SWR - Trainee Driver - Recruitment Discussion

[Bfour21]

Cheers man, thanks for the reassurance. Yeah no, I know what the entire process entails, just find it a bit mad that well over a year can pass and you haven’t had the chance to even begin the psychometrics/assessment process, just the very short situational judgment questions you do straight after submitting your application… it is what it is, I will continue to persevere. I’ve been regularly checking in with recruitment every now and again (who have been lovely throughout and been very reassuring considering they have tons to get through and can’t confirm anything) so all I can do is keep faith. I wanted to send this also to give some hope to anyone who may be lurking about who are in the exact same situation as I am in. It’s a very long piece of string…

I see, sorry yeah got the wrong end of the stick and see what you mean now! That is a long time for sure, but for now you've done what you can in contacting recruitment and had reassurance from them. Totally as incoming2026 says, your still in the mix and there are plenty who aren't with it being so competitive so take some confidence & reassurance from that

 

[I2026]

Hi all

I am also going through the process for Bournemouth. I applied in August 2025 and took my psychometric assessments late September (computerised) and then early October (paper), so from application to assessments it went quite quickly.

I was told at the end of the paper assessments day the DMI was next, as off now I am still waiting for the DMI, my educated estimate for the interview would be March-April time, and I’m then hoping a few weeks following that for MMI. So start date around 10-12 months from initial application which seems about right from what I’ve read on here.
If anyone has had similar experience I’d be keen to hear - I am debating ringing the Recruitment Team to show interest but don’t want to appear too keen or waste their time! In the meantime I’m continuing to sharpen my interview skills and delivery.

I come from a background in safety critical roles in aviation and have a private pilot’s licence which I would hope will help demonstrate ability to stay calm under pressure and follow SOPs etc.

Here’s hoping for an email soon for the next bit. Of course I don’t want to wish my time away but it can’t come soon enough. :- )
Also relocating back ‘home’ to the west side of the New Forest to be comfortably within distance.
Congratulations to those of you who are through and have courses, and good luck to those of you in my position.

Best regards

Hiya. So having scoured the forums for info I get the impression SWR are pretty swift at all this recruitment stuff. I have a few people I am in contact with re time lines and from application to assessments seem very fast, it is DMI and MMI where it gets a bit more stretched out. I would say expect 12 months minimum from applying to start but likely more. Someone else on here posted that SWR have 12 cohorts of 12 starters for training this year, these must be for various depots where vacancies are arising first. I get the impression Waterloo and Bournemouth may be two of those from what I have read. Having said that, I have applied for 3 separate depots and having discussed this with recruitment they are very open that you can apply for as many depots as you like and hedge your bets. My understanding is that each depot has it's own "list" which they work through in order. What I am unsure about though is whether they insert people higher up in the list based on scored and therefore those who have scored closer to the lower end of pass mark remain stagnant at the bottom of the list, as others keep getting put ahead. I don't know anything about the process so this is conjecture, but what I will say is I found the tests fairly easy and I am pretty sure I scored highly - I seem to have been rushed through the initial stages and completed application, SJT, 2 x assessments and DMI all within 5 weeks. I have a neurodiversity which allows me to complete complex tasks fairly well, and with a long background in the emergency services I felt pretty comfortable with the tests.

However I am now stuck waiting for MMI. I can't start training until later this year anyway so it suits me, but I am terrified that I am going to be forgotten. I guess just have to play the waiting game though. I have called recruitment a few times back in December and they always seem helpful and keen, but I guess they field a lot of enquiries and I don't want to become an issue so I have not contacted them since other than once this month. The response was there are no dates for MMI and they will be in touch. I know of a couple of others they have said this too as well, and someone just had their MMI on here who had their DMI last October so it looks like DMI - MMI is a few months at best maybe longer.

I found some current drivers online as part of my prep and befriended them by buying them beers at local pubs, so have a good source of information and have been told a great deal about the current situation. I am told that there are a lot of retirements coming up within SWR over the next 2 years so there will be a large influx. I think last year was SWR's largest intake for a while with this year being set to match.

To w11_supremacy who posted above re waiting for assessments, I don't really know what to suggest as it does seem odd you haven't had yours yet. That's well over a year from application - Did you apply for a quirky station? However you are still in the process so that has to be a good thing? I think they progress candidates for depots where they anticipate the next vacancies coming up, so for example if they know they have 4 retirees this year at Woking, they would then progress Woking applicants so they are in a position to start training and commence to replace those candidates etc. It must be a complex task so I don't envy them. Interesting point I raised with recruitment - the tests last 5 years however the interviews last 12 months. I asked that if not posted within 12 months would one re interview as that seems a bit over the top in such a short time frame, they said they sought t post people within 12 months of interview - so I get the feeling that once you are at DMI / MMI stage you would be looking at a post in the prevailing 12 months. Again all conjecture but based on a mass of information from others and recruitment themselves.

 

[flopsie19]

Hi Everyone,

Did anyone apply for the Trainee Train Driver position at Guildford that got posted this week on the 21.01.2026?
It seemed it was only on there for a day. I managed to get an application in! I got sent an assessment and received an email to say that I had passed. I understand I’ve got a long way ahead in front of me. Has anyone got any advice for me throughout this process. This would be a dream job for me
(I’ve also got two trainee train driver applications with southern, but haven’t heard anything back yet)

 

[w11_supremecy]

I see, sorry yeah got the wrong end of the stick and see what you mean now! That is a long time for sure, but for now you've done what you can in contacting recruitment and had reassurance from them. Totally as incoming2026 says, your still in the mix and there are plenty who aren't with it being so competitive so take some confidence & reassurance from that

Indeed. Appreciate it!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jan 2026 ==

Hiya. So having scoured the forums for info I get the impression SWR are pretty swift at all this recruitment stuff. I have a few people I am in contact with re time lines and from application to assessments seem very fast, it is DMI and MMI where it gets a bit more stretched out. I would say expect 12 months minimum from applying to start but likely more. Someone else on here posted that SWR have 12 cohorts of 12 starters for training this year, these must be for various depots where vacancies are arising first. I get the impression Waterloo and Bournemouth may be two of those from what I have read. Having said that, I have applied for 3 separate depots and having discussed this with recruitment they are very open that you can apply for as many depots as you like and hedge your bets. My understanding is that each depot has it's own "list" which they work through in order. What I am unsure about though is whether they insert people higher up in the list based on scored and therefore those who have scored closer to the lower end of pass mark remain stagnant at the bottom of the list, as others keep getting put ahead. I don't know anything about the process so this is conjecture, but what I will say is I found the tests fairly easy and I am pretty sure I scored highly - I seem to have been rushed through the initial stages and completed application, SJT, 2 x assessments and DMI all within 5 weeks. I have a neurodiversity which allows me to complete complex tasks fairly well, and with a long background in the emergency services I felt pretty comfortable with the tests.

However I am now stuck waiting for MMI. I can't start training until later this year anyway so it suits me, but I am terrified that I am going to be forgotten. I guess just have to play the waiting game though. I have called recruitment a few times back in December and they always seem helpful and keen, but I guess they field a lot of enquiries and I don't want to become an issue so I have not contacted them since other than once this month. The response was there are no dates for MMI and they will be in touch. I know of a couple of others they have said this too as well, and someone just had their MMI on here who had their DMI last October so it looks like DMI - MMI is a few months at best maybe longer.

I found some current drivers online as part of my prep and befriended them by buying them beers at local pubs, so have a good source of information and have been told a great deal about the current situation. I am told that there are a lot of retirements coming up within SWR over the next 2 years so there will be a large influx. I think last year was SWR's largest intake for a while with this year being set to match.

To w11_supremacy who posted above re waiting for assessments, I don't really know what to suggest as it does seem odd you haven't had yours yet. That's well over a year from application - Did you apply for a quirky station? However you are still in the process so that has to be a good thing? I think they progress candidates for depots where they anticipate the next vacancies coming up, so for example if they know they have 4 retirees this year at Woking, they would then progress Woking applicants so they are in a position to start training and commence to replace those candidates etc. It must be a complex task so I don't envy them. Interesting point I raised with recruitment - the tests last 5 years however the interviews last 12 months. I asked that if not posted within 12 months would one re interview as that seems a bit over the top in such a short time frame, they said they sought t post people within 12 months of interview - so I get the feeling that once you are at DMI / MMI stage you would be looking at a post in the prevailing 12 months. Again all conjecture but based on a mass of information from others and recruitment themselves.

It crossed my mind whether some of us who are on the journey could form a little Whatsapp group to keep in touch and gauge where we are all at in the process. I have a contact who has just done their DMI for Waterloo, so in theory me and him are both due our MMI imminently now.

Hiya, I applied for Waterloo first and then Wimbledon afterwards. It is fairly known that Waterloo is one of the depots with the most movement/openings etc, due to the sheer number of drivers as well as a bunch hitting retirement age, and I do know a couple of people who have confirmed this. But yeah, presumably the long wait is because of the score of my SJT attempt, there is no other plausible reason in my mind. I live comfortably within the 45 minute range for both depots (which gets timed at 4am and 4pm on Google Maps I’ve been reliably informed), and the rest of my application was solid enough. So it does makes sense as to why there would be a wait, but I’m pretty sure I did decent enough on the SJT considering I had a fairly good idea as to what to select having done it a couple of times (as well as some tips from people I know in the company). Look, I’m more than content to keep waiting, but honestly speaking I would be lying if I said the discrepancy in waiting times hasn’t been very frustrating to me sometimes. Some people get from application sent to interview/job offer within a year, and some like myself don’t even do anything more than the SJT haha. It’s part of the game, clearly those people have done better in the first online test and as a result are ahead in the pecking order. That is okay. And fundamentally like you and Bfour21 have said, I’m still in the game. They would have got rid of me as soon as I pressed submit SJT because the email informing you whether you have passed or not is automated. Clearly I have passed and I’ve been reassured this entire time that my application is still active, although when I will get a chance to begin assessment the lovely people at recruitment can’t say. So yeah. I will continue letting recruitment know I am still here waiting every month or so (not any more frequentll, I do not want to be a pain in the backside) and hopefully I get the call up soon enough. I would imagine sometime this year I should get an opportunity. If not than something is definitely up haha. Thanks guys!

 

[I2026]

I know it is frustrating. I also wonder how much weighting they place on applicants with a military, services or government background as it seems a good grounding. I can't believe human beings are sifting through the hundreds of applications each time a job goes out. I never saw the Guildford driver role come out this week and I generally click on the adverts board every hour or so through boredom and intrigue. It is a truly mysterious process.

The trainee roles seem to last half a day - before Xmas 4 came out at the same time and some of those lasted 2 days which was exceptional. I managed to get mine in for Farnham but that's my last of the 3 so although its what I want the most, I may have to stick to the initial application I made which is a Metro line further into town.

 

[w11_supremecy]

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jan 2026 ==

I can't believe human beings are sifting through the hundreds of applications each time a job goes out. I never saw the Guildford driver role come out this week and I generally click on the adverts board every hour or so through boredom and intrigue. It is a truly mysterious process.

Railway recruitment teams, particularly those who deal with the applications/emails/calls directly are woefully understaffed. Usually you’ll only get a few full-time workers dealing with thousands of applications...

I also have a feeling that they prioritise externals from other backgrounds like you mention, like the police, ex-military etc. I also have a suspicion that people applying who are already in the railway world, or even internal candidates themselves are weirdly disadvantaged and have to face longer waiting times.

From chatting to a good number of people, it seems internal candidates have to kind of ‘do their time’ so to speak, as a few people I know have applied to be a driver with SWR as a guard already, yet they’ve had to wait a very long time to then progress with their application. Whereas from all the reading I’ve done in this forum for quite some time now about driver openings for other TOCs, as well as discussions with a few trainees I know, it seems those whose applications progress very quickly are almost always externals/new people coming from a non-railway background.

I'm not complaining at all, but that’s the feeling I have. Perhaps they want new fresh faces/minds instead of people who already have railway knowledge? I would have guessed it surely would be a lot easier for guards etc to transition to driver roles due to the nature of the job and route knowledge etc, and then you’d be helping people progress within the company.

Having knowledge of the company and its network already, and particularly the traction too if one is applying internally as a guard/conductor, is huge. Yet they’ve seem to be the ones waiting much longer than externals. Myself included in that as well.

I completely get the idea to recruit people who the company believe already possess some transferable skills, but at the same time it seems a bit unfair to me. Everyone has to sit the same tests and go through the exact same process, so why prioritise some over others just because of their previous background?

If you’re going to score people based off their SJT score, or their results off the computerised test, completely fair enough. But if everyone is within the 45 minute range from the depot they are applying to, and their application is standard (no criminal records, hit the age limit etc) then in my opinion there shouldn’t be any of this sort of thing going on. But hey, railway recruitment is a funny old world. Sorry, rant over.

 

[I2026]

Count me in.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jan 2026 ==


Railway recruitment teams, particularly those who deal with the applications/emails/calls directly are woefully understaffed. Usually you’ll only get a few full-time workers dealing with thousands of applications...

I also have a feeling that they prioritise externals from other backgrounds like you mention, like the police, ex-military etc. I also have a suspicion that people applying who are already in the railway world, or even internal candidates themselves are weirdly disadvantaged and have to face longer waiting times. From chatting to a good number of people, it seems internal candidates have to kind of ‘do their time’ so to speak, as a few people I know have applied to be a driver with SWR as a guard already, yet they’ve had to wait a very long time to then progress with their application. Whereas from all the reading I’ve done in this forum for quite some time now about driver openings for other TOCs, as well as discussions with a few trainees I know, it seems those whose applications progress very quickly are almost always externals/new people coming from a non-railway background. Not complaining at all, but that’s the feeling I have. Perhaps they want new fresh faces/minds instead of people who already have railway knowledge? I would have guessed it surely would be a lot easier for guards etc to transition to driver roles due to the nature of the job and route knowledge etc, and then you’d be helping people progress within the company. Having knowledge of the company and its network already, and particularly the traction too if one is applying internally as a guard/conductor, is huge. Yet they’ve seem to be the ones waiting much longer than externals. Myself included in that as well. I completely get the idea to recruit people who the company believe already possess some transferable skills, but at the same time it seems a bit unfair to me. Everyone has to sit the same tests and go through the exact same process, so why prioritise some over others just because of their previous background? If you’re going to score people based off their SJT score, or their results off the computerised test, completely fair enough. But if everyone is within the 45 minute range from the depot they are applying to, and their application is standard (no criminal records, hit the age limit etc) then in my opinion there shouldn’t be any of this sort of thing going on. But hey, railway recruitment is a funny old world. Sorry, rant over.

No it does totally make sense. I know some of my colleagues who have become guards after retirement from policing, no idea if they tried the driver route though. Like you say, makes sense to harness the experience already gleaned from working in the industry. Its all very interesting.

 

[andy50027]

For those asking, my experience:

I applied for Guildford driver July last year, I did the online 20 questions and passed.
Heard nothing till late November, went to Southampton for my fist assessment which I’m passed early December.
Then I had to go back for the 2nd lot of assessments in late December (failed the joypad test, which I knew I’d struggle with as I was always useless at computer games. ).
Gotta wait another 6 months to re apply and redo that part of the assessment.

Not sure how ill practice tho, anyone any ideas?

 

[I2026]

For those asking, my experience:

I applied for Guildford driver July last year, I did the online 20 questions and passed.
Heard nothing till late November, went to Southampton for my fist assessment which I’m passed early December.
Then I had to go back for the 2nd lot of assessments in late December (failed the joypad test, which I knew I’d struggle with as I was always useless at computer games. ).
Gotta wait another 6 months to re apply and redo that part of the assessment.

Not sure how ill practice tho, anyone any ideas?

Odd answer but - buy a second hand drone? I run a small videography side hustle and have been flying drones for over a year, accumulated something like 50 hours now. The controls are the same I think, one side left right the other up and down... I still found the test a little tricky however I adapted to it quite well once I started. I have no idea what they are measuring or looking for on that test - personally I think they change the sensitivity for each of the 10 goes to see how your muscle memory adapts and changes to the change. Each one felt different for me in terms of sensitivity.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jan 2026 ==

Had a good load of DMs for the group - will sort tmrw. Anyone wants adding send me a DM and will add you. Could be a very useful group as we all go about our journey into the railway

 

[machine27]

Hi everyone,

Thought I would add my experience so far with the process, hopefully to give others another point of view of the timelines for everything. I applied late July, and passed the SJT. Following that I was contacted about my first round of assessments (paper tests) which I took on the 25/9 which I passed, and then contacted again for computer tests, which I took on the 31/10. Once I passed all the assessments, I had a bit of a wait for a DMI date. But was contacted early December for an interview on the 22/01. Heard back that I passed the DMI 24 hours later, which was a huge relief. The lady on the phone said there were currently no dates for an MMI, but she would let me know as soon as a slot appears.

As others have said it’s a long process but hopefully all worth the wait in the end. Trouble is the further along you get the more disappointing a failure would be. But trying to keep my head up and stay focussed on the MMI. To anyone who’s had an MMI recently could let me know if there is another SJT before hand, and is this graded or just to guide the interview for their probing questions?

 

[andy50027]

Yeah that’s a good call.
One of the drivers managers suggested a kids toy which I can’t for the life of me remember what it’s called.

I’ll ask him again next time I see him and loom at that as well.

I also think the sensitivity of the controls changed.
One time I thought they had no movement then bam everything went.
I do hope it was also based on how I reacted to the beeps but I didn’t get any of the 10 attempts so it was a no from them.

 

[machine27]

Yeah that’s a good call.
One of the drivers managers suggested a kids toy which I can’t for the life of me remember what it’s called.

I’ll ask him again next time I see him and loom at that as well.

I also think the sensitivity of the controls changed.
One time I thought they had no movement then bam everything went.
I do hope it was also based on how I reacted to the beeps but I didn’t get any of the 10 attempts so it was a no from them.

A tip I used for this was during the practice part you get with the joysticks, you don’t have to finish the practice straight away, you can start and then half way just go back to the beginning, and keep trying until you feel really comfortable with the sensitivity. I went back and forth on the practice screen about 10 times before actually completing it and starting the test for real. Apologies if you already knew that but thought I’d throw it out there.

 

[Richie0923]

I know it is frustrating. I also wonder how much weighting they place on applicants with a military, services or government background as it seems a good grounding. I can't believe human beings are sifting through the hundreds of applications each time a job goes out. I never saw the Guildford driver role come out this week and I generally click on the adverts board every hour or so through boredom and intrigue. It is a truly mysterious process. The trainee roles seem to last half a day - before Xmas 4 came out at the same time and some of those lasted 2 days which was exceptional. I managed to get mine in for Farnham but that's my last of the 3 so although its what I want the most, I may have to stick to the initial application I made which is a Metro line further into town.

Passed all the assessments, DMI and Medicals. Just waiting for a date for the MMI

 

[traineesw]

Yhh count me innn. Passed all the assessments, DMI and Medicals. Just waiting for a date for the MMI

you done medical before mmi? is this for swr?

 

[I2026]

Yhh count me innn. Passed all the assessments, DMI and Medicals. Just waiting for a date for the MMI

Medical before MMI? Goodness me!

 

[Richie0923]

I know it’s a weird one. So I initially passed all my assessments with Southern rail but did not get a response back so I applied for the strawberry hill vacancy that came out in July last year and went straight to the interview and did my medicals last week.

 

[flopsie19]

Hello,
I applied for the Guildford Trainee Driver Position that got posted on the 21.01.2026. I completed the SJT assessment and received an email back to say that I passed.

I have received an email today inviting me for assessments down in Southampton. This has all happened very quickly (which I can’t believe and I am so happy about).

I’ve got the practice document, but does anyone have any tips or advice?

 

[traineesw]

From 10 till 11:45 I was there but unsure the specific time i went in

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Jan 2026 ==


I just hope she doesnt mark it cos I dont think she understood some of the answers I gave

any update on how you done on your mmii?

 

[Bfour21]

Hello,
I applied for the Guildford Trainee Driver Position that got posted on the 21.01.2026. I completed the SJT assessment and received an email back to say that I passed.

I have received an email today inviting me for assessments down in Southampton. This has all happened very quickly (which I can’t believe and I am so happy about).

I’ve got the practice document, but does anyone have any tips or advice?

Congratulations! Honestly just try your best to not over think it and take your time, everything is really well explained by the recruitment team at the start of the tests, and they're really open to any questions through the whole process. Best of luck!

 

[SouthWestMax]

Hi all

Apologies it’s been a week since I caught up on here - a lot going on!

Thanks for all your replies to my first post. Surprisingly after my message here I got a phone call on Monday inviting me for the DMI. This is mid March, so near enough what I expected. Thrilled to have heard from them - now I have a target date to nail the prep for. Spoken to a few drivers this week to increase my understanding of the role day to day and techniques they like. Just got to put the learning to use and give it my best shot now - get through this stage and then focus on the next.

I hope everyone else is doing well with theirs?

Hello,
I applied for the Guildford Trainee Driver Position that got posted on the 21.01.2026. I completed the SJT assessment and received an email back to say that I passed.

I have received an email today inviting me for assessments down in Southampton. This has all happened very quickly (which I can’t believe and I am so happy about).

I’ve got the practice document, but does anyone have any tips or advice?

Congratulations. Are you up first for the computerised - ATAVT, WAFV etc or paper - GB, Tea-OCC etc tests?
Best bit of advice I can give is focus on accuracy. The tests are not particularly challenging, but do require a great deal of concentration. Speed is important but primarily accuracy. If you don’t understand anything ask the instructor. Bring a bottle of water, they will provide paper, pen, and pencil etc. Best of luck!

Best regards, Max

 

[I2026]

Hi all

Apologies it’s been a week since I caught up on here - a lot going on!

Thanks for all your replies to my first post. Surprisingly after my message here I got a phone call on Monday inviting me for the DMI. This is mid March, so near enough what I expected. Thrilled to have heard from them - now I have a target date to nail the prep for. Spoken to a few drivers this week to increase my understanding of the role day to day and techniques they like. Just got to put the learning to use and give it my best shot now - get through this stage and then focus on the next.

I hope everyone else is doing well with theirs?



Congratulations. Are you up first for the computerised - ATAVT, WAFV etc or paper - GB, Tea-OCC etc tests?
Best bit of advice I can give is focus on accuracy. The tests are not particularly challenging, but do require a great deal of concentration. Speed is important but primarily accuracy. If you don’t understand anything ask the instructor. Bring a bottle of water, they will provide paper, pen, and pencil etc. Best of luck!

Best regards, Max

Just got your dm and added you to the group Max. Fair few of us on there now...

 

[SouthWestMax]

Just got your dm and added you to the group Max. Fair few of us on there now...

Thanks mate, appreciated.

 

[s01omorg]

For those asking, my experience:

I applied for Guildford driver July last year, I did the online 20 questions and passed.
Heard nothing till late November, went to Southampton for my fist assessment which I’m passed early December.
Then I had to go back for the 2nd lot of assessments in late December (failed the joypad test, which I knew I’d struggle with as I was always useless at computer games. ).
Gotta wait another 6 months to re apply and redo that part of the assessment.

Not sure how ill practice tho, anyone any ideas?

Unfortunately, if you failed any of the psychometric tests (including the MMI) since 7 December 2024, you now have to wait a year to re-apply, not 6 months. I failed at the final hurdle of the MMI last July and had taken the first paper tests in January so just fell into this new rule. I was told 6 months too but the RSSB document is clear (see attached file).

 

[I2026]

Unfortunately, if you failed any of the psychometric tests (including the MMI) since 7 December 2024, you now have to wait a year to re-apply, not 6 months. I failed at the final hurdle of the MMI last July and had taken the first paper tests in January so just fell into this new rule. I was told 6 months too but the RSSB document is clear (see attached file).

Can you tell us a bit about your background before rail and also your experience of the MMI? There are a few of us awaiting MMI and it seems like they have really sharpened up on it from a few years ago!

 

[s01omorg]

Can you tell us a bit about your background before rail and also your experience of the MMI? There are a few of us awaiting MMI and it seems like they have really sharpened up on it from a few years ago!

Yeah sure. I decided I wanted to attempt train driving or signalling when I was being made redundant from Sky TV. I've no previous safety-critical experience, having always worked in the media. That said, a lot of the studio gallery skills I've gained are transferable and could be demonstrated for the MMI.
That interview was based on a variation of the six questions previously mentioned on here, whereby you write down your brief answer, then they dig deep into it about 20 minutes later. There was also a situational judgement test on a computer to start with, but that should be straightforward for anyone by this late stage. They wouldn't tell me what I failed on, but it wasn't an example given, just one follow-up answer. Gutting to say the least! After weeks of racking my brain, I can only think I answered about being pro-active to a situation that would be deemed a positive in other walks of life, but could have been seen as going against the rules in this industry. Just be extremely cautious when they ask additional questions - always remember the need to follow the rules and put safety first in everything you do/have done. All the best to everyone. I'm still very keen to go again in the summer!

 

[I2026]

Yeah sure. I decided I wanted to attempt train driving or signalling when I was being made redundant from Sky TV. I've no previous safety-critical experience, having always worked in the media. That said, a lot of the studio gallery skills I've gained are transferable and could be demonstrated for the MMI.
That interview was based on a variation of the six questions previously mentioned on here, whereby you write down your brief answer, then they dig deep into it about 20 minutes later. There was also a situational judgement test on a computer to start with, but that should be straightforward for anyone by this late stage. They wouldn't tell me what I failed on, but it wasn't an example given, just one follow-up answer. Gutting to say the least! After weeks of racking my brain, I can only think I answered about being pro-active to a situation that would be deemed a positive in other walks of life, but could have been seen as going against the rules in this industry. Just be extremely cautious when they ask additional questions - always remember the need to follow the rules and put safety first in everything you do/have done. All the best to everyone. I'm still very keen to go again in the summer!

Very interesting thanks. I am sure you would have transfer from media in terms of rules procedures and frameworks to follow.

It sounds to me like the London Bus driver analogy - i.e you are paid to drive the bus and must not leave the cab under any circumstances - i.e you witness an incident outside your driver booth and could do any number of things but the rules say you stay put, do nothing and focus on your priority of driving the bus, not allowing anything else to distract you or interfere with your primary task.

 

[Big O 82]

I've got my first set of tests on Monday in Southampton anyone going to be here from the forum?

 

[thejedtrain]

Anyone know when the next Waterloo vacancy will be up?

 

[I2026]

Anyone know when the next Waterloo vacancy will be up?

I think there have been a couple posted late last year, and I know a selection of people are all currently going through the final stages for Waterloo at the moment to start training in 2026. I am sure there will be more though as apparently a large number of retirees coming up.

 

[GooseWaffe]

Hi all. I've just had an email to say I wasn't successful after sitting my DMI on Monday with SWR for the trainee train driver role, I felt as the interview went really good & felt really confident so gutted is an understatement. I see on the email they said I have to wait 6 months to re apply, just wondering if that's just with SWR and am I able to apply for other TOC's in the meantime if anything comes up. Also any advice for future interviews would be great as I felt as it went as good as it could have gone. Thank you al

Sorry to hear that, don’t take it as a failing of yourself.

You can absolutely apply around, and I wish you luck in doing so!

Im sat in the waiting room in Southampton now for my mmi thanks for the info, sort of settled my nerves with the process of the day but still nervous cos id love the job obviously as all of us would

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Jan 2026 ==

Ive applied for guildford and the have preemptively booked my medical for the 27th with the intention on starting on the second of Feb

Hope it went well!