Any Scotrail employees on here?

[Mr Sifter]

Morning folks, I’m looking for a bit career advice from any conductors/drivers at Scotrail. I know of at least one prominent name on here who works within the industry, but not sure who for. 

 

If anyone can help me I’d really appreciate a pm. 

 

Thanks ??

[Phage]

Im a former employee. If you want to be a conductor or train driver the main criteria is that you have safety critical work experience.

 

From my experience a lot of former police officers or army come in from external to drivers jobs. So previous roles like that or something like paramedic would be great for your aspirations.

 

If you dont have that experience join the army reserves or become a special constable to get that experience. Not sure if it would matter much but things like becoming health and safety champion in an office or cub scout leader etc could beef up your safety profile.

 

However when Drivers 50k+ per year jobs are advertised externally 32000 people apply within days. So its low odds if your not an army captain or something really outstanding.

 

The other route is through agency. Blue Arrow supply the agency workers. Thats how i got in and i was lucky i landed a £15.50 per hour or 29k per year cooshy station number. Then after 6 months you can apply for permanant and i went into different roles from there.

 

However your more likely to get either hospitality or barrier roles through agency. Starting at around 19k per year i think. And your progression would look like....

 

Barrier/hospitality 19k (6 months minimum)

 

Ticket examiner 25k + 2% commision (or station staff/dispatcher 25-30k depending on role)

 

Conductor 32 or 34k + 5% commision. Ive seen the figures and a hard working conductor can get upto or more than 50k per year if you work it hard. So there is fierce competition for those roles and you would probably need a few years as TE to be in the running for conductor.

 

Drivers 50k ish would need a good few years as conducter or dispatcher with a good safety record to be considered.

 

I know of one agency guy that was quickly propelled to Driver within a few months. No 6 month rule for the guy who's brother is a very famous Celtic player. So send a CV in and say James Forrest is your step brother or something. Definetly seemed to me supporting Celtic got you places in ScotRail... anyway i digress.

 

You can make a lot of cash for very little work. Nobody works a full shift except at entry level. Any rest day working id say id do it for a full 12 hours pay and 'work' 5 hours maybe. Managers dont really have a budget and piss money away... when i was there at least. However for your handsome salary you need to put up with a ton of bullcrap and enjoy getting **** on from a great height. The general concensus would be most staff put up with the **** because the salary is good.

 

Also if your face dosent fit or your manager dosent like you that can really affect any oppurtunties to progress. 

 

When i left Abellio had closed up shop on the internal jobs. Only critical jobs like Driver were advertised and every station or depot were barebones needing the understaffed managers to rely on overtime to fill the rosters. The word was that an HR director had to officially authorise any advertised position. When i left everywhere was getting desperately understaffed.

 

So long story short... you just need to get yourself in. The easiest way is Blue Arrow. Keep your head down and turn up on time and get a season ticket for Celtic Park and you'll be ok.

[Tott]

50K to drive a fecking train ?

 

There talking about driverless buses for the fife to edinburgh route  and  tbf ..if your going to experiment,do it with the fifers.

 

But surely driverless trains must be far easier.

[benny]

17 minutes ago, Tott said:

50K to drive a fecking train ?

 

There talking about driverless buses for the fife to edinburgh route  and  tbf ..if your going to experiment,do it with the fifers.

 

But surely driverless trains must be far easier.

Apply then if it is so easy.

 

[Tott]

16 minutes ago, benny said:

Apply then if it is so easy.

 

 

Trying reading before replying.

 

There are going to introduce driverless buses?

 

Trains in theory should be easier to control....yes or no benny boy?

 

Aint fecking rocket science.

Edited November 25, 2018 by Tott

[Boof]

2 minutes ago, Tott said:

 

Aint fecking rocket science.

 

Yeah - sounds more like train science.

[Tott]

Just now, Boof said:

 

Yeah - sounds more like train science.

 

What you saying...only rockets are the employees? ?

[EastSideJambo]

1 hour ago, Tott said:

50K to drive a fecking train ?

 

There talking about driverless buses for the fife to edinburgh route  and  tbf ..if your going to experiment,do it with the fifers.

 

But surely driverless trains must be far easier.

?

[fabienleclerq]

I'm 90% through my conductor training if you want to pm me any questions.

[benny]

12 hours ago, Tott said:

 

Trying reading before replying.

 

There are going to introduce driverless buses?

 

Trains in theory should be easier to control....yes or no benny boy?

 

Aint fecking rocket science.

I would think the railway system in the UK is too complex for driverless trains.

If it happened I hope the Unions would bring the railways to a complete standstill.

[AlimOzturk]

14 hours ago, Tott said:

 

Trying reading before replying.

 

There are going to introduce driverless buses?

 

Trains in theory should be easier to control....yes or no benny boy?

 

Aint fecking rocket science.

 

You talk utter shite. 

[Tott]

34 minutes ago, AlimOzturk said:

 

You talk utter shite. 

 

cool..nice input

[IronJambo]

2 hours ago, benny said:

I would think the railway system in the UK is too complex for driverless trains.

If it happened I hope the Unions would bring the railways to a complete standstill.

I agree with your first paragraph but I can see it happening one day.

Sadly, if/when it comes to it we will be at a stage where there's nobody left to stand up for the drivers and the unions will be broken. 

Drivers all over are accepting (not always be choice) more and more Driver Only Operated routes meaning that guards won't be there to stand with them. The only ones that would be left to stand in its way would be the signallers.

Edited November 26, 2018 by IronJambo

[Mr Sifter]

Bringing this thread back on topic for a second, thanks to those who’ve provided me with help/information. It’s genuinely appreciated. 

 

Right, I’ll let ye get back to arguing over driverless buses in Fife ?

[davemclaren]

2 hours ago, IronJambo said:

I agree with your first paragraph but I can see it happening one day.

Sadly, if/when it comes to it we will be at a stage where there's nobody left to stand up for the drivers and the unions will be broken. 

Drivers all over are accepting (not always be choice) more and more Driver Only Operated routes meaning that guards won't be there to stand with them. The only ones that would be left to stand in its way would be the signallers.

There are already driverless trains on the DLR so I think it is inevitable that will spread elsewhere. 

[IronJambo]

3 minutes ago, davemclaren said:

There are already driverless trains on the DLR so I think it is inevitable that will spread elsewhere. 

Not just DLR. Jubilee and Central lines on the underground also. They're less complex environments than national rail though and I think the DLR was purposefully built for it.

[davemclaren]

2 minutes ago, IronJambo said:

Not just DLR. Jubilee and Central lines on the underground also. They're less complex environments than national rail though and I think the DLR was purposefully built for it.

Certainly less complex but the technology will improve. It's been a constant since the start of the industrial revolution that jobs emerge, change and, eventually, disappear. 

[EastSideJambo]

Just had a chuckle at this thread. I'm not sure who it was possible to have a spat on this thread, but low and behold....

[IronJambo]

1 hour ago, davemclaren said:

Certainly less complex but the technology will improve. It's been a constant since the start of the industrial revolution that jobs emerge, change and, eventually, disappear. 

It's further away than what you think. We still use semaphore signals in some areas. We still use tokens. The government won't even invest the adequate money to fully electrify lines that they'd already set out to electrify. The entire infrastructure would require a major overhaul and nobodies going to pay for it.