Train driving - career change

[Chefpig]

Hello, is anyone a train driver? I've long wanted to do this and a job ad has come up for my very small station. I ancipate there'll be lots of applications.

If you have any experience of doing the job, I'd love to hear it. The good, the bad and the ugly. Thanks!

The ugly unfortunately is when people decide to jump in front of them. My DH is in emergency services and there seems to be an increase

If you are in the UK it's quite rare not to be already working in the railway industry if you are applying to train as a driver.

Hello, I am a Train Driver!

The good - aside from occasional assessments, you are very much left to your own devices. Interaction with your line manager is relatively rare. Obviously when you go home, you're done, so work/life balance is good in that regard (although the shifts do impact on your lifestyle, when you can have a drink, how early you need to go to bed etc).

The bad - there are few women, although more are joining. But sexist attitudes prevail unfortunately.

It takes a great deal of focus. Train Driving doesn't demand your concentration in the same way steering a car does, once you've got the thing up to speed, as long as you're running on greens then it will just go and go with very little interaction from you. Missing a station is very easy indeed. It's also quite lonely in there, no music allowed... so you need to enjoy your own company.

The ugly - fatalities. I have had one and coming back from it was a struggle.

Ask me anything, I'd be happy to help. Get your application in quickly, my company often withdraws vacancies before the closing date due to the huge influx of applicants. Emphasise your responsible nature, that you can work independently but also follow rules and procedures, that you know how to prioritise tasks, mention safety as often as you can. Convince them you will be able to memorise the rule book and will be able to cope with the lengthy training period. Mention any experience you have dealing with emergency situations. And then get prepping for the psychometric tests, because they have a 95% failure rate.

They know what they want and how to test for it. Certainly throw your hat in the ring but accept there will be lots of applicants and if you get through the initial stages it very much becomes it's not you, it's if you have the specific skills needed to do the role, that will ultimately decide if you succeed. Have you researched how they test aptitude under pressure- there is lots of info out there and it's quite standardised i think.

This certainly used to be the case, in the old days there was a set career path you had to follow. You wouldn't be allowed anywhere near the footplate until you'd done your time as a cleaner, guard, fireman, secondman. However on my training course, 2 out of the 10 of us had joined from outside the industry. The days of belittling Drivers who've come straight in off the street and referring to them as 'boil in the bags' are now on the decline. And nowadays, since the government launched the apprenticeship scheme, some TOCs actually prefer to recruit off the street, as their training costs are subsidised.

If you go on www.railforums.co.uk you will probably see threads relating to the train operating company you want to apply for and lots of info and tips.
A lot of railway staff post and you’ll be able to get a feel for the job and the recruitment process. A very supportive community I’ve found.

A teacher i know packed it in and became a driver. He loves it. Especially the lack of stress compared to being a teacher.😁

Thanks so much everyone. I didnt expect so many replies so quickly!

I think my application was really good.

Do they do all the tests like the psychometric during training? I'm just thinking what if I was offered a job and then failed the tests, I'd be out on my arse and I dont think Universal Credit would cover all my bills!

No, a job offer would be dependent on you passing the psychometrics and a medical. Will the training wage cover your bills?

Given you are asking whether they test after offer means you've not looked into this enough - they are super thorough! Do you think you have the skills needed? It's a pretty specific skill set they are after which is not hard to find out about. It's very much an in demand job and difficult to get as they will be investing a huge amount of time and money to train you.

Thank you. I'd scrape by for the first year on the training wage, which is around £28k a year, rising to £50k after a year training.