Assistant assistant

Who are we?

GWR is the proud custodian of Brunel's railway - one of the most prestigious networks in the world. We have some of the newest trains in the country and exciting plans to extend our services.

With more than one hundred million passenger journeys each year, we carry people to over 275 stations in the South West, from Cornwall and South Wales to London, passing through beautiful country and some of the UK's top tourist destinations.

We are transforming the way people think about train travel, empowering our team of over 6,000 people from all different backgrounds to make it a great experience for our customers.

Together, we will revalue rail as a very special way to travel relaxing, fast, efficient, friendly and fun.

Location

Shaping the future for rail travel in this area, this station has undergone a multi-million pound upgrade, operating GWR services in the Thames Valley area.

The station serves the local community of Reading West and is located close to local amenities.

About the team

As a Gateline Assistant working on the Ticket Barrier at the station, you will work within a small team whilst on shift.

This role is also responsible for collecting revenue from customers travelling without tickets. The work is sometimes challenging, but it can be a very rewarding job.

About the Job

The purpose of the job is to be the face of Great Western Railway and to give our customers a positive impression of the company and to exceed their expectations of customer service

Your main responsibilities will be :

• Delivering a great experience to our customers.
• Assisting in the day to day operation of the automatic ticket gates.
• Ensuring customer security and responding to customer enquiries.
• Inspecting and issuing tickets.
• Offering passenger assistance to customers requiring additional support whilst using Reading West Station
• Addressing customer needs during times of service disruption.
• Ensuring the professional appearance of the Ticket Barrier area by clearing rubbish and making sure customer walkways are unobstructed.
• Supporting the safety of the station through duties such as Winterisation

You'll need to be :

• Able to deliver exceptional front line customer service
• A Self-starter with a can do attitude
• Confident when decision making
• Able to remain calm yet directive in a crisis
• Able to work to strict procedures

As a minimum you will need to have :

• The ability to work as part of a team or independently
• Previous experience of working in a frontline customer facing role
• Evidence of numerical ability
• Good manual handling skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Experience of working in an environment where safety is paramount

Working pattern

This role involves working shift working, including weekends and bank holidays, averaging a 35 hour working week. The earliest shift start is 0600 hours and latest shift finish would be 19 : 00 hours.

Additional information

As part of the recruitment process, you'll be expected to undertake an on-line Situational Judgement Test and if short listed, a competency based interview.

Interviews will take place on either 28th, 29th or 31st October. Successful candidates will be required to meet the medical standards for this role, including a drugs and alcohol test.

The successful candidates will also be required to obtain a Basic DBS certificate.

The Reward

As well as a great team environment and comprehensive training, all GWR colleagues enjoy a range of benefits including on-going development, defined benefit pension scheme, free rail travel across the GWR network for you and your family, company-sponsored health care plan, discounted shopping and gym membership and an employee assistance programme.

We all belong at GWR. This is our vision for providing an inclusive environment for all our colleagues, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA, ethnicity, religion and disability. We maintain zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options;

we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below.

We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

Last updated : 2024-10-08