I think this sucks (excuse the Americanism). If you pay monkeys you get peanuts (excuse the proverb(ish)). Who, but the desperate will accept this appology of a salary especially with a 30ish percent probability of employment as an ATCO with NATS?
Does NATS really want to filter out all, but the desperate? Maybe it allows HR feel less incompetent...
When I started 12 years ago the cadetship payed as much as that (and even then it was only just sufficient to encourage me to join). The pay does eventually increase, but not more than an equivalently qualified person in most jobs outside NATS/ATC. I just hope that we are still able to recruit anyone but school kids (there is nothing wrong with school kids, some of the best cadets on my course were straight from school, but I'm positive that we all gain from a broad mix of experience and qualifications from the cadets).
[apologies for any offence or spelling mistakes to those easily offended]