MANY people assume landing a dream job with a top salary is reserved for those who have degrees or special connections.
But after taking a career break to have children, Jane Fentaman, 42, found a role where she was paid £24,048 to train in 2019.
1
Just two years later and fully qualified, her earnings jumped to £54,000.
The mum of three from Rochester, Kent works as a train driver for Southeastern, a role that she fits around doing the school run.
She says: “This is what it looks like to be living your dream… I love what I do.
“I am given the opportunity to share a moment in life with all those people that I am carrying – whether they have big appointments to attend or I’m taking them to their loved ones.
“I see children waving at their mum on the platform… It’s instant job satisfaction.”
Through the job, Southeastern has supported Jane to get her maths and English GCSEs – she is now studying to take her ICT computer technology qualification.
The most important requirement for the role is being able to stay calm in an emergency, according to Jane.
She says: “You have to demonstrate your ability to react very quickly…
Most read in Money
“I can be responsible for over 1,000 people when driving a train.”
On the job, the mum has had to deal with incidents such as bringing the train to an emergency stop after spotting a fallen tree on the line ahead.
As well as being on constant alert of the tracks, she has to keep an eye on passengers too.
Friday nights and weekends can be challenging when people have been out drinking, Jane says.
The mum has had to help people off the train to keep them safe and also manage situations where fights have broken out.
She adds: “My job is to make sure the passengers are ok. You have to be able to handle the responsibility that is given to you.”
One of the major benefits is that work ends the moment her shift finishes.
She says: “It’s not a job I carry home. Once I leave the train I am done.”
As a woman, Jane says she’s a minority among train drivers – but it’s a trend that is changing with continued recruitment.
Before having children, she had previously worked as the first female shunter driver for Southeastern – driving empty trains to different depots.
Jane says: “My children are super proud. They can’t wait to tell their friends their mum is a train driver.
“And there is a different respect from friends – it catches their attention.”
As much as she loves being a driver, Jane says there are different career opportunities open that she would consider in the future, including roles as a train driver manager, paying around £60k a year, or operations manager where jobs are available paying £55k.
How to become a train driver
You don’t need traditional school or university education to become a train driver but the bar is high for applicants.
Jane describes how she applied five times before being selected to go further.
An initial assessment day is split into three stages, she explains.
And you will then be asked to leave if you don’t make it through a stage.
If you do get through, you will have to come back for a second assessment that works in a similar way.
After making it through both days, Jane was called back for further interviews before finally being offered a trainee driver role on £24,048 a year.
Jane says: “The selection process is very thorough – they are trying to find out if you are able to meet the standard because of the responsibility involved.”
Training is then split into three stages where you will spend the first three months alone learning about rules and regulations.
In the third stage, Jane started practical training with a driving instructor doing 100 hours learning routes and speeds.
She then had to do around another 300 hours with another instructor.
The training culminates in a five-day exam that you need to pass to become qualified.
Salary goes up in increments as you spend a year on probation after qualifying to land at £54,575, as well as getting free rail travel.
It takes just over 12 months on average to from trainee to become fully qualified and performing first solo duty, according to South Eastern.
But training varies from depot to depot, as some have more complex routes to learn that may take longer.
You can apply for train driver jobs directly with most major train companies.
We have also looked at how much lorry drivers can earn and jobs where you get paid £30k to train with no degree needed.
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
