Should I change careers?

Posted by Wass85@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 37 comments

I have worked in the railway industry for over 20 years now and I have decided I want out. Don't get me wrong, the job is enjoyable and interesting but with working nights and being unable to sleep for longer than 3-4 hours I know that this will put me in an early grave. I have lots of transferable skills and quite a few tickets, which include plant tickets & safety tickets. Now I know money isn't everything but I have been earning over 50k on the railway so would prefer something in that ballpark. What jobs or industries could be an option for me, I prefer manual/outdoor work that require technical skills. I am 40+ plus with a mortgage and family to provide for so wouldn't really be looking for something at apprentice level but can easily sit a course or two to give me a good start. Any suggestions?

Reply to Post

37 Comments

[-]

KonkeyDongPrime@reddit

My CV ended up on engineering maintenance roles and every role they called me for was around the £50k mark. I’m assuming you’re trackside? Which tickets have you got? Do you manage any staff, like a chargehand or supervisor? Generally I would advise a Facilities Maintenance role with one of the bigger firms that carry their own staff. I’ve seen a lot of engineers for data centres which have great pay, if you have your MV (1000V+) electrical safety tickets. You would be better posting this in the UK Jobs sub.

[-]

Wass85@reddit (OP)

Yes, I work trackside, I'm a Team Leader for Works Delivery. I have all the safety critical tickets needed plus some engineering tickets relevant to the job.

[-]

KonkeyDongPrime@reddit

The local DNO and their supply chain will probably have some track specific assets, so would definitely be worth a shout. You might get stuck on a call out rota, but most of that sort of work is planned, mainly during normal working hours.

[-]

Wass85@reddit (OP)

I have just checked my local DNO and there are barely any jobs. I take it you have a degree in electrical engineering?

[-]

KonkeyDongPrime@reddit

I’m on design and PM work on M&E, mechanically bias with a decent amount of electrical experience. I’ve led some major LV and MV projects in the past. Now I manage the people that manage those jobs, so I’m a bit further removed, hence why I can’t advise preferential tickets off the top of my head. In my experience, moving sideways or diagonally is about finding the right firm. Someone else mentioned Siemens for instance, I’ve had them out subcontracting for the DNO in the past. Great outfit in my experience. With their rail crossover, they could be a shout. Civil engineering firms that do trackside but also non rail infrastructure would be another shout.

[-]

ChequeredTrousers@reddit

Most retraining will require a sizeable pay cut and you work your way back up. Is there no way to change roles in your current industry?

[-]

Other_Exercise@reddit

This sounds probably right. Ultimately, it seems railway wages are artificially high, making it a bit of a gilded cage. When I was mid 20s, I did a night shift office job. Believe me, 10 years later, I've still never earned as much.

[-]

Wass85@reddit (OP)

Yes, I understand that and it's something I'm willing to do within reason. But as I said, I have a mortgage and bills to pay. It's a possibility yes, but a lot of things have to drop in place, and it would mean being more office based, which I don't think is really for me, I like being out, hands on.

[-]

Serious-Fail-5486@reddit

What do you actually do at current? Personally I’d be exploring a desk based or 9-5 site based role within the industry that you are knowledgeable about

[-]

Wass85@reddit (OP)

I'm a team leader at Works Delivery, which includes man management as well as hands on duties.

[-]

Serious-Fail-5486@reddit

Realistically then, there must be scope to renegotiate a similar role during specific time frames - but taking a back seat on aspects of the job that require inconsistent or unconventional working hours Nothing wrong with telling your employer you are looking to establish a more consistent agenda and working week You could even map out your ‘ideal’ working week, and use your industry and business specific experience to evidence to your employer how this could work in practice, and what adjustments would need to be made to accommodate your request

[-]

Wass85@reddit (OP)

It's not possible, as I said, weekend work, particularly night weekend work is essential in our industry, it basically can't be avoided in my position.

[-]

Serious-Fail-5486@reddit

What operations / arrangements of those operations occur during Monday - Friday? Surely the lions share of the business functions during the working week, the ‘doing’ of the actual on site just coincides with weekends - e.g. non-operational hours? Difficult to discuss this in detail via reddit with extremely limited information I’d still speak to your employer about your options, they may have some transitional roles you could do

[-]

Wass85@reddit (OP)

Night working is required as this is the time when trains stop running which allows us access on the the track. Of course there is office based jobs, but it's not something I'm particularly interested in, plus it's not just a case of me dropping in the office, roles are taken.

[-]

Serious-Fail-5486@reddit

That’s why I keep suggesting speaking to your employer about transitional options. It’s much easier for you and your employer to explore available job opportunities within a niche sector, than it is for us to suggest them Other than offering generic advice, you’re basically waiting for someone who has worked your industry - and transitioned from operational shift work to non-/operational week work - to identify themselves, which is again, a niche Plenty of business owners/executives were ex-operational staff is my point - it’s like a lot of traders stopping tradecraft and going into the business management of it all, training, or offline site management

[-]

Portsmo@reddit

Upvote for what is a good idea. I would normally OP is a perfect case for a “desk job” transfer - moving into an office based role within the same company and/or industry. But their preference for manual work limits their options.

[-]

uneasy-chicken@reddit

Factor in pension difference too as it's massive! I can't believe Rail still on DB

[-]

Vodkaboris@reddit

Lots of substation work which is also considered a "Safety Critical" environment. You probably won't make £50k straight away, but there's potential to make more especially if you managed to train as an Electrical SAP.

[-]

Wass85@reddit (OP)

Sounds interesting, and something I could see myself enjoying. I have experience in safety critical duties as well as electrical safety training as we often work under the OLE when doing possession works.

[-]

KonkeyDongPrime@reddit

Get those tickets back upto date! Lots of MV roles about at the minute.

[-]

Wass85@reddit (OP)

Care to expand? I've still got plenty of plant tickets, first aid at work, cat scan, slinger signaller, etc.

[-]

KonkeyDongPrime@reddit

Medium Voltage are the tickets I was referring to. With all the data centre works, legacy grid upgrades and grid upgrades for renewables, there’s quite a lot out there on infrastructure between 1kV and 33kV

[-]

Wass85@reddit (OP)

Ok, what are the essential tickets required to start in this industry? Thanks for the advice.

[-]

OkFan7121@reddit

I would suggest the electricity supply industry as well, the work seems to have a lot in common with railways , but then you might have the same problem with shift patterns, as , like the railways, it has to operate 24 hours.

[-]

KonkeyDongPrime@reddit

Depends. A lot of grid work is in normal working hours, particularly major upgrades. Black buildings do major maintenance tend to be weekends and bank holidays, but not a great deal more than other trades.

[-]

Wass85@reddit (OP)

Any more info? Thanks

[-]

Strong_Neck8236@reddit

If you're good at your job and your main concern is just the hours, is it worth talking to your current employer about it? If you're valuable to them they may not wish to lose you?

[-]

Wass85@reddit (OP)

Not really possible, night work is basically essential in similar roles, the only possible out would be to work in the office, which isn't really for me.

[-]

Mgbgt74@reddit

The rail maintenance industry as you know is on its arse at the moment with people struggling for shifts and small suppliers closing their doors. It all depends on what you do and what tickets you have. The wider civil engineering industry is slow at the moment so it’s not the best time to jump ship.

[-]

Wass85@reddit (OP)

I work for Network Rail so feel pretty secure in my role, I have all the safety critical tickets, many engineering tickets, etc.

[-]

Duoplo@reddit

What were you doing for them? Consultancy work or the public sector (regulatory/environment/transport) come to mind.

[-]

WheresMyFlamingo@reddit

50k at the expense of your body and health isn't worth it. I'm doing a 90 minute commute 4 days a week and I want out, it pays 40k and I cant tell you how much I'm looking to retrain as something else. Good luck!

[-]

Houseofsun5@reddit

If you have plant tickets you could sign up to an agency, should be getting £20+ an hour for driving plant and will get you round a few companies who will likely offer you the pick of a start should your face fit.

[-]

bishibashi@reddit

I would start by looking at network rail’s big partner companies, your experience could walk you in to some kind of contract supervisory/inspection role. Here’s a list to start with https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Top-20-Network-Rail-Suppliers-by-Spend-2023-24.xlsx

[-]

Wass85@reddit (OP)

Thanks, I have worked for a couple of main contractors before.

[-]

AnnualLongjumping473@reddit

I don’t have an answer for you but good luck 🤞

[-]

AutoModerator@reddit

**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - When replying to submission/post please **make genuine efforts to answer the question given**. Please no jokes, judgements, etc. If a post is marked 'Serious Answers Only' **you may receive a ban for violating this rule**. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*