What do guides live on? Profession conductor How to get the profession of a conductor

Every time we go on a business trip, travel, visit relatives or friends, we use the services of companies providing passenger transportation. One of the most popular is the Russian Railways company, since traveling by train is the most budget option. Such trips are usually long-term and take several days, but how much romance there is in each of them!

Along the route, passengers are necessarily accompanied by conductors, who, contrary to the opinion of many people, bear enormous responsibility for everyone traveling in the carriage. However, there are many advantages to this profession. Reconomica I talked with an experienced passenger carriage conductor and in this article tells the story of Stella, who described in detail her entire path in the profession from the beginning to the present day.

Profession PPV

Hello, my name is Ivasyuk Stella Semyonovna, I am 28 years old, I am a conductor of a passenger carriage. My place of work is the passenger carriage depot of Khabarovsk, LVChD -1. My work experience is 5 years.

A passenger carriage conductor is a very responsible and complex profession. It contains a whole combination of skills. I must be a sociable person, vigilant along the way and, above all, a subtle psychologist who knows how to find a common language with different categories of people.

It often seems to an ordinary passenger that our job is small - to check a ticket, bring a bed and offer hot tea. But in fact, the duties of a guide also include a lot of other concerns in addition to the generally accepted service.

Throughout the entire route, you need to listen to your car, each wheel pair, in order to identify a slide or chip in time; monitor electrical equipment and water supply; heat titanium in a timely manner and monitor the water level in it; fill out the train log and prevent passengers from passing the station; bear responsibility for the failure of the stop valve and be ready at any moment to become a signalman during an emergency train stop.

Khabarovsk.

A small start to a long journey

For those who want to put on a railway uniform, I would like to advise you to look inside yourself and understand: could you clean up the waste of unscrupulous citizens (there are a lot of different cases)? Are you ready to restrain your emotions during inappropriate behavior of a passenger? Would you find a smile in response to boorish treatment?

The profession itself is not as difficult as the difficulties that people cause.

And if you are still ready to join the ranks of those “traversing the country,” then there is little work left to do. Training does not require huge costs, time and effort. I completed the PPV courses at the State Transport University (FEGUPS) in 3 months. There are a lot of railway technical schools in Russia that provide this type of training on a paid basis. In total, no more than 30 thousand rubles came out.

Knowledge, of course, was also rammed into my head using the express method. It was necessary to learn a huge amount of material, starting with the basic provisions, the structure of the car (malfunctions, equipment, electrical equipment, heating system) and ending with a decent list of various fire extinguishers and train documentation.

Wheelsets are a must-learn.

Getting settled on the railway

Finding a job in your specialty is not the easiest task. Despite the huge turnover of personnel in this area, the employer does not seek to hire people without work experience.

Therefore, a little advice for those who have nevertheless chosen this track: when choosing PPV courses, focus on ensuring that subsequent employment is provided for.

This condition guarantees that after completing the training and passing all exams you will be provided with a job. But, as a rule, you can’t do without a small “but”. The medical commission is the root of evil and staff rejection. Medical workers at railway hospitals are very great comedians who love to organize various quests and runs from one floor to another. You must be ready to open every corner of your body, soul and brain to them, usually more than once.

I would also like to add that all costs for the medical examination will be refunded to you in a short time. As for monetary relations, the railroad must be given its due. In five years of work, I have not encountered delays in salary payments.

Flight

Before setting off on a long journey, the conductor needs to accept a shift. Together with the delivery team, my partner and I must count all the inventory. The number of mattresses and pillows, buckets, brooms, dustpans, and also check the presence of all glasses, cup holders and spoons; inspect the boiler room and water supply system; accept tea products on delivery note and a mountain of bags with clean bed linen; make sure that all train documentation and signaling equipment (flags, flashlights, firecrackers) are available; check seals for integrity; supply the carriage with coal and water. All this must be completed within a certain amount of time before the train is sent to the station.

By the time passengers begin boarding, you need to put your appearance in order and dress in the appropriate uniform.

Along the way, across the expanses of Russia, I had the opportunity to see and experience a lot. The most common thing I had to deal with was drunken rowdy behavior. As a conductor of a reserved seat carriage, I have seen my fill of such concerts. I'm glad that most of the passengers are normal, friendly people. Thanks to my profession, I have made acquaintances and friends in different cities of our country.

A break before landing.

Negative points

There have also been quite sad cases in practice, for example, suicide. Some citizens, following the example of Anna Karenina, create a lot of problems. After an emergency stop of the train, I, as the conductor of the tail car, have to walk a kilometer to install signal firecrackers on the rails. In the winter season this is not the best activity. In addition, a train delay leads to indignation of passengers and a huge loss of money for every minute of downtime. Also, in old-type carriages in winter there is a pressing problem - the toilet. Armed with a heating pad with boiling water and a crowbar, I, shivering from the cold, beat off and warm up the ingenious invention at almost every major station in the frozen country. And this is not all the “delights” of our work.

On the railroad, for every worker there are five bosses, and everyone pulls the blanket on themselves. During the one-way trip alone, respected auditors visit at least four times.

Salary

The most enjoyable moment in any job. The railroad pays workers decently and has no habit of delaying timely payments. The average income of a conductor fluctuates around 25 thousand. A lot depends on the season and the number of hours worked. It also matters what time of day you were on shift. Night hours are paid more. My partner and I divided the day in equal parts: from 3 am to 15 pm - my shift.

Northern bonuses are paid depending on the area of ​​employment. Inspectors also play a very important role: the shortcomings they find negatively affect salaries. Missing inventory will also be deducted from your total.

But for all the disadvantages there are also advantages. Russian Railways provides a full social package, additional payments at the birth of a child and free travel on railway transport, and once a year a free trip around Russia is provided for the whole family.

Prospects

If you want to work and advance your career, you have a good chance of becoming a train manager. Higher education and work in different sections of railway traffic are sufficient components for growth.

On average, 5 years is enough to leave the working compartment and move to the staff car.

The salary also receives an increase, as does the list of new responsibilities.

Romance or torment

In general, of course, the job has both its pros and cons. I consider it a good bonus to have the opportunity to see your country, the vastness of forests and rivers, the grandeur of cities and the variety of stations, meet interesting people and simply plunge into the Russian Railways system.

Everyone chooses what they like. As for me, being a passenger carriage conductor is not a dream profession. Difficulty and constant stress, frequent absence from home and, as a result, absence of family. All this does not have the best effect on health and mental balance. But if you are the opposite of my type, capable of finding a way out of different situations, enjoying sudden adventures, then this is your path. Feel free to jump into the car and move forward without regret.

From the point of view of a passenger and an “ordinary” person, the profession of a carriage conductor looks rather primitive: checking tickets, cleaning the carriage, distributing and collecting bed linen, turning titanium on and off, making tea. However, this employee must be the owner of the carriage in all aspects: from posting the carriage number to providing first aid to passengers. Therefore, he must have the appropriate knowledge and skills.

In addition, the conductor of a passenger carriage works not only during the trip itself, but also fully prepares the carriage for it, and then delivers the carriage “safe and sound”.

Places of work

The position of conductor is available in Russian Railways, international railway transport or service and transport companies.

History of the profession

This profession appeared relatively recently - simultaneously with the emergence in 1829 and the subsequent development of railway passenger traffic.

Responsibilities of the conductor

The job responsibilities of a conductor in a passenger carriage include a lot of tasks, we will list only the main ones:

  • servicing passengers en route (boarding and disembarking, linen, tickets, customs declarations, documents, additional services);
  • maintaining the carriage in proper condition (cleanliness, heating, light, water, toilets, etc.);
  • providing first aid to passengers;
  • accounting of material assets and equipment, preparation of documentation;
  • reporting to the train manager.

The conductor of the last car has additional functions - ensuring safety during forced stops and monitoring the serviceability of the tail signal lights.

Requirements for a conductor

The basic requirements for a carriage conductor on a train look something like this:

  • specialized education in the specialty “passenger carriage conductor”;
  • work experience (however, they often hire a second conductor without experience);
  • health book.

On international flights, knowledge of foreign languages ​​may be required.

Trainer resume sample

How to become a guide

Becoming a conductor is quite simple - you need to undergo training at a school, college or technical school in the specialty “passenger carriage conductor”. Sometimes it is enough to complete a three-month course. If you are interested in career growth - for example, to become a train manager, then you will need to get a higher education and work in various sections of the railway service.

Conductor salary

To understand how much conductors receive, it must be said that their earnings are calculated based on the hourly tariff rate established by the government, which currently amounts to 57 rubles per hour. Taking into account the fact that according to the rules of Russian Railways, an employee must rest no less than work - i.e. the ceiling is 15 working days per month, the salary is also limited.

As a result, the average salary of a carriage conductor is around 18,000 rubles per month. The rates are slightly higher only on international flights and on branded trains, of which there are not many.

At the same time, somewhere there are bonuses for fulfilling the sales plan, for length of service, for direction, but this does not really help the situation.

My name is Aksinya Suslonova. I am 20 years old and I am studying at the Far Eastern Federal University with a degree in Social Work. I am actively involved in social activities, I like to take photographs and edit videos (but this is more for myself). Even in my first year, I heard from friends that there are student teams where in the summer, in your free time from school, you can work as a guide. This was my childhood dream that I wanted to fulfill.

It may seem to some that there is nothing complicated in the work of a conductor: you simply check tickets, give out bed linen, and help passengers find their seat when boarding. But this is only at first glance. It seems to me that any job is associated with stress, but working with people is especially so.

During the 15 days you follow, you come across completely different people: blind grandmothers, groups of schoolchildren, touring musicians and, of course, demobilized soldiers hurrying home. I can say that during my trips I spent a lot of nerves trying to resolve conflict situations and passengers’ demands, which sometimes reached the point of absurdity.

I perceived such cases as a chance to test myself to see if I could take control of the situation and quickly find a solution. Of course, I also had night shifts. As practice has shown, no matter how much you sleep during the day, at night you still feel sleepy. But night shifts had an undoubted advantage - they are calmer, there are not so many passengers, everyone is asleep, which means there are fewer problems.

The hardest thing during night shifts was forcing myself not to fall asleep on long hauls. Then an interesting book or scanword puzzles saved me. There were, of course, other difficulties, for example, at some stations there is almost no lighting, and you often cannot understand: “Where is the platform? Which way to open the door? Is it a tree or a running passenger?”

I worked in the direction Vladivostok-Moscow-Vladivostok. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to thoroughly explore the cities we stayed in. You can only take a quiet walk around Moscow, and then that’s it, back home. But I still got a job, not to travel.

According to the stories of friends, there were cases when the guides had to cook chicken legs in a kettle, but this never happened to me. The dining car, of course, gives a discount to employees and you can eat inexpensively, but almost all the conductors cook for themselves. This is not as difficult as it seems: you just need to take a couple of jars of stew, rice with buckwheat or potatoes with you on your trip, and most importantly, a convenient container for the microwave. If you don’t have your own microwave, you can always go to the next carriage. I cooked soups and porridges, and also made salads from vegetables bought at some station.

If you start telling funny stories about working as a conductor, you'll probably end up with a small book. Starting from forgotten suitcases, dentures and panties, to documents accidentally thrown into the trash. People are very funny, they just don’t notice it behind them.

Of course, while I’m still a student, I can only work in the summer. It’s scary to imagine how hard it is to work on trains in winter. It is difficult to say whether I will continue to work for Russian Railways in the future, because it is unknown how my life will turn out. But while I’m studying, I will, of course, work. After all, working as a guide is a very interesting and memorable experience for a lifetime, as well as a good opportunity to earn money in the summer.

From this article you will learn:

A long-distance train conductor is a difficult, but at the same time incredibly exciting profession! In terms of the number of daily impressions it can be compared only to working as a flight attendant on domestic and international flights. New cities and countries, magnificent landscapes outside the window, constant communication with interesting people - isn’t this the dream of any office worker, absorbed in the daily routine?

For those who are tired of sitting in one place, who crave fresh discoveries and want the next working day to be different from the previous one, welcome to the profession of a train conductor, which does not even require special education to master!

How to become a guide

If there is a strong desire, anyone who has reached the age of majority can become a passenger carriage conductor. To do this, he just needs to contact the nearest railway depot, from where he will be sent to a three-month course. After their completion, subject to successful completion of all examination tests, which include both theoretical and practical parts, the graduate receives a certificate with the assigned category of employee servicing passenger cars. There are 4 such categories in total: the first two are for cleaners, the third is assigned to all conductors immediately after completing their courses, and the fourth they can earn in the process of work after completing advanced training. As a rule, conductors of the third category are entrusted only with work on simple trains, while those of the fourth category are entrusted with serving passengers on branded trains.


Future prospects

Having gone through all the qualification levels of the conductor position, gained experience and proven yourself to be the best, you can count on a promotion to foreman (train manager). True, for this you still have to obtain a higher education or complete specialized courses. The second in seniority in the passenger crew is the mechanic, but only men can apply for this position.

Working conditions

The work schedule of any conductor depends on the route of the train to which he is attached. All flights are conventionally divided into local (travel time no more than a day) and long-distance (more than this time). Serving a local area, the conductor works on a schedule of 10 work shifts/10 days off. And for the personnel of long-distance flights, an individual regime is established in accordance with how many days their staff spends on the road (“the working week” is exactly the number of days required to get to the destination and back, and the same number of days the service personnel can spend at home).

A conductor's salary directly depends on how many hours he has logged in a month. In addition to the salary portion, he may be awarded some allowances in accordance with the regional coefficient, bonuses and other bonuses.

Among other things, conductors, like other railway workers, have good benefits provided by their own enterprise. For example, they are paid for travel from the depot to the station of their place of residence, once a year they, together with two minor children, can, at the expense of the employer, get to any point covered by the railway network and back, and once a year alone make a free trip “there” -back” inside its railway department.

Preferential travel is not the only privilege that conductors can take advantage of. The trade union annually provides them with free or partially paid vouchers to health institutions and discounted vouchers to summer camps for their children. They can be served in medical institutions intended only for railway transport workers, and in the event of an urgent need, the employing enterprise assumes the cost of treatment for the employee in need of help.

For loyalty to the profession, once every 5 years, conductors are rewarded with a bonus of 3-4 salaries, and pensioners who have dedicated more than 20 years of their lives to the railway retain the right to an annual free round-trip trip and are given the opportunity to travel for free on commuter trains in within 150 km from the station of residence.

Responsibilities of the conductor


If you still want to become a train conductor, you should know that the job responsibilities of a conductor can be divided into 2 groups. The first is related to the direct service of passengers: helping them when boarding and disembarking from the carriage, checking travel and personal documents, supplying bedding, distributing printed and food products, etc. By the way, I would like to dwell on the last “commercial” responsibility of conductors in a little more detail . Don’t think that by offering to buy drinks, snacks or newspapers, the staff working in passenger cars is trying to “cheat”! And even very intrusive attempts to sell products should not be perceived as a desire to “make money” at the expense of passengers who are bored along the way - this is not true at all! The bosses are forcing you to sell conductors, and failure to fulfill the established revenue plan is even punishable by a ruble!

The second part of the conductor’s functions comes down to ensuring cleanliness and order in the cars, uninterrupted operation of all technical equipment and comfortable conditions for passengers. These include responsibilities such as:

  • regular cleaning of interior spaces;
  • maintaining a certain temperature and light conditions in the carriage;
  • taking out the trash;
  • caring for passengers;
  • etc.

In addition, the conductor bears financial responsibility for the safety of all property entrusted to him. Tea and bedding, internal equipment of cars, technical devices placed in it - in the event of a breakdown of any of the objects belonging to the railway, the conductor reimburses the costs of its repair from his wallet.

Yes, the work of a passenger carriage conductor is “dangerous, difficult, and seemingly invisible at first glance”! However, if it were not for these patient workers, the railway services would only be used by those for whom it is not possible to get to their destination in any other way. A friendly look and basic gratitude for the help provided - this is the reward that any guide will be immensely happy about! Don't forget about this the next time you leave the train car - brighten up the gray everyday life of a person who spends a third of his life away from home and family!

Working as a train conductor is a difficult but interesting profession. Many people have had this dream since childhood - to work as a conductor. The profession is steeped in romance and fantasy. Surely everyone has their own original story about the train conductor.

Any adult citizen, even those without higher education, can apply for this position. What kind of profession this is, why it is attractive and difficult, will be discussed further.

Qualities you need to have

To go to work as a guide, it is important to have certain personal qualities:

Advantages and disadvantages of the profession

A guide, like all professions, has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include:

  • the need for the profession in society;
  • high on branded trains;
  • no age restrictions;
  • a large number of different benefits.

The disadvantages of the profession are:


Where and how to study

To find out about the vacancy of a train conductor, you need to contact the nearest branch of the railway station.

The passenger depot trains personnel to service the wagons. For the device, you must contact the HR department with documents. Typically the list of required documents includes:

  • passport;
  • certificate or diploma;
  • employment history;
  • a statement that can be written on the spot.

After the documents are accepted, an interview is scheduled with an HR employee or manager. During the interview, it is important to show yourself as an open, sociable person without bad habits. If it was possible to make such an impression and the candidacy was approved, the applicant is sent for training.

Train conductor training lasts three months, training is carried out daily, a full 8-hour day, except weekends. Once the training is completed, examinations are conducted. First, they are accepted. Then the future train conductor is sent to practice - on the first flight, paired with a qualified employee. During the voyage, the student keeps a diary where he records all the events of the journey. It will need to be submitted to the training center. After the trip, a final exam with tickets is taken. When passing the exam with a score of more than three points, the student is considered enrolled in the state.

At the end of the training, the conductor is given a certificate of completion of the course. In addition, to get a job you will need to undergo a medical examination and obtain a health certificate, as well as certification for occupational safety. All documents are provided to the HR department.

Career stages

Immediately after completing training, a train conductor has the third qualification category. And there are four of them in total. The first two are for the cleaners of the passenger train. The third and fourth are for guides. The fourth can be obtained after advanced training. Such conductors usually operate in

A train conductor can rise through the ranks. To do this, you need a higher education or completing a course for foremen. Just below the foreman is the train mechanic, but this position is only for men.

There are also such career levels as shift manager and station manager.

Beginning of work

After training, the guide is ready to start working. He is given a special uniform, which must be kept clean and tidy. A photo of the train conductor demonstrates it.

At the beginning of the first work shift, the contractor forms a team. The guide may be asked which direction he prefers. Perhaps your wishes will be taken into account, but this is not at all necessary.

Flights are:

  • long-distance (more than 24 hours);
  • local (up to 12 hours).

The local train service schedule is 10 working days, then 10 days off. In long-distance carriages, the schedule is determined by the number of days on the trip.

Before the departure of the flight, a planning meeting is held, where the necessary documents are read out to the conductors and their readiness for the flight is checked. At the planning meeting, the teams are informed about the composition of the teams, given instructions, and asked to sign the necessary logs.

On flights crossing the border, the conductor needs a passport.

At the planning meeting, the conductor is assigned a carriage in which she will need to work. Once in his carriage, the conductor meets an employee there who has worked his shift and is about to go home. The carriage is being accepted. Every little detail is taken into account, because the conductor is personally responsible for the entire carriage.

At a certain hour, the conductor begins boarding. Here it is important for him to act strictly according to the instructions. If passengers express dissatisfaction, the conductor cannot meet them halfway, since he is limited by instructions.

You also need to be very careful when handling tickets. There are fines for any mistakes in the work, so it is in the interests of the conductor to comply with everything and be responsible.

Explorer functions

The work of a conductor includes two directions. The first is service work with passengers. This includes:

The second area of ​​responsibilities is related to car maintenance. The conductor ensures the external and internal cleanliness of the carriage entrusted to him. The carriage is wet cleaned twice a day and the toilets four times. Garbage is removed. When the carriage arrives at the station, the conductor wipes the handrails and loads coal onto the train.
In winter, the conductors clear the carriage of ice and also defrost the toilet and washbasin using boiling water. Their responsibilities include maintaining the required temperature in the car.

The conductor has financial responsibility for all the property entrusted to him (dishes, bedding, all equipment for work), as well as for all breakdowns and damage in the carriage.

Wage

The level of a conductor depends on the number of hours worked. The standard for a month is 176 hours. In addition, odds, bonuses and other additions may be added. On average, a conductor earns from 10,000 to 25,000 rubles per month. In winter, the average salary is 15,000 rubles, in summer - 25,000 rubles.

There are also employees who manage to earn up to 55,000 rubles per month, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

Privileges

Despite the low level of wages and high workload at work, many strive to go to work on the railway. This is primarily due to the benefits that each conductor of long-distance trains has, and the conductors, of course.

These include:

  • free delivery from the depot to the station closest to your place of residence;
  • annual discounted round-trip rail travel for yourself and two minor children;
  • one round trip on your own road.

The trade union can award referrals for treatment, as well as a camp voucher for children. Conductors receive free medical care in special railway hospitals. In difficult situations, the company can pay for the employee’s treatment.

Every five years, good bonuses are provided for loyalty to the chosen cause. They can be 3-4 monthly salaries.

After 20 years of service or more, a conductor retiring also has the right to preferential railway travel.

If you are still interested in working as a train conductor, positions are always open, you just have to want it.