Irish Rail Jobs Discussion

shamrock55

CiboC wrote: »

Do you know this for definite or is it anecdotal?

I can only speak for the fire service, but going by that failing on these things is quite common, colour blindness is more common then you might think

AssaultedPeanut

Had my interview yesterday, it went pretty well and they were all really nice and easy to talk to. Good luck to anyone doing theirs in the coming weeks.

I got the impression they're eager to start the training asap. They questioned my notice period (1 month) and told me the legal statutory minimum notice under Irish Law is 1 week, implying that I should be able to shorten the notice period if I was successful! Don't know about that, my contract says a month.

El Guapo!

I had my interview a couple of weeks ago. Got called for the medical which I did this week and passed. So all that's left to do now is wait I suppose.
I also received an email asking to send on two references, which I did.
In that email it also said: Please note, it is intended to commence training class(es) very soon.....
Based on that, I'd guess they'll send out offer letters soon and expect people to start the training within a couple of weeks of receiving the offer.
Fingers crossed. It's been a long process to get to this stage!

MrBumBum

Doing an interview in the next few weeks.
Kinda curious about the medical if somebody wouldn't mind giving info.
I'll be fine for BMI but my fitness isn't what it used to be. I understand there is a treadmill. Is it walking, jogging, monitoring heart rate, blood pressure etc?
Is the blood test a pin prick or full on needle? And what are they testing for there?
Colour blindness and hearing... is that about all?

Also just wondering if anyone interviewed and did NOT get called for a medical?
Thànks

El Guapo!

MrBumBum wrote: »

Doing an interview in the next few weeks.
Kinda curious about the medical if somebody wouldn't mind giving info.
I'll be fine for BMI but my fitness isn't what it used to be. I understand there is a treadmill. Is it walking, jogging, monitoring heart rate, blood pressure etc?
Is the blood test a pin prick or full on needle? And what are they testing for there?
Colour blindness and hearing... is that about all?

Also just wondering if anyone interviewed and did NOT get called for a medical?
Thànks

No treadmill / fitness involved whatsoever. They take height, weight, bmi, full medical history etc. Doc gives a once over; listening to chest etc.
They also check blood pressure, pin prick blood test for cholesterol, eye test, colourblind test, hearing test, urine sample, and an ECG.

mario84s

My interview was longest I ever had, questions were fair and follow up questions were on point.
Medical was good, as above but I had to do the cardiac stress test at a different appointment.
Passed all and happy to say I start on Monday, training for the DART.
Best of luck to everyone.

Willie Stroker 1976

mario84s wrote: »

My interview was longest I ever had, questions were fair and follow up questions were on point.
Medical was good, as above but I had to do the cardiac stress test at a different appointment.
Passed all and happy to say I start on Monday, training for the DART.
Best of luck to everyone.

Well done

AssaultedPeanut

mario84s wrote: »

My interview was longest I ever had, questions were fair and follow up questions were on point.
Medical was good, as above but I had to do the cardiac stress test at a different appointment.
Passed all and happy to say I start on Monday, training for the DART.
Best of luck to everyone.

Wow congratulations.

Could you tell us the rough dates between having the interview, medical and then hearing the good news?

Just a little concerned about notice period. I've my medical on Thursday.

Locodriver89

AssaultedPeanut wrote: »

Wow congratulations.

Could you tell us the rough dates between having the interview, medical and then hearing the good news?

Just a little concerned about notice period. I've my medical on Thursday.

I'll be starting on Monday with Mario...I had an interview on the Thursday and was asked to go in for the medical the following Thursday after only receiving notice the Wednesday before. Literally a couple of hours notice. The next week I was asked for references and the week after (last Thursday) I was offered to start on the 15th. My notice period is 8 weeks, but I was able to arrange something with my current employer. If you're there less than two years then statutory is only 1 week. Your employer probably won't be happy, but if they're anyway decent they should try arrange something with you e.g. work weekends or evenings. Depends on what your currently doing I suppose. Hope that helps!!

mario84s

AssaultedPeanut wrote: »

Wow congratulations.

Could you tell us the rough dates between having the interview, medical and then hearing the good news?

Just a little concerned about notice period. I've my medical on Thursday.

As Locodriver said, things moved quick. Interview, waited roughly 2 weeks, medical, a follow up medical, and day after that was asked to provide references... Within a week of that offered employment.

Willie Stroker 1976

Got offered a position too, but turned it down to pursue a career in my dream job, pays well and most weekends off, working close to home too, its chewing hay for gummy chickens. Lol, best of luck to ya’s. hopefully someday may join you guys. Never got to the interview or medical stages, but also didn’t get the rejection email but an email saying they’ll keep me on file. So here’s to hoping. Best of luck to the rest of ya’s waiting for word back

AssaultedPeanut

Locodriver89 wrote: »

I'll be starting on Monday with Mario...I had an interview on the Thursday..... Hope that helps!!

mario84s wrote: »

As Locodriver said, things moved quick. Interview, waited roughly 2 weeks, medical, a follow up medical, and day after that was asked to provide references... Within a week of that offered employment.

Thanks a mill guys. That's very helpful. Congrats to you both & good luck on Monday

MrBumBum

Congrats lads. Was there any mention of the capacity for training? Would it be safe to assume you lot are the best of the best and there won't be another batch recruited until after your 23 or 24 weeks or whatever it is?

Jamie2k9

Are all those offered only DART?

Del.Monte

Does this sudden take-up up of jobs with Irish Rail by Boardsies mean that this forum is going to be filled with contributions from well informed sources with the 'inside track' on the company?

CiboC

Congratulations to both of you for getting through!

I had my interview last week and they told me:

- It would be a few weeks before I would hear further
- They were planning two new classes starting around the end of April / beginning of May (dates TBC)
- Each class is about 8 people
- There is no crossover between diesel and dart - you are one or the other.
- They need both diesel and dart drivers

Fingers still crossed here, I thought my interview went well, but then I always think my interviews go well and have been disappointed before....!

Jamie2k9

Del.Monte wrote: »

Does this sudden take-up up of jobs with Irish Rail by Boardsies mean that this forum is going to be filled with contributions from well informed sources with the 'inside track' on the company?

It will be great come strike time!

Melanie1990

CiboC wrote: »

Congratulations to both of you for getting through!

I had my interview last week and they told me:

- It would be a few weeks before I would hear further
- They were planning two new classes starting around the end of April / beginning of May (dates TBC)
- Each class is about 8 people
- There is no crossover between diesel and dart - you are one or the other.
- They need both diesel and dart drivers

Fingers still crossed here, I thought my interview went well, but then I always think my interviews go well and have been disappointed before....!

Thanks for the info. I sat my interview at the beginning of March and haven't had any word regarding medical yet. I was in the last batch so still hoping to hear something, especially if there are more training classes in May.Fingers crossed, I'm not ready to give up hope just yet!

mario84s

Del.Monte wrote: »

Does this sudden take-up up of jobs with Irish Rail by Boardsies mean that this forum is going to be filled with contributions from well informed sources with the 'inside track' on the company?

nah, will be too busy in the training centre...
there has been some god info on this thread, but once it came to the interviews etc it went quiet. main one being that the job is a competition and it's either you or the better informed person.

anon2019!

R people starting Monday for dart or train ?

frankyboy1986 wrote: »

Like the other two poster,I also will be starting training monday 15th 09.30 sharp in inchicore,

Hopefully a few more boardsies get through and we'll meet on the tracks,

Best of luck to you all

JustJoe7240

anon2019! wrote: »

R people starting Monday for dart or train ?

One poster starting on Monday for DART, May not be the case for all though.

whisky_galore

So only all Dubs then?

Looking for people from the regions was only a load of bollocks?

AssaultedPeanut

whisky_galore wrote: »

So only all Dubs then?

Looking for people from the regions was only a load of bollocks?

No they need people at regional depots too. They said they were progressing with dublin candidates first because that's where they're the most short staffed.

seanbrady49

AssaultedPeanut wrote: »

No they need people at regional depots too. They said they were progressing with dublin candidates first because that's where they're the most short staffed.

Got the email to confirm this a few weeks back, dublin first then the rest of the country.
don't mind waiting too much, close to bonus time for me.

anon2019!

If its just for the dart then thr dart people wouldn't be in the class and they would be for the train yes??
I wonder has any classes been set up for the train yet

frankyboy1986 wrote: »

As far as im aware its just for the dart, in the IR staff magazine they were advertising for drivers to come off the dart and go onto the diesels so I guess our class will be to allow those drivers who wish to come off the dart to do so

Del.Monte

Oh please, a DART is a train! Are all the posts here for real?

blueband

Del.Monte wrote: »

Oh please, a DART is a train! Are all the posts here for real?

IR differentiate between DART and the suburban/city express/enterprise services which are considered locomotive.

Yes it's a train, but a completely different type of train obviously, and apparently the training is quite different and 100% separated in terms of driver assignment

Jamie2k9

frankyboy1986 wrote: »

As far as im aware its just for the dart, in the IR staff magazine they were advertising for drivers to come off the dart and go onto the diesels so I guess our class will be to allow those drivers who wish to come off the dart to do so

Want staff to go to Diesel yet they can't even staff the DART. You couldn't make it up. NTA are to soft allowing them to continue with daily cancellations/train failures on the DART for 7 months now.

THey don't even bother informing people of cancellations now...

GM228

frankyboy1986 wrote: »

As far as im aware its just for the dart, in the IR staff magazine they were advertising for drivers to come off the dart and go onto the diesels so I guess our class will be to allow those drivers who wish to come off the dart to do so

No they did not, however there is a related issue of DART drivers now being allowed transfer onto the diesel if they so wish which has come about following delegation at the WRC and with independent facilitators, there is a legitimate background story to this.

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Want staff to go to Diesel yet they can't even staff the DART. You couldn't make it up. NTA are to soft allowing them to continue with daily cancellations/train failures on the DART for 7 months now.

THey don't even bother informing people of cancellations now...

The NTA pushed IE to run the 10 minute DART despite knowing they were 20+ DART drivers short of the required minimum to run it, it was the NTA who stated they would allow cancellations in order to get it up and running and acknowledged there would be up to 24 months of cancellations, it was either that or wait another 2 years to get it off the ground.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

GM228 wrote: »

No they did not, however there is a related issue of DART drivers now being allowed transfer onto the diesel if they so wish which has come about following delegation at the WRC and with independent facilitators, there is a legitimate background story to this.

In relation to this, if one was successful and told they will be in the dart class, they go onto dart and decide they want to do diesel instead they cannot be stopped ?

I wouldn't mind hearing the back ground to this if possible (without incriminating yourself !)

GM228

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

In relation to this, if one was successful and told they will be in the dart class, they go onto dart and decide they want to do diesel instead they cannot be stopped ?

You go were your told basically. You have the option of requesting a transfer after a minimum period of appointed service however, but it affords no guarantees.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

I wouldn't mind hearing the back ground to this if possible (without incriminating yourself !)

Diesel drivers have been able to transfer to other locations or the DART for years (that's how the DART was set up with existing diesel drivers at the time), the DART drivers got parity with diesel drivers in terms of transfer options.

anon2019!

2 completely different types of training!!
Train is diesel dart isn't.

Del.Monte wrote: »

Oh please, a DART is a train! Are all the posts here for real?

Jamie2k9

anon2019! wrote: »

2 completely different types of training!!
Train is diesel dart isn't.

DART is a brand, both are still trains just different power sources...

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

DART is a brand, both are still trains just different power sources...

That doesn't change the fact there are 2 completely different training programmes for them.

You can't go from a luas to an Intercity train just because they're both types of trains.

Jamie2k9

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

That doesn't change the fact there are 2 completely different training programmes for them.

You can't go from a luas to an Intercity train just because they're both types of trains.

Indeed nor was I trying to, both are equally trains just different power sources and obliviously different training until bi-mode changes this.

Off topic interesting to see if DART drivers will be merged with Connolly/Drogheada etc long term if bi-mode happens along with electrification on Maynooth/N Commuter etc.

tony 2 tone

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

DART is a brand, both are still trains just different power sources...

But can they both be called Choo-choos though?

GM228

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

You can't go from a luas to an Intercity train just because they're both types of trains.

Careful now, some will argue a tram is not a train

whisky_galore

tony 2 tone wrote: »

But can they both be called Choo-choos though?

No.
They haven't emitted a "Choo Choo" sound in over 50 years.

El Guapo!

Well it's been a long process but I'm delighted to say I got the call today and I'll be starting in the diesel class on the 23rd.
Best of luck to everyone else still in the running.

Fred1983

Hey man congratulations on the job. Can I ask u what was the process for getting the job, when did it start and what were the stages cheers

khaldrogo

Fred1983 wrote:

Hey man congratulations on the job. Can I ask u what was the process for getting the job, when did it start and what were the stages cheers

Seriously? It's all well documented in this thread.....

Scuba1

Hi does anyone know what hours the classes are?

Melanie1990

El Guapo! wrote: »

Well it's been a long process but I'm delighted to say I got the call today and I'll be starting in the diesel class on the 23rd.
Best of luck to everyone else still in the running.

Congratulations! Can I ask did they literally phone or was this confirmed with an email?

El Guapo!

Melanie1990 wrote: »

Congratulations! Can I ask did they literally phone or was this confirmed with an email?

Thanks!
I got a phone call first and then followed up with an email confirmation.

Jayh9876

El Guapo! wrote: »

Thanks!
I got a phone call first and then followed up with an email confirmation.

El Guapo, Are you start the diesel class at 9am Tuesday the 23rd

El Guapo!

Jayh9876 wrote: »

El Guapo, Are you start the diesel class at 9am Tuesday the 23rd

Yep.
Did you get the same class?

Jayh9876

El Guapo! wrote: »

Yep.
Did you get the same class?

Yep I'm in the same class looking forward to getting stuck in now.

El Guapo!

Jayh9876 wrote: »

Yep I'm in the same class looking forward to getting stuck in now.

Same as myself. Im dying to get started.
Guess I'll see you there!

Jayh9876

El Guapo! wrote: »

Same as myself. Im dying to get started.
Guess I'll see you there!

That you will.

khaldrogo

Did they tell you why the choose you over others? As in, did they tell you you stood out or anything?