Trainee Train Driver - East Region

FirstGroup Internal; England; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK transport company is seeking Trainee Drivers at depots in Oxford, Paddington, and Reading. Candidates must be passionate about customer service and dedicated to an intensive training programme. Key requirements include being at least 21 years old, living within a short commute of the depot, and the ability to work flexible shifts. This rewarding career offers a training salary of £33,594 per annum, rising to £71,455 upon qualification, with ongoing assessment and support throughout the training process.

Qualifications

• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• Live within 60 minutes of the selected depot without public transport.
• Ability to work varying shift times, including weekends and nights.

Responsibilities

• Drive trains to ensure customer service and safety.
• Follow procedures and work with colleagues efficiently.
• Complete an intensive training programme.

Skills

Time management

Communication

Job description

About the team:

This role reports to the Driver Management Team at Oxford, Paddington, or Reading depending on the depot you indicate as your first location choice

About the role

Our Trainee driver role is for those passionate about customer service.

Train Drivers play a crucial role in setting a new standard for rail in the 21st Century which is focused on creating a relaxed, fast, efficient, and fun experience for our passengers. In addition to driving our customers to their destinations, giving amazing customer service, following the correct procedures, and working with colleagues to ensure our services runs efficiently.

Our Training programme requires hard work, a commitment to an intensive period of training and exceptional attention to detail but offers a rewarding career with the opportunity to be part of the changing future of travel. There will be assessments throughout your training period, both practical and academic, which will give you all the tools and support you need to progress through to a Qualified Driver.

About You

Do you have fantastic time management skills with the ability to work alone and focus on concentrating in a safety conscious environment?

Are you able to follow instructions when the need for safety is paramount, always?

Do have excellent communication skills and enjoy working within an environment with strict procedures and protocols.

Do you enjoy assisting colleagues and customers in the interests of safety and customer service?

If so, this role could an excellent career opportunity for you!

As a minimum you'll need to have:

• You must be 21 years of age or older to be accepted on to the training course, as this is an industry requirement.
• You’ll need to live within 60 minutes travel time to the depot that is your first location choice, without using public transport when it is not available. The safety responsibilities make this requirement a necessity. This is therefore not negotiable.
• The ability to work shifts of varying start times, including weekends and nights shifts.
• You’ll need to pass a full driver medical which includes passing hearing, sight, and colour vision tests. Unfortunately, we are unable to progress applications if this medical is not passed to the required standard.

Additional Information:

We don't need you to have previous Railway experience. We have colleagues from a wide range of industries and backgrounds. We do need you to bring your energy, enthusiasm and willingness to learn in a structured environment.

We are committed to making GWR and inclusive place of work that, to ensure we deliver a railway that is inclusive for our customers.

As this role is an important safety role, we have a stringent recruitment process, that includes various ability tests, that measure the key requirements needed for the role. But try not to worry too much about this, as we will send you Practice Test Materials, before we invite you to any ability testing events, so you will have plenty of time to practice for the tests.

The training salary rate is £33,594 per annum, rising to £71,455 per annum when fully qualified.

We have opportunities for Trainee Drivers at Oxford, Paddington and Reading, to join our Talent Pool for future vacancies.

If your application is successful in the whole recruitment process, you will be placed in the Talent pool in relation to your first location choice, pending available vacancies. Therefore, this is a lengthy process. So please bear with us.

For further information regarding

please refer to the FAQ's

In case of technicaldifficultieswhen submittingyourapplication, please contact the RecruitmentTeam at [e-mail]

We all belong at GWR.

This is our vision for providing an inclusive environment for all our colleagues, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We maintain a zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below. We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

https://www.healthassured.org/blog/neurodiversity/

• FAQ with medical standards Trainee Driver Driver Dec 2025.docx
• frequently-asked-questions-ris-3751-tom-supplementary-document.pdf