Anyone a train driver or married to one?

[Tamarasnotmyname]

DH is seriously thinking of retraining to be a train driver and I wondered what the realities of the job really are because at the moment it almost sounds too good to be true.

He currently has his own very successful business but he works incredibly long hours, is very stressed all the time and he has absolutely no life outside of work. Unfortunately the nature of the business means it won’t change so he’s looking at a total career change. A friend of a friend is a train driver and was telling him how good the job is - 60k for 35 hours a week and a relatively easy life. DH is sold but I just want to be sure this is right before he folds his business and starts again.

So anyone a train driver or has a parter who is a train driver please spill the beans

Following with interest

I'm not a train driver, but I think there is quite a lot of competition to get in, possibly because it's perceived as easy and well paid, but the reality is that it is extremely dull, there's the shifts, very strict rules regarding alcohol consumption, and the occasional trauma when someone decides to throw themselves in front of your train.

I'm a train driver. It's very competitive to get in these days as the press love a good story on how much train drivers earn and how little they do. So it could take a long time or he might never make it. Not trying to be horrible, just honest! I would suggest he reads up on the application process and the assessments, two fails on the assessments means he will not ever be able to apply again unless they do an overhaul of the assessments and wipe the slates clean. This has happened previously but it's not something to rely on, obviously. Rail UK forums has a section on careers, he could start there.

In terms of the job itself, the training is hard. When you first start out it's incredibly tiring as the concentration required is immense. Concentration is always required of course but it gets easier as the job becomes more familiar.

I work a four day week with committed Sundays roughly 1 in 3 weeks which are paid overtime. You can almost always get rid of your Sundays if you don't want to do them. Other companies will have different arrangements. My hours average out to 35 a week excluding Sundays and every minute I'm at work counts, so that 35 hours includes my breaks. However, it can feel like a lot more hours bearing in mind how antisocial they can be and the fatigue that goes with it.

The best parts of the job for me are the fact that I walk away when the day is over. In my previous career I very much used to dwell on things I had to do the next day/had left unfinished and I'd log in remotely etc. I have none of that now and it's great for my mental health. The downsides are fatigue, the impacts of shift working on family and social life and the associated health issues that go with shift working. Some of this can be mitigated if you like by getting a permanent swap to lates/earlies so you're not changing your body clock every week.

Pension is also excellent.

How old is DH?

And yes, it can be pretty dull. Which if you're not careful can mean it rapidly becomes anything but dull if you lose concentration and fuck up.

Has he thought about people who choose to end their lives by stepping in front of a train? I understand that can be deeply traumatic for the drivers and sadly it's not uncommon.

Suicides are a risk. I know drivers who've been driving decades and never had one, others who've had multiple suicides in their careers.

Yes my DH is. It's very hard to get into, loads of people apply for the salary, talking hundreds for a few trainee jobs. Most won't even be shortlisted. If no luck with passenger company's try the freight ones, they have just taken on a load of trainees. Training is hard, lots and lots of tests.

Yes the pay is good. My DH works every single day he can, even his rest days and he has earn't extremely well this past year. The hours are shite at times. Always different shifts.

He has had suicides. Something you have to deal with.

Thank you @trainymctrain that’s really helpful. DH is 34 so still has a good few years to work which is why he wants to change now when it’s not too late to start again. Truthfully im worried that long term he’ll get bored and won’t be able to concentrate long enough because of the boredom.

Hadn’t even though about suicides. That’s definitely a consideration. What sort of tests are there?

BIL career changed and became a train driver in his late 30’s. Its very competitive to get in and the testing is exhaustive ..think observation tests, response times etc . He did loads of practice and I think it was a two tier programme ..you had to getva date for and them pass initial tests then wait until you were called for more exhaustive tests months later...then wait to see if you were selected for the training. Training was I think a year and was very low paid £10-£20k ..as you pass each stage he then got a pay rise but still during the qualifying stages pay was very poor.

@DesparateDino can I ask a ball park figure on how much he earns?

Usually between 55k to 85k, depends on how many of his rest days he works, and availability of them. He has been constantly been at work the past year.

Trainee train drivers will be on quite low pay for a few years though, so it will be a while before he would earn 50k plus.

Boredom is a consideration. But there is progression available - instructor, trainer, management, resources/rosters, safety etc. You lose some of the pros with those jobs but also lose some of the cons. There's no such thing as a perfect job though, is there? Where do you live (roughly)? The type of work he does may have an affect on boredom or lack thereof. I find it much easier to maintain concentration at high speed than low speed.

34 is a good age. Anecdotally older trainees have found it much harder at my company - people in their fifties etc. Not that that applies to everyone by any means, just that it's a noted pattern.

I would suggest he looks into to the forum I mentioned. It gets a bit heated at times but the careers board should be useful.

I don't regret the move at all but equally I don't want to be getting up at 0200 when I'm 60 so I don't plan to do this forever. I have a few avenues I'm considering but I do think I'd find it hard to go back to a 9-5 now.

Oh and training rate at my TOC is 26k

Not a driver but I work in the industry. There are many very well paid jobs in Rail, and a lot are 35h weeks, but usually the better the pay, the more fatigue/ concentration/ decision making skills are a factor.

A lot of roles come with excellent T&Cs, thanks to strong trade unions, such as overtime rate for Sundays, great pensions, etc.

Other roles that attract good pay include signaller, incident controller, electrical control room operators among others.

I would recommend looking at the career pages for passenger services operators, but also freight (DB Cargo etc), engineering support (Volker etc) and look at Network Rail too (for signalling roles etc)

Good luck to your DH, the railway is a great industry to work in!

To give you an idea of how competitive it is my DH who works in the industry had 1500 applications last year and only 15 passed the test. The tests are incredibly hard. I had a go and I only managed to pass one of them!

If you get through you would normally start as a shunt driver on 25k and when driver vacancies become available you then start full driver training.

The money night be good bit don't underestimate the responsibility of carrying thousands of passengers everyday. It's not as easy as it appears.

My exh is one. He really doesn't like it as he finds it very boring. But yes the pay is good and he works 4 days on 4 days off with most Sundays off too, he gets paid overtime for Sundays. Shifts are a mixture obviously.

Mines a train driver!

Earns around 55k, working in the north east.

Could potentially earn more but doesn't want to locate to London or surrounding areas .

Works for northern who are really good with shifts, plenty of rest days and making sure staff are looked after.

The interview was tough he said, lots of people want the job due to good money.

Training for him was classroom based for months, so was in a hotel mon-fri. Then learning your route etc.

Plenty of TOCs you go straight to mainline driving, no need to be a shunter first. Depends where you are.

My husband is a driver, has been for 20 years.

As others have said, it’s hard to get in to. Very competitive, out of his 100 or so that made it through the initial selection, only 10 made it to the actual training.

Training is hard, lots to learn and you are on a small wage during that time.

But, it’s a good , secure job once you have qualified. He loves the fact that he goes to work, does what he is rostered to do, then leaves with no ‘baggage’. He has a 5 day rest day every 3 weeks over a weekend which is great for short breaks!

The shifts are pain. We don’t have children, but I can imagine it’s a pain to organise childcare if both work. You do know your shifts months, if not years in advance though.

Suicides are a realistic possibility. He had a particularly horrible incident and was off work for nearly a year. He had councilling and his company were very supportive, and he is now back with no issues, but I can imagine it would be a career ending incident for some.

The salary is good, and pension etc also good.

Def recommend it, but be prepared for the shift pattern.

Staff discount on fares also a bonus!

Sorry but they are so overpaid for what they do.

AlwaysCheddar disagree

It's a safety critical role, lots of training for a reason.

What do you do alwayscheddar? How much are you paid? Maybe we can judge whether your salary is accurate too?

If he gets an assessment, he needs to ensure his eyesight's been tested and he's wearing his prescription.

I've been to two assessments (rules since changed).

The computer tests are fearsome.

A symbol matching test (eyesight is important) and a reflex test where you press on keys and pedals depending on what you hear or see on a screen.

The first test I went to, a London Underground driver got roasted by the test adjudicator (in front of the rest of us!) as his results were so bad.

The tests are so fast too!

He needs to practice with something like a Bop-It or Bop-It Extreme.

The invitation to assessment includes instructions to practice with Simple Simon.

I don't think Simple Simons exist any more.

Jaysus, AlwaysCheddar, haven't you read any of the other replies?