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On Board Train Host Job

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.

Jack101

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi everyone just wondering if anyone can help me. I’ve applied for a job as a On Board Train Host for East Midlands Trains - Sheffield. I have Type 1 Dieabties it’s well controlled and my HBA1C is we’re it needs to be. I know I have to tell the interviewer that I’ve got Dieabties as theirs a medical screening process if I get the job so they’d find out anyway. Dose anyone know if East Midlands will employ me. I know how certain companies can be regarding Dieabties.
 
Hi Jack and welcome. I’m no expert but I think it would only be a problem if you were to drive the train, which is understandable. You don’t have to declare your diabetes but it’s makes sense to, to enable them to make any reasonable adjustments if needed ie regular breaks and somewhere to inject. The most important reason, in my opinion, is just incase you were to have a hypo, that could be quite alarming to your colleagues if they didn’t know about your condition. Be upfront and honest with them and I’m sure you will be fine. Good luck.
 
I agree with eggyg above and I wish you luck x
 
I have never declared my diabetes until after being offered the job. Then there is no risk of unconscious bias at the interview stage and you can tell them once you’ve got the job contract/have to fill in a medical questionnaire. Good luck.
 
Same as Amanda, I only declare it on the health screening form once offered the job. Best of luck!
 
Don’t worry about it. I work for LNER (41 years) and have an annual medical for my train driving license (I’m a manager but still drive trains I need to maintain driving competency for the role). Much to my surprise, I did not even need an additional medical when I was diagnosed with type 2. Obviously driving trains is the most safety critical role and controlling diabetes without medication or with medication that does not give risk of hypos suffices, which demonstrates how they’ve relaxed medical standards to allow people to work if they don’t pose risk - in bygone years any form of diabetes would see you never driving a train again.

I’m pretty certain that an onboard host with EMT will not be a safety critical role and therefore not subject to stringent medical standards - Train Guard also known as Train Manager in some companies is as they need to safely dispatch the train, i.e. carry out safety checks then signal the driver to proceed, but I’m pretty sure that Type 1 diabetes would not exclude you from doing even that.

It is extremely unlikely they’ll ask you about medical issues at the interview stage...that take place at the medical if you successfully get through to that stage (by which time they’ve decided they want you!). Honesty is everything on the railway so don’t withhold anything you are asked. It will have the opposite effect when they find out later, by making them completely change their mind about you.
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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