Hang in there!
Hi Steve,
Well all I can say is hang in there.... It sounds exactly like my training was in Canada.. Except in Canada, you don't get paid while you're at the academy... oh and you have to pay either 1000$, 2500$ or 3500$ depending on your stream.. Not sure if the $ amounts are correct for today, but I remember paying my $1000 to do my flight service specialist course.
I also remember being housed at the training institute where we had a bed and meals supplied. Nowadays, that training institute is closed and you still pay your money, earn 0$ and have to study your a$$ off in order to avoid being cease trained.. Or CT'd as we called it.
No doubt in the world the training and studying is 24/7! It's how I did it... I maybe had 1 weekend off and that was the last one of the course where all the exams were done and the last 2 days were postings, admin stuff and graduation.
I applied because I too believe ATC or air traffic services is the best job in the world. And I will be quite crushed if I didn't pass the assessment day.
That being said, I wish everyone good luck in the selection process and with the training.. But, if you don't truly want this... don't do it, because you won't survive the basic training.