Trainee Train Driver

Job Introduction

Ever imagined yourself driving a train? It might surprise you how varied, enjoyable and rewarding it can be as a career.

Train drivers are at the heart of our business, getting our passengers to where they need to be, on time and safely. Driving a train carries great responsibility but with that comes pride and achievement, knowing that an invaluable service has been delivered to thousands of people every single day.

We’re looking for a great mix of talented and enthusiastic individuals from all backgrounds to join our driving team.

We give all our successful applicants a full year of well-paid training. And once you’re qualified, you’ll enjoy a role that gives you autonomy, variety and great benefits.

On appointment into a Trainee Driver role you will be enrolled into the Driver Apprenticeship Programme which will lead to a nationally recognised qualification. 

You will be given full vocational training (including functional skills) to ensure you have the skills, experience and knowledge required for the role.

Train Driving is a safety critical role, so you must be aged over 20 to apply.

Working Hours

​You will work a varied shift pattern, which includes weekends, bank holidays and nights.

What many of our drivers really value is the ability to switch off the moment the workday is finished. Leaving you more time to spend with your family, friends – or just on yourself.

Rosters vary but are based over a 35 hour week; you will normally work one week early shift and one week late shift.

Your earliest start time could be 00:01 hrs and your latest finish time could be anytime as we operate a 24 hour railway.

As a driver your maximum shift length will be 9 hours 15 minutes and the minimum shift length is 5 hours 30 minutes.

Role Responsibility

Read employee stories from Mary (click here) and Rebecca (click here) or read below what our existing drivers have to say about the role....

“Working shifts as a driver gives me so much flexibility, I enjoy the days when I can pick my kids up from school and take them swimming”

“Training to be a driver is done by a series of modular tests, taking anything from 18 months to a year. This includes 255 hours of accompanied driving, including 40 hours in the dark.” 

“Safety is a driver's number one consideration and concentration is their number one challenge. The way I look at it is that if I'm looking after my own safety, I'm looking after the customers too.”

"The biggest misconception about driving a train these days is that it's all automated. It's not. As a professional driver our responsibility is not just safety, its keeping our customers informed on how their journey is going – it makes a real difference”

“Team work is important!  From our station staff, conductors, signallers and even our control centre - we need to communicate and work together to ensure that the customer experience is the best it can be”

The Ideal Candidate

To excel in your role, you will need:

• To care about our customers, keeping them updated with information and advice on their journey
• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent levels of concentration
• To be proactive when it comes to problem solving and decision making
• To be disciplined with a respect for rules & procedures
• To be punctual and reliable
• To demonstrate our values on a day to day basis

Please note that applicants must live within a 40 minute driving time of their chosen depot (20 minutes travelling time by public transport for our London Victoria and Charing Cross depots). 

Unfortunately your application will not be considered if you do not meet the above requirement.

Package Description

Southeastern recognises the value of every individual employee and offers benefits that reflect this.

As well as a generous salary, we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes;

• A Contributory Final Salary Pension Scheme 
• Free rail travel on Southeastern and GTR rail services (extends to family members for leisure/educational travel)
• After a qualifying period, reduced rate travel on other train operators, including European services
• 28 days annual leave entitlement (which includes bank holidays) and a proportion of your annual leave is rostered. 
• Access to an array of discounts for retail and leisure products through our benefits scheme.
• Family friendly benefits including enhanced maternity/paternity leave, parental leave and carers leave.
• Full training, a nationally recognised qualification and free uniform

About the Company

About Southeastern

Southeastern runs train services into London from Kent and East Sussex, operating almost 1,700 trains a day, carrying more than 400,000 passengers, serving 176 stations and covering 540 miles of track.

Just over 4,600 employees - mostly from the communities that we serve - work together to provide this vital service and we are looking to expand our successful team. We have a strong set of values that shape the way we run our business and guide our staff in delivering what our customers need. These are:

• We aim to be the best
• We make the difference together
• We care passionately about our people and our passengers

We are committed to being an inclusive employer, creating a workplace where everyone can come to work, feel safe and comfortable and able to do everything to the best of their ability. Read about some of the great Diversity and Inclusion initiatives our Head of Colleague Experience has been leading on here. 

We recognise the positive value of diversity and it matters to us that our teams reflect the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.

We are also proud to be a WORK180 Endorsed Employer for Women. If you would like to know more information about how we are supporting our employees, you can view our policies and initiatives here.

If you have been unsuccessful in the recruitment process for the same/similar position you will not be eligible to apply for a period of 6 months from that date.

All offers of employment are subject to us obtaining satisfactory references (covering all education, training, employment and unemployment in the preceding 5 years and any previous railway employment). We will also complete right to work in the UK and criminal record checks. This is to ensure we are employing the best person for the role and to protect our customers, colleagues and our reputation. We are unable to offer sponsorship to work in the UK. 

This post will close before the intended closing date should sufficient number of suitable applications be received. Therefore, if you are interested in applying for this role, we suggest that you do so at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment.

SOUTHEASTERN is owned by SE Trains Ltd, a subsidiary of the Department for Transport’s public sector owning group, ‘DOHL.’ DOHL has responsibility for three rail companies, LNER, Northern Trains Limited and SE Trains.

SE Trains Limited