T250
[QUOTE]On a rather different note, is it me or is the new format for stage 3 sound like they couldn't care less about your motivation in applying &wanting to join NATS, ie. Marco888's post stating the HR couldn't really find his visit to a NATS unit very valuable/useful.
How exactly are HR finding our motivation now? There's no motivation paper further than stage 1, no technical knowledge required, as at stage 3 they're interested in 'you'?!?
So a person who knows the right words and stuff to say could wing the interview and have no interest or motivation........[/QUOTE]
I find it hard to believe that HR would not have found an applicants unit visit useful. They will be making notes and no doubt the visit will have been a tick in the box.
There are other ways of testing an applicants motivation without having to quiz them on ATC. Just because an applicant may have a PPL, or may be a whizz at ATC simulator games, does not mean thay are going to be suitable to become an ATCO. The stage 3 tests are looking for suitabilty of a candidate based on personal qualitites that cannot be assessed by knowing the upper air routes in uk airspace. Having a very keen interest in ATC will no doubt help you at the college for all the basic tests, but dont be under the illusion that having the knowledge will guarantee you success. Would you consider someone who can tell you all the technical information of every aircraft ever made, who could tell you in THEORY the landing order of 3 different aircraft, who has visited every unit in the UK but they couldn't time keep properly, never learnt from past mistakes, couldn't take constructive advice or went wibble when under pressure. Surely the point is that if a candidate was excellent at all the personal qualities that studies have shown most ATCOs need, but couldn't tell the difference between an airbus and a 737, they would be suitable, after all the college is there to teach the technical and theory side.