As we did in the 2007 recruiting year we plan to increase the number of graduates we take on.
We hope to take on just over 150 graduates in 2007. The split is expected to be 25 civil engineers, 20 electrical engineers, 20 mechanical engineers and 60 general managers. In addition we hope to recruit 15 for Information Technology, 5 for Finance and 5 for Commercial Property.

For engineers we offer a salary review in the first May after joining. There is also a salary review based on performance in the following November and again towards the end of the first 18 months of employment. There are different rules for General Managers who go into jobs sooner than their engineering colleagues.

In addition to our graduate scheme, we have many other opportunities for you to make a difference with Network Rail, some of which do not require you to have a degree.
Visit the Careers section of this site to search our current vacancies.

We offer a Summer Civil Engineering Programme and an IT Industrial Placement Scheme. More information can be found in the Programme Areas section of this website or by visiting www.networkrail.co.uk

All job offers are subject to achieving at least a 2:2 degree result and satisfactory references. You will also need to pass a medical which ensures that you comply with the physical fitness standards necessary to enable you to go out on track.

We would consider all requests sympathetically providing you have the right educational qualifications to qualify for the scheme you want to transfer to.

Please see the full list of locations available and which of our Graduate Programmes are offered at each location. We do encourage you to make the best of your experiences whilst on the Graduate Programme and this may require you to be flexible in terms of your desired locations.

As owners of the rail infrastructure, we do not run trains and therefore do not employ train drivers. This is the function of train operating companies. If you are interested in this option, contact your local train company to find out what is available to you.

Most of the work you see out on track is done by the maintenance arm of Network Rail.

Vacancies in this type of work are all advertised on the careers section of our website. Please see www.networkrail.co.uk/careers

Our engineering graduate schemes commence in September 2008. It is important that you are available to start then because we require everyone to attend a common induction event which currently lasts for 2 weeks. For the General Management and Information Technology schemes we offer starting dates in September and November. This has a 6 week induction programme based at our Leadership Centre, Westwood, giving an intense introduction to the company before we place you in your first attachment.

If we make you a job offer, you need to start employment in the year in which you were interviewed. We are unable to predict what jobs might be available in successive years so we won't offer deferment in case we cannot fulfil our promise to you.

However, if something happens to you and you cannot take up your job offer we will not make you go through the whole recruitment process again providing you contact us in good time.

Engineering - Your engineering degree must be accredited by the IET, IMechE or the ICE. If in doubt check with your course lecturer.
IT – any degree
General Management – any degree
Finance – any degree
Commercial Property – Your degree must be RICS accredited.

Yes. We will pay for your membership and you will be assigned a Mentor who is a Chartered Engineer from the same professional institution. We will support you during your time on the graduate programme, providing you with work experience that will go towards your chartered status. This will need to be recorded with your respective professional body and your Mentor. If you have a BEng degree, you will work towards Incorporate Engineer status, and if you have supplemented your studies with an MEng, you will work towards gaining Chartered status.

This will largely vary. You may wish to undertake a placement that will provide you with useful experience for a six-week period in London, and after that you may be approached to take a placement for six months based in Derby with a different experience to record. Your career is in your hands and you will have a lot of support from your buddies, your Mentors (Senior Engineers) and also the graduate team.

We require that candidates have a minimum of a 2.2 honours degree for all our graduate entry programmes. Our Finance and Information Technology schemes require that applicants also show evidence of consistently high academic performance through higher or further education.

As the graduate schemes we offer are high potential schemes designed to progress people to middle management positions quite quickly we prefer to offer to those who are looking for their first job. A lot of the placements integral to the schemes demand that individuals are flexible and have to be prepared to work shifts and weekends which might not suit those who have family commitments.

However students who would consider themselves to be mature are not prevented from applying for any of the current vacancies advertised on the Careers section of the main Network Rail site.

All applications are now closed, except for our IT industrial placement scheme - we've now extended our deadline and applications close May 26th.

All applicants must prove that they have the right to work in the UK without restriction or special permissions.