What do guides live on? Passenger carriage conductor - a profession for adventurers

People choose the profession of passenger car conductor for a number of reasons. Some are attracted by the opportunity to travel around the country and even abroad. Others hope that the list of their job responsibilities will be limited to distributing bed linen and serving tea. There are those who believe that you don’t need any special education to work on a train. In fact, you can only get a position in railway transport if you have the appropriate diploma. The conductor must also have specialized skills and knowledge, and certain personal qualities.

The carriage conductor begins to perform his official duties even before the train departs. He takes part in the preparation of the site entrusted to him, attends briefings and planning meetings. The employee receives bed linen, cleaning supplies, food and other consumables. He often takes part in cleaning the carriage, inspects it for problems and calls a team to fix them.

While the train is moving, the train conductor must:

place passengers in the seats indicated on the tickets;
monitor the operation of electricity, lighting, ventilation, heating, bathrooms;
provide passengers with bed linen, tea and other things depending on the type of carriage;
inform passengers about the arrival of the train at its destination or final destination;
if necessary, the conductor must be able to provide first aid and report the incident to the head of the train;
conduct training for interns or young professionals;
clean the premises entrusted to him using dry or wet methods;
on international trains, conductors hand out customs declarations and prepare travel statements.

At stations, train employees ensure the smooth flow of passengers. During the train's journey, they ensure that order is maintained in the carriage. If necessary, call the police or the train manager via intercom.

Requirements for applicants

Qualified conductors are accepted by Russian Railways, service and transport commercial and state companies, and the metro. To get a job, the applicant must complete his studies at a specialized educational institution and obtain a health certificate. A novice specialist is initially hired as a second guide. Over the course of several trips, an experienced supervisor must teach a young colleague the practical nuances of the service, after which he becomes independent.

To work in your specialty and have a chance for career growth, you must have the following personal qualities:

punctuality, organization, ability to make quick decisions;
responsibility, communication skills;
the ability to demonstrate high performance results in the absence of external control;
communication skills, teamwork skills;
frequent exposure to moving and vibrating trains requires physical endurance, therefore, when planning to study to become a conductor, you should check your health;
accuracy, attentiveness, ability to clearly assess the situation and analyze large amounts of information;
Frequent stay in a moving and vibrating train requires physical endurance, therefore, when planning to study to become a conductor, you should check your health.

Employee salaries on international flights are significantly higher than on domestic flights. To work in this area, knowledge of foreign languages is additionally required.

Advantages and disadvantages of the profession

The main advantage of this destination in Russia is its demand. The number of domestic and external flights is systematically increasing in order to create schedules that are as convenient as possible for the population. Even novice employees can easily find a job within 2-3 months after receiving their diploma. Some of them receive such offers already during their studies.

Here are a number of other advantages of being a conductor of passenger cars:

no age requirements - even an elderly person is allowed to work provided they are in normal physical condition;
to learn to become a conductor, it is enough to receive a specialized secondary education in this profile;
high level of salaries for conductors who work on branded trains and are allowed on international flights;
social benefits and additional bonuses.

The profession also has several significant disadvantages. Firstly, the employee’s salary is formed in such a way that in order to receive a solid financial reward for work, they have to travel a lot. Secondly, you need to constantly communicate with a large number of people, including not the most pleasant ones. Thirdly, the conductor bears financial responsibility and is responsible for his passengers. Finally, we must not forget about the impact of traveling work on the body, the high rate of injuries in transport and little time for rest during the flight.

How to become a guide and advance your career

To obtain the profession of a passenger carriage conductor, you must enroll in a technical school, college or school for the specialty of the same name. The duration of study after 9 grades is 3-4 years, after 11 grades - 2-3 years, depending on the characteristics of the field. People with higher education only need to take specialized courses.

The second approach is optimal for those who expect career growth. Experienced conductors get paid well, but promotions increase these numbers. Those who have proven themselves on local flights move on to long-distance trains. This is followed by work on branded compounds. With a responsible approach to job responsibilities, you can spend 1-2 years on this entire cycle. Next, you need to take advanced training courses to become a train captain. This is followed by positions such as shift supervisor and station director.

Salary and contents of the social package

How much novice conductors and workers with experience receive depends on their level of production, position, length of service, and place of service. Each organization that employs such employees provides bonuses. When applying for a job, it is extremely important to evaluate all these points in order to understand what conditions you can expect.

Payroll principle

In Russian Railways, the salary of conductors is calculated based on the number of hours worked. There is a level below which you cannot go. There is also an upper limit that is not recommended to be crossed, since the time spent working should not exceed the rest periods. All figures are calculated so that conductors earn on average 18–20 thousand rubles per month. On long-distance trains and branded trains, these figures are significantly higher. Additionally, there are bonuses for length of service, direction, seasonality, and implementation of transportation plans. As a result, experienced employees can earn up to 50-60 thousand rubles per month, provided they work 15 out of 30-31 days.

Large companies such as Russian Railways provide significant bonuses. Regardless of how much a particular employee receives, once every five years he is paid a bonus in the amount of 3-4 monthly salaries. This is a tradition, not a company obligation, so the situation may change depending on the commercial success of the organization.

Additional bonuses and incentives

Often, applicants for the position of conductor are more interested in the fullness of the social package. A significant increase in pension upon reaching length of service and medical care in special clinics are guaranteed. Certain groups of employees can count on financial assistance when going on vacation, preferential terms for trips to a sanatorium for themselves and for a child to a camp. Travel from the depot to your place of residence is also provided, and once a year a free round-trip train ticket within the territory of the Russian Federation.

A retired railway employee with 20 years of experience retains the right to preferential travel once a year for life. He is also entitled to a “dacha” ticket - free travel on commuter trains (no more than 150 km from his place of residence).

Trade unions provide preferential working conditions for conductors. Through the efforts of these people, an interesting and responsible profession becomes more and more attractive every year. It is taught in many mid-level educational institutions, and universities allow employees to improve their skills and move up the career ladder.

Many people do not quite correctly imagine the profession of a passenger carriage conductor. The employee's job responsibilities are not limited to checking tickets, distributing bed linen, or serving tea. A specialist must have a number of skills to provide passengers with a comfortable trip, comply with all safety rules, and reduce the risk of emergency situations. To work in railway transport, you must obtain a specialized education.

Few people know that representatives of the profession have a number of attractive benefits, earn good money, and have chances for career growth.

A modern passenger carriage conductor must perform a variety of activities in the workplace. His working day begins long before the train departs. The specialist must attend planning meetings and briefings, check the situation in the car or train entrusted to him, check the availability of consumables, and update supplies on time. Sometimes an employee needs to inspect the car for any problems and call a team to fix them.

A sample job description for Russian Railways conductors while the train is moving looks like this:

checking tickets, placing passengers in accordance with their seats;
providing people with bed linen, water, tea, and other things they need;
organizing the disembarkation and pick-up of clients at intermediate stations, conveying information to passengers about the approach to the desired station and the parking time;
ensuring uninterrupted operation of electricity, toilets, heating, communication with the driver or the police;
providing first aid if necessary;
ensuring the cleanliness of the carriage, wet or dry cleaning;
organization of training for interns, advanced training for inexperienced employees;
The conductor of an international train has additional responsibilities - providing passengers with customs declarations or road statements, and providing assistance in filling them out.

Through the caretakers of the carriages, communication is carried out between passengers and the police or the driver. A railway employee must keep order in his carriage,, if necessary, resolve incidents or conflicts, and explain to customers the reasons for the train’s deviation from the schedule time.

Requirements for knowledge and personal qualities

Specialists warn that it is not enough to learn to be a conductor; you also need to understand the specifics of the work and be aware of the level of responsibility. To start a career, you need to obtain a specialized education and undergo an internship under the supervision of an experienced employee. After this, the young specialist is allowed to work independently.

A conductor of passenger cars must have the following qualities:

punctuality, organization, accuracy;
the ability to communicate correctly with people, quickly find a common language with them;
skills of working in a team and independently performing assigned tasks without anyone’s supervision;
physical endurance, absence of health problems;
the ability to quickly respond to changing conditions, make adequate decisions, and process new information;
resistance to stress – during travel you have to work with different people and solve unexpected problems.

A certified car conductor who meets these requirements can count on a good position in Russian Railways, commercial or government agencies, and the metro. If he has ambitions, he is able to quickly achieve a promotion, take a responsible position, or go to work in a prestigious company or ministry.

Pros and cons of the direction

In Russia, the railway network is well developed, which is the key to the demand for conductors. A graduate of an educational institution can easily find a job in his specialty. If there is a desire, a young or experienced employee is able to move up the career ladder, and the employee’s salary largely depends on himself.

Here are a few more reasons to become a conductor:

there are no special requirements for the employee’s age if he is in good health;
the profession of a guide is taught in secondary specialized educational institutions, courses, and specialized schools - this significantly reduces the time required for professional training;
if you have experience, you have the opportunity to start operating international flights - this is a completely different level of pay, foreign trips, career prospects;
a train conductor with impressive work experience can count on various benefits, bonuses, and an increase in pension;
You have the opportunity to create your own work schedule.

The main disadvantage of this direction is its negative impact on human health. When traveling you have to communicate with a lot of people, which is fraught with infectious diseases and stress. Being in a constantly vibrating composition also does not have the most favorable effect on the body. Not all people like the salary system for conductors. The level of income depends on the number of flights, so you have to travel a lot.

How to become a guide

Obtaining a basic education in the direction of “passenger train conductor” is only the first step towards mastering the profession. This is followed by an internship under the supervision of experienced staff. When an employee begins to work independently, he initially ends up servicing local flights. As you gain experience or improve your qualifications, the conductor can count on a place on long-distance trains, branded or international trains. People with higher education in management are eventually able to apply for the positions of train manager, shift supervisor, and station director.

Where and how much to study

You can start acquiring a profession after the 9th or 11th grade. In the first case, this will take no more than 4 years, in the second – less than 3 years. For these purposes, you should enroll in specialized technical schools, colleges, and schools. Russian railways offer courses in this area and seminars for advanced training. If a person has a higher education, it is enough to undergo special professional retraining.

Employee salary and prospects

Several factors influence how much conductors and conductors receive: length of service, level of education, number of flights completed, place of service, and specific working conditions. Employers can offer additional incentives to help their employees earn more. Special conditions provide for different options for indexing salary or pension.

Specifics of payroll

When calculating a conductor's salary, the number of hours worked is taken into account. There is a performance limit below which you cannot fall. There is also an upper limit, exceeding which is undesirable, as this may lead to insufficient time for the employee to rest. Some people give up their profession when they find out how much a novice specialist earns - up to 25 thousand rubles. It is important to understand that in just 1-2 years these numbers can double due to experience, qualifications, and a change of job.

Conductors of branded trains and those who serve international flights receive the most. Employers put forward additional requirements for the latter, but their earnings level can range from 80 thousand rubles. Much depends on the company's strategy. For example, Russian Railways provides for regular payment of bonuses based on the results of the year, five-year period, and so on.

Bonuses and benefits

Job seekers should take into account the fullness and features of the social package. It provides for free medical care under expanded programs, an increase in pensions for long service, and options for free train travel throughout the country. For employees of Russian Railways, the metro and other large companies, vouchers to sanatoriums, camps for children, and educational programs are provided.

A passenger carriage conductor is an interesting, promising, and in-demand profession. It can be the key to financial stability or the start of career growth. You just need to correctly understand the specifics of the direction and adequately assess your own capabilities.

The responsibilities of a Russian Railways conductor working in passenger carriages can, in fact, be briefly described - ensuring maximum comfort for passengers throughout the entire trip. It may seem to some that there are no difficulties in the conductor’s work: checking tickets upon boarding (and if we are talking about, then this is not required), providing bed linen, walking through the carriage a couple of times a day, offering tea and coffee to passengers, and that's all. In fact, this is not at all the case, and Russian Railways employees have a clearly established and fairly extensive list of functional responsibilities related not only to serving passengers, but also to maintaining cleanliness and temperature conditions in the carriage, etc. So, what are the responsibilities of a passenger carriage conductor along the route?

Responsibilities of the conductor along the route: serving passengers

Let us list the main responsibilities of the conductor to passengers point by point. This is, first of all:

checking tickets and documents while boarding the train;
providing assistance to passengers when boarding/disembarking from the carriage;
issuance of bedding and their collection no earlier than 30 minutes before arrival at the destination station;
sale of tea, coffee, confectionery, etc. The conductor is obliged to walk through the carriage at least three times a day and offer the above goods to passengers. Also, tea, coffee, and everything else can be bought at any time of the day, and the carriage employee is obliged to bring the order to the passenger’s seat;
providing passengers (on request) with such things as brushes for clothes and shoes, board games (chess, checkers);
providing the ability to charge a mobile phone;
provision of hot and cold (drinking) water;
calling a waiter from the dining car to accept a food order from a passenger;
maintaining silence and public order in the carriage at night - from 23.00 to 6.00;
Wake up of passengers at least 30 minutes before their arrival at the station.

We are all accustomed to the fact that you have to make your own bed on trains. In fact, the conductor, at the request of the passenger, is obliged to assist him in laying out the bed linen, serving primarily the elderly, the disabled, and passengers with small children.

Responsibilities of the conductor in the carriage

In addition to serving passengers, the conductor must constantly monitor the condition of the carriage and vestibules, namely:

maintain the temperature in titanium around the clock necessary to keep the water in it hot;
carry out dry and wet cleaning in the carriage at least once every 12 hours;
clean toilets and vestibules at least once every 6 hours;
every hour or at the request of passengers, check and, if necessary, replenish used hygiene products in toilets: toilet paper, soap, paper towels;
collect and remove garbage at technical stations;
before arriving at each station, wipe the handrails in the vestibule;
monitor the cleanliness of the signs with the number and route of the car, which are located outside (wipe them at stations as necessary).

In winter, the duties of passenger carriage conductors are supplemented by the following items:

maintaining optimal temperature conditions in the carriage;
regular clearing of snow and ice from vestibules;
flushing with boiling water (to defrost) toilet and washbasin drains;
clearing ice from the filling pipe (before each water filling) and the running parts of the car.

Financial liability of conductors

If you still think that working as a conductor is not difficult, then you should find out about the financial responsibility of carriage workers. The conductors during the trip are responsible for the safety of all property in the carriages: bedding, dishes, number plates. Damage to any surfaces (seats, curtains, windows) and interior items (shelves, mirrors, etc.) is also compensated by the conductor’s salary. Therefore, you should not be offended if the carriage conductor does not have time to immediately fulfill your requirements; perhaps at the moment he simply does not have enough time for this.

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 advent 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.

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!