Should I take this job..?

Jenneke87

Hi all,
Not sure if this question belongs here, if not Mods, feel free to move it. I've been working for a very large company for the last year now. It's my job to book train tickets abroad, rebook/cancel tickets and provide assistance in case of calamities or delays. It's a temporary contract and mine is due to expire and the end of this year. My teamleader told me not to worry which I think means that it will be prolonged but I don't know for how many months. The maximum extension is 8 months, so it could be anything from 1 to 8 months. 
I have applied for a couple of internal vacancies but with no succes so far, which has gotten me down a bit. I've worked in customer service for over 8 years now and would really like to get out. So far, I've always worked on temporary contracts as little else was available and as such, have never really been able to progress anywhere, have build up very little pension etc. I'm 30 now and feel like I have to be strategic when it comes to new employment.

My teamleader and I recently had a chat and she asked me how I would feel about becoming a conductor onboard the train (just for clarification, I don't live in Ireland). I've been weighing up the pro's and con's but feel stuck. The pay would be better, I would most likely get a permanent contract and the benefits are really good. It would allow me to get a mortgage and buy my own house rather than rent all the time and I would stay within the company which I really like working for and would no doubt benefit me greatly in the future should I want to do something else. In addition, I would travel all over the country by train which I really like, I would work independently and would be out of the office which is something that would really suit me.

What has me in doubt is that over here, there can be a lot of aggression against the staff on the train (people have been punched, stabbed ,spat upon, etc.) and suicide by train is a big problem here which means that is unavoidable that I will encounter this at some point and as a conductor it would be up to me and the driver to check if that person is still alive, call the police etc. From what I've heard from other college's this impacted them greatly and some found the deceased person no longer intact; the train had completely mangled the body and it was terrible to see..

This has left me unsure of what to do. Financially it would be a good move but I'm not sure if the con's outweigh the pro's and I have to let them know by the end of this month. For whatever reason I feel that this would be my only way out of customer service as I've don't have any degrees which makes it difficult to find any better paid or more interesting work and I don't have the financial means to go to college again as I wouldn't be able to afford rent and bills anymore.

I would appreciate your opinions and insights. Thanks.

WIZWEB

Congrats. Your temporary position will end anyway so at least this job gives a lot more financial stability. Certain customers may be difficult to deal with but that's a risk in any customer service position. There's only a very small chance that your train would ever hit a suicidal person. There really should be training to deal with such events and appropriate services should be dealing with this. Not you or the driver. I'm surprised you'd both be expected to leave the train to witness this. All things considered worse case scenario you could give this job a try and for whatever reason if any it doesn't work out then you could just utilise it as another temporary role.

Ursus Horribilis

Do you know anybody who works as a conductor? If you had a chat with a couple of them, they might help you make a decision.

Another day

You can always take the position and in time look elsewhere for a job. From what you say in your post the only negative is a possibility. ..that may never happen. I would ask what supports/training is in place for dealing with difficult customers and make a decision of the proper training is there. Maybe get some self defense lessons...will always stand to you! Hopefully the worst case scenario never materialises.

LegacyUser

I agree with the other posters that you should take the job. What have you got to lose by taking the job? You can always continue the job search while in this secure permanent job that you're being offered. You might even find that you love this job and discontinue the job search once you settle in. I just think there's nothing to lose by going for this and continuing to search once in the job if you don't like it.

never_mind

A friend of mine is a paramedic and if he can deal with crazy stuff like you mention then so can you! You’ll become desensitised after awhile. Take the job and give it a go! What do you have to lose!

screamer

No amount of money will buy you good mental health. You can't unsee that stuff. The fact that you're already worrying about that is setting off alarm bells. Only you know how this will affect you and trust you gut.

LynnGrace

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

Do you know anybody who works as a conductor? If you had a chat with a couple of them, they might help you make a decision.

+1. Also ask what training is available in relation to dealing with difficult customers. And with difficult situations.

Best of luck, whatever you decide.

Rubberchikken

It sounds like a good move. Lots of jobs have risks and sometimes unpleasant situations. How you handle these things cones doen to you and the training and support you receive.
Found out these details. After that decide what it is you really want to do.

Best of luck