If you’re looking for a new career or are just starting out in the professional world, you may be wondering where you can turn to have a rewarding job that pays well. A lot of you will immediately thinking of the educated professional route such as law, medicine or business, but there are other options that require less financial investment through paid education and can be just as beneficial financially.
One career path such as that is a career in the railroad industry. The work is hard, with long hours and safety responsibilities which, if ignored, can become a lawsuit with train accident lawyers if an accident occurs that is your fault. But, if you’re willing to put in the work and be conscientious about safety, then it can be a rewarding and fulfilling career choice.
What Qualifications Do You Need?
Most jobs require some form of qualifications or formal teaching thes day to even get a foot in the door. The job market is competitive all over the world, in all industries so any form of advantage will be a bonus on your application.
This may not strictly be the case with a train driving career, as many companies offer training programmes that will get you up to scratch to operate a train. When you enter the field, you’ll have to get a position as a trainee driver and then go through a rigorous training programme to make you competent.
Some employers may require basic high school or secondary school qualifications, but everything to do with driving a train will be taught to you during the training programme.
Skills & Responsibilities
If you want to become a train driver, you’ll need to be able to concentrate for long periods of time and make sure your reactions are top notch throughout your shift. You’ll also need to be able to react quickly and calmly, no matter what the situation is. Railroad accidents aren’t as common as they use to be thanks to technological advances, but this means that if there is an accident, it will more than likely be the train operator’s fault so you need to be on the ball, always.
Good customer service and people skills is a must as well, ensuring your passengers or clients get great service with a smile, it also helps you to handle confrontation and issues if they ever arise.
As the driver of the train, you’ll often be responsible for checking the engine and safety checks every day and regularly throughout your shift. You’ll also have to follow signalling instructions throughout your journey, follow your route exactly and efficiently and record any incidents like delays, accidents and equipment problems. One must definitely keep in check these basic checks in order to avoid any kind of problems in the future. Train accidents caused by the negligence of drivers could lead to not only damage to the train but also loss of life and damage to the goods in the train which would lead to the involvement of experienced train accident lawyers.
Average Salary
The pay you’ll get as a train driver will vary depending on which company you work for and your position (whether you’re trainee or senior). If we talk about averages, a trainee position can offer you anywhere between 20,000 and 30,000 per year until you are fully qualified with a set number of hours on the track.
Once you’ve passed the training regiment and served your experience hours, you may be eligible for a pay increase to between 30,000 and 45,000 for your role as an ‘experienced driver’. After that, if you become highly experienced, with even more hours under your belt, you can get paid upwards of 60,000.
