Disgusted at the amount of people jealous of tube drivers pay

[Itsawd]

They do a job dealing with the public, unsociable hours and god knows what when they get a jumper. We should congratulate them on doing well, not look at them with green eyes.

Its a free market so if anyone wants a job as one they are welcome to apply!

If the skills required to be a tube driver are rare then the market rate is the market rate. However, if people can't apply from outside London Underground, then the rate is skewed.

Arguably employees in other positions may be under paid because of the carrot of being able to apply for a tube driver's job, when realistically most people won't be successful.

It wouldn't seem so odd if the skills required to work in customer services were comparable to those required of a tube driver.

It just all comes across as being as inefficient and bonkers as any industry governed by the old boy's network.

Boneyback thanks, my mistake on the PGCE. 2-3 years is directly comparable to train driving (I don't know if tube drivers do probationary years) then.

Yes being good at a customer service job, is not the same skills needed as being good at being a tube driver. I think I would be good at the latter, and rubbish at the former.

I'm a tube driver. I used to be station staff and at the age of 22 had an unplanned pregnancy. Station staff were on 20k back then and drivers 36k. I applied for the driver job (purely for money) and was fortunate enough to get the job. My other option was to stay on stations, part time due to inflexible rosters, and claim tax credits which would have bumped my money up to almost the same amount (after tax) but I decided to look long-term and go for a well-paid drivers job. The thing is, you hate me for being a tube driver despite all that entails, but I don't think you'd hate me if I was a part timer claiming tax Credits!

I wake up every morning grateful for my job and there are many sacrifices involved, I hope we can resolve the night tube dispute as striking is awful but I will really struggle with weekend childcare doing nights. I would like to take a pay cut and do a 4 day week but unfortunately it isn't an option (LU is inflexible, very male dominated).

I feel that our wage is in line with other train drivers in this country and so is fair. My friend works for London overground and they are on £55k. Train drivers up north are on 45k with a much cheaper cost of living so we on the Underground are not particularly well paid in this line of work. The job itself is shit and I took it only wanting the money.

Oh, and it makes me laugh that the job is so desirable these days as when I went for the driver promotion everyone I know thought I was crazy! I refer to it as my well-paid, dead end job. It keeps a roof over our heads but the 30+ years in a tunnel stretching out ahead of me makes me shudder! It's only worth it for the money, you must trust me on that. I wish one of you could spend a month on the front of a train with me.

vada I've heard a few years experience get you to 70K, is that true?

Thanks so much to Vada & TheMole for your posts.

Vada, mot of us don't hate tube drivers at all although I think the misery they cause to people in London on strike days is totally unacceptable.

Many many of us want tax credits totally abolished. We voted Tory . We are delighted with the start made by the Government and we want less state support for families. So yes we applaud that you don't claim tax credits.

Found this quite interesting.

www.trainweb.org/districtdave/html/a_driver_s_daily_routine.html

but I don't think you'd hate me if I was a part timer claiming tax Credits!

You obviously haven't been around that long

Been at least a week since the last TC bashing thread finished.

Should be due for another one any day now....

Oh shit Red has seen your post & already started !

I have no idea where 70k comes from. We have a salary and it stays the same, barring annual payrises, until we stop doing the job. The only way to earn more money is to get a promotion to another job. For example a driver who has been qualified a week will earn the same as one who has been doing the job for 40 years.

(Don't anyone on the planet. What is the point of hate? People do what they can with the circumstances in front of them at the time.

however the disruption causd to people ( imagine finding childcare for the baby from 5.30am because in order to get to work on a strike day you need to get to the railway station at 5.50am which you do around here rather than your usual 7.45am which is very very typical for lots of ordinary working people in London).