What are the benefits of being a train driver in the UK?
As a part of the rail industry, you will reap all benefits provided from the industry, such as free or discounted travel on the rail company route you work for, reduced rate on UK rail routes, discounts on international rail travel (rail companies across Europe and Australia), and excellent pension benefits.
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A job in the UK rail industry can be rewarding, lucrative, and a promising career pathway. Every day, millions of people across the UK take a train, and for many, it's essential to the way they live their lives. Train drivers play a critical role in getting passengers to their destination safely and promptly.
You must have the right to live and work in Britain and have a good standard of written and spoken English. Foreign train driving qualifications are not recognised on Network Rail or vice-versa.
The training usually takes around 12-18 months to complete, and you'll need some GCSEs in English and maths to apply. start work as a rail passenger assistant or train conductor. You can then apply for a trainee driver position. apply directly to a rail company to become a trainee driver.
Train drivers work 35 hours per week, spread over 4 to 5 shifts (also known as turns). These may include weekends, evenings, nights and Bank Holidays. Freight engine drivers tend to work more night shifts and do long-distance routes, which often entails overnight stays away from home.
As a part of the rail industry, you will reap all benefits provided from the industry, such as free or discounted travel on the rail company route you work for, reduced rate on UK rail routes, discounts on international rail travel (rail companies across Europe and Australia), and excellent pension benefits.
You can apply directly to a train operating company to become a trainee driver. Employers usually expect you to have GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths, or equivalent qualifications. Training can last between 12 and 24 months.
You do not always need specific qualifications to be a Train Driver, although most employers will expect you to have a good general standard of education, including GCSEs in Maths and English. Some mechanical or electrical knowledge may also be useful.
The average Train Driver in the US makes $47,287. Train Drivers make the most in San Francisco, CA at $70,953, averaging total compensation 50% greater than the US average.
Research from Glassdoor discovered that train drivers on average are paid £3,190 more than doctors. Glassdoor found key workers get paid: Train Driver, average median annual base pay: £54,959 in London £54,974 outside London.
The major problems were safety issues (fatal train accidents, persons on the track, vandalism, sudden signal changes, no emergency communication system in the driver's cabin), the high demand for mental concentration, irregular working hours, and ear discomfort on entering tunnels.
Some train drivers are changing sanitary towels in bushes by the side of the track – that's outrageous in a first world country in 2021. Others urinate or defecate into carrier bags and bottles.
The minimum age for a train driver on Network Rail lines is 21; 18 on the London Underground or for employment wholly within depot confines. Remember that these are only legal minimums; the way the industry works these days means you will probably be well above these ages before you get a driving job.
No pathological condition of the eyes likely to cause visual impairment shall be present. Bi-focal spectacles are permitted but photo-chromatic and vari-focal lenses are prohibited. Your optician should be able to advise you as to whether you meet these standards.
If you have an Advance ticket, you can get the next train operated by the same company that's specified on your ticket. If there's widespread disruption, or a very long wait until the next train (over 60 minutes), then you should be accommodated on a different company at no extra cost.
This is supplemented by a variable number (typically eight to ten) of odd days – floaters – to be taken off, by application, when you want. Bank Holidays are nowadays treated as ordinary working days, apart from Christmas Day & Boxing Day when the railway virtually shuts down and almost everyone is booked off anyway.
Complying with professional and federal rules and regulations relating to train operation and safety. Monitoring the speed, air pressure and other operational measurements of the train. Using mechanical controls such as throttles and air brakes to control the speed and motion of the train.