Train operator Southeastern has launched its biggest-ever recruitment drive as it seeks to recruit 600 new colleagues during the next year.

In particular, Southeastern is looking to recruit from its operational area of southeast London, Kent, and East Sussex for various roles, including drivers, station staff, on-train staff and engineers.

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Among the staff Southeastern wishes to recruit are 170 trainee drivers and over 100 station staff, as well as railway enforcement and protection roles, onboard managers, train conductors, engineers, management, and other specialist careers.

The advertising campaign is designed to encourage applications from communities who may not have previously considered a career in rail by identifying and removing barriers to opportunity.

Among the candidates Southeastern seeks are those that will help improve social mobility. It wishes to increase applications from under-represented groups by 10% each year.

To break the outdated perception of what working on the railway is like, it has released a series of Day in the Life -style videos where colleagues give a glimpse behind the scenes of their day working at Southeastern.

Southeastern normally recruits approximately 300 people each year to maintain the required number of colleagues to run its services, but now needs twice that number to support its goal of building a better, more reliable, and sustainable railway.

Earlier this year, Southeastern published a Social Mobility Action Plan, the UK’s first passenger rail operator to do so. That defines how the operator will help the regions and communities it serves to fulfil their potential. Among the initiatives will be providing access to well-paid and rewarding careers to a broad and diverse range of applicants.

Click here to find further information about careers with Southeastern.

Southeastern announced it is recruiting 400 apprentices this year, which is a repeat of the 400 it recruited last year.

Working at Southeastern brings responsibility, pride and achievement. We want to recruit great people who represent the communities we serve. We know that some people think that they need experience in the railway or specific qualifications. That is rarely the case and for many jobs we provide full training. We are interested in applicants who have the right mindset.

There are many talented potential employees out there who could have a rewarding and enjoyable career working in a wide range of roles across our network and I would encourage them to take a look at the opportunities we have available and to get in touch.

Steve Foster, Southeastern’s People Director

The mix between family life and work life is brilliant and the team I work in is one of the reasons that I come to work. If I can do it, you can do it too.

Tom Blendell, Railway Enforcement Officer, who features in the campaign