Originally Posted by 2 sheds
...thus limiting their options from the start. Why can they not have confidence in their ability to train new controllers and have the decency to give such people a start in their career?
A poster above has given the obvious answer which is timescale... a previously valid will likely validate much quicker than an ab initio. Also if that ab initio needs rating courses, in the time a basic and ADI course takes, an experienced controller would be valid and controlling.
Another factor is cost. I claim to know nothing of the finances at EGBE but if you're talking about giving people a start in their career, and that includes paying for rating courses, that is a significant investment, especially for a small airfield where the SATCOs budget will not be infinite.