ATC work/life balance

[sparklesandsweat]

Hello, I am new to this thread and am considering a career in air traffic control, I've been looking into it the past few weeks. So far, I've reached a basic understanding of the training involved, shift work, etc ^.^ I know even the application stages are tough, let alone passing training and getting validated, but I wanted to know the lifestyle of work as an ATC (with he NATS, ideally) before applying nevertheless, if it's no bother. I love the idea of quick/critical thinking for a living, but admittedly, I've no burning passion for aviation in general, as of yet.

Like, how is the social scene in the workplace? are there lots of colleagues; Is there a great platform to make friends? My interests are a bit dorky and include gaming, films, science, etc - would I fit in well? :I

Also, Is there room for family life as an ATC? or does the job lend itself towards becoming a married-to-my-job type. As far as I can tell, most ATCs seem to have had a family before entering the profession and adapted their life accordingly. Is it common for ATCs to meet their spouse and start a family *After validation? I'd hate to doom myself to eternity as a bachelor, with a life that revolves around my job.


Thank you in advance!

[Traffic is...]

Work/ life balance is generally pretty good. Whichever unit you work at (I'm talking NATS here but I'm sure it's the same elsewhere), you will get a decent amount of time off from work. At some of the smaller units, the shift pattern might be a little more restrictive but we generally get a good amount of annual leave to use too. I've worked at a smaller unit and now at a larger one and there are pros and cons either way.

Doubt very much you'd be committing yourself to a lonely life of bachelorhood if you hadn't found anyone beforehand! As said, there is plenty of time off to do whatever it is that you do and if you work at the larger units, than there are plenty of people to socialise with. The smaller units, from my own experience, can give you a decent social life too. It all depends what you make of it all really.

Whilst I have a bit of an interest in aviation, it's not the be all and end all. It'll make the job just that bit more interesting if you are interested in it, but rest assured there are many people that I work with at either end of the scale. Those that are on the lookout for certain aircraft registrations and those that couldn't care less about aircraft, as long as they take them on their holidays.

Good luck.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

During my 31 years working in the London area I averaged about 180 days work per year. By juggling leave and public holidays and rostered days off one could achieve over a dozen fortnights off per year. Also, by taking no leave during summer and thanks to the flexibility of my colleagues I was several times able to be away from work for 6 weeks for overseas holidays.

The work can be intense but there are adequate mandatory breaks to relax. On a typical morning duty from 7am-2pm one would expect to work for around 3-4 hours. Less when things are quiet, more when it's busy.

I was always a "family" man so my time at home was very important and I had plenty of time with my wife and children. In no way would I ever have become "married" to the job. That's for fools!

After 31 years I retired at age 58 and live comfortably on a good pension.

Good luck for the future....

[Minesthechevy]

Call me a cynic, but which newspaper are you hoping to sell your Pulitzer-winning article to?

If you aren't a journalist, then I'm in error - but ......................

[EastofKoksy]

You might think you are a bit dorky but we are all 'different' in our own way!

There is plenty of time off. The work can be very intense but by no means all of the time. Socially - well it depends on where you are working. I used to work at the Uk's largest ATC unit and it was not particularly sociable. Some of the smaller units MIGHT be better but can also be cliquey in a "does your face fit" kind of way. ATC is really no different from most other workplaces in that sense

The job is very satisfying and, unlike a lot of other well paid jobs, does not involve compulsory overtime, cancelled leave or a need to take work home. One thing I would point out is that if you want to keep work/life balance do NOT have aspirations to become a manager!

[Liobian]

I'd like to add a couple of observations here as well.
It is worth noting that you would be very likely to end up working a shift system of some sort - these may not allow you to plan regular social or sporting events outside your working group; i.e. don't expect to be able to go to play football every saturday, or take the kids to tennis/judo/dance class.
However, a regular pattern does allow you to plan ahead to some extent.

And note also that it tends to be a sedentary job; that and years of shift working can have an effect on your health and well-being. In my own later years on shifts, I felt more or less permanently fatigued. Guess it affects different people in different ways.
Nevertheless, I don't regret joining - worked with some great folk in some wonderful places !

[kcockayne]

37 years in ATC & NEVER worked a day in my life !
Good pay, plenty of time off, worked with the "Salt of The Earth", interesting characters (especially the ex RAF WW2 personnel in my early years), plenty of interest, wide variety of interesting work, plenty of travel, retired at 58, unbelievable job satisfaction, more or less your own boss.
What could be better ?
Nothing in my opinion - 37 years of bliss !

[Crazy Voyager]

If you do end up working for NATS you could be at a unit with under 20 controllers, or you could be at one of the centers with hundreds. These workplaces will have different shift patterns and different pros and cons.

In general I find that I have a lot of time off now compared to when I worked 9-5, however a lot of it is when most people are working. I generally enjoy this as it means I can do my shopping when nobody else is there, I can go to the gym when it's quiet etc. Also it means I spend almost no time in the rush-hour traffic unlike many others.

The downside as said above is that you can't have weekly activities the way many do, although it's not impossible to attend most of them. I have collegues who try to avoid afternoonshifts in order to attend evening-activities, this means they tend to work 4 mornings and 2 nights. At the unit where I work this is often possible, but it depends on your collegues and your workplace.


Would I go back to 9-5? No, the pros for me well outweigh the cons. I would suggest if you're interested that you apply and see how it goes, statistically you will most likely not get in anyway (harsh I know, but those are the numbers) but if you do it's (I think) a great job.

[N90-EWR]

I believe that no matter where, and for who, whether past or present, the great majority of air traffic controllers love our job, and the lifestyle that comes with it.

I work a lot of overtime, and 6 day work weeks due to staffing issues at my particular facility, and I still find plenty of time to spend with my family. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.

[LeftBlank]

Sparklesandsweat -provided you are not a journalist….when reading some of the posts here you have to remember that the world of ATC has changed massively in the last few years.Some of the comments though well meaning, have as much relevance to the job today as one of Nelson's Midshipmen has to a Sonar Operator on a Nuclear Sub.
I left 2 years ago and things have changed big time even since then.What is true is that all ATCOs are hugely self-motivated and therefore enjoy doing the job.
When you first start out you only have yourself to worry about.The shift work is not too disruptive and time off and pay seems more than adequate compared to your non-aviation friends.Roll forward as you predict, to having a family and things change.All units vary&it's the luck of the draw where you end up and the ability to get time off when you want or need it.
The reality of the job today is that you will have to consider how you feel about going years without Christmas or New Year off.Accept you will miss some of your children's birthday parties and many other family occasions.Your social life outside of work will be different because you will be working on Saturday night or early Sunday morning when others are having parties.The shift work will eventually take its toll on your health. You have to weigh all these things up against the pay and conditions.
On the plus side you'll get to go shopping with pensioners when everyone else is at work.(Things are less crowded).
The job is unique and interesting.Despite what management want, it is still one that requires a well trained intelligent professional to do it and you'll be working in a high tech occasionally exciting and high pressure environment.Not many people can do the job of an ATCO.
Bear in mind if you start now by the time you finish training you may soon be working on your own in a remote tower facility or in a near silent ops room/tower because the area microphones prevent banter and chat!
Best of luck if you choose to apply.

[ex_matelot]

What's the dit on the area microphone, banter & chat?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<how you feel about going years without Christmas>>

31 years I worked at Heathrow and TC and never worked on a single Christmas Day. Can't be bad.

[Vercingetorix]

ex_matelot

area microphone, banter & chat?

All RTF and radar is recorded 24/7.

In addition many Ops rooms have CCTV and open mics strategically placed in the room so that everything is monitored and recorded. These recordings are useful in incident investigations, i.e. were the correct number of controllers in situ at the time of any incident, etc.
Very similar ethos to cockpit voice recordings only with the extra of video capability.

[Plazbot]

>>31 years I worked at Heathrow and TC and never worked on a single Christmas Day. Can't be bad.<<<

Not bad for you I am sure but 31 times someone else had to and you never once paid the guys back. Certainly not something to boast about.

To the original poster, as demonstrated there are a great number of extremely selfish people you will encounter in the job. Things ranging from the traffic dodgers who drift in a couple of minutes after the hour/half hour offering breaks when every body has already rotated to my personal 'favourite' of the guy who refuses to swap a shift then you turn up for that duty and they are in on overtime.

The job is great fun however with plenty of opportunity to do a great deal of different things that you probably would not without various degrees in different fields. You will also be met with much negativity from dinosaurs who are extremely resistent to change because things were always harder/better/faster/stronger back in the day.

Work/life balance is no different to any other shift working job in ATC. There have been many I have known over the years who have a whole other job on the side from Ferry driver to pool builder to cake decorator.
Good luck.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<Not bad for you I am sure but 31 times someone else had to and you never once paid the guys back. Certainly not something to boast about. >>

You don't understand how the system worked!! The staffing levels were greatly reduced over Christmas and a draw took place each year with those happy to work Christmas ticked the appropriate list. A significant number of people actually enjoyed working at Christmas and the Scots would work every Christmas if they just got New Year off. It all worked amicably and everyone got what they wanted. Pay the guys back? I don't understand what you mean?

[Plazbot]

Ah, knowing how the system works and working the 'system'. One of the reasons why ATC in its old guise became unsustainable financially for Aviation and is now downsized, privatised and corporatised. The ATCs of today are paying for the rorts of the past. Merry Christmas indeed.

[obwan]

At the units I worked at with one notable exception the Christmas leave allocation was worked out very amicably and was certainly nothing to do with working the system. Basically you could either have Christmas off or New Year off and contrary to what has been said before it wasn't only the "Jocks" who wanted the New Year off. I've been retired for a few years now and maybe I was just lucky to have worked with "grown up" people who bought in to the idea of give and take. Incidentally HD I knew band five units got paid wheelbarrow loads of dosh more than we lesser mortals but all those fortnights off? the most I could work out on a 5 watch came to 7. Work life balance, brilliant job, can't imagine doing anything else.:D

[ZOOKER]

I worked 7 or 8 Christmas Day shifts out of about 30. I quite enjoyed them really. I 'saw the New Year in' in the ops room a couple of times too. Fortunately, we had very good watch management throughout my time there and most people got rosters they were happy with, or if not, certainly the following year.

[Vercingetorix]

Christmas day in the workhouse (LATCC), the traffic was always light and to pass the time the daily raffle was initiated.
This raffle consisted of trying to guess the load factor on any given flight. Once all the subs were in, the pilot of said flight was asked "How many Pax on board?" and the subscriber with the nearest number to the correct one was the winner.

Oh what fun.

PLAZBOT. Ah, knowing how the system works and working the 'system'. One of the reasons why ATC in its old guise became unsustainable financially for Aviation and is now downsized, privatised and corporatised. The ATCs of today are paying for the rorts of the past

Bollocks me old China. :ok:

[eastern wiseguy]

On the Christma s thing.......I remember the Scatcc watch I was on all wanting to do Christmas day . We had a full dinner,secret Santa and double time. There was also virtually no traffic.

When I moved to the airfield side of the house we were usually required only in cases of emergency or something like ambulance flights. That was a case of being on call and was rotated through the holiday season with everyone getting some time with families (when possible). At the end of my career I (as Watch Manager) and having no kids usually was on standby.

Over 36 years it has changed dramatically. ..but I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Plazbot......give it a bloody rest.

[sparklesandsweat]

Thank you for the replies everyone!

Judging from the encouragement and willingness to help in your responses, i'm inclined to say ATCs are a very friendly bunch! I was actually worried i'd get abuse for my ignorance :P

The job itself is almost perfect, it sounds like; (Almost) unanimous job satisfaction amongst you all! Moving to your given post (swanwick/prestwick usually?), shift work, etc are sacrifices that don't phase me particularly. BUT - the idea of missing important moments (xmas, birthdays, etc) is quite daunting to me.

how do you guys manage? Do you have problems maintaining friendships (attending social events, etc)? Does it cause rifts with family/other half/kids? Or is it a case of all your friends, etc are fellow ATCs? :p

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

My wife loved my working hours because I had so much time off with her and with so much time off any family arrangements could be accommodated. In addition to never working Christmas Day I never worked our wedding anniversaries or birthdays in all those years either! Life at a smaller unit might not be quite as easy but it's still better than 9-5. I recall a conversation with a neighbour who had popped in to have coffee with my wife:

Neighbour: Oh, you're home again then.
Me: Yes, I have worked my 26 hours for this week.
Neighbour: My husband worked 80 hours last week but then he has very good job.
Me: He hasn't got a job; he's living in purgatory.

Said husband eventually died after many strokes totally incapacitated him..

[kcockayne]

I, more or less, concur with HD. When I was at EGPD our next door neighbours thought I was unemployed. &, that was when 'PD was the third busiest aerodrome in the UK !
I didn't have it as easy as HD with Xmas & NY, but I had far more of them off than I worked. Even so, the loss of a few days was well worth it considering the overall time off benefits.
But, as a recently retired ATCO said above, the job has changed somewhat & it was before the "stifling hand" of the regulators made an unwanted appearance !

[kcockayne]

sparkleandsweat

Look, it's STILL better than working !

[Crazy Voyager]

Thank you for the replies everyone!

Judging from the encouragement and willingness to help in your responses, i'm inclined to say ATCs are a very friendly bunch! I was actually worried i'd get abuse for my ignorance :P

The job itself is almost perfect, it sounds like; (Almost) unanimous job satisfaction amongst you all! Moving to your given post (swanwick/prestwick usually?), shift work, etc are sacrifices that don't phase me particularly. BUT - the idea of missing important moments (xmas, birthdays, etc) is quite daunting to me.

how do you guys manage? Do you have problems maintaining friendships (attending social events, etc)? Does it cause rifts with family/other half/kids? Or is it a case of all your friends, etc are fellow ATCs? :p


To clarify, if you do start with NATS you do not pick your own post. Nor do you pick your speciality (ie Area/Approach/Aerodrome). The company will pick based on business needs at the time, and they will post you where you are needed. This is something you have to sign up to.

I personally didn't see it as a problem, but you should be aware that there is no garuantee at all of getting what you want. It's all down to what the company needs.


I don't have friends so don't have that problem :O

Jokes aside, it can be tricky. My other half is routinely a bit annoyed that I plan my holidays more than 6 months in advance (as she has no way of doing so), but that's just the way it works. So far it works out for us, how we feel about it in 20 years I don't know.

There are pros and cons to everything, I have worked 9-5 and now work shifts. I prefer the shifts because I'm less time at work and I can still plan my life quite nicely around it. Some people find it difficult but with a bit of planning I think it works out well.


Finally, for me, it boils down to this

sparkleandsweat

Look, it's STILL better than working !


I spend my days doing something that I find quite enjoyable, I have worked in the real world and I have no interest in going back. Yes there are downsides to ATC as well as anything else, but I still think it beats working for a living.

[kcockayne]

Crazy Voyager

So very glad that today's generation of ATCOS still think that way !

[LeftBlank]

HD you were lucky but don't mislead the youth of today.Your and kcockaynes world no longer exists.Over-regulation,privatisation,non-aviation itinerant management and the bottom dollar have changed everything in the industry.
I agree with Plazbot even if your Christmasses were subject to a draw if means someone was unlucky and perhaps someone was selfish in not giving up the odd one.31 off is incredible&couldn't happen now.I stand corrected if there was no-one at your unit who ever wanted a Christmas off.
I've worked in the real world and ATC- both have good and bad points.The life of an ATCO is great in your 20s and early 30s.After that family life&responsibilities take a knock as all those 0500 starts and Night shifts take their toll.Co-ordinating your wife's time off with yours and school holidays becomes an issue.Missed birthdays and missed anniversaries and school functions because you can't get leave lead to ill feeling.You learn to take the rough with smooth. It is a good career but it is not the walk in the park some on here would have you believe.:rolleyes:

[Vercingetorix]

LeftBlank
One plays the cards one is dealt with at the time. The leave system was done by consensus and was in no way dictatorial.
The life of an ATCO is also great in your 40s, 50s & 60s but it requires a positive attitude.
If one can't cope one should move on otherwise put the children in boarding school, tell the wife to get a meaningful well paid job and enjoy life as a 'mover and shaker' rather than as a watcher on the sidelines.
You appear to epitomise modern Britain as in the 'Me Me Me Gen X "I want it all but I don't want to put the effort in".

Stand up straight, fear God, Honour the Queen, shoot straight and keep your rifle clean.

And this from a Guardian reader since the '60s.


:{

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<I agree with Plazbot even if your Christmasses were subject to a draw if means someone was unlucky and perhaps someone was selfish in not giving up the odd one.>>

Just to let you know how it worked. Well before Christmas a list was drawn up showing the days over Christmas and New Year with columns appropriate to the number of staff required. We just popped our names in the columns showing when we would be happy to work - simple as that. I always opted to work Boxing Day and New Year if our watch was on and I always managed to get leave on Christmas Day. Nobody was inconvenienced in the slightest and everyone got what they wanted.

My wife never worked so she was always home when I was, which was magic and, God forbid, our sons never went to boarding school so we were a pretty happy family. I drove a Reliant Robin rather than a Porsche but that didn't worry me.

[Vercingetorix]

HD
Boarding school no problem.
Reliant Robin, magical 'cos you never really knew when they would tip over.
Family cars were a series of Citroens starting with a Light 15 Traction Avant with Dicky seat.
Later EGLL & EGTT ATCOs were the Porsche owning set.

Me, I preferred my Lotus

:ok:

[kcockayne]

LeftBlank

I am genuinely sorry that my ATC world no longer exists ( I would sincerely have hoped that you all still could experience it !) I actually acknowledged that fact with my comment about the "Dead Hand of the regulator".
I was also gratified to hear that some of today's breed of ATCO still seriously enjoys the job.
Everything else that I commented on may have completely changed - for which I blame "Public Private Partnerships" & the "Regulator" (SRG). I accept that. But what I said about the "job" in "my day" was the truth (not work, great personalities, enjoyable experience, plenty of time off).
I am sorry if you don't get that today, but greatly encouraged to hear that at least some ATCOS still feel that "it is better than working".
If it isn't, it is the present day ATCOS who bear part of the blame for allowing this to happen - is it not ?

[WorkInProgress]

As an operational ATCO who is still pre-40 (just!), I can say that most operational ATCO's do enjoy the job. It's the politics and the peripheral stuff that ruin it (not to mention those ATCO's that are still operational and taking their pension and still winging about everything in the world!!) but I expect that's the same in any large organisation. One thing that is definitely true today is that you do get plenty of leave but at my unit (47+ATCO') trying to get the leave when you require it has become almost a nightmare! You end up squabbling with your colleagues as to which cycles you can have off in the summer, some cycles only 1 ATCO can be off the roster at any 1 time and as far as christmas leave is concerned.......what a joke!! All I can say is that if Santa worked in ATC you wouldn't get your prezzies!!! I must work with people who all want the same time off?? Funny that!

[The Fat Controller]

Having been with NATS for 28 years, you will always have the "it's not what it used to be brigade", but don't let that put you off a career in ATC.

You will have to make compromises regarding holiday time, especially at smaller units.

I still enjoy my work and I think that holds true for most of the younger generation although it is noticeable that a lot fewer have much of an interest in aviation.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do.

[N90-EWR]

Just out of curiosity, and pardon my ignorance, but exactly when did the UK's ATC system go private?

[Loki]

Sometime in 2001, if memory serves.

[055166k]

If you have the right attitude you will never regret becoming a controller. A lot of the potential negatives that you highlight are in fact positives....shift work is brilliant and you soon get used to it.....all those horrible social events/family gatherings [and a multitude of other things] can be avoided; the time off is exceptional and avoids the weekend crush. If you have kids you will share their growth and development in a way that no other 9 to 5 weekday worker can equal.
This is my last day....I finally unplug my headset from the "fish-finder" at 2100, my last plane will probably be somewhere over South West UK. If you keep your nose clean and remain low profile.....do your job the best that you can every day and to every pilot with a cheery smile......you will enjoy a fantastic career. Its all about attitude and a bit of give and take.....today will be 44 years 11 months and 8 days........must remember to clear out my locker and hand in the headset and passes on the way out.
I envy you! Good luck!

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

055166K Wise words indeed. Many congrats on hanging up your electric hat and I wish you many happy and healthy years in retirement. Good luck.

My very first boss said to me: "If you get a ticket and eventually validate, it's money for old rope". How right he was...... but the "old rope" was quite exciting and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

[Squawk 7500]

It's all relative! Yes, you will hear the old-timers saying "it's not what it used to be" etc. and that is true. But the world is not what it used to be. It's not a hardship restricted only to ATC. Remember: the baby boomer generation was raised in a world of free education, cheap housing, public sector jobs-for-life, great pensions etc. and that world simply doesn't exist anymore.
I feel incredibly lucky to have landed such a fantastic career and wouldn't swap it for anything. Missing the odd Christmas lunch or night out drinking is a small price to pay!

My advice would be to apply now while you're deciding. The waiting list is only getting longer!

Good luck.

[ZOOKER]

O55166k,
Have a very long and happy retirement. It's been a pleasure reading your wise words.
Zooks.

[LeftBlank]

Vercingetorix
You said
"You appear to epitomise modern Britain as in the 'Me Me Me Gen X "I want it all but I don't want to put the effort in".
Well I guess you got me there.

I enjoyed talking to planes but it was the 'peripherals' that were becoming just dumber and dumber. That and nearly always not being able to take leave when I wanted/needed amongst some other things.
I'm sure a teacher's job of 30 years ago is no different to a teacher's job today.

The original post asked about work/life balance and I'm giving an alternative view of ATC a bit closer to the job that is done today.
The past is a foreign country, they 'did' things differently there…….