NATS : Complaints and queries about time taken to recruit (Merged)

[b025053]

Patience

TiredFB

Why dont you ring HR?

Speak to the lady (wont say her name here) and go about it that way. Im afraid I hold no hope for your emither. Atleast on the phone you'll get some sort of idea.

I wouldnt worry about it, they are still recruiting, thus perhaps need to make the numbers up before they can announce start dates etc

All the best, to the Seagul

[tired-flyboy]

Maybe HR read this forum.......

heres a reply i got goes something like this.

"You can expect to hear from us in the next few months. There is no requirement at this stage to complete any medicals etc but this will be required shortly."

Ah well the non commital wait continues..........

How long is a 'few months'?......how long is a piece of string?

See you about the bazaars!



ps
b025053 how did the interview go?? feel confident?

[umpljazz]

Current wait

Hi all,

Does anyone know the current time length between submission of application form to start of training?

I have just finished my first year computing science degree and was wondering when I should apply?

Many thanks,

James

[tired-flyboy]

James,

the average wait seems to be about 2 years, although this may speed up in the future.

there has been some reorganising of the HR and training course so some people are still in limbo.

your at uni - get your degree done first and think about applying in your third year (obviously before that if your hating your studies!!)

HTH

[Findo]

I was told the other day that some sucessful applicants from the last few weeks will be offered courses in October 05.

[tired-flyboy]

but findo when did they apply?? i guess about 1yr ago. (maybe slightly less)

[b025053]

Interview

well

I enjoyed it. There wasnt anything I couldnt answer, and I answered honestly. Wether this is good? I dont know! Guess time will tell. I realised how much I wanted the job before going into the interview which helped to increase pressure

I was suprised as to the numbers also. In my previous group there was 74! In the morning interview session there was just three, including me I dont know wether this is the norm?

I know the lady who interviewed me from HR uses pprune, so you never know.

Ill let you know of any news good or bad as to the position.

all the best

b025

[Inverted81]

Hi,
yep about 3 per session seems about norm, 9 per day. If you feel confident then great! I felt like i did absolute pants on the sorting computer test.... number into piles??? ok bit confusing, then when your fingers dont do what their told its worse! lol

Oct 05 seems to be the general idea, i was told that at the start of April.... dunno how many are going to be on the courses tho?? I've spoken to an ATCO and she said when she went thro there were 50 odd on the course, but i'm sure i read recently that numbers for the latest courses only have 11 or so... someone correct me if i'm wrong... perhaps because of the re-structuring and only doin the tower OR radar work....
Hope to see you on a course soon!
Chris

[Someone_Else]

Thought some of you might find this useful :

I am one of those who applied in May 2003, had my selection tests in Feb 04 and just had my interview and be told if we were successful we would be looking at Oct 05 entry.

We discussed why it was a long process and there were a number of factors: (if I remember everything right, bear in mind I was concentrating on other issues!!)

The downturn in aviation after previous world events played a part. But also, there were things they were going to do at the college (shift working etc) which meant they had increased the number of applications, after those changes didn't go ahead and coupled with the downturn, they found they had an excess of applicants.

They then had to move the recruitment teams to Southampton which some of you already know about, this meant the admin suffered a little, but personally I felt I was kept well informed of things - I received four letters over the course of last year.

Lastly, they have just changed their courses, so they didn't know how that would affect numbers of students required.

Now they are working through the "backlog" of applicants and I think it is balancing out. I have a friend who applied by e-mail at the start of April, got acknowledgement and went to selection by the end of the month.

It's all a game of patience, one I am on again as I am waiting for that letter to come through the door! Nerve racking to say the least, but the anticipation is quite exciting! If I am successful It will be well worth the wait, I am really looking forward to the possibilty of doing this job. As that saying goes, good things come to those who wait!

[mickrobbo]

I applied in March 2003, had my selection date beginning March 2004, scheduled interview for next week, this has now been cancelled due to staffing shortages , and possibly, tho not confirmed to be rescheduled for w/c 21 June, so realistically it could be months!!!!! I have never found anything more frustrating and infuriating in my entire life! I didn't realise it would take 18mths + to get through an application process, and with course start dates now looking like Oct '05 at best, it just gets worse...For an organisation which has such a critically important responsibility for controlling Air Traffic in the UK, I find it astonishing that the recruitment side of things is such a shambles!

[tired-flyboy]

Chrisf

Have to ask, where can you read about your 'rumours' there seems to be nothing on the nats home page?

Or is it all word of mouth?

TIA

[Inverted81]

lkie what??
not spreading rumours, just discussions i have had with people... both current ATCO's and some just about to start their course! its not second ot third hand info, just from the people who have been or who are going to go through the process.
The NATS webpage doesn't have any info relevant to post selection as far as i'm aware....

if its wrong i'm sorry, but you have to try and extract info from the inside dont ya? as for my Oct 05 start, i was told that in the interview, in fact we had a long discussion about it...

get talking to people... the chat part of this website is really good, because you get to have some serious and some "not so serious" discussions with people in the industry....
like i say if the info is wrong i'm sorry, but hey if it offers a glimmer of hope all the better!

Chris

[mainecoon]

mick
i take your points on board and have sympathy for all of you in this position but staff shortage means the person who would be doing the interview (who is an operational bod) is needed for that so as you can see it's a catch 22 situation

hr may struggle but as i have said in previous threads once in the company they (in my case anyway) are second to none and do their best for you

sorry i'm not of more help (and cut them a bit of slack doesn't help your cause) but a lot of patience can reap rewards

[kiora]

Man, am I glad I started reading this forum!!!!

When my interview date was rescheduled again (follwoing the rescheduled selection tests) I was beginning to wonder if I had done something to upset someone, but now I see it's a fairly widespread problem!!

Might as well chuck my two pence worth in: I applied August 2003, was initially to sit selection tests in November 2003 but they got changed a few times and I eventually sat them in feb 2004. Interview initially April 2004, now next week (unless I get told otherwise).

I'm feeling everyone's pain out there!

[b025053]

uhm

"Good things come to those who wait"

so it may not apply to girls, but if we get this job, we wont look back to moan at how long it took us!

All the best of luck to everyone

[foghorn]

Applied in September 2002.
Aptitude Tests in April 2003
Interview in February 2004
Waiting to go to the college "some time in 2005".

Getting concerned about my medical now. I hold a JAA class one for flying, but I think my eyesight has slipped whisker outside the initial requirements since then

[Van Der Hum]

I dont think (well hope!) that any area will get preferential treatment re a start date. if they do i'll be on the phone straight away...

However, there may be current NATS ATSAs waiting for a course at units that will be affected by the introduction of EFPS (SS and KK) who may get onto a course to coincide with the reduction in staff numbers at those units.

There may also be other operational reasons affecting the timing of when they can be released that may see them move up the queue.

[I'm not joking sir]

At my interview in March I was told they were recruiting for December '04 and March '05.

I found out that I'd passed in the last week of March and did my medical in the first week of April. (Still waiting for the paperwork from CAA.)

However, I am in the situation mentioned above and have been told that it would be preferable for me to get on the March course as that would be good timing with EFPS.

[PPRuNe Radar]

Are ATSAs whose duties are being replaced by Electronic Flight Strips being guaranteed ATCO courses then ?? Has potentially massive ramifications if applied equally across to the Area side of things in a few years time.

[tired-flyboy]

There is a prime example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing....

I'm not joking sir wrote...

I found out that I'd passed in the last week of March and did my medical in the first week of April.

I got my confirmation letter at the beginning of march and have heard nothing since except it will be several months before we get in touch.

You've been very lucky that everything went so quickly, when i've been thinking about my interview the HR interviewer said Dec '04 and the ATC interviewer said Jan or Mar'05..

I wonder if you've gone through quicker as you work for NATS (i assume ATSA)???