Kiwi chick posted: To the best of my knowledge, when we finish this module in a couple of weeks we will be rated as (equivalent) Flight Data/Flight Information officers and could technically go out and work in Class G airspace (as you said - asking the pilot instead of telling him).
This shows that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A rating is something you get when you finish field training and you receive your first endorsement. E.g you may have an tower rating but only hold an SMC endorsement. When you leave the academy, you can't "technically go out and work" as anything until you do further training to obtain the endorsement.
In Australia we don't have Flight Data/Flight Information officers. We have Flight Data Coordinators and Air Taffic Controllers. Two very different jobs.
As for SSOs versus ATC selection criteria mentioned by others. Again, two different disciplines. An ATC trainee's exposure to the role of SSO is so limited that the comments in this forum reflect badly on the posters.