Conductor – Information Sheet
Conductors operate at the very heart of our services. To make sure our trains run both safely and on time, we need people who can handle a wide range of responsibilities while remaining customer focused and approachable.
As one of our Conductors you will need to be highly customer orientated, answering queries, assisting with boarding, seating and overcrowding on the trains, providing accurate information and above all, promoting a feeling of safety, security and a first class service to all our passengers.
In addition, you will undertake other important duties such as examining and issuing tickets, communicating with our passengers over the train announcement system and checking the train is safe and comfortable inside.
We operate a 24-hour service, where flexibility is essential. This means that your shift lengths and patterns will vary, with early starts, late finishes, weekend and bank holiday working. However, this can also mean that you actually get to spend more time with your family or friends.
To comply with UK Working Time legislation, you’ll be at least 18 years of age, medically fit, and have perfect colour vision. Whilst no formal qualifications are needed, we are looking for people who can demonstrate an interest in customer services, who enjoy working with the general public and who have experience of shift-work. You must be able to work unsupervised, be conscientious and honest and be able to deal with unexpected situations as and when they arise.
Recruitment Process
Part 1
If short listed, you will be invited to attend a selection interview, either by telephone or face to face, so that we can get to know you better and learn more about your suitability for the job. We will also ask you questions about how you would deal with certain scenarios if you were a Conductor. We will then decide on the basis of the interview, whether to progress you to the next stage of the recruitment process, which is our assessment centre.
Part 2
If you are invited to attend the assessment centre, it will normally follow around one week after the selection interview. The assessment centre is designed specifically to help us select the best people for the job. You will be asked to sit a number of paper-and-pencil exercises and undertake a structured interview. During this day, we will further assess your ability to succeed in the job. In particular we’ll be looking at your ability to deal with ticket checks/sales, your concentration skills and your ability to deal with unexpected situations. We find that people who do well at the assessment centre tend to do well in the Conductor role itself.
Try not to worry about the assessment centre because we’ll send you practice material in advance to help prepare you for the day.
Medical
If successful at the assessment, we will forward you to an occupational health centre. There, your eyesight, hearing and height/ weight ratio will be assessed, all of which need to meet a certain standard for the role of Conductor. Our Occupational Health Advisor will also check your blood pressure and general health. In addition, you will be asked to provide a urine sample, which will be tested for drugs and a breath test for alcohol. If you do get the job, you will also be subjected to random drug and alcohol screening.
References and Probationary Period
All offers of employment are subject to us receiving satisfactory references, one of which must be from your current or most recent employer.
When commencing employment you will be required to successfully complete a six-month probationary period.
Training
Your first week in this post will begin with an induction to the Company. Following the induction you will begin the training course, which is approximately 15 weeks long, and covers everything you’ll need to do the job well. The course is a mix of classroom based and on-the-job training.
To ensure the continuity of training, trainees are not allowed to take leave until their training is concluded.
You may also need to stay away from home whilst training – but don’t worry, we’ll pay the hotel costs.
Fact Sheet 2009