Airport To Rail?

[matty1984]

Hi all, am new to this forum as I am thinking about making the change from Airports to Rail.
I know most of you will big up the Rail industry, but Im looking to try and get some truths from people on the inside.
Also what are the general opions on various roles ie conductor, train manager. I work at Bristol Airport so am used to passengers 'venting' frustrations, also I understand the money seems to be a lot better on the Rails!
Any info would be great!
Cheers all!
Matty

 

[NX]

If your quick FGW are recruiting train guards at Bristol now.

NX

 

[Greenback]

Hi all, am new to this forum as I am thinking about making the change from Airports to Rail.
I know most of you will big up the Rail industry, but Im looking to try and get some truths from people on the inside.
Also what are the general opions on various roles ie conductor, train manager. I work at Bristol Airport so am used to passengers 'venting' frustrations, also I understand the money seems to be a lot better on the Rails!
Any info would be great!
Cheers all!
Matty

I'm friendly with a few guards. They have all been in the job for a few years so they must like and enjoy it enough to stay. There are negatives, of course, like getting up at an ungodly hour in the middle of the night, or finishing at 0130 or 0200. But those shifts do have some benefits attached to them as well.

There's more to the job than dealing with angry passengers, though. There are a lot of rules to learn, and safety is paramount. I have heard some great stories from my friends down the years. It's amazing the type of things that can happen on a train, and you need to be prepared for anything.

 

[redbutton]

I'd say my airport experience was one of the main reasons I got hired as a Trainee Train Driver. In the interviews, I was able to use many airport/airline examples in my responses. E.g. airfield driving rules being different to road driving, hazmat shipping requiring attention to detail, operating heavy equipment that could kill people if not careful, etc.

Ever since I left the airline industry (it doesn't pay a living wage anymore in the US), I've missed it a lot. I hope my new railway job fills that void at least somewhat.

 

[MrsSundayMorn]

I couldn't agree more. I am ex cabin crew and I believe my experience helped me gain a conductor post.

 

[matty1984]

that's great information, thank you.
I feel where I am now at the airport there is no where else to go apart from management and it is not where I want to go at the moment, and was wondering how often conductor/guards get the opportunity to progress.
Also what is the difference between a guard and a conductor?

Thanks

Matty

 

[NX]

They are the same thing, it's a commercial term conductor.

NX

 

[tlionhart]

A mate of mine I worked with in the airline (cabin crew) left to become a guard for SWT. (Not commercial) he really enjoyed it. Left there to join LOROL as a guard and a year or 2 later became a driver. He's never looked back.
I work in the airline too. I recently completed all the stages however to be put on hold in the end... (For trainee driver)
For both the MMI and DM interview it was easy to answer the questions. Shift work, following rules, times of lone working, concentrating on a task, safety, etc! List goes on. Depends what you do at the airport by the way. There's duty free shops (simply retail) to jobs more safety involved. Dispatchers (airline dispatchers have more responsibility than rail dispatch staff as additional tasks are carried out), aircrew, ramp agents, security staff, etc!

 

[Crawley Ben]

I often wonder about making the 'jump' from the airport (Gatwick) to the Railways. I work shifts (inc nights) I'm used to confrontational individuals on a daily basis, and I am used to lone working. Maybe one day I guess....

Good luck to the OP if you do change careers.

Ben