Originally Posted by
hansfalkenhagen
No stress! I think it's good for me, or anyone else reading for that matter, to know that getting a letter of offer from Airservices doesn't guarantee us a career as an ATC, and knowing that many do fail during training will only act as a constant reminder to work harder each day.
One more question though;
I remember another user ("parishiltons"??) mentioning about the fatigue risk management system (FRMS) which is part of the organisation's safety management system (SMS). The Airservices' website also mentions about free gym membership and yoga lessons. Apart from exercise and a healthy diet, what else can be done to deal with the stress/pressure of the role and dealing with rotating shifts? In particular, what is taught to the candidates during training?
(hoping I won't be told to just jump on to the wild turkey and marlboros...)
What they will tell you in training is to clear as much baggage out of your life as possible so you can focus on the training, without external distractions. The best thing is to have a sane life outside work. A supportive home environment is probably the most important aspect of this. If you are having to deal with external demands or things that mess up your head/are very stressing/cause you to think about it at work and potentially distract you/etc then it is difficult not to let it affect your work performance, with associated consequences. This applies even in the training phase, where it is important not to have stress in life except for the training. Not a good idea to get married/separated/buy a house/have kids etc during this phase. If affected, your supervisors and colleagues will start to see less engagement from you, potentially reduced performance, reduced flexibility, unexplained increase in use of personal leave, possibly loss of timeliness in arriving for work, etc.