Conductor of a long-distance passenger carriage. Passenger carriage conductor - a profession for adventurers

Train passengers, when communicating with railway staff, think about how much conductors earn and what are the responsibilities of people who spend most of their lives on the road. Some people find the profession romantic and interesting. However, few people think that the work of a guide involves not only travel, but also responsibility and a lot of responsibilities, to perform which you need to have a number of qualities.

Guide is a profession for those who love travel and vivid impressions

Before understanding the question of what the salary of a passenger train conductor is, you need to understand what they actually pay for. The main responsibility of the person in charge of the carriage is to provide passengers with a comfortable and trouble-free journey along the route. In addition, the responsibilities of conductors include:

control of boarding and disembarking passengers;
and documents;
providing citizens with information that the train has arrived at their destination;
responsibility for the sanitary condition of the carriage;
providing passengers with drinks, tea, bed, etc.;
ensuring order in the assigned carriage and, if necessary, calling higher-ranking employees.

Only the main responsibilities of conductors are listed. The peculiarity of the profession is that unexpected situations often arise along the way. Often you have to make quick decisions and act according to circumstances.

Requirements for applicants for the position

To become a guide in Russia, you need to have a specialized education of at least a secondary specialized level. Applicants are interviewed in one of the Russian Railways departments, after which a decision is made and an answer is given.

The most difficult thing in the life of a passenger carriage conductor is the need to spend a long time away from home. In such conditions, it is difficult to build a personal life, continue studying, go to the gym, etc. Many feel cut off from normal life. Not to mention the fact that it is difficult to maintain a nutritional schedule, get enough sleep, and generally take care of your health.

It is difficult to work on long routes. There are many such routes in Russia, since our country stretches for 1000 km. Employees of such trains are given the opportunity to be at home with their families after returning from a trip. However, there is a travel time limit that must be observed. Otherwise, it will negatively affect wages.

By the way, conductors who have to work as part of their duties have higher incomes.

What employers offer today to applicants for the position of “passenger carriage conductor” in different cities

What affects a conductor’s earnings?

The incomes of representatives of the profession differ. They are influenced by:

train range;
the train belongs to a certain class;
complexity of the path;
seasonality;
the number of days worked, as well as the number of hours worked at night;
work experience.

To answer the question of what salary a particular conductor has, you need to compare all of the above.

What does a conductor's income consist of?

Each conductor working on passenger trains has a fixed rate. You can get it if you fulfill the monthly hours requirement. In 2019, this norm is 176 hours. If you work less, your salary will be reduced accordingly. Most conductors working on Russian railways work more hours to earn more money.

In addition to the salary, conductors receive:

bonuses;
premium;
income from unofficial forwarding of parcels from citizens.

The railroad provides benefits to employees. These include the opportunity to travel for free on Russian Railways trains. In addition, employees in the sector are entitled to benefits provided for by federal and municipal legislation of Russia. This:

Part of the social package for Russian Railways employees

These are just some of the benefits that guides can count on.

In order to attract new employees, Russian Railways is forced to create the most acceptable conditions for them.

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.

Conductor work Many people find it romantic - long-distance trains, different cities and random interlocutors. It’s not difficult to get a job here: Russian Railways accepts everyone with a secondary education, you just need to take preparatory courses. But the work is quite hard, and the salary is low. We asked a young man who dreamed of becoming a conductor and now works on a train, how he feels about his work, how much he earns and what he spends his money on.

How to become a guide
I was born in Biysk, Altai Territory, later my family moved to Moscow, where they lived for only a year and a half, but I really fell in love with this city. Then I had to travel a lot by public transport, and I really wanted to become a driver. Then we returned to the Altai Territory again. After the ninth grade, with a burning desire to become a driver, I entered the specialty “rolling stock mechanic, passenger car conductor, car inspector-repairman, operator” at the Novosibirsk technical school (since the family budget would not have been able to afford training in Moscow). I studied for four years, and in the summer of my second year I had the opportunity to try myself as a guide and earn extra money. After that, I lost all desire: there was a terrible team, it was unclear how the money was paid - in two months it came out to 47 thousand rubles. After studying, I was assigned to Russian Railways. Thanks to my good grades, I had a choice, and I chose the job of a passenger carriage conductor. In the future I want to move to Moscow.

In general, this is a job for people 35–45 years old who have extensive experience in another field. There are even special three-month courses for such people. To start working, a conductor needs to pass a medical examination, register with the human resources department, and pass occupational health and safety exams. You also need to pass a test with more than 250 questions. There you need to quickly and correctly calculate, remember numbers, solve a puzzle, and so on. It happens that some people do not pass it.

Features of work
The conductor must be able and know everything: seat the passenger, give him a set of linen, write him down on a strict reporting form, warn him 40 minutes before his departure, drop him off. Monitor the cleanliness of the cabin: clean the carriage at least twice per trip, and the toilet at least four times. It's like the Sims game where the characters have an indicator: if it's green, then everyone is happy. So are the passengers: I almost didn’t follow, and immediately became dissatisfied.

The conductor has many professions - for example, a loader, a waiter, a psychologist. Large thick bags of dirty laundry need to be carried into your compartment. You need to walk around with a tray and tell passengers that tea products and souvenirs are on sale. You also need to be a bit of an encyclopedia - at each station passengers ask: “What area are we in?” or “What river flows here?”, “What is the population of this city?” and so on. Sometimes you resolve a quarrel between passengers or they themselves come to talk, because several days on the train are hard for them. Many passengers come up to me and ask about my work - whether I like it or not. In general, we can’t criticize our work, but I answer as it is, that I don’t get paid much and that you wouldn’t wish working as a guide to your enemy.

It's cold outside now, and the first thing passengers ask about is air conditioning. I had a case when in Rostov-on-Don passengers did not have time to board at the station, and only their 14-year-old son remained in the carriage. He didn't know the phone numbers. The head of the train contacted the station, the parents eventually went to catch up with the train by taxi, and paid 5 thousand rubles. And on our last trip, our locomotive caught fire between stations, the driver made an emergency brake, and all my dishes fell and broke. The passengers jumped up and began to panic. After 40 minutes we set off, although it seemed that the locomotive had not yet been extinguished: if there had been more downtime, the entire crew would have lost their bonus.

This is how I prepare for the trip: a day before departure, I go to the store to do some shopping. It comes out to about 3 thousand rubles, and so on twice a month. The next day at the appointed time (eight hours before the train departs) I arrive at the park for a planning meeting. I have a suitcase, a bag and a large bag of food with me. The planning meeting is attended by the head of the train, the instructor and the conductors with whom I will go on the flight. The head of the train scatters us among the carriages, usually in a boy-girl pair. I have been working recently, and all my partners are new to me. They also say what class we will travel in - reserved seat, compartment or SV. I loved the reserved seat, because all the passengers are visible, I know who and where, and it’s easier to get out. Then we go to the carriages; I am happy when I see that the carriage is new. We receive the carriage - we count the inventory, we receive cleaning products, garbage bags, soap, paper and goods that will be sold. But a team doesn’t happen every once in a while; sometimes people have more swear words than ordinary ones.

Then the head of the trip walks around the train and checks that everything is in order. We arrive at the station in an hour, and boarding begins 30 minutes later. I must be dressed strictly in uniform and be the face of the company. Now it gets dark early, and you still need to turn on the lights in time and switch from evening to night, adjusting to local time. The big minus is that on the road I eat very little, a lot of unhealthy food, and I lose weight (but for women it’s the opposite).

The one-way trip takes four days. The climate, time zone and passengers are changing. On the last day of the journey, the guides do a report and clean up. Upon arrival, we go to the shower, to the store for groceries, sometimes souvenirs, and on the same day we leave back with new passengers. But they shouldn't see our fatigue. Upon arrival, we also don’t sleep for a day: after all the passengers have disembarked, we begin to count the inventory again; in case of a shortage, a certain amount can be deducted from the salary. If the train arrives at 09:45, then I get home at 15:45, if I'm lucky. All this time is not paid, only the travel time is paid.

Passengers' linen must also be returned; any shortage will also be deducted from the salary. Then we go to the standardization officers, they schedule the next flight, name the date and direction. In a special regime (in the summer, when trains run every day), rest takes 30–50% of the time (for example, after an eight-day trip, three to four days of rest); in normal times, after an eight-day trip, seven to nine days of rest.

Salary and expenses
There was no way to relax in the summer: you sleep for two days, go to the store the next day, and then go on a trip. Now I have more rest, but there are fewer hours, so, accordingly, the salary is lower. Salary depends on the time spent on the road. In a good month I receive 34 thousand rubles, in a bad month - 14–17 thousand rubles. On average it comes out to 22 thousand rubles. In August I drove 222 hours - that’s 16,198 rubles plus a 20% coefficient and an advance for the previous month - 7,700 rubles. This amount does not suit me. I want to move to Moscow and become a metro driver.

My mother and I rent an apartment, and I pay half - 7 thousand rubles. I spend 6 thousand rubles on groceries for a trip. I also eat fast food, and when we come to a city, I buy souvenirs there. There is no opportunity to go to classes or the gym, and you can forget about healthy eating. Other expenses include transportation (500 rubles) and telephone payments. After this there is almost no money left. Last month I paid a lot of money for temporary registration. And I save the rest for something good; I have to pay at least 5 thousand rubles for the same clothes.

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The profession of a guide evokes ambivalent feelings. On the one hand, it is covered with a flair of romance: you can travel a lot and communicate with different people. On the other hand - a difficult schedule, insomnia, fulfilling the sales plan and fines for the slightest deviation from the rules.

We are in website We studied many interviews and several blogs of guides who write about their everyday lives, and decided to collect as many details as possible from their lives.

What's it like to work as a conductor?

It is a mistake to think that being a conductor is more of a female profession. In fact, the staff is roughly equally divided between men and women.
The number of days off depends on the route, but, as a rule, the guide rests for as many days as he has been on the road.
It is not advisable to take vacations in the summer, as there is usually a staff shortage, so Employees take rest most often during the off-season.
There is a saying among workers: “Not the guide who worked for a year, but the one who survived the winter”. The fact is that in winter you often have to work physically, which can be very difficult. It is necessary to clear the cars of snow, remove ice from under-car equipment with a crowbar, maintain a comfortable temperature so that passengers do not freeze, and the plan to save electricity is fulfilled. Moreover, if the equipment breaks down or the carriage is old, it will have to be heated manually with coal. Yes, all carriages are still equipped with coal boilers.
Usually, Railway employees do not have a choice whether or not to celebrate the New Year at work. There is a clear schedule and schedule. True, many people say that there is nothing wrong with celebrating a holiday at work. However, on New Year's Eve you will have to do without the usual sparklers. They are strictly prohibited on the train according to fire safety rules, since according to the teachings the carriage burns out in 8 minutes.

Tricks and tricks of conductors

Before the flight, each conductor is given tea products, the so-called chaika: coffee, tea, snacks, chocolates, etc. All this is brought in large garbage bags, which the employee must disassemble, count the contents, and check the expiration date. If something loses its presentation, for example, cookies break or chocolate melts, the conductor must compensate for the damage.
Any product you buy on the train must have a special holographic sticker. However, guides often sell not the products given to them, but their own, purchased in nearby stores. Thus, all the money raised goes into their pocket. But, of course, this does not happen often, and only unscrupulous employees do this. By the way, To the left of the conductor's compartment there should be a printout with the entire range and prices.

If you were given damp, wrinkled underwear and there was no card in the bag indicating when it was packed and by whom, then most likely someone has already slept on it before you. In the slang of conductors, such a set is called “Chinese”, that is, underwear that is reused. For example, a passenger has already gotten off the train, and what is left behind is a clean sheet and an almost unused towel. These things are put aside, and then a complete “set” is assembled from them, which is sealed in cellophane using any heated metal object and passed off as fresh. Of course, such frauds are strictly suppressed by the management, and in case of the slightest suspicion, the passenger can call the Russian Railways hotline, where they will definitely help him.

By the way, if you didn't buy set of linen, you will not be able to use the mattress and pillow on the train, even if you brought your bedding with you. If an inspection comes and finds that the passenger is lying on a mattress without “official” bed linen, the conductor will be fined.
Since guides are financially responsible for everything, they must very carefully make sure that nothing goes missing from the carriage, otherwise you will have to compensate for everything from your own pocket. Therefore, before accepting the carriage, the conductor must carefully check everything - from cup holders to blankets. Some guides even tie toilet brushes.