TOC's and depots

[londonwall]

Hi,

I'm willing to move to try and get a job as a trainee driver (currently thinking of moving somewhere around south London)...but when people say you must be within 30min of the depot...does this mean any depot with that company...or will there be specific depot for a specific trainee driver job??

Also, if you could move anywhere in the country...where would you move to to give you the best chance of getting a job as a trainee driver.

Thanks for any help everyone!!

 

[E&W Lucas]

Best chance of a trainee driver job is precisely where you are looking. Southern commuter work. FCC, Southern, SWT, etc. Always has been the case, even under BR, where firemen and secondmen often took vacs on SR depots, to accelerate their careers.

I don't know where you are getting the 30 minutes from. Varies by company, but you must be able to get to work easily. Do not kid yourself on this. If you are looking at central London, you don't want to be messing about with tube and busses, if you can help it. Will be viewed on a depot by depot basis.

Most central London depots, they will view an hour as normal. Travel from say Peterborough to KX or Northampton to Euston. Plenty of work in the suburbs though. Selhurst, etc. Just make sue that you can get there at stupid times of the day and night.

Best of luck to you.

 

[cawky22]

Tyne Dock as GBRF are going to be lifting huge happy cheques soon !!

 

[455driver]

GBRF will probably take on qualified freight drivers, cant see them bothering with taking on many passenger drivers never mind trainees.

 

[TDK]

GBRF will probably take on qualified freight drivers, cant see them bothering with taking on many passenger drivers never mind trainees.

I have never known GBRF to take anyone except a qualified driver, some have gone from passenger companies but all the ones I know have had freight/Loco experience.

 

[W230]

Also, if you could move anywhere in the country...where would you move to to give you the best chance of getting a job as a trainee driver.

Last year I applied to a London suburban TOC, knowing that they took on a fair few externals, though I was living oop norf at the time. I used a family members address in London to show proximity to the depots because I was quite keen to move down to the big smoke for a few years.

As it seemed to be taking ages, I ended up applying for a job with Northern at the same time, using the address I had at oop norf at that time. While I ended up being successful and was offered both in the end (I decided to go south), when I was going through the process with both TOCs it felt like there was alot more of a chance being offered a job in the south simply because they were looking for so many drivers. I asked Northern Rail how many they were looking for at interview and they told me they were pretty much replacing drivers as they left on a sort of one in one out policy, and would run a trainee course as soon as they had enough to fill a class.

Six months on, I don't regret moving down here at all and know that once i'm qualified the doors will reopen at other TOC's should I want to relocate then (or in the future).

I'm of the opinion that getting offered the job with Northern was very lucky, seeing as they take on so few trainees. I'm also of the opinion that the London area is the best bet if you know that it's what you want to do and you're not wanting to go the internal route - you don't have to stay there forever! But I think without a local address I could quite possibly have been binned straight off, though i'll never know for sure!

 

[TDK]

Six months on, I don't regret moving down here at all and know that once i'm qualified the doors will reopen at other TOC's should I want to relocate then (or in the future).

Have you not got a retention clause in your contract? Also I don't want to dissapoint you but it was very rare for the company I used to work for to take PQ qualified drivers on vice fully qualifieds as the work load for the management with a PQ driver is a lot higher.

 

[455driver]

2 years minimum productive (and incident free) although some TOCs prefer 3 years.

FTPE took a PQ driver on with less than a year though so you never can say never.

 

[Beveridges]

Northern has a 6 month notice period for all its Drivers rather than a payback scheme. This is to ensure that if a driver wanted to leave and go to another TOC, it would very difficult - as who would wait 6 months?!

NR try to enforce the notice period if you've done less than 3 years. If you've done more time, then the notice period is more negotiable and can be brought down to a more reasonable 2-3 months.

 

[reapz]

2 years minimum productive (and incident free) although some TOCs prefer 3 years.

FTPE took a PQ driver on with less than a year though so you never can say never.

fgw took a driver from another toc that still had hours to do! so never say never

 

[W230]

Have you not got a retention clause in your contract?

Nope not where i'm at. They stated that this was because very few leave.

Also I don't want to dissapoint you but it was very rare for the company I used to work for to take PQ qualified drivers on vice fully qualifieds as the work load for the management with a PQ driver is a lot higher.

Absolutely - I don't disagree. But if you re-read my post you'll see I was referring to if i wanted to move on in the future. I'm not looking to go anywhere for a long time, if ever, but no harm in keeping your options open!

 

[A-driver]

It's not at all unusual for TOCs to take on PQA drivers as qualifieds-some seem to like the idea-quick to train as they are qualified but not set in their ways, not too militant and won't take the mick with road learning etc. plus they will generally find the traction training more straight forward as they havnt long been out if training as opposed to a driver who hasn't learnt any new traction or roads for a decade.

My TOC recently took on a rather large number of qualifieds with 6months-2 years experience driving, the fact they need more monitoring dosnt mean much really as they also take on trainees so its still a cheaper and faster option.

 

[Beveridges]

Its more to do with the TOC you're currently in not allowing you to leave so quickly, not the recruiting TOC not wanting to take you on because you've not been driving that long.

 

[TDK]

It's not at all unusual for TOCs to take on PQA drivers as qualifieds-some seem to like the idea-quick to train as they are qualified but not set in their ways, not too militant and won't take the mick with road learning etc. plus they will generally find the traction training more straight forward as they havnt long been out if training as opposed to a driver who hasn't learnt any new traction or roads for a decade.

My TOC recently took on a rather large number of qualifieds with 6months-2 years experience driving, the fact they need more monitoring dosnt mean much really as they also take on trainees so its still a cheaper and faster option.

The point I was trying to make is that a TOC will sooner take on a qualified driver over a PQ driver. If there are not any fully qualified drivers applying then, yes, a PQ driver will get the offer however most vacancies are filled with experienced driver other than PQ.

 

[A-driver]

The point I was trying to make is that a TOC will sooner take on a qualified driver over a PQ driver. If there are not any fully qualified drivers applying then, yes, a PQ driver will get the offer however most vacancies are filled with experienced driver other than PQ.

I know but was saying that some TOCs prefer pqas for the reasons I stated, I know that was gather case not long ago at a particular TOC who took loads on deliberately.

 

[arthurtwosheds]

I applied for a conductor role with Southern Rail just before Christmas and was refused because I lived more than 30mins from the Selhurst depot (I'm Central North London based).

 

[notadriver]

I've only a fraction of the driving experience compared with the other two qualifieds who applied to my depot. They were both had high speed and long distance experience too. Explain that one

 

[badassunicorn]

wow I applied for my job at Ilford when i lived 250 miles away in Devon and still got the job! On the condition I moved of course, its quite a commute for sure!

 

[A-driver]

wow I applied for my job at Ilford when i lived 250 miles away in Devon and still got the job! On the condition I moved of course, its quite a commute for sure!

You say that but there is a kings cross driver who lives in Plymouth!

 

[455driver]

fgw took a driver from another toc that still had hours to do! so never say never

If he still had hours to do then he wasnt qualified, not even close!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

You say that but there is a kings cross driver who lives in Plymouth!

And a Guildford driver who lives in Plymouth.

 

[badassunicorn]

wow thats insane! 20 minutes on the bus with all the nutters round here is long enough commute for me now!

 

[A-driver]

If he still had hours to do then he wasnt qualified, not even close!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

If he's done his rules and basic traction the if a TOC is in need of drivers they will still see them as better than a trainee-quicker and cheaper to train. Just needs traction and routes like a qualified and also their 250ish hours but won't need months of rules.