-
Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Trainee Train Driver - Virgin Trains East Coast
- Thread starter SPADTrap
- Start date
- Status
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
Peppajug78
Member
- Joined
- 8 Feb 2017
- Messages
- 30
Don't know the exact times but classroom is Monday to Friday in York and then the rest is at your depot or if not more local to you and is shifts including earlies lates and weekends.
Chuggington21
Member
- Joined
- 18 Dec 2016
- Messages
- 191
Wasn't supposed to be patronising. But they could offer a qualified driver a trainee job and I'm sure I read on hear that there's a qualified in with trainees. How would that work?
Mon to Fri - Times to be confirmed by our trainer "Closer to the time"
If they did that it would be rejected by a few id imagine and I am sure ASLEF would have a fit if they did that. When I joined my current TOC there were no spare trainers so rather than traction conversion I sat through the full 3 week course but to be fair it was quite good rather than trying to cram it all in. But sitting whole thing again would be a bit of a p**s take
There is a candidate on here who I believe works for the metro based at Newcastle, and has been offered a trainee position with VTEC, if that's what your talking about.
Davidson4301
Member
- Joined
- 1 Nov 2016
- Messages
- 161
Yes that's me. I went in for a trainee role as I'm not technically main line qualified.
Davidson4301
Member
- Joined
- 1 Nov 2016
- Messages
- 161
See you then. Be good if you get in my course although I'm sure you want to start earlier.
Haha yeah the sooner the better for me, although in all honesty I'm kind of overwhelmed to be given such an opportunity that I'm happy to start whenever!
Don't stress on this unduly. It's a job that's all about your performance as an individual.
There is much more to any trainee driver job than just knowledge. You've got to be able to adjust to the work pattern. Think through what you are taking on. Make sure you can get to work, else your life will be unbearably stressful. As long as you are totally ok with working nights, weekends and getting up at 0300 regularly, you'll be fine. In my experience, most of those that fall by the wayside, have seen the salary, but not stopped to think about what is going to be expected in return. What may surprise you, is that applies equally to those that have come from within the industry.
Relax, network with the other trainees, get basic professionalism right, listen to instructions, get stuck in to the shifts.
Good luck and enjoy.
Cheers.
I've done shift work for the last 8 years so not too worried about that. Just hear so many scare stories about failing the rules course etc.
Either way I'll be giving it 100%, plus my 2 hour commute each way to York everyday will give me time to revise
There isn't an average turn length at Kings Cross. Our turns can be anything between 6-11 hours long.
As a rule the Leeds turn generally come in at 6 hours, nice short jobs there and back. The Newcastle turns are generally around the 8 hour mark but with a few horrible 10 hour turns on a Sunday with a 3 hour break in Newcastle.
The night turns which come round every 5-6 weeks are around the 9hour 30 mark. The Bounds Green Pilot/Thunderbird turns are long jobs but these are in a separate link and trainees won't learn 08s or 67s.
Generally the turns are mixed to give a good balance of jobs but some lines on the roster can be easier than others and be prepared to work a lot of weekends as unlike a lot of companies Sunday's are in the working week and not optional and there's no set pattern to weekend work. Sometimes you'll work 3 weekends in a row other times you can be booked off for 3 consecutive weekends.
Best of luck with tomorrow!
I'm surprised testing is still going! Thought it would all be done and dusted by now. Having said that, from the last email I received it seems that 58 of the jobs have been filled, so 20 left I guess.
Thanks
I just need to make sure I stay calm and focused throughout the day and not let my nerves get the better of me. Yeah I attended one of the last few group assessment days at the end of January so I think it was too tight to sit the original testing days in February! I think there's another testing day coming up soon in Edinburgh as well. Im pretty sure they said at my group day that they are going to need more than the anticipated 78 positions.
Good luck tomorrow! If you've done plenty of prep then just remain calm and focused and you should be absolutely fine!
Thanks! I think it's mostly the MMI I'm worried about as I've heard of some right horror stories. I've prepared for the generic 6 qtn/themes as well as another 5-10 qtns/themes that could come all using the STAR format. I've got a backup as well for most of these. Lets just hope my mind doesn't go blank on the day
Thanks! I think it's mostly the MMI I'm worried about as I've heard of some right horror stories. I've prepared for the generic 6 qtn/themes as well as another 5-10 qtns/themes that could come all using the STAR format. I've got a backup as well for most of these. Lets just hope my mind doesn't go blank on the day
Yeah I was the same for mine. I'd say the GB test was the most intimidating and the rest I was quietly confident about - although the memory test pictures soon come and go! But yeah it was mainly the MMI I was worried about, thankfully the woman that did mine was very friendly and encouraging which helped me enormously. At the end of they day they want to pass you so just make sure you give them a reason to.
The GB test is driving me bananas haha. When I've been practicing on paper recently I've been completing between 10-11 lines and I'm either getting 0 errors or 1 pesky one!
The GB test is driving me bananas haha. When I've been practicing on paper recently I've been completing between 10-11 lines and I'm either getting 0 errors or 1 pesky one!
I dare say that would probably suffice. I found it easier on the day than the practice ones I'd been using, also found there appeared to be quite a few blocks of dots grouped together that needed to be marked.
The GB test is driving me bananas haha. When I've been practicing on paper recently I've been completing between 10-11 lines and I'm either getting 0 errors or 1 pesky one!
I'm the exact same as this, hope it'll be enough... My tests are April 11th! Good luck to you!
Just had word I've passed psychometrics and MMi. Absolutely chuffed!
Good luck to everyone doing theirs at York this week.
Congrats! You must be absolutely over the moon. When did you attend the tests/MMI?
Yesterday! They've let me know very quickly which I'm indebted to them for as I couldn't settle waiting for news!
Thank you.
I am, absolutely over the moon.Good luck to you as well!
Why didnt you ask those questions at the interview?
There was no DMI for this vacancy.
- Status