Non NATS airports and ATCA jobs

[BPL321]

Hi,

Got a couple of questions hopefully someone will have the answers to.

1) I keep hearing that NATS don't operate from every airport in the UK. Does that mean if you want to be an ATCO at non NATS airports you apply via a different route? If so how do you go about doing that?

2) ATCA jobs. Any suggestions where and how I can find out about these roles.Ideally at Manchester but I know thats under NATS so is that a no go then?

Sorry if these are daft Qs but I dont know.

cheers

[Evil J]

1) You are correct, NATS do not operate the ATC at every airport in the UK. Generally speaking non-NATS airfields will only recruit qualified ATCO's (in the old days most were NATS trained at some point). Some non-NATS airfields though have a programme of training suitable ATCA's as ATCO's. That said in order to get a position(ATCA) at a non-NATS airfield you generally need to live near one as most will recruit non-aviation local people and train them up in house. Where I work ATCA's are generally only recruited from other airport departments (Info desk etc)

Dunno what the deal is with ATCA's at Manchester.

If you want to be an ATCO and can't get in with the NATS training scheme I would suggest looking at paying for your own Aerodrome rating and then getting in with one of the "smaller" (I use that term under advisement and really mean non-NATS) ATSP's (eg VT Aerospace, Serco) who may then put you on an Approach course. Ofcourse if Area is your thing then NATS is really your only option!!

With an Aerodrome rating and an ounce of personability you shouldn't really have any difficulty getting a job with the shortages there are.