If you are looking to develop your career as a train driver, then you need to understand the qualifications that you will need. There is no specific educational requirement to become a train driver, however, you will need a good basic education. A train driver works for local and national railway companies, so each employer aims to hire or train an employee with good GCSEs scores.
The most important skill that each train driver needs the ability to focus for longer periods of time as they will have long working hours per week. A train driver should also possess customer service related skills because they will have to manage people if any stressful situation occurs.
There is no eligibility criterion if you want to start your career as train driver, however, you will have to take into account the following requirements:
- Begin a train driver apprenticeship
- Good scores in GCSEs, especially in Math and English
- Employee should have mechanical and electrical knowledge
- Start your career as a train passenger assistant or a train conductor and then later on apply for a trainee driver post.
- Good concentration skills
- Ability to pay attention to detail
- To remain patient in stressful situations
- Ability to operate equipment
- Employee should have knowledge regarding the public`s safety
- Good observation skills
- The employee needs to a clear the medical test
- Good eyesight
- Ability to remember information
- Employee should at least 21 years of age
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to work in teams
In order to get started as a train driver, you need to start from scratch because each individual needs to go through a training process that usually lasts up to 12 months. Once you have completed this period, you can also look for opportunities in other railway related areas such as railway construction jobs or a railway engineering company where you can drive track machines used for maintenance work.
It all depends on your personal interest because once you have cleared all the tests, you can start applying for jobs because as a train driver you or can work for a passenger or freight company. Over the last couple of years there have been a vast number of changes as due to industrialization everything has become different. The tasks which were done by humans before are now being replaced by robot trains, which are usually used in the mining industry.
Thus, it all depends on your area of interest which will help you choose your career path. Your working environment may be noisy and you may spend nights away from home, but it will all be worth in the end if it is your goal to work in the railway sector.
