Southeastern Trainee Train Driver Guide
Southeastern recruits trainee drivers one or two depots at a time, with a strict travel limit. What its adverts ask for, what it pays and where the tests fit
Depots and the travel rule
Southeastern’s train driver careers page lists driver depots at Ashford, London Charing Cross, Dartford, Dover, Faversham, Gillingham, Grove Park, Hastings, Orpington, Ramsgate, Slade Green, Tonbridge and London Victoria. Because shifts start and finish at all hours, you must live within a 40-minute drive of one of them, or 20 minutes by public transport from a London depot.
Adverts are narrower than that list. The trainee driver advert posted on 1 January 2026 was for Ashford (Kent) and Tonbridge "ONLY", accepted applicants within 40 minutes by car of those two depots, and warned that your postcode would be reviewed and your application withdrawn if you did not meet the rule. Applying to a depot you cannot reach in time wastes an application.
What the 2026 advert asked for
- Age:20 or older, "as train driving is a safety critical role". That was before the legal minimum fell to 18 on 30 June 2026, so check the age in the next advert.
- Experience: none on the railway. The advert asks for concentration, communication, problem solving, respect for rules and reliability.
- Right to work:"Work visa sponsorship isn’t available for this role."
- Checks: references, a right to work check, a basic criminal record check and a pre-employment medical.
- Timing: the advert may close early if it gets a large number of applications, and if you were turned down for a similar role you must wait six months before applying again.
Where the psychometric tests fit
The advert does not list its stages. Instead it sends you to the Train Drivers Academy, an industry-backed site, to learn about "the selection process". That site says that to become a train driver in Great Britain "you will need to complete psychometric assessments", that the process "is standardised across the rail industry, although operators may set higher pass marks or include additional tests", and that results are usually valid for five years.
Southeastern’s general recruitment process page also describes an online assessment from Arctic Shores, and its process graphic says online tests are set "for some roles". Neither says whether trainee drivers sit it, so treat that as unconfirmed for this role.
Interview, talent pool, then medical
The same page puts trainee drivers among the "frontline volume roles" Southeastern recruits through talent pools. Its order is fixed: "Once you have passed interview you will be in our talent pool and once a position is available in your area, we will progress you to medical and agree a start date." Its standard process describes a structured, competency-based interview, by video or in person, that asks for examples from your work history, and it publishes a core question bank with a selection of the questions you will be asked. Everyone’s medical includes drugs and alcohol screening, and safety-critical roles such as driving get a more comprehensive one.
Pay, training and shifts
The January 2026 advert set out pay in four steps:
- £27,639 when you join.
- £33,867 after the rules and regulations part of training, about three months in.
- £54,002 once your Driver Manager signs you off as competent, you have done your first driving duty and your apprenticeship is complete, about 12 months in.
- £62,727 after 12 months as a qualified driver.
Training mixes classroom days, modular assessments and practical driving with an instructor, and "usually takes 12 to 18 months". Rosters are based on a 35-hour week, normally a week of earlies followed by a week of lates, with shifts that can start from 00:01 and last between 5 hours 30 minutes and 9 hours 15 minutes. The advert lists 28 days of annual leave including bank holidays, a final salary pension and free rail travel.
On volume, Southeastern said in June 2024 that it wanted to appoint 170 trainee drivers among 600 new starters over the following year.
The national tests, briefly
The psychometric assessment is the same battery for every GB mainline company, set by RSSB’s standard RIS-3751-TOM: tests of attention, memory, reasoning, vigilance and reaction, each passed or failed on its own, with the result recorded nationally. Our train driver tests page covers the full battery. You can practise these six:
- Group Bourdon (Dots Test) (11 minutes, free)
- TRP2 Dials Reasoning (8 minutes)
- TRP1 Rules and Procedures Memory (21 minutes)
- TEA-Occ Attention (Lift and Directory) (10 minutes)
- ATAVT Traffic Perception (6 minutes)
- WAFV Vigilance (Grey Square) (32 minutes)
Failed attempts count towards a national lifetime limit, explained in our guide to train driver attempts and standards.
Common questions
Can I apply for a depot that is not in the advert?
No. The 2026 advert said applications for other depot locations "will not be considered and will be withdrawn". Set up job alerts and wait for your depot.
Is Southeastern recruiting trainee drivers now?
On 5 November 2026 its jobs site listed a trainee conductor role at Tonbridge but no trainee driver vacancy. Adverts may close early, so be ready before one opens.
Comparing companies? Northern also asks for an enhanced pass, and GWR was listed as national standard.