Yahoo Finance How to become a train driver – and earn almost £65,000 within your first year
Pull a lever, work four days a week, earn £65,000 a year and regularly go on strike.
That is the outlook much of the British public now has on train drivers, with the career perceived as an undemanding track to go down to earn a good living.
However, with the safety of thousands in the palm of their hands each day, drivers on the country’s 10,000-mile rail network cannot afford a lazy day at the office.
“It’s completely unfair for people to say it’s easy,” said Nicole Johnson, senior recruitment officer at train operator Northern.
“The job isn’t just moving a stick forward back and forward – there’s so much you need to be aware of. Driving a train is not like driving a car.”
So what does it take to become a train driver? Telegraph Money delves into the ins and outs of how to start one of Britain’s most sought-after careers.
How much do train drivers earn?
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents operators, says the average train driver salary across Britain is £60,055. The Office for National Statistics estimates drivers now earn around £20,000 more than they did a decade ago.
Current job vacancies paint the picture of healthy wage growth and career progression.
A trainee driver salary at Southeastern starts at £24,048, before rising to £29,466 after just three months of “rules and regulations” training.
At approximately 12 months upon completion of the apprenticeship, the wage shoots up to £46,985.
Then, following a year of being qualified in the role the salary increases to £54,575.
At Northern, drivers’ wages rise to £54,500 upon completion of the training, while the salary at Govia Thameslink Railway grows in increments to £63,294.
With the ability to work overtime, drivers could push their salary towards six-figures.
Britain’s powerful rail unions have held out for wage increases in the past two years, with drivers repeatedly going on strike. RMT and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association have settled pay disputes with the Government, but Aslef members are still demanding pay rises.
British train driver salaries, which are the highest in Europe, far surpass averages for roles such as: an Army officer (£27,273-£42,009), nurse (£27,055-£40,588), firefighter (£24,191-£32,244) and air traffic control officer (£18,001-£43,469).
Are there train driver age restrictions?
Applicants must be at least 20 years of age, but can’t start driving until they are 21.
However, teenagers will soon be able to qualify should government plans to ease a staffing shortage come into action.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has proposed to reduce the minimum age for driving a train on Britain’s railways from 20 to 18 as early as this summer.
Ciaran Moynan, a training manager at Govia Thameslink Railway, said age demographics are wide-ranging.
“We have people of varying ages applying,” he said. “As retirement age can be earlier in emergency services, we get people from the police, fire and ambulance coming over.
“It’s a level playing field for everyone – you could have spent 25 years in the rail industry, or 25 years as a police officer.”
Ms Johnson said: “We’ve had people who’ve spent the last 20 years as a hairdresser or have been working in finance for years. They want a career change and essentially have an office in the country.”
According to a recent study, the average train driver is a 46-year-old male.
What qualifications do you need?
Applicants do not need to have any experience in the rail industry and theoretically do not need any qualifications.
However, as the training programme is an apprenticeship, employers generally want applicants to hold a GCSE grade C or above in maths and English (four or above in the new grading system).
But that’s not to say those without the sufficient grades are ruled out, as teaching programmes can be put in place.
“There’s a lot of people who’ve left school at 16 with no qualifications, so to go on and have the opportunity to have a professional qualification is excellent. It’s also cracking money when you think about it,” said Ms Johnson.
What is the application process like?
A fifth of Generation Z said they would love a career on the railway, according to a survey by London North Eastern Railway (LNER).
That demand is evident, with rail operator Northern receiving 16,071 applications for driver positions last year – an average of 79 applications for every role.
“Interest goes in peaks and troughs and there is definitely great interest at the moment,” Ms Johnson said.
Typically, people will apply for roles online and then be invited to a test day with a number of others. Their reaction and concentration skills will be tested.
“We generally lose quite a lot of people at this stage, but it varies,” Mr Moynan said. “Those who get through the stage will then come in for an interview with line managers to gauge their competency and get a greater understanding.”
The cream of the crop will then be very close to earning a place on the train driver programme, with their position dependent on results of a medical examination.
Eyes, ears and blood pressure will all be tested and there is a drug and alcohol screening.
“The process can take months, so people shouldn’t expect it to be quick,” Mr Moynan added.
Depending on the rail operator, applicants may also need to live within 45 minutes of a depot.
How long does driver training take?
Once hired, it usually takes between 12 and 16 months to qualify as a train driver.
The first few months are classroom-based, followed by training at a depot where learners will spend between 200 and 240 hours driving with a mentor.
After completing the training they will have a fully qualified licence, be able to drive trains without supervision and earn a full salary.
Is there career progression?
While pay growth is rapid from the outset, former passenger train driver Richard Evans says career progression can quickly hit the buffers.
“Although the money is good, if you’re an ambitious high-flyer it’s almost a dead-end job once you’re in the driver’s seat,” the former Southern driver said.
“There’s not many places you can go beyond it, and the skills aren’t really transferable.
“You could go into management or training, but if you want to move out of the industry it can be hard.
“If you have someone at 21 or 22 coming in and quickly earning £60,000 a year but then realising it’s not for them, they’ll struggle to find a different career offering that sort of money. So it can be a bit of a trap.”
Do train drivers have a four-day week?
Drivers work a four-day week, averaging 35 hours in total.
The hours spent at work will vary week-to-week, but the average always works out over time. For instance, one week drivers may only work 25 hours, but then the following it’ll be 45 hours. Some may work even more.
“Overtime is completely optional, and some people will be eager for it while others will never work on rest day – and they’ll never have to,” Mr Moynan said.
A four-day week does not come with a reduced holiday quota compared with five-day jobs. Most train driver roles come with between 25 and 33 days holiday per year.
What are the shift patterns like?
Shifts tend to be between eight and 10 hours in length. The maximum is 12 hours.
According to the Train Driver Foundation, a 10-hour shift may only include as few as five hours actual driving to ensure break times, train schedules and staffing requirements are maintained.
Guidance from the Office of Rail and Road states that there should be a minimum rest period of 14 hours between consecutive night shifts. The maximum number of consecutive night shifts before having a rest day is three.
“It can be brutal and we like to be honest with applicants warning them of the shifts,” Mr Moynan said.
“If you’re on earlies, the shift might start at 4.03am one day and 7.05am the next, so it’s not like waking up at a set time each day like you would as a shop worker. It’s extremely variable, so it’s not for the faint-hearted.
“The earliest start will be 3am and the latest shift end will be around 3am as well.”
Mr Evans, who now drives freight trains, says the shift work means the job “becomes more of a lifestyle”.
“It’s not a bad job by any stretch of the imagination as we are well looked after,” he said.
“The money is very appealing but your life takes a massive impact as it can take away your social life.
“Passengers rightly moan about delays, but if you’re a driver, you’re also getting home late every day. You also need to be quite thick-skinned as there is this public perception about what you do, so you will get badgered by that a little bit.”
Is driving a train boring?
Drivers need to be able to battle the boredom which comes with the job.
“I used to do the Hastings to London Charing Cross line, and I found after a while it was hard with the same thing day-in-day-out,” Mr Evans said.
“There’s no meat to it sometimes, and nothing to get your teeth into once you’ve driven a route hundreds of times. It’s like any job, the novelty can wear off.”
Mr Evans says concentration levels can drop and the “tough bit is then getting yourself back to a state of awareness”.
“If you’re in the dark, in a nice warm cabin with the train trundling along, it’s almost rocking you to sleep.
“You need to have strong self-discipline as you’re out there on your own once qualified.
“We have techniques of saying what you see, or pointing at things to keep us alert.”
Mr Moynan says the intense training course hones in on managing fatigue and the monotonous aspects of the role.
“As well as learning the theory, we really try to focus on the non-technical aspects to help with understanding your own mind and how to manage time on mundane routes,” he said.
What is the pension scheme like?
Train drivers enjoy generous defined-benefit pensions of a type that has almost vanished in the rest of the private sector.
Each train operating company is part of the Railways Pension Scheme (RPS), set up at privatisation in 1994. It is an industry-wide scheme with more than 100 legally separate sections, including Network Rail, and freight, engineering and maintenance companies.
Pensions for train operating company staff are still based on final salary, and many still have a retirement age of 60. Even public sector pensions are now based on career average salaries, with a higher retirement age.
Ms Johnson said: “It’s a very good scheme. Northern contributes 1.5 times on top of what you put in.
“If you’ve got pension pots from previous jobs, after two years of service you can transfer what you have from elsewhere into your Northern one.”
What are other notable perks?
Train operating companies offer free travel to all drivers on their own network, and this can be extended to family members. With rail ticket prices on the rise every year, free travel is an undeniable perk of the job.
It’s also common for drivers to benefit from 75pc off fares on other networks around the country, as well as discounts on rail travel in Europe.
Will driverless trains hurt job security?
Trains on the Elizabeth Line can reverse on their own, the Docklands Light Railway has been automated since 1987 and services on the Victoria Line are partially automated.
So surely nothing is stopping the entire British network from ditching drivers? Putting that idea into action, however, is not yet on the horizon.
Costs to integrate new systems with old would be astronomical. Even today, less than 40pc of railroads are electrified.
It means there is a long list of challenges to climb from level 1 – the lowest Grade of Automation, in which the driver is responsible for almost everything – to the highest, level 4, where automated systems control driving the train, door closure and handling emergencies.
“Going fully automated isn’t a concern of mine,” Ms Johnson said. “We’re looking at hiring hundreds of train crew this year and next, so there’s definitely longevity there.
“Whatever happens in the future happens, but from what I see, people can be certain there will be work for them there for years to come.”
Mr Evans, however, says “we will 100pc” have automated trains in the future.
“It’s a way off, but it will happen – there’s no doubt about it,” he said.
