ATCO training programme work schedule

[sammy999]

Hi
I've just had my initial application accepted for the trainee ATCO course in Bournemouth and am about to embark on this scarily tough recruitment process over the next few months.

However, I have a question to anyone who has recently completed the training course about hours of study etc. I have a wife and 1 year old girl :{ and am hoping I will have a bit of spare time to keep them happy too providing I am lucky enough to survive the recruitment process.

Could anyone give me some indication as to the amount of hours outside of lectures etc. that need to be put in to do well? I am fully expecting to have to work every night and some at weekends, but is it even more full on than this?

any info greatly appreciated! :ok:

[AlanM]

Sammy - it always used to go in spits and spats.

So when there was a written assessment coming I did more revising in the evenings and upped the workrate.

However, it may be slightly more compact now. That said, the college timetable always allowed for some free periods. We used to do some work there, to free up time for a sociable beer!

Good luck anyway.

[Gonzo]

I tended to do maybe three hours a night Monday-Thursday, then another four hours on Sunday afternoons.

Bear in mind that the course has been compressed significantly since I was at Hurn!

[tired-flyboy]

To be honest, you will find that you will do as much study as you need to do to pass.

I know that sounds like a glib answer, but its the truth. Initially you'll do 1hr and maybe fail (or pass) the first exam and if you fail you'll feel like you need to do a bit more.

The best advice i can (will) give is to do at least 1hr everynight and you'll find that it'll go in.

:ugh: is how it'll feel at times!!

TFB :ok:

[pikman]

If it is at all possible, given the recent reduction in student ATCO salary, I would advise from personal experience that you leave the wife and kid at home and devote mon-fri to yourself so you can get all the studying done undisturbed. It is only too easy to either feel guilty about the time you are devoting to your studies, or to use wife kids etc as displacement activities instead of studies and failing your course. Sounds harsh I know, but a bit of short term sacrifice can lead to a very lucrative long term career.

[ADIS5000]

Sammy,
I've just finished at the college. A lot of my course found that 2 to 3 hrs every evening, Mon to Thu and 4 to 6 hrs on a Sun was sufficient. But at times you will need more and at other times slightly less. I was able to leave my family in our house whilst i rented a room in Bournemouth and would highly recommend this as the easier option. It is far easier to study without the (albeit often welcome!) family distractions during the week. If that sounds harsh, just think that if successful you will be guaranteeing your family a secure and very well paid career for life. I appreciate that with the reduced trainee salary you may not be able to afford to live in 2 places.
Regards. ADIS

[roundthebend]

Very interesting discussion, to me. I'm just about to apply and if all goes according to plan I'll be in a position where I have a wife, a 7 year old and a 5 year old to fit into the plans.

Now, taking pitman's advice would obviously be most beneficial from a studying perspective but will my wife and kids be able to cope? We've already mentioned it to our oldest son and he was a bit distressed at the idea. Add to that the cost of living in two places and it looks like there isn't much choice other than to bring the family nearer to the college - so, at least, during college-based training we are all together. That would require some serious dedication to the task and to not let family matters disturb study.

On the positive side, we think that when we sell our home we will be able to clear any loans and credit that we have outstanding with the equity from our house sale. We'll also have a reasonable lump of cash to support the low student salary. That would enable us to find suitable accommodation and to enjoy our spare time with leisure activities. All the time without any worries about finances - which, at the moment, is the dominating point of discussion between myself and my wife. Clear that worry and I'd have a whole heap of study time at my disposal.

[Medway Control]

No I'm only joking about the college in the title above?? I'm in the college, and its pretty damn tough i hate to say!! A couple of hours every night, and a sunday afternoon is pretty much what everyone does i think! But don't forget, during some weeks it has to be every wakened minute, cos you will have exams, exam exams. Particularly in the first few months, when the lecturers pile the theory work on!! Don't get me wrong, I love it! But I have few distractions... No wife, no kids. The only distraction is alcohol... though it is the best distraction in the world! :)

It's really rewarding, and really good fun when there is no work to do, but god is life tough when there is...

[055166k]

Your home is an appreciating asset. Reality check time! Let me get this right.
You haven't actually applied yet.......to try for a job with the worst trainee survival curve in the country.....take your family out of a comfort zone to an alien and expensive area for a very short time period during which integration will be near impossible.....on a reduced salary with no job guarantee.......all financed by a shrinking pot of home equity.
If you were single I'd say Good Luck; with your circumstances I'd say you are very brave, your wife deserves a medal.....and I shall pray for you all.
[To be serious for a moment----I recommend you seek guidance on eligibility for government grants/allowances/credits---dig deep and be persistent.]
The previous couple of posts seem to offer sound advice based on experience.

[Quincy M.E.]

The only distraction is alcohol... ...

Sorry for the slight thread drift.

I am about to head off to Hurn and was interested in how much time you get to unwind. It sounds like you are in a pressure cooker! Does everyone go out for beers a lot or is it all just study, study, study?

Though what with the salary I dont think I will be up to beer plural! :ok:

[roundthebend]

Thanks 055166k. All things that I am considering, hence why I haven't jumped in and applied yet because I need to know that this can work.

Must laugh at your suggestion that I am in a "comfort zone". No way is that true. However, there is an undoubted risk in selling up and then potentially failing to make the grade. If we all did what was easiest or safest in life then most of us would die not having enjoyed life. At the moment we are seeing this as an opportunity to have a life that we can be happy with.

[Medway Control]

Well Quincy,
I said to myself at the start of the course that I was never going to work on a Friday night, cos its my time. I usually go out then for a beer or two...

BUT
I broke this rule for the first time last week. I'm not happy with myself...:ugh: :*

So sometimes, no, you dont have a life. About 6 weeks into this training, my mother (the wise woman she is) said 'for 3 years NATS own you, and everything in your life. Once your valid, you own them'

[man friday]

fear not quincy m.e,

when i went through the college of knowledge, there was a lot of book work to do, but as a plus side an excellent social life, you cant work for hours on end without unwinding from time to time.
as with every cadet course before you, and everyone after you, you will find those that will not venture out into the nocturnal world of boscombe and bournemouth for several reasons, you will also find those whose nocturnal activities will jepordise their futures at the college. but the majority of your fellow cadets will have a bloody good social life

enjoy yourself

[anotherthing]

Sammy,

When I joined, I was told of the 2-3 hours per night required.

I managed to get very high marks on my exams doing on average 4-5 hours a week.

Things may have changed with the new course regime, but if you are sensible about doing quality revision, and listen during lectures, you will find that you do not have to do anywher near the huge amounts banded avbout.

good luck :ok:

[sammy999]

cheers for all the good advice. :D I am so glad I found this site!
I have decided to seriously consider staying in Bournemouth on my own so I can knuckle down without pressure to spend time with the family. It seems to make a lot of sense in so many ways.

good luck roundthebend - sounds like you are in a similar position to me. And maybe as we have so much at stake, it'll increase our chances of success as we know that failure is not really an option.

now back to that exciting motivation paper....

[aaaabbbbcccc1111]

I brought down my wife and 2 kids whilst at the college, and I found a good balance of home and work life. Fair play to the wife, she had to be very understanding and accept it when I was studying (even when friends and family had come to visit from home).
We rented a house in Ringwood (2 miles from college) and let our house. We felt it was too much of a risk to sell it. Looking back I would have definately done the same, although I would have let my house through an agent.
Sammy or Round the Bend feel free to pm if you have any questions, schools etc.

[NudgingSteel]

I reckon it depends on how easily you learn stuff generally, i.e. at school did you have to do loads of extra revision, or did it seem to go in the first time and stick? Also, the more you know about civil aviation before you start, the less new stuff you'll come across. If you've been interested in aviation for a while, for example, you shouldn't have any problem with the aircraft recognition section of the course (assuming that's still a part of Aerodrome 1!). Likewise you'll have an idea of operating speeds and levels of, say, a Cessna 150 and a 737. Some people come to the course not knowing these things; it just means some extra stuff to learn. I was lucky (a lifelong interest in some of the above!) which meant I could spend more time failing to get my head round altimetry.....

I can't offer specific advice on doing the whole thing with a family but definitely agree it's an investment towards a very decent standard of living a few years down the line.

[Charlie Roy]

sammy999

Thanks for starting this thread :ok: It is rivetting reading since I have just applied to Belgocontrol here in Brussels.

If anyone has information about entrance exams or the training at Belgocontrol please PM or post here.

Curious about:
Difficulty / style / content of entrance exams?
Is training Monday to Friday, 52 weeks of the year? Hours? Time off?
They say 2 or 3 years training, why the variation?
Does pay only increase after this 3 year training period?
Is French or Dutch required for the training (at Belgocontrol)?

Thanks,
CR.

[Gonzo]

Nudging steel brings up an important point:

It all depnds on how you learn.

I got decent enough A-Levels with only doing the bare minimum, started revising a week or so before my exams, etc.

At the college, at least 'back in my day', everything had to be learnt verbatim from the books; no multiple choice at all like there is now! I don't learn word for word very well, so that's why I put all that time in.

[45 before POL]

As said before it depends how you learn....some can do 4-5 hours a week and take it in, but most of us did 2-3 hours a night and maybe some on a sun(depending on if an exam was looming) You also need time to unwind and no one studied on a fri eve or sat, just to break the chain. If you are taking your family down to Bournemouth, they need to be understanding, if difficult to study at home, can be easier to stay at college for a couple of hours after to get study done, then spend rest evening as quality time with family.
Referring to the exams, yes there is amultiple choice aspect....but in aerodrome....those that do Area still have to write out verbatim( groan...still gives me nightmares). but its do-able! and now the course shorter get out and on to pastures new. Good luck and see you at the end of the course.:)

[Quincy M.E.]

Cheers for the info Man-friday et al.