ATCO Decision now Excited/scared bout CATC
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: down south
Age: 43
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Whatever the pay, im just looking fwd to get started down at CATC. Passed final interviews sep2004, just waiting to get the dates to start, mentioned oct2005, seems really far away.
The pay may not seem like much to some if not most of you, but the ones of us that have actually got in with NATS are surley the lucky ones, so many of my workmates and friends have tried many times and failed so i really do consider myself to be very lucky, and will "struggle" along on 19.5k while i train for my dream job!!
Taffy1
The pay may not seem like much to some if not most of you, but the ones of us that have actually got in with NATS are surley the lucky ones, so many of my workmates and friends have tried many times and failed so i really do consider myself to be very lucky, and will "struggle" along on 19.5k while i train for my dream job!!
Taffy1
Join Date: Mar 2000
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Hey all,
i haven't read all the posts but i'm getting the general idea of the whole topic. As Scuzi and others have said, yeah the pays lower 14.4K ish plus WAP payments (£400 ish a month).
One major piece of advice, is that if you can avoid being tied into an accomodation contract, then avoid them like the plague. Chances are you will be very "mobile" whilst training at the college. Yes initially, for the first two and a bit months, whilst on the intro course, all your worries will be with passing!.. then comes flying training... with us (201) it was in 3 locations, bournemouth, wycombe and manston. so be prepared to be placed away. then comes your hols (no wap payment) then the biggy (for us) ops famil. some are at Swanwick (v. few) others at LTCC, scottish and manchester. We are there till feb some time, so the majority of us have had to move out of bournemouth altogether and will have to find new accom when we get back. I was lucky in that i got a 6 month contract with an opt out at 3,4 and 5 months. so ask. Otherwise for the non-family committed guys and gals theres always the B&B's in Westby road in Boscombe.
any Q's on general college bits and pieces or anything else drop me a pm.
Have fun and look forward to it!!!!!
C
i haven't read all the posts but i'm getting the general idea of the whole topic. As Scuzi and others have said, yeah the pays lower 14.4K ish plus WAP payments (£400 ish a month).
One major piece of advice, is that if you can avoid being tied into an accomodation contract, then avoid them like the plague. Chances are you will be very "mobile" whilst training at the college. Yes initially, for the first two and a bit months, whilst on the intro course, all your worries will be with passing!.. then comes flying training... with us (201) it was in 3 locations, bournemouth, wycombe and manston. so be prepared to be placed away. then comes your hols (no wap payment) then the biggy (for us) ops famil. some are at Swanwick (v. few) others at LTCC, scottish and manchester. We are there till feb some time, so the majority of us have had to move out of bournemouth altogether and will have to find new accom when we get back. I was lucky in that i got a 6 month contract with an opt out at 3,4 and 5 months. so ask. Otherwise for the non-family committed guys and gals theres always the B&B's in Westby road in Boscombe.
any Q's on general college bits and pieces or anything else drop me a pm.
Have fun and look forward to it!!!!!
C
Join Date: Nov 2004
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Foghorn
Don't hang too much on a start date from HR til you've signed on the dotted line (and even then...). Most of us on 201 waited up to 3 years from applying to starting, and were given several different start dates. And listen to ChrisF's wise words about accommodation - if you can avoid committing yourself to anything - do! The college can and will send you to all sorts of places during the course for varying lengths of time depending on which discipline you end up in. And of course there's always the awful possibility that you might not pass...
Good luck!!
N
Don't hang too much on a start date from HR til you've signed on the dotted line (and even then...). Most of us on 201 waited up to 3 years from applying to starting, and were given several different start dates. And listen to ChrisF's wise words about accommodation - if you can avoid committing yourself to anything - do! The college can and will send you to all sorts of places during the course for varying lengths of time depending on which discipline you end up in. And of course there's always the awful possibility that you might not pass...
Good luck!!
N
I say there boy
Join Date: Mar 2000
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Advice taken on board! As an oldie with an impending young family and a wife's career to think about, I think I might have slightly different accommodation criteria to those who are young, free and single 
Looking forward to college massively. Moving around a lot during the course and being posted somewhere else after it are just things that have to be dealt with at the time.
cheers!
foggy.
Looking forward to college massively. Moving around a lot during the course and being posted somewhere else after it are just things that have to be dealt with at the time.
cheers!
foggy.
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Can any of you signed, sealed and delivered people flesh out the paperwork that needs to be done after passing interview and before full acceptance. I ask this because honesty is not always the best policy and having given my employer the nod to make their life easier by saying I shouldn't be in their long term planning as I am having a career change and will be leaving in February or so next year they have decided that in fact I will be finishing next Monday and to complete my being 
over have rung my clients to begin the bad-mouthing process.
Wonderful stuff - so really what is the procedure regards referencing/security etc. How long to do & get - anything I can be doing to push it along. Cheers everyone and my God I'm hoping to get on in March rather than June now. Keep the English contingent up a bit eh lads
and lasses - I\'m sorry
over have rung my clients to begin the bad-mouthing process.Wonderful stuff - so really what is the procedure regards referencing/security etc. How long to do & get - anything I can be doing to push it along. Cheers everyone and my God I'm hoping to get on in March rather than June now. Keep the English contingent up a bit eh lads
and lasses - I\'m sorry
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damn right you pay council tax, ever since bournemouth council found out we get "big wonga"........Course 201 gets the reference!!
as for accomodation, ive got lucky with a swanwick placement but a lot of people are in for some major headaches, so dont get tied down.. chrisf/scuzi know what they're talking about. for a change :-p
another thing ive realised though, you people starting on december 6th arent going to have much fun running around new place with your undercarriage freezing off... wonder how they'll overcome that?
as for accomodation, ive got lucky with a swanwick placement but a lot of people are in for some major headaches, so dont get tied down.. chrisf/scuzi know what they're talking about. for a change :-p
another thing ive realised though, you people starting on december 6th arent going to have much fun running around new place with your undercarriage freezing off... wonder how they'll overcome that?
I say there boy
Join Date: Mar 2000
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BO - I was in a similar position with regards to informing my employer and getting a reference from them. I needed to know that as many ticks were in the right boxes as possible before I gave NATS permission to contact them so that I could tell them that I'm leaving.
They still haven't taken up my employer reference but they told me that it was all that they are waiting for.
As for us English yes we need to keep things up, looks like there are lots of Scots on the course, I'm sure that's going to make for plenty of friendly pub banter. That's as long as there are no Lancastrians on the course 
They still haven't taken up my employer reference but they told me that it was all that they are waiting for.
As for us English yes we need to keep things up, looks like there are lots of Scots on the course, I'm sure that's going to make for plenty of friendly pub banter. That's as long as there are no Lancastrians on the course
Join Date: Feb 2004
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Billy
Sorry to hear of your situation at work, what a crock.
I am not yet signed, sealed and delivered, but am penciled in for March. My advice is to phone up HR and keep on trying every week or so if you aren't yet on March. You never know what reshuffling will be going on. I have had my medical in August, but security clearance and references are completely out of my hands now, forms have been filled in and the rest is up to HR. Have you filled in your security questionnaire, if not phone up and ask for one, and for a letter regarding the medical. Mine all happened fairly soon (month or so) after I was accepted. I don't know that they do have a system of putting you down for a course when everything is completely ready, of course it would help, but I'm sure once you get through to someone they would at least be sympathetic to your plight and see what they could do. Good luck.
Sorry to hear of your situation at work, what a crock.
I am not yet signed, sealed and delivered, but am penciled in for March. My advice is to phone up HR and keep on trying every week or so if you aren't yet on March. You never know what reshuffling will be going on. I have had my medical in August, but security clearance and references are completely out of my hands now, forms have been filled in and the rest is up to HR. Have you filled in your security questionnaire, if not phone up and ask for one, and for a letter regarding the medical. Mine all happened fairly soon (month or so) after I was accepted. I don't know that they do have a system of putting you down for a course when everything is completely ready, of course it would help, but I'm sure once you get through to someone they would at least be sympathetic to your plight and see what they could do. Good luck.
Thread Starter
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Billy
Aye boys the Scot's are coming. You'll be out for a few in Kbar etc with us young free and single team mates don't you worry foggy baby.
I'm sorry to hear what's happened Billy. I've told NATS not to request my references until my place is confirmed.
I am tho making moves to begin selling my flat. This means that the March start is essential. I could always rent tho or move back to Mama's (nightmare there goes the sex life).
If though HR took my references, I handed my notice in and then they changed the start date I'd be slightly miffed. Fingers crossed. Apparently it's Jan 2005 we'll receive written confirmation.
I'm sorry to hear what's happened Billy. I've told NATS not to request my references until my place is confirmed.
I am tho making moves to begin selling my flat. This means that the March start is essential. I could always rent tho or move back to Mama's (nightmare there goes the sex life).
If though HR took my references, I handed my notice in and then they changed the start date I'd be slightly miffed. Fingers crossed. Apparently it's Jan 2005 we'll receive written confirmation.
I say there boy
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You and me both, pal I've been signed up for March for months now. So I expect that now that I've started committing to plans to move down there I'm ripe for moving to a later course, then
I've been signed up for March for months now. So I expect that now that I've started committing to plans to move down there I'm ripe for moving to a later course, then
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Afternoon folks... I'm a bit late in joining this thread but I'm another of the March or June starts next year and thought it's about time I said hello!
It's been great to read about all you other guys/gals in the same position as me. I'm 27, currently working in I.T. in Belfast and thought it's about time I did something about it before I suddenly wake up to find that I've spent 30 years in a career I have absolutely no passion for whatsoever. Moving away from my family, my life long friends and taking a salary cut for a few years would understandably strike some people as being a little reckless but surely we can't all be mad or they'd never have let us in in the first place!
I'm well up for the challenge and am looking forward to the change of scenery and a bit of fun along the way. And I just read last week that Jet2 are starting direct flights from Belfast to Bournmeouth from next March so it's obviously meant to be... That'll make things easy when I'm pining to get home the odd weekend for a proper tasty Guinness. I do have one major concern right now though... Southampton are in severe danger of relegation and I was kinda looking forward to seeing some regular Premiership footie next season...
On another note... did anyone have any bother reclaiming their travel expenses from the medical? I did mine in August and am still waiting for reimbursement for the flights, despite several gentle reminders to HR. That extra £130 would certainly add a bit more festive cheer to the month of December.
Bye for now,
Dave
P.S. If there are any Irish folks out there who are starting next year I'd like to hear from you. I see the Scots have already found a few pals!
It's been great to read about all you other guys/gals in the same position as me. I'm 27, currently working in I.T. in Belfast and thought it's about time I did something about it before I suddenly wake up to find that I've spent 30 years in a career I have absolutely no passion for whatsoever. Moving away from my family, my life long friends and taking a salary cut for a few years would understandably strike some people as being a little reckless but surely we can't all be mad or they'd never have let us in in the first place!
I'm well up for the challenge and am looking forward to the change of scenery and a bit of fun along the way. And I just read last week that Jet2 are starting direct flights from Belfast to Bournmeouth from next March so it's obviously meant to be... That'll make things easy when I'm pining to get home the odd weekend for a proper tasty Guinness. I do have one major concern right now though... Southampton are in severe danger of relegation and I was kinda looking forward to seeing some regular Premiership footie next season...
On another note... did anyone have any bother reclaiming their travel expenses from the medical? I did mine in August and am still waiting for reimbursement for the flights, despite several gentle reminders to HR. That extra £130 would certainly add a bit more festive cheer to the month of December.
Bye for now,
Dave
P.S. If there are any Irish folks out there who are starting next year I'd like to hear from you. I see the Scots have already found a few pals!
Join Date: Mar 2004
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Dingerc,
There is a perfectly good League One side in Bournemouth - (just ask Blackburn Rovers ) with a bit (ok.. a lot!) of luck they'll be in the same division as Southampton next season.
Who needs the Premiershi*?
There is a perfectly good League One side in Bournemouth - (just ask Blackburn Rovers
) with a bit (ok.. a lot!) of luck they'll be in the same division as Southampton next season.Who needs the Premiershi*?
Spink Pots
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Dingerc -
I was the same as you, moved from an IT job in NI to do this. All I can say is that I have no regrets whatsoever, the move is well worth it. I'll be back in the college by March from Ops Famil. and will be taking advantage of Jet2's flights. Up until now I've been flying with FlyBE from Southampton.
Good luck!
I was the same as you, moved from an IT job in NI to do this. All I can say is that I have no regrets whatsoever, the move is well worth it. I'll be back in the college by March from Ops Famil. and will be taking advantage of Jet2's flights. Up until now I've been flying with FlyBE from Southampton.
Good luck!