vacancies and recruitment threads
Please keep an eye out for ongoing discussions - for example, we’ve an ongoing discussion about trainee Driver recruitment by ScotRail here.
We ask that vacancies aren’t shared to the forum without wider discussion points. We recommend that you sign up to job alerts for companies you’d be interested in working for rather than relying on someone posting a link here!
Duplicate threads may be merged to keep all applicants in one place and encourage shared discussion.
Finding railway jobs
This forum is not a job listings site, and members can’t offer sponsorship for PTS or other qualifications. Threads asking how to find a railway job are therefore likely to be closed.
Vacancies are usually advertised via:
- Train Operating Company (TOC) or group websites
- Freight Operating Company (FOC) websites
- Network Rail careers
- General job sites (e.g. Indeed, Reed)
- Railway recruitment agencies
- Civil Service Jobs (for DfT / ORR roles)
If you’re already partway through a recruitment process, there may be an existing thread for that vacancy - please search before posting.
A note on competitiveness and timescales
Railway recruitment can be extremely competitive, particularly for roles such as drivers, signallers, and guards. In some cases, application ratios can be very high.
If you’re unsuccessful, don’t be discouraged - many members have applied multiple times before succeeding. These threads may be helpful:
Recruitment processes can take months or even years, and some companies use talent pools where applicants wait for a vacancy to arise. If you’re unsure about your status, your employer’s recruitment team is best placed to advise.
Some roles are classed as safety-critical and require medical assessments and drug and alcohol screening. This will be stated in the job advert.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the forum moderators or an admin.
Current moderators: @Horizon22 and @transportphoto