working from Paddington query - trainee train driver

[Ddaggs]

Hi all,

I was just looking for some insight from those working out of Paddington for GWR - I promise to keep it short!

questions as follows:

1. what sort of start and finish times would be expected?
2. what's the salary for a trainee and a fully trained driver?
3. silly question and might be obvious, but depending on times if really early or very late I presume travelling via the network isn't always possible, is there staff parking at paddington if I needed to drive in?
4. I live closer to Reading depot, but I haven't seen any job roles posted for this depot in a while - would it be better to wait for this to become available do shorten the commute?
5. Is the job workable with a young family?

I really appreciate any response I may get (if any)!


Thank you

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Feb 2025 ==

If anyone has any insight I’d be grateful even one word answers I don’t expect too much - thank you!

 

[800 Driver]

Hi all,

I was just looking for some insight from those working out of Paddington for GWR - I promise to keep it short!

questions as follows:

1. what sort of start and finish times would be expected?
2. what's the salary for a trainee and a fully trained driver?
3. silly question and might be obvious, but depending on times if really early or very late I presume travelling via the network isn't always possible, is there staff parking at paddington if I needed to drive in?
4. I live closer to Reading depot, but I haven't seen any job roles posted for this depot in a while - would it be better to wait for this to become available do shorten the commute?
5. Is the job workable with a young family?

I really appreciate any response I may get (if any)!


Thank you

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Feb 2025 ==

If anyone has any insight I’d be grateful even one word answers I don’t expect too much - thank you!

1. Earliest starts are 2am, latest finishes are, well there's night shifts, but excluding those 2am ish. Most drivers do permanent swaps, so either earlies or lates, you just need to find someone to swap with. Also as it's a big depot there's normally people with kids that are happy to do the early early shifts in exchange for more 9-5 type ones etc. The majority of early jobs start after 5am and majority of lates finish before midnight.

2. £32k Trainee, £70k Qualified after 2 years (80% when you pass out, 90% year 1) plus Sundays which are OT (about £10k extra if you work all the rostered ones)

3. Yes there is free staff parking

4. Reading work is more suburban / branch lines than Paddington. You'll have to progress through the links to sign 800s at Reading (prob take about 5 - 6 years) whereas they are core traction at Paddington, so you'll sign them from the start. Better variety of work at Paddington.

5. Yes, but it'll be harder at the beginning, but after a while you'll work out who to swap with (eg who likes 9- 5 type shifts if you want early starts) and the union reps can put you in a link position to maximise the chances of those swaps working out, if you ask, once you know who you want to swap with most.

 

[Ddaggs]

1. Earliest starts are 2am, latest finishes are, well there's night shifts, but excluding those 2am ish. Most drivers do permanent swaps, so either earlies or lates, you just need to find someone to swap with. Also as it's a big depot there's normally people with kids that are happy to do the early early shifts in exchange for more 9-5 type ones etc. The majority of early jobs start after 5am and majority of lates finish before midnight.

2. £32k Trainee, £70k Qualified after 2 years (80% when you pass out, 90% year 1) plus Sundays which are OT (about £10k extra if you work all the rostered ones)

3. Yes there is free staff parking

4. Reading work is more suburban / branch lines than Paddington. You'll have to progress through the links to sign 800s at Reading (prob take about 5 - 6 years) whereas they are core traction at Paddington, so you'll sign them from the start. Better variety of work at Paddington.

5. Yes, but it'll be harder at the beginning, but after a while you'll work out who to swap with (eg who likes 9- 5 type shifts if you want early starts) and the union reps can put you in a link position to maximise the chances of those swaps working out, if you ask, once you know who you want to swap with most.

That’s great thank you for responding.

Do you know if there’s a set roster pattern or how does it work? I.e. you’d always have the same days off every week? I don’t mind working weekends but wouldn’t want to do every weekend if that makes sense?

 

[800 Driver]

That’s great thank you for responding.

Do you know if there’s a set roster pattern or how does it work? I.e. you’d always have the same days off every week? I don’t mind working weekends but wouldn’t want to do every weekend if that makes sense?

The current roster is the standard Mo, Tu rest day week 1, We Th rest day week 2 and Fr Sa rest day week 3 (Sundays are out side the week but never rostered between weeks 3 and 1, so you get a 5 day long weekend every 3 weeks. However this is all irrelevant as th talks to put Sundays in the working week will mean the roster will have to change and no one knows what that will look like until any deal is agreed.

However whatever happens, no you won't have the same days off every week and yes you'll have to work more weekends than you get off. If you don't like that or it won't work for you, it's probably not a job you should do tbh as you'll hate it. Get a 9-5 mon - fri office job instead.

 

[Ddaggs]

The current roster is the standard Mo, Tu rest day week 1, We Th rest day week 2 and Fr Sa rest day week 3 (Sundays are out side the week but never rostered between weeks 3 and 1, so you get a 5 day long weekend every 3 weeks. However this is all irrelevant as th talks to put Sundays in the working week will mean the roster will have to change and no one knows what that will look like until any deal is agreed.

However whatever happens, no you won't have the same days off every week and yes you'll have to work more weekends than you get off. If you don't like that or it won't work for you, it's probably not a job you should do tbh as you'll hate it. Get a 9-5 mon - fri office job instead.

Appreciate the honesty thank you.

Never had an office job and don’t think I ever could! Can’t think of anything worse.

 

[Ddaggs]

2. £32k Trainee, £70k Qualified after 2 years (80% when you pass out, 90% year 1) plus Sundays which are OT (about £10k extra if you work all the rostered ones)

Hi, just passed all my assessments and dmi etc and they’ve said the pay is £62k, just wondered if you knew why it’s so different maybe you’re on an older wage structure? Are rostered Sundays definitely added OT? - thanks in advance

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

Did you not ask these things at the interview stage? That was your chance to voice any concerns or questions you had? (Congratulation's BTW)

 

[Ddaggs]

Did you not ask these things at the interview stage? That was your chance to voice any concerns or questions you had? (Congratulation's BTW)

I didn’t ask about the Sundays to be honest hence why I came back here. We spoke about pay etc and all they said was that it was £62k

Only when I re read his message I realised 62 is a lot different to a potential of 80.

Thanks, wasn’t as difficult as a lot of people make it out to be!

Edit: I think I’ve misheard them and it was £69k not £62k!