Annual Salary
£23,000 to £36,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Train conductors issue tickets to rail passengers and make sure that their journeys are safe and comfortable.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts
There will be
0.5% fewer Train conductor jobs in 2027.
On a typical day you may:
You may need to wear a uniform.
You could work on a station platform or from a vehicle.
Your working environment may be crowded, cramped and outdoors some of the time.
You can get into this job through:
You could do a college course like a Level 2 Certificate in Customer Service, which would teach you some of the general skills you need. This may help when you apply for jobs.
You'll usually need:
You may be able to get into this career by completing a passenger transport onboard and station team member intermediate apprenticeship with a train operating company.
You'll usually need:
You may be able to move into this job after first working as a member of the platform or ticketing staff at a train station.
There are no set entry qualifications if you want to apply directly to train operating companies, although employers will expect you to have a good standard of English and maths.
If selected for interview, companies will usually test you on your maths, communication, and customer service skills.
You'll need to:
Experience of working with the public in retail or customer service could give you an advantage. It will also help if you have good knowledge of UK geography and the rail network.
You can find out more about train operating companies through the Rail Delivery Group.
Train operating companies often promote existing station staff to conductor jobs, so you may be able to transfer from a platform assistant or onboard customer host role.
With experience, you may be able to move on to senior conductor or train manager, or transfer to a driver training programme.
You can find out more about jobs in passenger transport from Careers That Move.
You'll find train operating companies through the Rail Delivery Group.
You'll need: