JimRBRobinson - Hi all!

[JimRBRobinson]

Hello everyone. Not (yet) rail staff, but hope to be soon! Currently a professional local historian and genealogist - I'm the dude who'll help you with family history research, or tracking down long-lost snippets of local history like the helpful people the celebs meet on Who Do You Think You Are! Cool job, poor pay! Always loved the railways and always wanted to be a train driver when I grew up. Well I'm 33, grown up and hoping to make it happen! Health, happiness and prosperity to one and all.

[StoneRoad]

welcome to the forum from another newbie!

Good luck with your ambitions
Stoneroad

[ashurstdave]

Nice to have you on board. We need a subject to get the forum going again.

[JimRBRobinson]

Well, I could bore you all to death with my application to First Transpennine Express for one of the trainee driver positions but the short of it is that it all seems to have gone a bit Pete Tong! Had part of the assessments, had and interview and heard nothing since (will be four weeks this Thursday since interview). Preparing to send an email tomorrow if still nothing heard. Still, I'm still in a (crap paying) job that I otherwise enjoy so it's not all bad!

[class47]

Hi I would love to hear about your exploits with TPE, I think that many of their staff are useless, and need replacing, so there must be plenty of opportunities. To give you an example of the current quality of staff, the other day I got on a train at York, that started from York and the conductor who came to check the tickets said, where did you get on at?. Just after we had left York!!

[JimRBRobinson]

I'm beginning to think I'm barking up the wrong tree with First as a whole - certainly their recruitment is less than impressive from my own experience and what I've seen on various forums. At the moment I'm at the stage that I applied for vacancies for Trainee Train Drivers for the Midlands and the North. I'm told that there are six vacancies and according to the details on the original info on their HR system the training starts October 25th. I've attended the assessments (concentration ('dots', trainability, physics and the 'dials') which I evidently passed as I was invited for an interview at York on 12th August. Since then I've heard nothing, and the two times I've emailed the HR people for an update, they say they haven't had the information from the interview and that they will be in touch once this is received. So I'm waiting in limbo at the moment knowing that some applicants have had their reaction and coordination test and are at the attending the medical and drug/alcohol screening stage. To make the aforementioned start date, if I was accepted, I'd have to put my notice in to my present employer two weeks tomorrow (Friday 24th), which doesn't seem likely as there's still for me the reaction/coordination test, medical and references to be done before then, which will be nearly impossible to squeeze into the two weeks remaining. Bearing in mind I also have to give a full week's notice to book days off on leave. Still, at least I've got a job which is secure for the time being, so it's not too bad. I suppose if worse comes to worse and I've passed the interview, they might roll me over to the next training? Just have to wait and see!

[class47]

Well I remember going with someone for a job with transpennine in the very early days, well before First took over, it doesn't seem to have got any better

[JimRBRobinson]

Email received today at 15:15: Further to your interview for Trainee Train Driver [First TransPennine Express] position with First, we have now received the results from the interviewing manager involved and unfortunately you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

We would like to thank you for your interest in the above role and wish you every success in the future.

Waited nearly five weeks for that!

[class47]

Sorry to hear that, however keep trying, i hear that they are always short of staff recently.

[JimRBRobinson]

Unfortunetaly First block you from reapplying for similar positions for six months. Keeping an eye on all the recruitments sites for East Midlands, Virgin, Northern, etc. And also looking at signalling with Network Rail too, but all the jobs that come up seem to be down south. I'll keep looking and trying. There's always the CV and covering letter I've sent to Merseyrail!