ATC IssuesA place where pilots may enter the 'lions den' that is Air Traffic Control in complete safety and find out the answers to all those obscure topics which you always wanted to know the answer to but were afraid to ask.
I've just booked my stage 2 for the 14th May. Anyone got any advice on how to travel down and where to stay overnight as i'm travelling from the north east?
I obviously don't know what will have changed in the new Stage 3, but I'd be surprised if they didn't ask you anything about ATC and the technical aspects of it. I'd still expect (and prepare) for technical questions - if you go and visit a NATS site, I would still think you'd be asked about it (and what you saw there) as it's a good test of enthusiasm, interest and understanding.
Anyone who had the old Stage 3 were presented with scenarios (not all ATC based but some of them were) to see how we'd apply knowledge we either already knew or was supplied to see how we think, and I'd be very surprised if the interviewers don't think that's necessary any longer.
Read the motivation paper for stage 1 again, go visit sites and read up on anything else you can find (Graham Duke's book is good, especially if you guys haven't been sent the old Stage 2 motivation document). Prepare for the HR stuff too - it's a large chunk of the interview and just as important as anything else... make sure you have good examples of your personal qualities and are prepared to speak freely and honestly about your past.
If the technical revision doesn't help you for the interview, it will help once you get to college - we'll have enough to learn when we get there!
Good luck for all those going for the final interview soon!
They seem to get back to people quite quickly after the application form, but it really depends on the availability of dates. You might be ok to get in before holiday, but I think it'll really depend on how many people have booked up dates already.
I did my stage 1 on 31st March in London and have since completed the OPQ and been invited to stage 2 which I need to book soon. Just wanted to say this is a very useful thread and I'm glad I found this site before stage 1 .
Even though stage 2 is now all computer tests, does anyone have the old motivation paper that they could send to me? I would be very grateful.
Not really. Last e-mail that I received from them said "Once we have received your completed application form we will invite you to the 2nd stage of the process". So they dunno really say how long but reading through the threads it seems that it is quite fast for everybody...
Thanks a lot paperclip810, I think I will follow your advise.
I am not really in any rush for the process, I could perfectly wait till July or so, it only worried me that something was wrong with the application. But if this delay is normal then I am happy to wait a bit longer
I'm booked in for S2 on the 18th May and have a similar dilema re where to stay etc. It's a 600-odd round trip for us guys! If you find anywhere decent, drop me a message mate. Oh, and good luck!
papaerclip....you couldn't PM aswell?? lol i am the same...booked my S2 for 19th may, i live in northern ireland so will have to book flights and stay over the night before...i was just wondering...NATS say they wont reimburse from 1st may...is that S2 that occur after 1st of may or ones that have been booked after 1st may? thanks
I had chat with HR yesterday about stage 3 and I was told that stage 3 has not changed from how it previously was, apparently it was always just an interview and group exercise. By the sounds of it the interview is mainly HR and competency based but there could be scenario questions aswell, since it's 90 minutes long they have plenty of time to ask whatever they want I guess. I asked if there was anything I needed to learn prior to stage 3 and was told that there isn't. I was sent the information for the old stage 2 motivation paper prior to my stage 2 but didn't need it in the end, I assume people getting through to stage 2 now aren't even being given that info so they can't be expecting us to have learnt much in terms of the technical elements, the only info people see now is the pack they give out for the stage 1 motivational paper.
If Stage 3 is just the same as what I had a few months ago, they will expect you to have a certain level of technical knowledge. This won't be because they sent you information which they expect you to learn, but because we were/are all expected to do independent research and fact-finding about ATC and the career. Just because there isn't a motivation paper doesn't mean you're not expected to show that you're motivated.
The Stage 2 document didn't have much influence on what knowledge I went into Stage 3 with. I read several books (Graham Duke's is a good introductory guide) and visited Prestwick Control (popped into Oceanic while I was there) and a tower, and spoke to a couple of ATCs I know as well as some other stuff.
If nothing had changed, expect scenario questions which may require some technical knowledge, perhaps some questions about the company and ATC operations as a whole, questions about your past and also a load of competency-based questions.
just to add to paperclips comments, if HR have told you the interview for S3 is the same as it was then you will more than likely be asked technical questions.
It varies a lot from interview to interview, but i would advise trying to do a couple of visits because it took up a lot of the time in my interview (which lasted just under 2 hours). when you do your visits make sure you pay attention to everything you see, i was asked what the roles were of people i had spoke to and any phrases i remembered being used.
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