Some answers.
Please note, not as many as I, or you, would like, but the problem is a lack of decisions being made in NATS at a very high level. Here goes anyway.
Goidel/Wes
The delay between interview and course start depends purely on how many recruits are waiting. NATS has a fixed entry standard, and thus sometimes there are only a few awaiting courses, and so the wait is short. The College can only cope with a maximum course size of 36, and so divide the number of people awaiting a start by 36, and multiply by 3 months and you get the current delay. Cancelling intakes gives NATS a larger holding 'pool', and so the delay will be longer for the next couple of years. Sorry.
Minimum
There is a fair to middling chance that July will not be the only intake that doesn't happen, or is reduced to single figures. July 04 should see the NATS intake return to 36 per course, 4 courses per year. That date should see the start of the 'non-Aerodrome Rating' based Area Course, so be prepared all ye who are currently awaiting a start date, it may be over a year away. DO NOT HAND IN YOUR NOTICE YET!
45
NavCanada will make you pay for your upkeep during training. Check them out via Google.
I know this sucks, and you all feel extremely pi**ed at NATS. If any or all of you take a punt at Eurocontrol, I would not be surprised. There is a valid reason for all this chopping of intakes etc, which I cannot really go into here. Don't be too hard on th people at recruitment, it's not them who are holding up teh decision process. They are kept as ill-informed as you all are. The upside is that the new course which you will all recieve will be shorter, and more focussed on what you need to do the job. That is, however, of little comfort to you all now, and for that I am truly sorry. [Well no-one else in the company seems to be apologising]
If you want to get started anyway, go to
http://www.caa.co.uk/publications/pu...ils.asp?id=222
which is the fabled MATS Part 1, the bible of all things ATC. Learn the contents of this document, and you are well ahead of the game before you ever see Bournemouth.
For those of you who still feel able to hang on until NATS opens the gates, I'll see you when you hit the coast. For those of you who are so hacked off you feel you should bail-out now, don't lose sight of what you want to do. Keep trying the 'other' ATC providers, and good luck. It's a great game.
