A career as a signaller

[kenny01]

This is not necessarily true, while classes do get 100% success rates. Just being there and rigorously applying yourself is no guarantee of passing.

It's in the company's best interest to pass people from an investment point of view if they got that far, but people can and do strike out.

It's very dependent on the individual.

I’ll add the word ‘should’ in there somewhere then.

This is not necessarily true, while classes do get 100% success rates. Just being there and rigorously applying yourself is no guarantee of passing.

It's in the company's best interest to pass people from an investment point of view if they got that far, but people can and do strike out.

It's very dependent on the

 

[Bexifer]

My start date is the end of April. For anyone going through the interview process the best way to think about it is that it’s just a conversation. Don’t get in your head too much about trying to hit markers, that’s where nerves will kick in and your mind will blank. All the information you need to answer questions about Network Rail are readily available on Google and in this thread (yes I did read the 667 pages that were here before my interview)

In relation to the competency based responses just view it like you’re telling the story of what you’ve achieved from start to finish, so what you did, how you did it and what the accomplishment was. That’s all the STAR technique is. In the interview only you know who you are and what you’ve achieved so telling your story in a way that flows, is factual and authentic will help. Just be you, that’s who the hiring manager is assessing.

 

[bouff34]

This is not necessarily true, while classes do get 100% success rates. Just being there and rigorously applying yourself is no guarantee of passing.

It's in the company's best interest to pass people from an investment point of view if they got that far, but people can and do strike out.

It's very dependent on the individual.

Agreed, and if every course had a 100% pass rate I would suggest the course would need to be made harder....Is it correct for every single person to pass - I would think that a few courses might have one or more individuals that despite interviewing well aren't actually going to make competent signallers. If IST weeds out a few weaker candidates you'll be grateful at some point when you are not working alongside them, trust me!

I understand the advice that you should keep trying as eventually perseverance will pay off...but for some applicants the recruitment process is actually working correctly and telling you maybe you would be better suited to something else?? As before, I'm not wanting to offend or upset anyone but sometimes you have to be realistic...

 

[Open_G]

I’m not 100% sure your ability to get through a couple of written exams and pass 3 practical assessments is a good indicator of your ability as a signaller. Certainly the written papers at least seem a little like a memory test, (17 reasons to pass a signal at danger- many of which may not occur on your proposed line????) Fun though it was memorising so many lists I’m not sure it has helped me be a better signaller.

Obviously there’s no definitive answer and IST definitely helped me with the ability to understand, apply and interpret the rule books (plain English campaign aside).

 

[bouff34]

I’m not 100% sure your ability to get through a couple of written exams and pass 3 practical assessments is a good indicator of your ability as a signaller. Certainly the written papers at least seem a little like a memory test, (17 reasons to pass a signal at danger- many of which may not occur on your proposed line????) Fun though it was memorising so many lists I’m not sure it has helped me be a better signaller.

Obviously there’s no definitive answer and IST definitely helped me with the ability to understand, apply and interpret the rule books (plain English campaign aside).

I agree, not claiming that at all... but the course might weed out one or two that might be suited and indeed enjoy a different role.

 

[kezy_b]

I understand that the framing of some responses may have come across as overly stern. It's important to remember that many questions, especially those asked by new aspirants, often stem from excitement and a desire to fully understand the opportunity. There's a natural emotional curve associated with any new venture, and it's essential to allow individuals to navigate through those feelings.

While it's realistic to acknowledge the challenges ahead, it's equally important to foster a positive and supportive environment. Focusing solely on the potential for failure can be discouraging, especially for those who have already demonstrated resilience and determination to reach this stage. We must remember that individuals approach new tasks with the intention to succeed, and they possess the capacity to overcome setbacks.

As someone with experience in signalling, the importance of providing positive guidance and mentorship. New entrants will inevitably have questions, and it's crucial to address them with patience and understanding. We were all once in their position, and it's easy to forget the initial learning curve.

I encourage all interviewees to approach the process with confidence, to absorb constructive advice, and to maintain their resilience. Remember, this isn't a competition, but an opportunity for growth and collaboration.

For those about to embark on IST, it's essential to emphasize the power of dedication and teamwork. With these qualities, any challenge can be overcome. Working together will be key to success.

Let's strive to create a supportive and encouraging environment for everyone involved.

 

[tiptoptaff]

I got invited to an assement day for Cardiff this morning, just went online to book after work and there was one slot left!!

Anyone else had issues uploading the right to work documents? Keep getting an error that says "files must be under 10mb" but all three are under 10mb combined!

Thanks in advance

 

[RailwayRookie]

...Focusing solely on the potential for failure can be discouraging...

If this is related to my previous comment about how people can and do fail IST, that comment was made in response to (paraphrasing) "if you make it IST you will pass IST"

I agree a positivive and helpful attitude to questions from potential candidates is the right approach, but wording it like you can just doss for 10 weeks neither positive nor helpful.

 

[muz379]

If this is related to my previous comment about how people can and do fail IST, that comment was made in response to (paraphrasing) "if you make it IST you will pass IST"

I agree a positivive and helpful attitude to questions from potential candidates is the right approach, but wording it like you can just doss for 10 weeks neither positive nor helpful.

To be fair I don't think anybody has suggested that you can just "doss for 10 weeks" , and I would agree that such messaging is not positive or helpful

Every post I have seen and indeed myself written about IST has suggested that the course is hard work and you will have to put significant effort into passing it .

All of the people that I have known about or come accross or that have struggled at IST or failed on at least their first attempt have lacked effort or tried to find shortcuts of some sort and come unstuck as a result . Not saying people dont put maximum effort in and just fail because it isn't for them , but I bet the number in that category isn't that high .

I’m not 100% sure your ability to get through a couple of written exams and pass 3 practical assessments is a good indicator of your ability as a signaller. Certainly the written papers at least seem a little like a memory test, (17 reasons to pass a signal at danger- many of which may not occur on your proposed line????) Fun though it was memorising so many lists I’m not sure it has helped me be a better signaller.

Obviously there’s no definitive answer and IST definitely helped me with the ability to understand, apply and interpret the rule books (plain English campaign aside).

I do agree , so much of the learning is actually when you get to your first location and start applying those rules in the real world with all the other stuff going on around it , classroom training cannot really prepare you for that fiist REC or first time you have to pass a signal at danger or whatever else it is that can go wrong at your location . And yet location training is such an inconsistent area.

 

[tiptoptaff]

Has anyone attended an in-person assement centre at St Patrick's house in Cardiff? I thought most if not all were done online.

Are the management based up there, as the signalling centre is down on De Croche Place?

Thanks

 

[jwolfe]

I got invited to an assement day for Cardiff this morning, just went online to book after work and there was one slot left!!

Anyone else had issues uploading the right to work documents? Keep getting an error that says "files must be under 10mb" but all three are under 10mb combined!

Thanks in advance

Is this for the G2 position? I haven’t heard back yet, so I assume I’m not getting an invite.

Well done and best of luck!

 

[tiptoptaff]

Is this for the G2 position? I haven’t heard back yet, so I assume I’m not getting an invite.

Well done and best of luck!

It was mate, fingers crossed for you that you hear back

 

[Ghillyz]

Completely agree. Without wanting to upset people, there are multiple times more applicants than there are vacancies available. If you are a good candidate pretty much every conceivable question has already been answered on this forum and you probably already have a good idea of what is required and a good set of skills and evidence to present! Life is competitive and those that can do the research for themselves will get on and achieve.

Candidates on here are repeatedly asking, "What will the questions be...? Has anyone else applied for this role..? How should I answer this? What would be a good reply for this NTS skill?"

Sorry, but the reality is that if all those answers are openly available on here (they are) offered by helpful posters then every candidate effectively will interview the same and will meet the requirements of the interview!! How does this help? NWR will have to change the interview to some other method of assessment - then we go round in circles chasing whatever the new interview model might be.

My personal view would be that those that find this forum should spend a decent amount of time going through the whole thread and then filter this down to the most relevant information (and eliminate all the irrelevant or possibly well intentioned but questionable advice). Put the good stuff onto a single word document and then go from there. All the questions are already answered in 99.9% of cases - you just have to read the thread or use the search function. Yes, this is a friendly and helpful group but just bear in mind you are all competing for the same job - so what relevance is there in asking who else has applied for a particular role? I don't care who else has applied as my focus should be on my application and no one else's. I'll be polite but I'm not minded to be giving you an advantage by offering up what I was asked if I had my interview first!!

Not meaning to offend anyone and for the record I have been a signaller for several years now and was very grateful for the masses of information that was on this thread at the time of my application and interview process. If you come across in interview as confident and present your genuine life skill evidence well I suspect you have a far better chance than 9 other interviewees that have all been coached and are regurgitating what they gather is the perfect set of interview answers from asking on here??

I completely agree with all of this, my only issue is that I honestly felt I did all of this. I came out of the interview and was really happy with my performance, if I had the option to do it again I’d perhaps maybe only change the wording on one answer slightly. Which is what makes the no feedback so frustrating, because if I wait 6 months to apply again I’m not sure if I should rip up my action plan and start from scratch or just go at it in the same vein and hope it works this time. It is what it is I guess, I’m just getting it off my chest lol

 

[tiptoptaff]

Hi all,

Sorry me again!

I've just gone through my email again for my assment centre and it's told me I need to complete a pre-interview assessment, which is another video interview. Is this normal? I only completed it a a few weeks okay initially.

Is it essentially the same assessment again or different? I'm not a huge fan of these one-way video interviews and I'm surprised I passed the first time! I'd hate to redo it and it not be as good as last time and get my interview offer withdrawn.

Thanks in advance!

 

[SimplyLovely]

Hi all,

Sorry me again!

I've just gone through my email again for my assment centre and it's told me I need to complete a pre-interview assessment, which is another video interview. Is this normal? I only completed it a a few weeks okay initially.

Is it essentially the same assessment again or different? I'm not a huge fan of these one-way video interviews and I'm surprised I passed the first time! I'd hate to redo it and it not be as good as last time and get my interview offer withdrawn.

Thanks in advance!

If I remember correctly from when I applied, the first video “interview” was more general questions and the second one you are being invited to was a scenario based one. So you will be told a scenario that might occur during a shift and say what you would do.

 

[tiptoptaff]

If I remember correctly from when I applied, the first video “interview” was more general questions and the second one you are being invited to was a scenario based one. So you will be told a scenario that might occur during a shift and say what you would do.

The first one I did was scenario questions I'm sure, followed her through her shift and said what I'd do in those situations!

I don't mind doing it obviously (although 2 online interviews plus a face-to-face one seems a bit overkill!) but I'm just worried that I won't actually get to go to my assessment centre after all, if I do the new one, it's the same, and I do worse second time around!

 

[supersam89]

Same here Super Sam so hopefully we will meet on the assessment day, Does the first step feedback contribute to the consideration for assessment day

Hi Kezy, don’t suppose you’ve heard anything back yet? My portal is still saying waiting for a date? Been a while now that’s all!

 

[kezy_b]

Hi Kezy, don’t suppose you’ve heard anything back yet? My portal is still saying waiting for a date? Been a while now that’s all!

Not heard anything yet, we are still playing the waiting game…

 

[SimplyLovely]

The first one I did was scenario questions I'm sure, followed her through her shift and said what I'd do in those situations!

I don't mind doing it obviously (although 2 online interviews plus a face-to-face one seems a bit overkill!) but I'm just worried that I won't actually get to go to my assessment centre after all, if I do the new one, it's the same, and I do worse second time around!

The first one followed a signaller in a centre and working through a shift, but the second one was a scenario based on an evolving incident on the track.

 

[tiptoptaff]

The first one followed a signaller in a centre and working through a shift, but the second one was a scenario based on an evolving incident on the track.

Ahh, it's that first one I've done. Thanks for the info

 

[Locky]

Hi all - I interviewed (assessment centre interview) on the 5th March, for the Perth G2 Trainee position and am yet to hear anything back. I can see a few others who applied for the same position have heard back however they have been unsuccessful. Wondering if there are any others who applied for the Perth role here and still waiting?

@MidSapphire - Have you heard back yet? If you have, fingers crossed it's good news!

 

[tiptoptaff]

Did the second video (pre-interview) assement last night and I've had no confirmation email that I've submitted it, or if I've passed it etc. Is this normal?

Only thing on my candidate portal is "thanks for booking a lot we look forward to seeing you" which is how it was before I did the assement

Thanks in advance!

 

[Buiadh]

I'm pretty sure that I didn't get any kind of confirmation when I did it either.

You can always email recruitment to check.

 

[tiptoptaff]

I'm pretty sure that I didn't get any kind of confirmation when I did it either.

You can always email recruitment to check.

No worries, did you hear anything about it before the interview or was it discussed there?

 

[rjb2025]

Here are all the brand new vacancies for a G2 trainee that have become live today if anybody lives in these areas and wants to apply or knows somebody who might. Over 15+ available.

 

[cxlla]

Can anybody please give some insight into working a G2 box - 8hr shift.
What is your workload like. Is it an easy job when all going well or extra stressful when there are problems. How is your worklife balance etc. Do you find it easy to leave work and shut off. Do you ever find yourself bored or are you always having something to do? If yes. How do you combat this.

 

[Open_G]

Can anybody please give some insight into working a G2 box - 8hr shift.
What is your workload like. Is it an easy job when all going well or extra stressful when there are problems. How is your worklife balance etc. Do you find it easy to leave work and shut off. Do you ever find yourself bored or are you always having something to do? If yes. How do you combat this.

Not quite the exact insight you’re after but I do G3 on a 12hr roster.

The G2 boxes I’ve seen have been a simple affair with an up and a down line, probably with a level crossing at the box and maybe a crossover. The ones I’ve seen have been 2-4 trains an hour.

When going well a shift is not hard exactly but it still requires you to be able to tune into your rulebook head and apply them in seconds as anything can go wrong at any time. The phone can, and does, go at any minute that may require you to swiftly put your signals back and make urgent call to drivers on the move at speed. We have no official breaks so it’s worth taking the opportunity whenever you can to make a brew and chill for 5 mins. Once you know your box and your timetable it can become routine though.

Worklife balance is good and leaving work, I’ve forgotten what’s happening by the time I’m 2 mins away from the box in my car on the way home. I don’t worry too much at all about what I’m coming in to. An 8hr roster means less days off but you’ve obviously got more energy to do something outside of work on a work day. After a tough 12 hour shift I’m often in bed an hour and a half after I get home ready for the next day.

 

[Brett55]

I didn't get shortlisted for Bristol area due to distance, so I've emailed them today to ask them to transfer my application to Cardiff.

Can anyone tell me the link structure for Cardiff, where vacancies are if any? Presumably they're all in WROC? Do they work 8s or 12s?

Thanks all

Hi,

There are regular jobs that pop up in the wroc. I had a lever frame position already, but applied for the Newport panel. Interview went well, unfortunately I was straight out of signalling school so didn't have the experience. I interviewed for a relief position and it was 12hrs.
There are multiple grades in the wroc and some really nice people up there.

 

[tiptoptaff]

Hi,

There are regular jobs that pop up in the wroc. I had a lever frame position already, but applied for the Newport panel. Interview went well, unfortunately I was straight out of signalling school so didn't have the experience. I interviewed for a relief position and it was 12hrs.
There are multiple grades in the wroc and some really nice people up there.

Cheers, I've got my interview next Friday so will see how it goes.

I'll worry about applying for a position further down the line when signalling school is done with

 

[Brett55]

Thank you so much for muz379, I am so excited to get this opportunity, i feel lucky i have been considered for a job with network rail as they dont come up often. I will be grabbing this with both hands and will be doing everything in my power to learn what the WDS's teach me. You have calmed my nerves somewhat, thank you again for your comment....

Hi,

Where's your IST?
I found working in groups and constantly questioning each other really helpful. Also I found switching off over the weekend helps.
I used Google flash cards and just kept going over them.

Cheers, I've got my interview next Friday so will see how it goes.

I'll worry about applying for a position further down the line when signalling school is done with

No problem. Good luck with the interview and sig school. Any questions, give me a DM and I'll try help out.

Can anybody please give some insight into working a G2 box - 8hr shift.
What is your workload like. Is it an easy job when all going well or extra stressful when there are problems. How is your worklife balance etc. Do you find it easy to leave work and shut off. Do you ever find yourself bored or are you always having something to do? If yes. How do you combat this.

Hi cxlla,
I'm in a G2 box and do 10hr shifts. It's a nice job when all is working fine, you earn your money when it doesn't . Rosters differ, I do 3 on 4 off and 4 on 3 off. I'll pick up a rest day working most weeks. Weeks are split early and late shifts. Skills fade can happen so when it's quiet, I'll look at my rule books or run scenarios that could happen in my box.
We have a great team, hand overs are key. Meaning I don't take work home and I can shut off for the night.