Featured Retirement

mike willis · Apr 22, 2024

LDP said: ↑

Hey! Train driver here...
For new entrants into the company I drive for, the starting salary is early £20ks. During that time, you'll be in a classroom environment for several weeks where you'll be taught The Rules. You'll have several assessments to pass which, if you fail - after some support in fairness - you'll be out of the job before you have really started.

Once all assessments are passed, you have another course on the workings of the trains, the idea being if a fault arises, you'll be able to fix it to keep the train in service or at least get it to the next station. Guess what happens if you fail this? Yep, bye, bye.

Well done, you've passed everything so far. About 10 weeks in, you can now start to actually drive a train. You'll be assigned a DI ( driver Instructor) who will watch your every move. Oh! Good news. Your salary is now just shy of £30k. You'll most likely be with your DI for a minimum of 250 hours. Depending on your DI's shift pattern, this'll take about 6-8 months, bearing in mind it wont be all spent driving. You'll be route learning, too.

So, shift patterns. They're over seven days and you'll start anywhere between 0400 on earlies and finish, when on lates, as late (early!) as 0330. Shifts are around 8-9 hours. Overtime for weekends? No. Bank holidays? Standard pay. So if you're working Easter Sunday from 1600 til half past midnight, that's just your shift. Standard pay.

Once your DI thinks you're upto scratch, it'll be time for your 'driving test' - your final assessment. This will take five days. Five days of shitting yourself whilst trying to remain calm and collected. You could still fail even though you're months and months in. You're still not earning £30k yet. Two days will be spent driving over any route you've learnt, with your assessor, another day on a simulator where unusual (but entirely possible) scenarios are created and a day spent in a stationary train covering all manor of issues and details you'll be expected to know. 'Talk me through how you deal with an air burst in the main reservoir'.
If you pass days 1-4, day 5 is more of a form filling, tying up loose ends type day and hopefully an earlier finish and a weekend to celebrate. Don't go too hard, though. You're driving solo on monday and if you were to be breathalysed you'd be out of a job instantly if you fail, the limit being about a third of that for drink driving in a car.

Now you've got this far, your salary will go to £45k for your first year. The pay structure is as mentioned above. You're discouraged from doing overtime on your days off during the first few months, but the only way you, any driver regardless of experience, will earn extra is by giving up a day off. There are no shift allowances or bank holiday extras.

I mentioned route learning. You are expected to know all speed restrictions (speed limits in highway terminology) for everywhere you drive. These will vary enormously across your area. Overspeed when approaching a red signal? TPWS will apply the emergency brakes and you have some forms to fill in and meetings without coffee. Same will apply if you're too fast into a speed restriction drop of greater than 30% Pass a signal at danger (red)? Same again. If you're unlucky to have all three of these incidents, as an example, in the first 12-18 months, you're most likely looking for another job.

You've got to stop at stations, too, remember! Ever seen those (usually blue) signs at stations that say 4-8 car stop (other variations too)? That's what a driver is aiming for, so they'll to know the corresponding braking point. Which will be slightly different in wet weather conditions. Helpfully, those stop car marks will be in different places along the platform, from station to station...You need to know where they are at all stations you stop at. Oh. And NEVER release (open) the doors of a 12 car train at the four car stop mark. Passengers falling four feet onto a live track, possibly a 750v conductor rail, makes you quite unpopular. And facing another meeting without beverages.

Periodically your manager will take a train download. Yes, just like an aircraft, trains have black box data recorders. They record EVERY control input a driver makes. Fuck up and think you can get away with it? Are you feeling lucky? Well, are you? If you are, and you're caught out, it's instant dismissal. Gross misconduct. The non-declaration of your incident is seen as a greater 'crime' than the incident itself. Every mistake that falls into a certain criteria (the issues I've mentioned already, and there are others) must be reported.

Finally, after further assessments throughout your first 12 months, your salary will increase, but to less than £56k pa. You'll be subject to assessments throughout the rest of your train driver career, but that first 12 months is pretty full on.

So, yes. Driving a train is just pushing a few buttons and levers. Just in a very consistent, precise manner at all hours of the day and night, whilst having big brother monitoring your performance constantly. Think it's for you? Go do it. It's a great job.

(It might be helpful to explain that not all train companies will have the same pay structure as the one I work for. Same applies to certain terms and conditions. It's why the ASLEF strikes are unresolved; an offer made by the DfT wont be relevant to all drivers. The DfT know this but won't allow individual companies to negotiate)
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You can keep that, what stress?

J0n3s · Apr 22, 2024

Need a post retirement top up, how does £1000 per hour sound, or 7k a shoot? (May be behind a pay wall).

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/life/retirement-pensioner-career-older-male-modelling-agencies/

gc6269 · Apr 28, 2024

J0n3s said: ↑

Need a post retirement top up, how does £1000 per hour sound, or 7k a shoot? (May be behind a pay wall).

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/life/retirement-pensioner-career-older-male-modelling-agencies/
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That’s me sorted then.

What?

bradders · Apr 28, 2024

Nelson said: ↑

I commuted by train for approx 10 years in the Uk, it was nothing like that!
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More likely the staff stand on the platform waving the v’s at the train and its customers….

bradders · Apr 28, 2024

Mr C said: ↑

I’m selling the business at 55 and I’ve decided I’m going to spend part time hours driving a bus full of old folks around.
No hassle no stress
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Old people and transport. Can’t see stress in that

bradders · Apr 28, 2024

Nelson said: ↑

The NHS is being allowed to fail.
More and more people are having to pay for their own procedures, or buying private medical care insurance cover. Perhaps MPs have shares in the insurance providers?
I have a couple friends, who in the last few years have paid for their own replacement knees at around £16k. Both in their 50's, both told it was now policy to only offer replacement knees to those 70+ years of age. The same may now be true for hips.
I may well be have to do the same due to an ongoing back issue. The NHS will keep you in mind numbing pills to relieve the symptoms, but that'll be it until you reach qualifying age and then you'll wait and wait!
They still perform well with life threatening issues, but for how long?
As part of my retirement planning, I've budgeted for private medical care, I've no appetite to have to wait years for a procedure, should the need arise.
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I’m lucky that my current employer, if you retire as a good leaver, you can buy the existing private cover and it includes pre existing and is of same amount it is when employed.

Nelson · Apr 28, 2024

bradders said: ↑

More likely the staff stand on the platform waving the v’s at the train and its customers….
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Very few fucks appeared to be given....

pauly · Apr 28, 2024

The company I worked at for my last 15 years used to provide free BUPA, until out of the blue they decided it was too expensive. I wouldn't rely on it indefinitely.

Ackers · May 9, 2024

mike willis · May 9, 2024

I've just had another job come in, bit pissed off to be honest, I was in retirement training, sleeping in a bit later, a snooze after lunch, going to the pub on a school night, whatever next. The good news is over the last few weeks of training, I think I'm going to be alright, only a couple of months to go.

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