View Full Version : I wonder... Is it usual to fund ones own ATCO education?
Quintilian
18th Jun 2007, 10:29
Hi!
As I wrote in another post I am starting my ACTO education at EPN (Sweden) next year... Here in Scandinavia you don't pay any school fees, but during the basic course (14 months) you don't get any payment at all... During the following 9-14 months at OTJ-training you get paid approx 32k Euro/yr. Is this the "basic" model of how every country is operating, or is it special for Scandinavia only?
Anyone knows?
Cheers
TH
smellysnelly2004
18th Jun 2007, 11:47
In England you get £10000 a year whilst training at the college (anywhere between 6 and 18 months depening on which rating course you do and how many recourses you need). Then somewhere between 16000-19000 whilst training at yor unit. Then somewhere around 30-45000 if you validate at your unit. These figures aren't exact and there are some other rules about 3rd anniversary of joining etc but it's the basic framework
Quintilian
18th Jun 2007, 11:51
Thanks for replying!
Do you have to pay any school fees in the UK?
Th
@ Eurocontrol you have a basic salary (which rises as you progress through the various stages of training) plus various allowances and one-off payments.
What it basically boils down to is about 1800 euro per month (net) over the first 9 months (the basic course) - and that figure is a rough average of the regular salary and allowances averaged over the period.
Once you progress to training in Maastricht the net salary (including shift allowance when appropriate) is just shy of 3k euro which is bloody good - as a comparison you would need to earn 34K p.a. in the UK before tax for the same take home pay.
I think in comparison to other countries/companies you get a pretty good deal @ Eurocontrol, gone are the days of the students getting full controllers salary though!:eek:
TowerDiamond
18th Jun 2007, 17:05
It's not even special for Scandinavia. If you are from Norway or Denmark and do your training at EPN, you'll get paid. But if you are from Sweden, you don't get paid. You have to take a study loan, and doesn't get paid until you start to work. That's a shame as we all do the same education. :sad:
I hope the Swedish government start to consider a more fair education.
/TD
Quintilian
18th Jun 2007, 18:43
Ah.. I'm sorry to hear Towerdude.... But, do you still have to work for the Swedish aviation agency for 3-5 years after finishing the education? If so, that IS truely horrible!
ATCO education is SO specialized, it kinda hurts... You don't get any European transferrable study points or anything... But.. I'm not complaining :-)
Are you starting your ATC-edu. this year, or are you at it presently?
Cheers
TH
That's a shame as we all do the same education.
And the reason Avinor in Norway is getting applicants from Sweden. One on the last round of interviews I belive. :ouch:
TowerDiamond
18th Jun 2007, 19:59
I'm not sure how many years you have to work for LFV (the Swedish aviation agency) but I think it's about 2-3 years. Could be more...
I sent my application to EPN a few weeks ago, now I'm waiting to hear from them. I hope it won't take too long :)
/TD
Muldrake
18th Jun 2007, 20:10
The latest from Denmark, is that the management is considering not to pay their students for the training on EPN, and only to hire them after they recieved their student license.
So that pretty much boils down to getting less than 500 Eur a month before tax (the same as every high school student), whilst in college !!! And thats not a whole lot here in the tax ridden cold north. Given the work load on the basic course, there is no chance of having another job on the side, so the outcome will propably be that even fewer will apply for an ATC career.
Well done management :-(