Over here it's a very well paid ($59,000 at current exchange rates) job with 4 weeks holiday a year plus many more days off as Free days (rest periods between work). We often get up to 7 days off in a row as Rest Days - very handy if you want to to travel around Europe.
As I started on the railways almost 22 years ago I also get free travel around most of Europe and have used this extensively to visit such places as France, Germany, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Austria, Slovenia, Czech Republic and Italy. Their railways have a reciprocal agreement for their staff.
I used to be guard (conductor), for 11 years and met many foreign women doing this job. I loved the social side but it's not as easy or as well paid as being a driver.
One of my previous jobs was a London bus driver on the old buses. Great job but I didn't like London - too much of a rat race.
Even though they were built from 1959 onwards they had an automatic gearbox, power steering and power brakes - way ahead of their time.
What I drive now which I love and one of our routes on the South West coast and up to London from Salisbury
