NYC TRANSIT OFFERING TRAIN CONDUCTOR JOBS

Hourly Wage $17.50 To Start; Hundreds Of Hirings Expected; Architect, Probation Officer Posts Also Offered Until Sept. 23

New York City Transit is holding an exam for Conductor, a job that typically has several hundred vacancies each year, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services announced.

The starting salary is $17.50 per hour, rising to $25 per hour after three years on the job. Applications are due by Sept. 23. The exam is on Dec. 6. The filing fee is $40. Two hundred Conductors have been hired so far this year, and up to 100 more will be hired before January.

Filing is also open until Sept. 23 for Architect, Landscape Architect and Probation Officer. Architect starts at almost $53,000. Landscape Architect pays the same salary. Probation Officer pays $35,809 a year to start.

Applicants for Conductor must have a four-year high school diploma or equivalent. City residency is not required. New hires must pass a drug screening and speak English.

Primary Job Duties

Under supervision, Conductors are responsible for the safe, timely and proper operation of NYC Transit trains in customer, yard and work train service. They also open and close doors, make proper announcements to customers and set up the automatic announcement system. While in transit, Conductors interact with the Train Operator and the Supervision and Control Center. They work as platform conductors in the stations; patrol platforms; assist customers in safely entering and exiting the trains; and assist in the timely dispatch of trains from stations. Conductors sometimes perform dangerous activities, such as walking along subway tracks; stepping over third rails; ascending and descending from trains and catwalks to roadbeds. They also remain in a standing position for an extended length of time and lift heavy equipment.

The job calls for working rotating shifts including nights, weekends and holidays.

What Test Covers

To qualify, applicants must score at least 70 percent on the multiple-choice test, which will feature questions on understanding and applying written and verbal instructions relative to the safe and efficient duties of a Conductor. Familiarity with major points of interest in New York City is also tested. The score on the exam will determine a place on the list from which candidates are hired.

Prospective employees can apply on the DCAS Web site at www.nyc.gov/examforjobs, or by mail to DCAS Application Unit, 1 Centre Street, 14th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10007. Applications are not accepted in person.