The conductors hold together the train, freight, passengers, and crew.The driver or engineer will bring the train safely and quickly from station to station.You should be prepared to travel for days at a time and work long hours over the weekend.Prepare to check tickets, deal with passengers and make sure the journey is comfortable for everyone on board.Train companies tend to provide excellent benefits and retirement packages, and you can make as much as $80,000 a year working as a train conductor.
Step 1: Discuss current and former train conductors.
Try to decide whether the job is right for you by asking a lot of questions.Ask about the pay, hours, co-workers and passengers.Ask about the skills that you will need and develop.How do conductors balance their work and social lives?Ask what it's like to work for a rail company.How did conductors get to where they are today?Speak to the conductor if you ride a train.Do you have a moment?I'm interested in becoming a conductor of my own, and I was wondering if you had any tips.The personal accounts of past and present conductors can be found in online forums.If you're just asking questions through a forum, don't be afraid to reach out to conductors for more information.Veteran conductors are happy to share their knowledge with you.
Step 2: Understand what the job entails.
The conductors are in charge of the train, freight, passengers, and crew.Checking that the carriages are clean before the start of a journey, making sure equipment, doors, and controls are working properly, walking through carriages, checking tickets and travel documents, answering passengers' questions about the train, are some of the daily tasks that will be done on a passenger train.
Step 3: Understand costs and benefits.
The train life can be lonely and your family life may suffer if you need to spend days at a time away from home.You can make over $80,000 a year as a train conductor.The lowest-paid train conductors made $18.84/hour in May 2011.The industry salary is roughly $27.20/hour.Benefits and retirement packages are provided by rail companies.You will get paid to travel the country and see new places every day.You will learn a lot about the train industry.Most of your days are spent riding trains.If you work as a conductor on a passenger train, you'll make sure the passengers are safe and meet their needs.If you're the type of person that needs to be around people all the time, you may grow lonely if you work on a freight train.
Step 4: Understand where you're going.
If you don't have any experience in the transport industry, you will need to start working on the train crew as a switch-person or a brake person.There are switch people and brake people on the rail lines.You can get a job with Union Pacific if you don't have any railway experience.The geographic region in which you work will be determined by the hub you're assigned to as a train crew member.You may be assigned work at any location within that geographic hub if you are required to travel.If you switch person and brake person positions, you can become a conductor or locomotive engineer.Take a job in a rail yard and work your way up to a conductor position if you're serious about the industry.In the train industry, many assignments are given in accordance with their rank.Be patient and work hard.Most rail companies will pay to train you for the job if you apply directly to a conductor position.You can become a train conductor within three months if you're at the top tier of applicants.
Step 5: A resume should be prepared.
Experience in the transportation industry will work in your favor if you apply to a railway company.Tell the truth about your qualifications.Make sure that your past employment, criminal history, and driving history are accurate.If you have skeletons on your public record, you must pass a background check to be a train conductor.If you can work well under pressure, your resume and cover letter should show it.The only requirements are a high school diploma and a few years of general work experience.If you have worked in the safety or transportation industries, your resume will look better.Any experience with operations will work in your favor.
Step 6: You need to apply for the job.
You can either search through third-party job-placement websites or inquire directly with specific railroads.Unless you have previous experience, you may need to get in on the ground level as a yard worker or train crew member.Railroads in the United States often hire conductors.The job market for train conductors is expected to expand by 5% by 2020 due to population growth and global trade.Lack of new railway construction in the U.S. stunts the growth of the industry.You should apply for as many jobs as you can.If you want to work in the region, apply to the railroads that run through it.You can find information about the lines on a company's website.The duties of a train conductor are dependent on safety.Again, prior experience as a bus driver or tram driver will work in your favor.
Step 7: You can do well on the employment test if you attend a hiring event.
If you meet qualifications for a specific railroad, the company will invite you to a hiring event, where you will take a pre-employment test.Reading comprehension and simple mechanical problems are included in the test.It's never a bad idea to brush up on your skills before an important test.If you are interviewing for a job, dress like a professional.Men wear a tie.Women wear a dress or pantsuit.
Step 8: The interview should be done.
You'll be interviewed individually if you do well on the hiring test.You will get a job offer if you do well in the interview.Be professional at the interview.You can remain calm under pressure if you display that you are good with people.If you've ever worked as a bus driver, this is the time to discuss it.You are almost hired if you receive a job offer.You have to pass a medical exam and a background check.A drug test is included in the medical exam and should be watched during the application process.It's important that employees in the transportation industry are able to respond quickly to emergencies.
Step 9: Pass the medical exam, drug screen and background check.
You will get a job offer if you do.Well done!You will attend train conductor school at your railroad's training facility and begin your new career.
Step 10: Inquire about the job training procedure at your new railroad company.
A community college or technical school can be used to train new conductors.A certificate in railroad conductor technology can be obtained from these programs.The rules of operation, safety, signals, rail equipment, and train conductor duties are covered in courses in the program.In most cases, hands-on experience in the railroad industry is the best way to prepare for a conductor job.
Step 11: Patiently complete any on-the- job training.
Once you've been hired, trained, and assigned to a location, many rail companies will require that you undergo 8-22 weeks of additional on-the-job training at your assigned location.The on-the-job training period may end sooner if you do well, so listen, learn, and absorb as much information as you can about the industry.
Step 12: Take it seriously.
If you become a full-time train conductor, you may be responsible for the safety and comfort of hundreds of passengers each day.You could be responsible for millions of dollars worth of cargo.Be accountable.Show up for work when you're called, even though the hours may be irregular; refrain from substance use, and make sure that you get plenty of sleep.Don't treat the job like a way to pay the bills.You should respect your passengers.You may need to throw someone off of a train if they don't have a ticket or are causing a commotion.If you work on a passenger train, you will work closely with these people, so be positive, be polite, and be patient.Your elders should be respected.Railroad employees have been working on the lines for a long time.You will learn from those who have been in the industry for a long time.