Barbados is a tough place to get a job!
£11K??? **** MAN!!! Look, after all that investment, I won't be leaving anything to chance, & the truth is that ATC sounds just too expensive, with not enough possibility of a return- particularly in Barbados. I looked at the site for the Barbados ATC, as provided by our friend above, & I saw that they pass 200 people a year there. OK. But the whole department might only employ 50 people, which means that I would have-to wait for someone to be fired/retire/resign/die to stand any chance of getting in. It sounds like standing 20 paces away from a tea-cup & try to throw a tennis ball into it! Although there is a possibility, what chance in hell do you have! The last thing I want is to have it- & can't get a job!
Additionally, it'll mean spending enough doe to buy a nice car!! If I was applying to London Gatwick/Heathrow or JFK, yeah, 'cos they are far bigger than Barbados, but a mind tells me that Barbados is just too small to make this kind of sacrifice worthwhile. The airport is still, & always will be a viable option for employment, but ATC is just too risky. I am deciding more & more that another role, where the investment is less (even though the returns are less) is the better option. At the end of the day, all I want is to own a house & a car- in Barbados. To do this, all I need is a good job, one that's secure, & where I can progress from. ATC sounds like becoming a doctor. You have-to invest a whole-bunch to get a start- then be placed (I am, of-course still talking strictly about Barbados, your case will be different).
Barbados is a real tough place to work in. I am going to investigate more about GAIA. It is afterall the largest airport in the Caribbean. There's gotta' be something there, but something more realistic. I am Nick, you are...?