What we offer

We offer a very competitive final salary pension scheme (also known as a defined benefit scheme) via The Railway Pension Scheme (RPS) for all colleagues when they join Southeastern (in line with contract details) 

In addition to a pension and a tax-free lump sum there are additional scheme benefits including;

• Flexible choice of pension options
• Death in service payment of up to 4 times your average annual salary plus dependant and dependant children’s pensions.
• Southeastern shares the cost of providing benefits and Southeastern contributes 150% on top of your contributions. 

Working for Southeastern gives you access to great travel benefits via Rail Staff Travel including;

• Free unlimited travel on Southeastern, Thameslink, Greater Northern, Southern, and Gatwick Express trains for both work and leisure
• Free leisure travel on the above services for your partner and your dependants (after 6 months service)
• 75% off leisure travel with other train companies for you, your partner and your dependants (after 6 months service)
• Discounts on international train tickets (after 12 months service)
• 2FOR1 entry to a number of attractions, restaurants, theatres, exhibitions and more!

We are proud to have achieved Gold Investors in People accreditation in 2012 and most recently in 2021, as part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and supporting our colleagues to thrive.

We provide in-house comprehensive vocational training for all our frontline roles to ensure you have the skills, experience and knowledge required.

Our apprenticeship programmes offer you a chance to earn whilst you learn. We offer apprenticeships for a number of roles including Train Drivers, Conductors and Engineering, and office-based roles.

Access to SE Learning Space, a Learning Management System which hosts a multitude of eLearning courses. The platform hosts a range of mandatory courses and bespoke Southeastern related courses to help colleagues within their roles.

The platform also has over 1,000 bitesize personal development courses, such as IT and people management where you can gain Continuous Personal Development credits. 

On our Extra Mile benefits portal you have access to some fantastic deals. 

• Save at over 900 retailers with exclusive perks and discounts. 
• Enjoy savings on groceries, cinema tickets, travel, and much more. 
• Purchase instant vouchers to use in-store, save them in the app, and even collect Cashback. It's a convenient way to enjoy additional savings
• Save money on mobile phones and utility bills with some great cashback offers. 

Save 25-39% on a new bike for work.

Tax is complicated; the cycle-to-work scheme is not. You choose a bike, hire it for an agreed length of time, then wind its value down to a negligible amount. It's like a year-round sale, with interest-free credit available in over 2,600 retails nationwide.

To help you look after your physical health & wellbeing, we've teamed up with Hussle to give you access to gym and online fitness that fits around your life. 

Hussle has a community of gyms with a range of different facilities. Some have pools, and even spas. We bring all these places together and give you a pass that lets you access any of them, at a discounted price through Southeastern.

We offer a number of family friendly benefits, including enhanced maternity/paternity leave, parental leave and carers leave. 

Maternity Leave

All women have a statutory right to time off with pay to attend antenatal appointments, which may include relaxation and parent craft classes, regardless of length of service

All pregnant employees are entitled to a period of 52 weeks maternity leave regardless of the employee’s length of service. This will comprise of 26 weeks Ordinary Maternity Leave followed by 26 weeks Additional Maternity Leave.

• 26 weeks’ ordinary maternity leave
• 26 weeks’ additional maternity leave
• Up to 39 weeks’ maternity pay as follows: 

Paternity Leave

Eligible employees may request either one, two or three weeks’ off work with pay within the period of 56 days beginning with either the date on which the child is born, or the first day of the expected week of the child’s birth, whichever is later. 

The first two weeks of paternity leave will be paid at the employee’s basic rate of pay depending if SPP criteria is met.  Payment during the third week’s paid Paternity Leave period (if taken) will be at the lower rate of either:

• the Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) rate of £ £151.20 as determined by legislation; or
• 90% of the employee’s average weekly earnings.

Adoption Leave

• 26 weeks’ ordinary adoption leave
• 26 weeks’ additional adoption leave
• Up to 39 weeks’ adoption pay as follows:

Childcare Vouchers

Tax-Free Childcare

You can get up to £500 every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year) for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare via the government scheme. This goes up to £1,000 every 3 months if a child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year). 

Childcare Vouchers

From 4 October 2018 the childcare voucher scheme closed to new entrants. Employees who joined the scheme from before 1 September 2018, will still be able to use it and receive the associated income tax and National Insurance Contributions relief.

Southeastern knows that it can sometimes be difficult to balance the pressures of work with the needs of home life and that colleagues may need or wish to seek advice, request support, or receive counselling.

All colleagues have access to our Employee Assistance Programme, Health Assured, which offers a 24-hour confidential helpline to support you through any of life's issues or problems.

The Transport Benevolent Fund (TBF) is a charity supporting those who work in the public transport industry in Great Britain when they are in need, hardship or distress. 

Almost anyone who works in the industry may join TBF and be eligible for help. 

For £1.25 a week they offer a wide range of financial, health and welfare benefits to the member, their partner and dependent children.

As the cost of living is increasing, you may be concerned about how to stretch your budget. 

Through Salary Finance you will have access to:

• Affordable loans repaid through salary: Loans at affordable rates with higher acceptance than banks. 
• Free financial education: The Learn platform provides access to educational resources including webinars, YouTube-style insights, guides and tools.

A Health Shield Cash Plan is a type of health insurance that offers money back on everyday healthcare bills, like dentist appointments, physiotherapy, optician costs, chiropodist appointments, and even massages and prescription costs - up to an annual limit. Unlike private medical insurance, you don't need a GP referral to make a claim through the scheme.

The price starts from £1.25 per week. Plus coverage for dependent children up to age 21 is offered with no extra cost and adding a partner to the plan is also an option for a minimal additional fee.