Checked 27 October 2026. Criteria and pay are from Southeastern's trainee train driver advert for Ashford and Tonbridge (posted 27 October 2025, its deadline now passed), its recruitment process page and its candidate PDFs, read 27 Oct 2026. A later advert may name other depots and pay: read the one you apply to.
Southeastern recruits trainee drivers for named depots (Ashford and Tonbridge only in its latest advert): you apply, then complete Arctic Shores' online task-based assessment, the RSSB train driver psychometric tests and an interview whose core questions Southeastern publishes, and wait in a talent pool until a place opens for your medical. Its latest advert (Ashford and Tonbridge) starts at £27,639 a year, rising to £54,002 at about 12 months and £62,727 after a year qualified.
Checked on 27 October 2026 against Southeastern's own trainee train driver advert (its deadline has passed), its recruitment process page, its Arctic Shores information sheet, its interview guidance and its core question bank, plus RSSB's FAQ on the selection standard. Where the advert's own figures differ, we show both. Our own advice is labelled as ours. ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not part of RSSB, the Office of Rail and Road, The OPC or any train company, and nothing here is official test material.
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Before you read on: play level 1 of our concentration trainer, free
Three timed sheets of dot groups, 40 seconds each: mark every group of exactly four dots. At the end you see your accuracy, groups per minute, and missed and wrong marks counted apart.
Play level 1 freeIndependent practice by ProSyllabus. Not the official test, not a copy of it, and not produced or checked by RSSB, an assessment centre or a train company.
Who can apply to Southeastern
Southeastern says it can only consider you if you meet two rules, and that it reviews your postcode and withdraws any application that does not meet the geographical requirement:
| Requirement | Southeastern's rule |
|---|---|
| Age | 20 years or older, because train driving is a safety critical role (advert). The law has allowed a licence from 18 since 30 June 2026; the next advert will show whether Southeastern's rule has changed. |
| Where you live | Within 40 minutes by car of its Ashford (Kent) or Tonbridge depots, in the latest advert. Applications for other depot locations are not considered and are withdrawn. |
| Experience | No railway experience needed. It asks for concentration and communication, problem-solving, respect for rules and regulations, good decisions, and punctuality and reliability. |
| Checks | Satisfactory references, a right to work check, a basic criminal record check and a pre-employment medical. No work visa sponsorship. |
| Earlier applications | If you were unsuccessful for a similar role at Southeastern, wait six months before applying again. |
As a member of the Armed Forces Covenant and the Disability Confident scheme, Southeastern offers an interview to applicants under those schemes who meet the minimum criteria. The advert also points applicants to the Train Drivers Academy, a site created with rail industry support, to learn about the role, selection and training before applying.
Southeastern's recruitment stages, in order
Southeastern describes its standard process on its recruitment process page, and says trainee drivers are recruited into talent pools: once you pass the interview you join the pool, and when a position is available in your area it moves you to the medical and agrees a start date.
Application
Anonymised for managers, so it is judged on your skills and experience. Southeastern publishes application hints and tips.
Arctic Shores online assessment
Interactive tasks of 15 to 20 minutes that measure behaviours, with a personal feedback report.
Interview
Behavioural and potential-based questions, a selection of them sent to you in advance.
Talent pool, then medical
When a position opens in your area: the medical, then a start date.
From Southeastern's recruitment process page, its Arctic Shores sheet and its interview guidance. You must also pass the RSSB train driver psychometric tests (below); Southeastern's pages do not say where they fall in this order, so ask its recruitment team.
The advert warns it may close early if Southeastern receives a large number of applications, so apply early in a campaign. If you need support at any stage, Southeastern asks you to email its careers team.
The online assessment and the RSSB tests
Southeastern's first test is Arctic Shores' task-based psychometric assessment, which is separate from the RSSB train driver tests. Southeastern's information sheet describes it:
| Point | What Southeastern says |
|---|---|
| What it is | A series of interactive tasks, not questions, designed to measure your behaviours and your potential to succeed in the role. |
| Time | 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how many tasks you get; the first one or two tasks may be timed, and you can take breaks between tasks. |
| Answers | There are no right or wrong answers; approach the tasks in the way that feels most natural to you. |
| Preparation | No advance preparation is required; a practice task is offered at the start. Use a quiet place, a stable connection and an up-to-date browser, on a computer, phone or tablet. |
| Afterwards | A personalised feedback report. Results may be used at screening, at interview and in onboarding. |
Separately, RSSB's standard RIS-3751-TOM issue four applies to all new train driver candidates from 7 December 2024, and the company tells you which of its tests you must sit. Southeastern's pages do not describe that day; RSSB's FAQ lists the tests:
| What it assesses | Test (RSSB table 1) |
|---|---|
| Attention | Paper Group Bourdon and Test of Everyday Attention-Occupational (TEA-Occ) |
| Vigilance | WAFV vigilance test |
| Memory | TRP1: Trainability for Rules and Procedures test (part 1b) |
| Reasoning | TRP2: Trainability for Rules and Procedures test (part 2) |
| Perception | ATAVT: Adaptive Tachistoscopic Traffic Test |
| Reaction time | WAFV and ATAVT |
| Hand coordination | 2HAND: two hand coordination test |
| Communication | MMI: Multi-Modal interview |
| Behavioural aptitudes | SJE: Situational Judgement Exercise, and the MMI |
What each test asks of you, in brief
- Group Bourdon (paper, attention). RSSB lists the paper Group Bourdon under attention. No official source we read publishes its layout or timing. Our Group Bourdon practice guide.
- TEA-Occ (attention). The Test of Everyday Attention, occupational version. Our TEA-Occ guide.
- WAFV (vigilance, and reaction time with the ATAVT). The WAFV vigilance test, listed by RSSB under vigilance and reaction time.
- TRP 1 and 2 (memory and reasoning). Trainability for rules and procedures, in two parts.
- ATAVT (perception). The adaptive tachistoscopic traffic test.
- 2HAND (hand coordination). A two-hand coordination test.
- SJE and the multi-modal interview (behaviour, communication). RSSB supplies both.
Test names and what they assess are from RSSB's FAQ, table 1. Each test is explained in our guide to every train driver psychometric test.
Southeastern asks candidates not to use AI during psychometric, behavioural or situational judgement assessments, timed written exercises or work-sample exercises. Under RSSB's rules, you receive approved practice materials at least a week before the psychometric day. Attempts and waiting times are in our guide to retakes and pass rates.
One sample: the attention task, in our trainer's format
The Group Bourdon assesses attention. Our trainer practises the same ability with its own task: on each timed sheet, mark every group of exactly four dots and nothing else. Here is one worked example of eight groups, with the three outcomes the trainer counts:
Green frame: a correct mark. Dashed amber: a four you passed without marking (a missed group). Red frame: a mark on a group that is not four (a wrong mark).
Drawn from scratch by ProSyllabus for this guide, not copied or traced from any test or practice material. It shows the format of OUR trainer (find every group of exactly four dots), not a Group Bourdon sheet: no official source we read publishes that layout.
This was one example of eight groups
A full trainer sheet has 48 to 126 groups, against the clock
Level 1 is three timed sheets, free with no sign-in. You see your accuracy, groups per minute, and missed and wrong marks counted apart. Independent practice of the same ability, not the Group Bourdon itself.
Play level 1 freeIndependent practice by ProSyllabus. Not the official test, not a copy of it, and not produced or checked by RSSB, an assessment centre or a train company.
The Southeastern interview
Southeastern is unusually open about its interview. Its guidance says you will be sent a selection of the questions you will be asked, so you can prepare. You may refer to notes in the interview, though Southeastern encourages you not to read from them. The interview starts with a scene-setting question about your experience and what attracts you to the role, then uses two kinds of question:
| Question type | How Southeastern describes it |
|---|---|
| Behavioural | Asks for an example of a skill or behaviour you have shown, often starting "tell me about a time you…" or "give me an example of how…". |
| Potential-based | More hypothetical: "tell me what you would do in a situation like…", so a skill you have not yet used at work can still show. |
Its published core question bank groups questions under its three Ways of Working: We Show We Care, We Think "What If?" and We Make Great Things Happen. Three of its questions, word for word:
From Southeastern's core question bank
- "Tell me about a time it was important to demonstrate you were really listening to someone?" (We Show We Care)
- "Tell me about a time when you had to think creatively to solve a complex problem." (We Think "What If?")
- "Talk me through a time when you have had a difficult relationship with someone at work" (We Show We Care)
Quoted from Southeastern's "The Interview Process: Core Question Bank" (PDF). The full bank is on Southeastern's recruitment process page.
Southeastern suggests STAR to structure answers, with rough proportions: the Situation about 15% of the answer, the Task about 10%, the Action about 60% ("step by step"), then the Result, ideally with measurable outcomes and what you learned. One fully worked STAR answer for a train driver question is in our train driver interview questions guide.
Training at Southeastern
Southeastern's advert describes its Driver Apprenticeship Programme and the job:
| Part | What Southeastern says |
|---|---|
| Length | Usually 12 to 18 months from trainee to qualified train driver, with a nationally recognised qualification. |
| Content | Classroom days, modular assessments and practical training with a driving instructor: safety procedures, signalling regulations and braking techniques. |
| Shifts | Rosters over a 35-hour week, normally one week of early shifts then one week of lates; shifts can start from 00:01; a shift is 5 hours 30 minutes to 9 hours 15 minutes. |
Southeastern trainee train driver pay
Southeastern's advert sets out four steps, each tied to a point in training:
Annual salary steps from the body of Southeastern's "Trainee Train Driver" advert, read 27 Oct 2026, plus regional allowance where applicable.
Two salary lines on the same advert
- The advert's body gives the four steps above, "plus regional allowance where applicable".
- Its summary line read "£27,639 rising to £62,727 plus free rail travel" when captured in November 2025 and February 2026. On 27 October 2026 it reads "£33,510 rising to £68,958 plus free rail travel".
- Southeastern does not explain the difference on the page. Check the salary in the next advert, or ask its recruitment team.
From the live advert and two Internet Archive captures of it.
The benefits in the advert are a final salary pension, 28 days of annual leave including bank holidays, and free rail travel across Southeastern's networks.
Where Southeastern recruits, and when
Southeastern recruits trainee drivers for named depots and checks your postcode against them. Its latest trainee driver advert, posted on 27 October 2025 and closing on 5 November 2025, was for Ashford (Kent) and Tonbridge only, with a 40-minute drive limit; the page now shows a later date of 1 January 2026, and its deadline has passed. No trainee train driver advert was listed on Southeastern's job site on 27 October 2026. Southeastern runs over 1,700 trains a day across London, Kent and parts of East Sussex, serving 180 stations.
Our advice for a Southeastern campaign
- Set up job alerts on Southeastern's job site, and check the depot list in each advert before applying: an application outside the catchment is withdrawn.
- Download the core question bank and interview guidance from Southeastern's recruitment process page now, and prepare one example for each Way of Working.
- Do the Arctic Shores practice task, then answer naturally: Southeastern says there are no right or wrong answers.
- Start attention practice early for the RSSB tests: talent pools mean you may wait, but the psychometric attempts are limited.
ProSyllabus advice, based on Southeastern's advert, its recruitment pages and RSSB's FAQ.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Southeastern trainee train driver earn?
The body of Southeastern's latest advert gives £27,639 to start, £33,867 after the rules and regulations stage (about 3 months), £54,002 at about 12 months and £62,727 after 12 months qualified, plus regional allowance where applicable. Its summary line now reads £33,510 rising to £68,958, so check the next advert.
What is the Southeastern Arctic Shores test?
An online, task-based psychometric assessment from Arctic Shores, of 15 to 20 minutes, sent after you apply. Southeastern says there are no right or wrong answers, no preparation is needed beyond a practice task, and you receive a personal feedback report.
Does Southeastern give you the interview questions?
Yes. Its guidance says you will be sent a selection of the questions you will be asked, and it publishes a core question bank on its recruitment process page, grouped by its Ways of Working.
How far can you live from a Southeastern depot?
It depends on the advert. The latest one, for Ashford (Kent) and Tonbridge, accepted only applicants within 40 minutes by car of those depots and withdrew all others.
How long does Southeastern's train driver training take?
Usually 12 to 18 months on its Driver Apprenticeship Programme. After the interview you may wait in a talent pool until a place opens in your area.
The concentration trainer
Practise attention before your Southeastern assessment
- Level 1 free with no sign-in; levels 2 to 10 unlock with one payment, no subscription.
- From 48 to 126 groups a sheet, three to six sheets a run, 40 to 50 seconds a sheet.
- Freshly generated sheets for every run, so you are not repeating a sheet you have learned.
- Accuracy, groups per minute, missed and wrong marks by sheet and by row, and your first half against your second half.
The price is on the trainer page.
Start with level 1 freeIndependent practice by ProSyllabus. Not the official test, not a copy of it, and not produced or checked by RSSB, an assessment centre or a train company.
Other train companies: Northern, GWR and Avanti West Coast. More guides on this assessment are on the UK train driver exam page.
More in this series
- Group Bourdon test practice: free sheets and a 14-day plan
- The TEA-Occ test: what it is and how to prepare
- Every UK train driver psychometric test explained
- Free practice tests compared
- How to pass the Group Bourdon
- Pass rate and retake rules
- The assessment day, step by step
- Group Bourdon pass mark and scoring
- ADHD, dyslexia and the medical
- How to become a train driver in the UK
- Train driver interview questions: the MMI, the DMI and STAR
- Northern trainee train driver
- Train driver fault finding test (DFFT)
- How to become a Tube driver
- GWR trainee train driver
- Avanti West Coast trainee train driver
- ScotRail trainee train driver
- LNER trainee train driver
Sources
- official — Southeastern: "Trainee Train Driver" advert on Southeastern's job site, job reference TP/TraineeTrainDriver (live page read 27 Oct 2026, deadline passed): depots, criteria, training, shifts, salary steps, checks
- official — The same Southeastern advert, Internet Archive captures of 2 November 2025 (posted 27 October 2025, closing 5 November 2025) and 16 February 2026 (dated 1 January 2026): salary line £27,639 rising to £62,727
- official — Southeastern: "Our Recruitment Process" page (read 27 Oct 2026): the Arctic Shores online assessment, interview question bank, talent pools, the use of AI
- official — Southeastern: "Southeastern Online Testing: The Arctic Shores Assessment" information sheet with FAQs (PDF, read 27 Oct 2026)
- official — Southeastern: "Your interview at Southeastern: Advice and Guidance" (PDF, read 27 Oct 2026)
- official — Southeastern: "The Interview Process: Core Question Bank" (PDF, read 27 Oct 2026)
- official — RSSB and the Rail Assessment Centre Forum: 3751-FAQ, issue one, on RIS-3751-TOM issue four "Psychometric Assessment in Train Driver Selection" (read 27 Oct 2026): the tests, attempts, practice materials, the national database
- official — The Train Driving Licences and Certificates (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/461), in force 30 June 2026 (legislation.gov.uk; read 27 Oct 2026): minimum licence age 20 to 18
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
