And after tax it's hardly worth itBeen there. Did it for 2yrs. Wouldn't want to do it again.
Hardly do any rest days now, and only booked Sunday if I can't get shut
And after tax it's hardly worth itBeen there. Did it for 2yrs. Wouldn't want to do it again.
Hardly do any rest days now, and only booked Sunday if I can't get shut
Agreed you have to do what you’re happy doing. To me, the driver’s wage was naturally appealing, but that’s not why I applied to be a driver. I strongly believe you have to want to do a job because it’s something you like doing, not because of the money alone.I am on £31k for a 37 hour week as a guard (plus Sundays and whatever overtime I do). It is enough money to be happy with. I could double it as a driver but have no desire to really. I've always said I'd consider it if I no longer enjoyed my job but I have a massive route card and the job is so different day to day that I don't find it gets old, though of course it has it's frustrations. Being a driver is much more regimented than being a guard (I can organise unorthodox but clever solutions to problems that aren't safety related and that keeps me happy).
The ones I feel sorry for are the people who chase the drivers wages in their 20s and 30s and realise that apart from being a driver manager or some limited opportunities in back office roles like ops standards they have nowhere else to go for decades without taking a wage drop. I've been lucky enough to experience a few different roles and I've done a bit of project stuff as well. I never thought I'd settle as long as I have in one job.
And after tax it's hardly worth it
The ones I feel sorry for are the people who chase the drivers wages in their 20s and 30s and realise that apart from being a driver manager or some limited opportunities in back office roles like ops standards they have nowhere else to go for decades without taking a wage drop. I've been lucky enough to experience a few different roles and I've done a bit of project stuff as well. I never thought I'd settle as long as I have in one job.
There is another side to that though if you can earn £60k pa during your 20s and 30s, if you have half a brain that's a mortgage sorted and what should be a debt free period bringing up a family, that seems a fair swap to me for limited options to move on from being a driver, I certainly wish I'd been earning that sort of salary when I was 20/30ish
There is another side to that though if you can earn £60k pa during your 20s and 30s, if you have half a brain that's a mortgage sorted and what should be a debt free period bringing up a family, that seems a fair swap to me for limited options to move on from being a driver, I certainly wish I'd been earning that sort of salary when I was 20/30ish
I worked with a guy that was completely obsessed with money. We were on a monthly salary, but overtime was paid by the hour. At any point over the course of the month he could tell you EXACTLY how much overtime he had. He worked every hour he could (within the law) and when he was forced to use his generous holiday entitlement, he'd sign on for an agency for a couple of weeks and keep on working.It possibly is if someone has a mortgate to pay, is in debt or max'd out their credit cards. There's certainly people in that position.
I don't really get the ones who are reasonably financially settled that still chase OT like a shark though. Some people do seem to be simply hard-wired to chase pennies.
I have to agree with comments here and people should also consider transport roles which aren't directly on the railway.
As a consultant advising the transport industry, salaries are better than train drivers after just a few years and there is no shift work! Flexible working patterns, bonuses, able to take leave whenever, no stressful training to pass, able to enjoy a few drinks the night before work and your ability to lead with ideas which can change the direction of the whole industry. Every few months, you move onto another project so you get a fantastic opportunity to really understand the whole industry. The experience you gain in a year as a consultant is the equivalent of spending a few years in head office at a TOC or Network Rail! So a very quick route to a senior position in the industry.
You actually only end up paying an extra 10% in taxes on your earnings that come into the higher tax rate.And after tax it's hardly worth it
I worked with a guy that was completely obsessed with money. We were on a monthly salary, but overtime was paid by the hour. At any point over the course of the month he could tell you EXACTLY how much overtime he had. He worked every hour he could (within the law) and when he was forced to use his generous holiday entitlement, he'd sign on for an agency for a couple of weeks and keep on working.
I worked with a guy that was completely obsessed with money. We were on a monthly salary, but overtime was paid by the hour. At any point over the course of the month he could tell you EXACTLY how much overtime he had. He worked every hour he could (within the law) and when he was forced to use his generous holiday entitlement, he'd sign on for an agency for a couple of weeks and keep on working.
Not if you’ve got Northern or TPE’s RDW agreement.To get over £100k they must have no life outside work.
If the train drivers pay as rubbish like it was before 1997 nobody would be applying. It's all about the money. Train drivers can earn 75-80k without even trying. Then the big hitters are hitting 6 digits.
There is another side to that though if you can earn £60k pa during your 20s and 30s, if you have half a brain that's a mortgage sorted and what should be a debt free period bringing up a family, that seems a fair swap to me for limited options to move on from being a driver, I certainly wish I'd been earning that sort of salary when I was 20/30ish
Pls expand on how one becomes and what qualifications/experience are required to be a rail consultant?I have to agree with comments here and people should also consider transport roles which aren't directly on the railway.
As a consultant advising the transport industry, salaries are better than train drivers after just a few years and there is no shift work! Flexible working patterns, bonuses, able to take leave whenever, no stressful training to pass, able to enjoy a few drinks the night before work and your ability to lead with ideas which can change the direction of the whole industry. Every few months, you move onto another project so you get a fantastic opportunity to really understand the whole industry. The experience you gain in a year as a consultant is the equivalent of spending a few years in head office at a TOC or Network Rail! So a very quick route to a senior position in the industry.
Would you be comfortable sharing what role you are in/referring to?Absolutely - Driver is a good job, if you're happy with getting up at silly o clock one week, then going to bed at silly o clock the next. Clambering around the cess when it's belting it down with rain trying to isolate a vehicle brake. Not able to go out having a bit of a boogie with your mates down the bars and clubs on a Saturday night because you're working, or you're working tomorrow, or you've been working all day and you're knackered. But that lifestyle isn't for everyone, and it's critically important that folk remember there's more to the railway, things with a more sociable work/life balance.
I've done shift work on the railway in the past, I've done the weeks where I've thought, yeah, I'll hammer the overtime, treat myself to something nice, but I suppose as I've got older I've started to question the point of running myself into the ground for the sake of a few extra hundred in my pay packet. I do a primarily office based job which I enjoy, with regular travel around the network, working alongside a team who put 110% into everything they do, work very few weekends and when I do it's by mutual agreement with the gaffer, make a visible contribution to the effective running of the railway; and earn enough to afford a reasonable standard of living, not with caviar for tea each night or bathing in champagne, but with enough luxuries like cable TV to put my feet up in front of, a few beers down the pub (when Covid allows) and a nice PC to game on at the weekends to keep me happy outside work hours.
My advice to folk is don't chase the money, and instead try to find a role in the railway that you're a good fit for and you'll get a lot out of - you'll enjoy it more, you'll perform better, and you might find it leads you down a path you hadn't even considered (where likely over time the money will be as good as, or better than, a driver role anyway).
I have to agree with comments here and people should also consider transport roles which aren't directly on the railway.
As a consultant advising the transport industry, salaries are better than train drivers after just a few years and there is no shift work! Flexible working patterns, bonuses, able to take leave whenever, no stressful training to pass, able to enjoy a few drinks the night before work and your ability to lead with ideas which can change the direction of the whole industry. Every few months, you move onto another project so you get a fantastic opportunity to really understand the whole industry. The experience you gain in a year as a consultant is the equivalent of spending a few years in head office at a TOC or Network Rail! So a very quick route to a senior position in the industry.
What is this ‘overtime’ of which you speak?
Yes it's great if you're happy to stay driving trains until retirement
Of course if you wish to guarantee going home on time, then don't be a Driver !
There is another side to that though if you can earn £60k pa during your 20s and 30s, if you have half a brain that's a mortgage sorted and what should be a debt free period bringing up a family, that seems a fair swap to me for limited options to move on from being a driver, I certainly wish I'd
I can afford mortgage overpayments with no Rest Day work and no Sundays and should be mortgage free within eight years. I qualified in my twenties.Why? if you passed out at 25 for example and did 20/25 years earning £60k plus you could easily move into a non driving role before retirement
Or work in any other on-train role
Pls expand on how one becomes and what qualifications/experience are required to be a rail consultant?
very true, but freight seems to take the bigger, longer hitsOr work in any other on-train role
Are there many ex-drivers in your consultant community ?There are two types of consultants in the transport sector- people are who consultants as a career or people with rail technical experience becoming consultants. I shall just talk about the later bit.
Most consultant roles require a degree and a few have masters (however a master doesn't really make a difference). The key is to get a wide range of experience across the whole rail sector such as working with different private operators, Network Rail and DfT to get a well rounded background. It does require jumping between jobs and building your network of contacts along the way.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the railway over the years, is that you can move between most jobs without a degree, and simply build on your network. It’s a game really, and is often not what you know, or indeed what level of education you have, but more who you know (when talking about ‘one-off’ management grade roles rather than entry level, or roles which are recruited en-mass). Nepotism is also rife, but that’s another threadThere are two types of consultants in the transport sector- people are who consultants as a career or people with rail technical experience becoming consultants. I shall just talk about the later bit.
Most consultant roles require a degree and a few have masters (however a master doesn't really make a difference). The key is to get a wide range of experience across the whole rail sector such as working with different private operators, Network Rail and DfT to get a well rounded background. It does require jumping between jobs and building your network of contacts along the way.
The vast majority of threads are of people looking to find driver jobs, pass the psycho tests, get through interviews and sitting in talent pools, waiting for offers etc etc
There are some fantastic jobs on the railway although not many pay as well as drivers earn it seems. Customer facing roles are much more satisfying and don’t involve sitting alone for hours on end although some people don’t mind it
Drivers go through a gruelling recruitment process to prove themselves and show they have what it takes. I really admire anyone who has made the grade. I don’t think I would!
Just to add, my previous background is aviation. The key jobs are Pilot or Cabin Crew. So this kind of trend isn’t just specific to the railway.
Spot on for me as well, along with the fact it’s what I had only ever wanted to do.For me its nothing to do with status or money. Its the moving office, where no two days are the same and I get to enjoy a panoramic view of the Great British countryside in all seasons and weathers.
Not many office based folk can say that. There is more to life than money after all. If someone offered me an extra 20k a year to sit in an office at a computer the answer would be no thanks.