Advice for a 15 year hoping to become a conductor or driver

[GeorgeAtkinson]

Alright, I'm only 15. My passion is the railway, and I hope at 18 (after college) to get a career as a conductor so that in the future I could apply to become a trainee driver. I am in greater Manchester, so TPE is my go to TOC. Any advice for the future, becasue I can't seem to find genuinely useful advice anywhere. Thanks

 

[Fokx]

Alright, I'm only 15. My passion is the railway, and I hope at 18 (after college) to get a career as a conductor so that in the future I could apply to become a trainee driver. I am in greater Manchester, so TPE is my go to TOC. Any advice for the future, becasue I can't seem to find genuinely useful advice anywhere. Thanks

- You have to be of atleast 21 or older.
- Ideally be able to drive a car by then (due to the shift start and end times)
- To be considered for a role, you must have experience with situations where you have been carrying out a repetitive task for long periods or where safety has been paramount to the role you have been doing.

My advice if you were serious about becoming a conductor and later a driver would be to find a role which is safety critical between the ages of 18-21 and then apply. This could potentially also be in a railway background wether that be within the station or otherwise

 

[Comfy]

I'm in my 30's and only just been offerred a trainee job after a few years of trying. I would recommend getting as good an education as possible as I didnt stick in at school and wish I did. It opens a lot more employment options in the mean time for you plus train company's are frequently asking for minimum education levels now.
You could also consider becoming a special police constable (when you're old enough) to help towards gaining experience dealing with situations and people.

 

[221129]

You have to be of atleast 21 or older.

Only for Mainline driving roles.

Ideally be able to drive a car by then (due to the shift start and end times)

Not the end of the world if you dont. I know lots of drivers that dont have a driving licence.

 

[daddy_badger]

Apprenticeships on the railway is probably the way forward or apply for a platform role and apply within once you gain more life experience.

 

[Fokx]

Only for Mainline driving roles.


Not the end of the world if you dont. I know lots of drivers that dont have a driving licence.

For TPE on-board traincrew roles it’s 21

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Volunteer at your local preserved line, you can start now

 

[driver9000]

I remember being in your position. Time is on your side right now because you can't become a Conductor until you reach 18 and there aren't many jobs for under 18s on the railway. Work on getting decent GCSE grades and get applying when the time comes but be prepared to be knocked back. I was 23 when I finally landed a place as a trainee driver and I had applied for many railway jobs in various departments from the moment I left school.

You could volunteer at a heritage railway in the meantime if you want to be around railways which would allow you to experience the environment, work in other roles away from the railways to broaden your experience (I worked in restaurants, pubs, shops and passed my PCV test aged 18). Good luck.

 

[Alex27]

I'm 16 and I've just signed a contract with my local TOC for an operations apprenticeship, and although I've not properly started yet, it has been a very positive and exciting experience so far

 

[C J Snarzell]

I'd say a strong academic background is the key to any 15-year-old in 2020.

I left school in 1995 and I'll be honest and say I hated it and couldn't wait to leave. I left with hardly any recognised qualifications to my name and immediately went into several years of dead end jobs and finding it hard to progress to a 'career'.

The job situation is now harder in comparison to what it was in the 1990s - my parents told me exactly the same at the time when they compared the 1990s with the late 1960s when you could practically walk off the street and get fixed up with a decent job at many different industries which were wiped out during the 1970s & 80s.

The fallout of the Covid19 situation is going to mean most if not all jobs will be sought after because of the huge unemployment caused in the last few months.

I would strongly advise do some form of higher education (A levels) or maybe applying for an apprenticeship with a TOC. I wouldn't say no to voluntary work either - build up some life skills by doing a few hours in a community centre every week.

There is nothing to stop you achieving his goal - but look at the next few years as putting down some roots to help on your journey.

If you live in Manchester (I'm from Wigan...so not a million miles away) - just check the careers pages for Northern & TPE - they do advertise apprenticeships but only every now & again so you need to monitor them regularly.

All the best.

CJ

 

[Stigy]

I'd say a strong academic background is the key to any 15-year-old in 2020.

I left school in 1995 and I'll be honest and say I hated it and couldn't wait to leave. I left with hardly any recognised qualifications to my name and immediately went into several years of dead end jobs and finding it hard to progress...

Whilst I do agree that education is important these days, I think a lot of people base everything on this, which they really needn’t. I’d say that as long as you get grades A to C in English and Maths, that’s the main thing, especially for an Apprenticeship.

I left school in 1999 with no GCSEs (I think my best grade was a G or something in French.....and I can’t speak a work of it) and went in to the motor trade as an Apprentice Mechanic at a time when GCSEs weren’t a pre-requisite for an apprenticeship. I never fully qualified as a mechanic, but I’ve never been unemployed, although found myself in a couple of dead end jobs for about 4 years. But they paid okay.

The railway for me changed everything, and the money and pension are great too, no matter what job you do to be fair. I’ve been able to get further qualifications in my time on the railway, although I’d say arguably they’ve not been that useful to me.

I’d say far more important than education (other than GCSEs), is to obtain some great life experiences by volunteering and/or dealing with customers, then create a CV and Cover Letter which really sells yourself.

Education is fantastic, if you’re that way inclined.

 

[2L70]

For TPE on-board traincrew roles it’s 21

I’ve a mate who started as an 18 year old TPE guard.

George, you’re going down the right road. At 18 it’s all about getting your foot in the door, so maybe go for a station job if it comes up.. after 6 months with Northern/TPE/AWC you’ll get first pick of any Trainee Driver Jobs than anyone off the street.

 

[Interlude]

What struck me the most about my trainee class was the diversity. People came from a wide range of industries and backgrounds. Only 2/10 had worked in rail previously. I think the key is more life experience than industry-specific experience, not just in terms of getting through the interviews, but for the day-to-day of the job itself. It's a highly responsible role, and you will want to have gone through a little adversity beforehand. Conductor is certainly a route into the driver grade, but I wouldn't rule out other avenues. First and foremost, concentrate on doing well in school and getting the absolute best education that you can.

 

[Seehof]

George, I would strongly recommend that on your way to your goal you get some “life experience”. That sounds a bit rude but the ability to get on with people from all works of life and countries is a huge asset and skill. I was a very shy 15 year old and am grateful for my holiday jobs in shops and at the hospital as a porter.
Best wishes to you.

 

[158757]

As others have said, stick to your education for now, University is not essential IMO but at least to A level, then try for any rail job to start with to get a foot in the door, but if you don't succeed, then for conductor try and get some customer facing experience as that seems to be a strong point the TOCs want nowadays. If you're looking to become a driver, engineer or electrician might be a good start, it's something I wish I'd looked at, not because I want to be a driver, but because it's interesting and I imagine would be helpful in understanding traction training. Finally, be prepared for the long haul. Like you, I knew at 15 what I wanted to do, but it took me 10 years after leaving school to get there, along with countless applications (probably 30+), multiple interviews, etc. You'll want to give up and question if it's worth it, but once you're in, it is!

 

[Efini92]

Get a job as a cleaner and work your way up. Plenty have done it in the past.
You’re better off applying to northern if you live in Greater Manchester, they are the training TOC

 

[Fireless]

Have the "safety over punctuality over economy" mentality show it your potential employer as clear as possible.

If you don't mind working abroad, I suggest learning decent german (at least CEFR level B2) and make use of the serve staff shortage we have.

 

[General_miller]

Alright, I'm only 15. My passion is the railway, and I hope at 18 (after college) to get a career as a conductor so that in the future I could apply to become a trainee driver. I am in greater Manchester, so TPE is my go to TOC. Any advice for the future, becasue I can't seem to find genuinely useful advice anywhere. Thanks

Get your driving license at 17, become a bus driver at 18 (every company is always looking for drivers and in my experience will hire everyone except the very worst candidates). By the time you are 21 for mainline driving you’ll have 3 years safety critical experience under your belt. There are loads of transferable skills between bus and train driving. I drove a bus for 6.5 years and with no previous railway experience and no family members in the railway went straight in as a trainee driver.

 

[tracksider]

Get your driving license at 17, become a bus driver at 18 (every company is always looking for drivers and in my experience will hire everyone except the very worst candidates). By the time you are 21 for mainline driving you’ll have 3 years safety critical experience under your belt. There are loads of transferable skills between bus and train driving. I drove a bus for 6.5 years and with no previous railway experience and no family members in the railway went straight in as a trainee driver.

This in particular sounds like great advice, and I don't doubt that if George took a lot of the advice in his thread he would be able to get his foot in the door. My experience has definitely been that a combination of safety critical/procedure and protocol following/customer service experience is a winner. And knowing how to write this effectively into applications so you make the initial computer sift.

I would add one thing though; the decade from your late teens onwards is a unique time where (often but not always of course) people are at their best health, fitness and have relatively few obligations. You never get this time back. These days when you apply, employers are very understanding of time out you've had for travelling/gap years (ideally where you can demonstrate that you were doing more than just getting drunk for a year). So pursue your goals, but don't forget to have some adventures too if you can as they can even enhance your employability. If you love railways, save up and travel all around Europe on them for a few months, it'll blow your mind and it's harder to do once you're restricted to your statutory leave entitlement. You have decades after this to develop your career

 

[387star]

This in particular sounds like great advice, and I don't doubt that if George took a lot of the advice in his thread he would be able to get his foot in the door. My experience has definitely been that a combination of safety critical/procedure and protocol following/customer service experience is a winner. And knowing how to write this effectively into applications so you make the initial computer sift.

I would add one thing though; the decade from your late teens onwards is a unique time where (often but not always of course) people are at their best health, fitness and have relatively few obligations. You never get this time back. These days when you apply, employers are very understanding of time out you've had for travelling/gap years (ideally where you can demonstrate that you were doing more than just getting drunk for a year). So pursue your goals, but don't forget to have some adventures too if you can as they can even enhance your employability. If you love railways, save up and travel all around Europe on them for a few months, it'll blow your mind and it's harder to do once you're restricted to your statutory leave entitlement. You have decades after this to develop your career

Well I'm a driver in my early 30s and started driving in my late 20s. I'd say train driving is ideal for travelling with a very disposable income granted I have no kids ! Five day weekends every three weeks have seen me go to many destinations such as Copenhagen and Amsterdam. I am still in good health touch wood too. So becoming a driver is a sensible move for the life of the gods!

 

[Seehof]

Very, very sound advice.

 

[tracksider]

Well I'm a driver in my early 30s and started driving in my late 20s. I'd say train driving is ideal for travelling with a very disposable income granted I have no kids ! Five day weekends every three weeks have seen me go to many destinations such as Copenhagen and Amsterdam. I am still in good health touch wood too. So becoming a driver is a sensible move for the life of the gods!

Oh absolutely! A definite extra perk of the job. Even outside driving many just work 4 days per week right? I was just making the wider point about extended time away and lack of obligations when you're young. It's not necessary or even desirable for some people but if you like that kind of thing it definitely gets harder to do when you're locked into a career.

I actually have my own question regarding this: are any TOCs ever receptive to longer periods of unpaid leave or "sabbaticals"? I've taught at summer schools in the past and done volunteering in other countries and I always assumed this wasn't possible to do any more.

 

[Gemz91]

Always thought volunteering for the St Johns Ambulance would give you good experience to become a train driver, if you have the time to commit to it. Even part time jobs like Mcdonalds would give you experience, following procedures, health laws in the kitchen are vital, customer service skills, working under pressure. If you work in a city centre store you'd no doubt experience an emergency situation at some point over a late night weekend shift. I had a catering job before joining the railways, there's more transferable skills in many jobs then you might realise.

Not looked myself, but someone in our mess room was saying that our TOC either have or are going to be asking for degree's for trainee driver jobs. I'd say there's only a handful of drivers at my depot with degree's at the moment though so not sure how a degree is relevant. There's more guards with degree's, but I think thats because they tend to be a younger age demographic at my depot compared to drivers.

 

[the sniper]

I actually have my own question regarding this: are any TOCs ever receptive to longer periods of unpaid leave or "sabbaticals"?

There are, though it probably depends on talking to the right person at the right time. Very few people think to ask though, seemingly.

 

[Stigy]

Always thought volunteering for the St Johns Ambulance would give you good experience to become a train driver, if you have the time to commit to it.

100% agree. I volunteer for the Ambulance Service as a first responder, and although I do genuinely want to do it and enjoy what I do, my ulterior motive was that it looks good on a CV, and will gain extra experiences of dealing with situations which I could draw upon in any interviews I might have (I was already in a full time job which I had experiences from, but you can never have too many useful life or work experiences). I used a couple of Ambulance examples in my MMI which helped me a great deal.