Just wondered what the pros/cons of each of the streams into ATC with NATS - Area vs Aerodrome. As a new trainee (scheduled to start at the college in July now) I'm obviously ecstatic about just getting through the process but as I've been reading here, it seems people have been asked to offer a preference for which route they'd prefer.
As part of my interview prep I did a couple of visits to Manchester, both the tower and area side and must say that I preferred the look of the Aerodrome side of things, but...
Specifically what I'm looking for is:
1. Salary/conditions differences (whilst training and future expectations)
2. With Area you'll either be at Swanwick or Prestwick, but with Aerodrome you can literally be placed at any NATS airport - fair comment or do you have any say?
3. Difference in validation times?
4. General morale/job satisfaction in each?
5. Any other notable differences and/or suggestions?
Tall order I know, but any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.