Originally Posted by
DMCman
Good luck to everyone that applies for ATC. I thought I'd share my experience on this rainy day to give everyone an insight on my personal story - and also to share why I feel at the crossroads. I'm sorry if this is really long.
I knew that I wanted to do ATC for a long time, not necessarily straight out of school, but I mulled over it for a few years. I didn't however have the requirements. I completed all the hard maths and physics stuff at school, but because I didn't do English as a subject, I was ineligible. I stayed at my job for a while and got in to the routine, enjoyed it, loved my workmates, but needed more. I felt like I was going to waste. My mum and dad were both in aviation and I gradually i gravitated more and more towards something related. I felt like ATC was the most 'me'. I worked in a busy control room that required lots of pre-planning, thinking on your feet, strong mathematical aptitude. Nowhere near as high importance as moving aircraft around but I thought I had lots of skills that were quite transferrable.
So I decided to take the plunge. I thought to myself "you know what, I'm going to try and make this the best damn application possible". I considered the options and at the end of the day enrolled in a Bachelor of Aviation and concurrently trained for my PPL. I wanted to do absolutely everything I could to look impressive. You only get two shots after all. I even weighed up the fact that having a Pilot's licence might be a downfall (anecdotally it seems they get a lot of cocky pilots applying that think they should be given the job - however my attitude is certainly not cavalier). I didn't want to be a Pilot anyway. It's a nice gig, but it's not 'me'.
I did all the research possible I could on the job. I spoke to existing controllers, I visited towers and TCUs and spent hours in there just watching. They would ask me questions to see my knowledge of the job and I was met with 'Wow... Can you explain that to the rest of our team so that they can understand it better!'. I had so much fun in those visits and one of the towers made me promise them that I would come back there to work once I finished my training! I got a busniess card from one of the supervisors and he has been really nice and helpful to me throughout.
I spent three years at uni, dropping to part-time at work, and ended up getting the B. Aviation and PPL (a few hours off CPL) and submitted my application. The process was extremely tough but I felt I did really well. Got through the online tests, phone interview, an online OPQ and made it through to the assessment centre. I was relieved but at the same time, I know I never have any problems with those psychometric-type exercises.
The assessment day was tough. Everyone here that has attended one knows it's not a walk in the park. It's a long day in the sense that they are testing you in many different ways and besides the exhaustion, you're bloody nervous. Notwithstanding all of this I though I did ok. My schedule for the day said I had my ATC simulation session dead last. Something which I wish I had the ability to change and do all over again.
After a very nervous few weeks, I got the notification that I was unsuccessful. My feedback was that I seemed to do ok in everything except I dropped a couple of points in the simulator. I knew I hadn't done as well as I knew I could, but I was confident I had done enough. I was really really surprised, but you just have to trust the controllers that are judging you. You really have to be at 100% for the whole day and unfortunately due to the restless night of worrying the day beforehand, I started the day on a good foot, but by the end, I was just plain tired. Not so much mentally fatigued, but literally tired.
I had a really nice lady on the phone give me my feedback. She said to me that because I was so close, she strongly recommended that I apply again in 12 months time. This definitely gave me hope and I became more determined than ever.
Flash forward to 12 months later (to the day): I rang Airservices HR and just wanted to ask a few questions about putting in my second application and just wanted some general advice on things to highlight given it was my final shot. Now, I'm not going to comment on anyone personally, but let's give the benefit of the doubt and say this person was having a very bad day. I spoke to someone who was so short and rude to me and said (verbatim) "If I was you, I wouldn't even bother". I was completely amazed and devastated. I was told that 'pilot's dont make good controllers' and 'assessment centres were too expensive, so we don't take people on their second application usually'. Finally, I asked why someone 12 months prior strongly recommended me to reapply, she said 'I don't know. If it was up to me - I'd say no'.
So now to today. It's been several years since that last phone call and I've only really had the courage to write anything about it now. I don't feel angry at the fairly merciless feedback, just more disappointed that I didn't quite get over the line on that assessment day. I feel a bit like my dream is shattered now and I'm back working the same job, just with a useless degree and PPL. Sorry to end on such a melancholy note, but I think it's important that people know that sometimes not everything goes to plan and just make sure that you have things in your life that can fill the void if your dream doesn't work out! I think I'm done with this venture now, which is a shame. Good luck to everyone that applies.
TL/DR; I suck at ATC, good luck everyone else.