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.
We're lucky ASA pays us at all. And seriously that is a very veeeerry good wage just for training. Any other similar job in the world you'd have to pay to train and then not necessarily be guaranteed a job. It's not like you make the company any money while in training, where as the trainee blippees are straight-away doing their actual job, not just pretending like the atc trainees. Plus, what other job would you get paid that much as a trainee, then if you're a successful employee your pay doubles within a year & 1/2.
Trainee Network Controller with QR National is a somewhat similar job that offers all those factors.
Hi guys I passed my phone interview 2 days ago and I've been told to wait for an invitation for an upcoming assessment centre in Canberra or Brisbane.
My question is - how much time do you have after they tell you the date? According to the written by Ruth Jones and barberwi they left them like 6 days?? I'm in Melbourne, I need to book a flight and to lie something at my work place for my 2-3 days urgent absence...how did you guys manage this issue?
I had about 2 weeks' notice of my assessment. Once you receive your invitation, you'll be asked to book yourself into a session. From memory, when I did mine, there was three days to choose from (Monday - Wednesday).
When you receive your invitation, log into the application portal as quickly as you can and choose the most appropriate date. If there's one on a Monday, maybe you can be sick?
Anita82, You're in Melbourne and they want you to do your assessment in Brisbane or Canberra?
You've really gotta wonder about them sometimes. Surely they could get you into a Melbourne session, even if you have to wait a little longer for one to come up.
anita - they try to give you two weeks notice, i passed on the brisbane assessment centre offer and asked for melbourne as im in Tas, Carolyn has been pretty good whenever i have had issues so far. Ruth
Thanks for the responses! 2 weeks notice sounds good, I got panicked I'll have to arrange everything in few days Hopefully there will be a Monday or Friday date, I'll get "sick" and have a mini vacation in Brisbane/Canberra
Otherwise nobody is making me to go somewhere else, it's basically what cadetkid said - the next assessment date in Melbourne is full so they asked if I'm interested to attend an assessment in a different city and I said yes. I could say no and wait for the next one in Melbourne but I don't want to delay my assessment process just because of pure laziness
I passed the phone interview 3 weeks ago. Still waiting to hear when the assessment day will be, but Carolyn did say it would probably be mid-December.
I've got to agree with almost everything Cadetkid said in that last post, including the bit about negativity, because I know I come across that way sometimes.
I just wrote a big long response, twice, then deleted them both, but when it comes right down to it, it's just a job. At some point you're going to whinge about your managers, or the food in the canteen, or the fact you didn't get the sector you wanted. If you're 100% positive through everything you do as an ATC, please let me know what sector you're controlling, so I can avoid it.
i had my phone interview around the 10th September, which lead to an email on the 22nd October, to book in during the 7-9th Nov.
Hasn't been too bad of a process so far, my initial application was 18th July. Hopefully i hear whether or not i made it before Christmas, but that may not happen from some reports.
Is anyone able to provide an example of what an average working week looks like for an ATC? Enroute if possible. Is it a rotating roster between mornings, afternoon and night shifts?
How much notice is required if you need a day off? Can shifts be swapped?
As far as I am aware if you hold a class 1 you can just ring CASA and request a class 3 be issued as well and they will send it out. I believe someone on my course did this but I could be wrong. Best bet is to ring CASA and ask.
As previously mentioned, if you have a class 1 you do still need a class 3, but it's really no extra hassle. I had a class 1 and just got my DAME to include a class 3 when I had it renewed. You could do it that way if your renewal is coming up (then Airservices will reimburse you for the consultation part of your renewal - winner), otherwise I would agree with cadetkid and see if you can't go straight to the source and talk to CASA.
Ok, one step closer, have just been informed that I passed the assessment centre and they are going to be contacting my referees very shortly, very hopeful now! Ruth
Last edited by Ruth Jones; 15th Nov 2012 at 04:58.
Congrats Ruth! That was really fast I think, your assessment centre was like a week ago? I read that they tell you whether you passed it up to 2 months after the assessment centre? Good job, you've almost done it!
Hopefully there will be a Monday or Friday date, I'll get "sick" and have a mini vacation in Brisbane/Canberra 
