Scot Rail - Conductor - Dumfries & Stranraer

[rhys37429]

Scot Rail - Conductor - Dumfries & Stranraer
Closing Date: 22/09/2017
Salary - £30,225pa (£18,295pa during training)
Contracted Hours: not specified, assuming 35 hours.

Your training which will take place in Glasgow and home depot..

https://apply.abellio.com/vacancies/?d=1

 

[Donhamer]

I saw this but was put off by the Trainee salary as it would be quite a drop for me at present. The salary when qualified is great and it's a job I really fancy.

Does the training always take 6 months?

 

[craigybagel]

I saw this but was put off by the Trainee salary as it would be quite a drop for me at present. The salary when qualified is great and it's a job I really fancy.

Does the training always take 6 months?

~10 weeks plus route learning is pretty standard across the board. Stranraer and Dumfries I would assume both only sign 1 traction so that would help matters. What is more of a question though is how long does the"training" salary last? At my own TOC its 6 months from your first day, even if you've been working trains for the last 2 or more months of that. At others you get full pay when you start working trains, or in the other direction, you have to wait as long as a whole year or more!

Almost all TOCs will have a training salary though, so if it's the job you want you'll need to be prepared to take the hit one way or another.

 

[Donhamer]

~10 weeks plus route learning is pretty standard across the board. Stranraer and Dumfries I would assume both only sign 1 traction so that would help matters. What is more of a question though is how long does the"training" salary last? At my own TOC its 6 months from your first day, even if you've been working trains for the last 2 or more months of that. At others you get full pay when you start working trains, or in the other direction, you have to wait as long as a whole year or more!

Almost all TOCs will have a training salary though, so if it's the job you want you'll need to be prepared to take the hit one way or another.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Will try and find out more information to figure out if it's worth applying or not.

Short term loss vs long term gain?

Thanks again.

 

[craigybagel]

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Will try and find out more information to figure out if it's worth applying or not.

Short term loss vs long term gain?

Thanks again.

No problem. I absolutely love my job so I'd say it's worth it but the drop in pay was only about 10% for those six months - and a substantial pay rise when I went on to full pay - so it wasn't such a hard decision for me.

 

[380gk]

Good money with 5% commission and almost exclusively early and backshifts on a weekly rotation.
Stranraer depot signs Stranraer - Glasgow via Kilmarnock and that's pretty much it. Dumfries sign Carlisle - Glasgow via Kilmarnock and Glasgow - East Kilbride (bizarre, I know). As has been said, you only sign 156s. That's pretty much all you need to know.

 

[Donhamer]

Good money with 5% commission and almost exclusively early and backshifts on a weekly rotation.
Stranraer depot signs Stranraer - Glasgow via Kilmarnock and that's pretty much it. Dumfries sign Carlisle - Glasgow via Kilmarnock and Glasgow - East Kilbride (bizarre, I know). As has been said, you only sign 156s. That's pretty much all you need to know.

Didn't realise conductors were paid commission too, how much is that roughly?

 

[380gk]

5% on every ticket you sell and considering most stations are unstaffed, good wee wage top up.

 

[Donhamer]

I think I need to get an application in then figure a way round the drop in wages if I'm successful.

Thanks.

 

[380gk]

You'll probably clear around 35k a year with selling tickets and working your rest days. Sundays are not in the working week either so you get overtime for that too

 

[Donhamer]

Cheers for the info.

I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

 

[156478]

Stranraer Depot has got a lot more appealing since the ferries stopped leaving the harbour. No more trouble when Rangers or Celtic were playing -and trust me these trains used to be wild!!! and the work really is as simple as runs to Ayr, Kilmarnock and Glasgow via Kilmarnock. Sundays are a doddle as the services to Stranraer run as shuttles to Ayr only. Great depot if you can get it!

Dumfries is a lot more routes and the late night trains on a Friday and Saturday from Carlisle and Glasgow are "interesting" shall we say!

 

[Donhamer]

I've been on the last train from Carlisle to Dumfries on a Saturday a few times, definitely 'interesting'!

 

[Ledsabbath]

You'll probably clear around 35k a year with selling tickets and working your rest days. Sundays are not in the working week either so you get overtime for that too

I am currently a guard elsewhere but have a house in Moniaive and have always wanted to move back. What are the shift patterns like from Dumfries? Start times finish times, long weekends? Thanks

 

[red2005]

I saw this but was put off by the Trainee salary as it would be quite a drop for me at present. The salary when qualified is great and it's a job I really fancy.

Does the training always take 6 months?

I suppose there lies the difference between really wanting the job or it being a job you fancy. If you really wanted it it'd probably be a no brainer regardless of the initial salary drop. Unfortunately that's railway..... for the best jobs there's generally a sacrifice to be made whether that be salary or relocation etc.

Obviously everyone has different personal circumstances and commitments so it's very much horses for courses. Having done the job and seeing what benefits it brings long term I'd say you'd be mental to not apply...... if you have to take a hit initially do it!..... sacrifice something else for a few months if possible..... get rid of the sky tv..... reel in the nights/meals out...... forgo a holiday for a year!

It's perfectly doable if you look for the right things to sacrifice...... its 6 months at the end of the day..... not 6 years.

 

[Donhamer]

I suppose there lies the difference between really wanting the job or it being a job you fancy. If you really wanted it it'd probably be a no brainer regardless of the initial salary drop. Unfortunately that's railway..... for the best jobs there's generally a sacrifice to be made whether that be salary or relocation etc.

Obviously everyone has different personal circumstances and commitments so it's very much horses for courses. Having done the job and seeing what benefits it brings long term I'd say you'd be mental to not apply...... if you have to take a hit initially do it!..... sacrifice something else for a few months if possible..... get rid of the sky tv..... reel in the nights/meals out...... forgo a holiday for a year!

It's perfectly doable if you look for the right things to sacrifice...... its 6 months at the end of the day..... not 6 years.

I'm on £27K at the moment but the application is in. If I'm fortunate enough to get the job I'll find a way to survive financially.

 

[Donhamer]

I am currently a guard elsewhere but have a house in Moniaive and have always wanted to move back. What are the shift patterns like from Dumfries? Start times finish times, long weekends? Thanks

Did you apply for the job?