PTs ticket

[Dandan003]

Hi Everyone,
I'm currently working as a van driver and want to do the PTs course in order to get myself into the rail industry
Am thinking of putting myself through a PTS & Track Induction course in order to make myself qualified to work on the railway
Anyone else done these courses and have they got much work out of it through the various agencies out there as a result?
I drive and live in west London... And am willing to relocate for training perposes
PLease can someome out there give me some advice based on their experiences ?
Thanks
dan dan

 

[Bodiddly]

Hello Dan Dan,
The rail industry is like any other industry, boom and bust. At the moment it's a bit bust with numbers of PTS operatives scrabbling for shifts. When I started on the railway in 1996, it was easy to get a PTS (I even heard stories of the old orange type PTS cards being sold in a Kilburn pub!) and easy to find agency work, but this dried up quite quickly due to the influx of PTS trained personnel, hence the reason they brought in the sponsor system to try and get a hold on things. Have you got a sponsor sorted out yet? If so, my advice for you is this. Keep your van driving job for your bread and butter, and if you are sponsored for your PTS, do some weekend work as that's where most of the work is. Once you are established with an agency you can then determine whether you can give up your "day job".
Railway work is interesting and varied and does not carry the same stress as driving a van through London every day! Also, companies like Network Rail will be more inclined to recruit you if you have had experience working on the railway enviroment.
All the best mate and hope things work out for you.