• Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Avanti West Coast Trainee Train Driver Euston and Wolverhampton

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

bruebunny

Member
Joined
11 Dec 2013
Messages
92
Charliew24 said:
Me too. Did you manage to fix it?
Click to expand...
You couldn't. The application page was broken and no applications were being accepted through it, only through the OPC test that was linked in the job posting. If you applied to both then you are safe, but if you only tried applying via the posting but not the OPC then your application has not been accepted.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

4-SUB 4732

4-SUB 4732

Established Member
Joined
7 Jan 2018
Messages
2,150
Spike1985 said:
I took the OPC questionaire this morning,
Got an email more or less straight away saying sorry you dont meet the standards.

I thought the answers I gave were ok, some of the questions are quite ambiguious tho. Like a colleague asking to swap shifts, one of the options would made you come across as some sort of control freek ! Which was a bit strange.

When it asked for my address I was hoping for a box to tick to say I dont mind relocating which I dont, I have just spent the last 12 years in the army so relocating is nothing new to me and would of liked the option or the chance to explain this to a potential future employer.

We go again
Click to expand...

Horrible thing to ask but are people who are unsuccessful finding out immediately, and therefore possibly others who have passed aren't hearing anything?
 
S

Spike1985

New Member
Joined
27 Apr 2020
Messages
4
Location
wiltshire
4-SUB 4732 said:
Horrible thing to ask but are people who are unsuccessful finding out immediately, and therefore possibly others who have passed aren't hearing anything?
Click to expand...
That could be the case mate,
I am convinced the computer programme that processed mine seen I lived more than 60mins away and sent the rejection reply straight away.
 
F

FManc

Member
Joined
21 Jul 2011
Messages
399
Albagubrath said:
Virgin Trains/ Avanti are the highest paid drivers in the U.K. railway! The training salary has always been 40k to start even when it was Virgin. That’s one of the attractions of getting in the door to train with them as it’s not the 25k for a full year you get with most TOC. The 40k will increase in 6 months during training once you have your traction!
Click to expand...

That's not correct mate.
The £40k does not increase until you've signed off your first core route approx 12-18 months after starting training.
 
F

FManc

Member
Joined
21 Jul 2011
Messages
399
Jaytrains said:
Advanc

I’m a bit lost here...

So say you passed both assessments with another toc will they make u do them again?
Click to expand...

You'll have to resit anything that doesn't reach Avanti's enhanced standard.
Bare in mind if you do resit any test and perform worse than you did before, it will become your new score (i.e. it overrides any previous score).
 
J

Jaytrains

Member
Joined
20 Nov 2017
Messages
570
FManc said:
You'll have to resit anything that doesn't reach Avanti's enhanced standard.
Bare in mind if you do resit any test and perform worse than you did before, it will become your new score (i.e. it overrides any previous score).
Click to expand...


Oh ok yeahh that makes sense

And which test is added to the enhanced assessment that the standard level doesn’t have?
 
O

Octopus28

Member
Joined
12 Sep 2018
Messages
165
Jaytrains said:
Oh ok yeahh that makes sense

And which test is added to the enhanced assessment that the standard level doesn’t have?
Click to expand...
It’s exactly the same OPC exams but say one exam is out of 20 points, Pass rate 12, most TOCs may accept up to 16 as passed. But then enhanced want the ones who scored 17-20. Cream of the crop so to speak. Still a pass but just a higher pass mark.
 
A

Albagubrath

Member
Joined
29 Apr 2015
Messages
45
Jaytrains said:
Why’s avanti’s salary so high compared to other tocs? Do they run a special service that no one else does?
Click to expand...
Virgin Drivers now Avanti are the highest paid drivers in the railway! Getting to drive for Avanti is like going to straight to Emirates without working for EasyJet!
The training Salary is also a very big draw to the job as most TOC’s it’s something in the region of 25k for a full year of training! Most people need to take a significant pay cut which they can’t afford just to get in the door driving with these other TOC’s!
 
Last edited:
A

Albagubrath

Member
Joined
29 Apr 2015
Messages
45
Jaytrains said:
Advanc

I’m a bit lost here...

So say you passed both assessments with another toc will they make u do them again?
Click to expand...
If the tests were not done by the OPC when you did them with the other TOC then yes you will have to re do them. If they were with the OPC but not to an advanced level then they won’t put you forward for Avanti so can only imagine they would give you the opportunity to do them again to try and achieve an advanced pass!

It’s only something ridiculous like 7 people from every 1000 that apply pass all the tests to the required standard from application to final interview!
 
A

Albagubrath

Member
Joined
29 Apr 2015
Messages
45
FManc said:
That's not correct mate.
The £40k does not increase until you've signed off your first core route approx 12-18 months after starting training.
Click to expand...

Ah ok, I thought it was after 6 then 12! take it then it’s 12-18 months then another 6 months after that?
 
A

Albagubrath

Member
Joined
29 Apr 2015
Messages
45
Spike1985 said:
I took the OPC questionaire this morning,
Got an email more or less straight away saying sorry you dont meet the standards.

I thought the answers I gave were ok, some of the questions are quite ambiguious tho. Like a colleague asking to swap shifts, one of the options would made you come across as some sort of control freek ! Which was a bit strange.

When it asked for my address I was hoping for a box to tick to say I dont mind relocating which I dont, I have just spent the last 12 years in the army so relocating is nothing new to me and would of liked the option or the chance to explain this to a potential future employer.

We go again
Click to expand...

Mate I don’t know how you answered but having been in the services unfortunately you are immediately at a disadvantage with those questions as you whole service has been about helping people and doing what you can to get a job done.

These railway questions are not looking for the person who is always going to help to get the job done!
If you think of the role of a train driver, it is a job that requires 100% concentration for every minute you are in that cab. This is very tiring and it is classed as a high stress job.
So if you think about that question regarding the shift swap which normally starts with things like “you are tired” “you have a family outing planned on your day off” then it gives you the “your the only colleague that can change shifts to allow a person to go to a funeral (or something like that)” what do you do?

The fact the question mentioned “tired” is the indicator that the answer they are looking for is NOT swapping that shift!

The correct answer is the one where you have considered 1st your own well-being and recovery and then the colleagues! As there’s usually an answer with “but you tell them you will ask about the other drivers to see if anyone can help”!

It’s not to make you sound like a control freak it’s to see that you are someone that will go away from work and do things to de stress and recover so that you come back fit and refreshed to do your next shift!

Hope this helps.
 
S

Spike1985

New Member
Joined
27 Apr 2020
Messages
4
Location
wiltshire
Albagubrath said:
Mate I don’t know how you answered but having been in the services unfortunately you are immediately at a disadvantage with those questions as you whole service has been about helping people and doing what you can to get a job done.

These railway questions are not looking for the person who is always going to help to get the job done!
If you think of the role of a train driver, it is a job that requires 100% concentration for every minute you are in that cab. This is very tiring and it is classed as a high stress job.
So if you think about that question regarding the shift swap which normally starts with things like “you are tired” “you have a family outing planned on your day off” then it gives you the “your the only colleague that can change shifts to allow a person to go to a funeral (or something like that)” what do you do?

The fact the question mentioned “tired” is the indicator that the answer they are looking for is NOT swapping that shift!

The correct answer is the one where you have considered 1st your own well-being and recovery and then the colleagues! As there’s usually an answer with “but you tell them you will ask about the other drivers to see if anyone can help”!

It’s not to make you sound like a control freak it’s to see that you are someone that will go away from work and do things to de stress and recover so that you come back fit and refreshed to do your next shift!

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
That helps thanks I will deffo think about about what you said in my next one
 
A

Albagubrath

Member
Joined
29 Apr 2015
Messages
45
C J Snarzell said:
From discussions I have on other threads, applications for TOCs are generally scanned through computers that are not read by human eyes. As everyone is aware, trainee driving roles attract applications in three or four figures and HR's cannot possibly deal with them all. I believe Avanti's HR are based at the Crewe Talent Academy and are only a small team.

CJ
Click to expand...

The OPC deal with the applications up until the point where people who passed the tests to ADVANCED level are forwarded to Avanti! There’s no reading of applications until this point when the 3 or 4 figures of applications are now only 2!!!!
 
F

FManc

Member
Joined
21 Jul 2011
Messages
399
Albagubrath said:
Ah ok, I thought it was after 6 then 12! take it then it’s 12-18 months then another 6 months after that?
Click to expand...

£40k during training.
Once you sign your first core route i.e. fully qualified - £57k (approx 12-18 months in).
Then goes up every 12 months for 2 years until you reach full salary.
 
T

TTDARL

Member
Joined
23 Mar 2017
Messages
159
Highest pay isn’t the be all and end all. Higher salary = higher tax and national insurance. Terms and conditions matter also. Many TOCS have sold the better t&c’s in order to achieve the higher pay. Often the higher pay is offered for a reason as they need something to keep people. Not saying that ‘Avanti’ is a bad TOC as I don’t work for them to know. But the message is there’s a lot more to a good job than a high salary headline.

rail-god said:
LNER pay £68988
Eurostar pay £71489
Click to expand...
 
4-SUB 4732

4-SUB 4732

Established Member
Joined
7 Jan 2018
Messages
2,150
Anybody got any idea how many years since you first passed your test Avanti will take here? 2/3/5 years seem the norm but believe some allow up to 10 years depending on how old you are. Also, if you have passed the tests and enhanced tests will you need to sit again if within said time frame?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top