Keikyu Motorman

1) Nobody has tried this, but it's likely that the cameras would fall under "distraction" and be subject to discipline if caught. FWIW, there are cameras in subway stations and buses, and that doesn't deter attacks on employees. 2) I've seen few fellow train operators with Apple Watches and related watches, but I generally would stay away from those, especially while you're on probation. They're against the rules, and if something happens, they could easily claim that you were distracted by the watch. Digital non-smartwatch watches are acceptable. Casio G shocks are acceptable for example. 3) That's TBD. 4) That's admittedly also TBD. They may want to milk this current crop of testing to avoid having to start from scratch with testing. 5) It would leave the A division with the oldest trains, but there are certain charms to the 62s. :-) Once the 46s are gone, the oldest stuff in the A division and the oldest in the B are at best maybe a few years off from each other. Either way, you'll be operating something from the 1980s in either division.

At that point, you'll be released to the crew office, and subject to the assignments that are given to you. Insight and the agency intranet will be most used things on your digital devices at that point, and it's a light taste of what you'll have to expect with the job. As others noted, you'll be assigned a tour, and the jobs will vary so plan accordingly. One day may have a 2 PM report, another a 4 PM report, then a 3 PM report, and so on.

I'll also note that they'll give you a calendar which is admittedly subject to change, so it should give you some idea in regards to planning out the next four months or so.

I don't think anybody has numbers, but in our class of ten, one person dropped out. In one of our sister classes, one didn't make probation. If you keep an open mind, study hard, pay attention, show up on time, maximize your rest, you have a good chance of making it.

In your case, if you're put into a class during 2021, you should have four weeks of vacation to use in 2025. So hope to be put into a class soon. 🙂

Think of it as the range of hours that a job can be assigned versus how long the job is. For example, there are PM jobs that start at 5 PM or so where the clearing time is at 1 or 2 AM in the morning.

Unless you're willing to come super early, take the train. Parking is limited, the parking lot is only for employees that work at the school, and none of you have permits to even attempt to blend in. As for the rest of schoolcar, after the first week, you'll be reporting to the various yards where they have training rooms. For the A division, enjoy Livonia, Westchester, 239th St, Mosholu, E 180th St, and Van Cortlandt. Parking is somewhat meh outside of most yards, but E 180th is probably the worst with very limited street parking nearby, and Mosholu a close second.

Tour of duty -> your shift MID (jobs starting from 10 PM to 4 AM), AMs (4 AM to 11 AM), PMs (11 AM to 10 PM).

They have the right to change your tour, but generally, that's unlikely the crew office will do so.

For what it's worth, I've been XX for a little over two years. Some people luck out with consistent days off, but they're generally less popular pairs like Tuesday and Wednesday. Some of my classmates had consistently changing days off from every few weeks which made it hard to plan anything on a medium term basis. Tours of duty generally remained consistent unless there was a training class of some type. There isn't much in the way of consistency in the schedule within your tour. For example, I've had weeks where I had late PM jobs, and other weeks where I had early PM jobs. They'll take your home location into account somewhat, but otherwise, it's hard to predict how they'll assign you for you jobs. As for how long you'll be on XX, it depends on how quickly you move up in seniority, and I'd mentally budget three to four years at minimum before you can pick a job or switch divisions. In the mean time, when a new pick starts, you can always attempt to bid for a picked job that the holder of that job has vacated and temporarily have some stability.

Admittedly, I was being a little flippant and mean after a long day in the mine, so I must apologize. COVID admittedly wrecked things, but I missed out on a few events with my cousins overseas, and trying to plan much of anything is difficult in the early years of the job. I'm lucky that I had the chance to do a massive bit of travel before I started here, and it's something that I suggest to anybody that has the chance to do so while you're waiting for your appointment to the job, especially if you have family "back home". But as RTO said, it may not be ideal, but eventually, you'll get to pick vacation and go back home and see family.

Honestly, your choices at this point are to forgo employment with the agency, have the family go without you, or shift the trip to when you're able to go. Since everything is seniority based, don't expect summer vacation for years. Expect January to early March with the exception of President's Day week as your best hope when you secure enough time for a vacation. Eventually, fall should open up.

Note that at the top of the first page, it notes that the benefits are for "For non-represented MTA Headquarters and Capital Construction employees". In other words, non-union white collar employees at agency offices.

Honestly, they don't want a jittery train operator with PTSD operating the train. At minimum, they want you to process what happened, and if you're able to come back, do so safely.

Honestly, even if one took a twelve hour bottle to throttle rule like pilots, it's better to avoid showing up to work hungover and feeling miserable, especially when you're responsible for a train and the passengers on board. Alertness is key down here. Let's just say that I've become a buyer of alcohol free beer and ginger ale since I started working here.