Railroad Forums 

  • How do I get a job as a conductor on the PATH?

  • General discussion about working in the railroad industry. Industry employers are welcome to post openings here.
General discussion about working in the railroad industry. Industry employers are welcome to post openings here.

Moderator: thebigc

 #962523  by MoeJoe
 
Can anyone explain the process it takes for someone to become a conductor on the PATH train? Is there a specific work background that is required? I appreciate your responses. Thank you!
 #962896  by PONYA
 
Go online to panynj.gov and look under "career opportunties". PATH jobs are listed seperately from other PA job posting. Generally they are entry level Track worker,Structural maintainer, General maintainer {cleans trains} andTemporary Passenger Information Agent {PIA} job postings. If none of these jobs are listed,check back often they do come up.

These jobs are entry level. Most jobs such as PIA are pay per hour with no benefits. Once hired the employee can apply for "internally posted" job listings such as Conductor. You can be in the Company in one craft and apply almost immediately if a Conductor's bulletin is posted from Human Resources Dept. They then have a test and interview and employees are taken in this order. 1) pernament employees (those with benefits) in seniority order. 2) temporary employees.

In either case once hired as Student Conductor you are made a pernament employee (gaining benefits). Feel free to ask further questions.
 #963039  by MoeJoe
 
PONYA, Thank you for your response! So the PATH jobs are just listed in the career section for PANYNJ? is it just indicated in the posting that this is a PATH job?

I am sorry these questions may seem very basic and redundant.

What qualifications do they seek when hiring for conductors? When was the last time they posted an exam? How often do the hire for the entry level positions? What is the pay like for these positions?

Again, I am sorry if these questions seem very basic and redundant. Thank you for taking out your time to answer the questions.
 #963409  by PONYA
 
The job bank will list it as a PATH job. I believe there is a "search feature" that allows you to only find PATH positions.

To answer your questions directly as possible:

What qualifications do they seek when hiring for conductors?
Prior customer service experience helps. Does not matter if it is retail or service industry. Verifiable work history with dates of employement and proper contact information of former employeers. Prior Railroad experience is not necessary.

When was the last time they posted an exam?
Within the last three months. 10 to 25 Conductors are hired a year.

How often do the hire for the entry level positions?
Check back weekly on the website. Once they post for an entry level they do get thousands of applications. They then pare it down thru testing and interview to about 100. From there they bring people in clusters of 4 to 8 people at a time . Many people though on the list wind up not take the job or fail the drug test. So the list moves quicker than you think.

What is the pay like for these positions?
About $15.00 dollars an hour with 40 hours guranteed. No part time positions. No vacation, insurance or seniority for temporary employees. Once hired into pernament position your temporary time gets "rolled" to show as your company start date.
 #964738  by MoeJoe
 
Again, I really appreciate your responses. Do they give preference to veterans? Do they have the temporary positions that take place in the evening or overnight? Does having a college degree not related to the job increase your chances of being hired? Let me know when these questions start annoying you ;) Thank you by the way!
 #965070  by PONYA
 
Although they don't officially state a vetrans preference I think it carries weight as does college {no matter what the courses are}. You have no choice as a temporary employee as to your job assignment. Nights,Days Weekends,Holidays are all possible.