NATS interview process
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I'm through aswell!
I will proably go for the 31st in Swanwick, getting to Prestwick from me is even worse than going to Swanwick, besides this gives me a lot of time to fit in visits to ATC units before I have my stage 3.
Great work everyone!
I will proably go for the 31st in Swanwick, getting to Prestwick from me is even worse than going to Swanwick, besides this gives me a lot of time to fit in visits to ATC units before I have my stage 3.
Great work everyone!
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Registration/Online Test
Yes I know plenty of will be 'tutting' when you see the title I just put and wondering if I've read through this topic 
Well, hello everyone. I'm 20, currently a final year University Student studying Computing and have always had a strong passion for aviation, more specifically Air Traffic Control. I have read through probably about 100-150 pages of this topic to see what people's experiences are and try to help prepare myself. I am looking at registering and doing the online test in about 3 months time and would like to ask a few things.
Once registered online and filled in various forms, may I ask what you are likely to be questioned on whilst doing the online test?
Is it now Windows 7 compatible? I saw someone post before regarding this issue.
I could ask more but I just basically want a general outline of what you have to do when registering online and doing the test. Like I said, I have a strong passion for ATC and I've always wanted to be an ATCO since the age of about 12!
Any tips are most appreciated (and sorry for regular visitors who have seen another 'newbie' post)
Kind regards everyone
Jack
Well, hello everyone. I'm 20, currently a final year University Student studying Computing and have always had a strong passion for aviation, more specifically Air Traffic Control. I have read through probably about 100-150 pages of this topic to see what people's experiences are and try to help prepare myself. I am looking at registering and doing the online test in about 3 months time and would like to ask a few things.
Once registered online and filled in various forms, may I ask what you are likely to be questioned on whilst doing the online test?
Is it now Windows 7 compatible? I saw someone post before regarding this issue.
I could ask more but I just basically want a general outline of what you have to do when registering online and doing the test. Like I said, I have a strong passion for ATC and I've always wanted to be an ATCO since the age of about 12!
Any tips are most appreciated (and sorry for regular visitors who have seen another 'newbie' post)
Kind regards everyone
Jack
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Just wanted to quickly say thanks to Batfink and the others that replied to my questions a couple days ago.
I wrote a fairly lengthy response but after hitting 'submit' I got a message about it needing to be checked by a moderator (I'm assuming this is because I'm a 'probationary member'?) and so far, nothing.
Is it normal for posts to just disappear without any warning or explanation?
---
Back on topic: Seems as if Stage 2 and 3 dates are popping up here and there but still no word on Stage 1. H/R told me they'd post them in Feb, but no clue as to WHEN in Feb. Anybody else had any more detailed information?
---
JackRalston:
First thing I'd say is, that due to the demand and apparently NATS reducing the number of applicants they take in this year, there are longs waits. If you're interested in applying, I'd do it ASAP.
I sent my application in late December, and April is the earliest I can do the FIRST stage of tests.
Then, if what I've read here is accurate, I can expect to wait 2-4 weeks minimum between each series of tests, and then if'n'when I finish Stage 3 and the medical and all that madness, I could still have to wait up to 3 months to get a place in the college itself.
So, assuming I'm successful in my application, I very much doubt I'd be starting the college til October at the very earliest, more likely early 2012.
All of this is guesswork based on what I've seen/heard/read, but seems to be a fairly good bet. Especially as they're moving the college from Bournemouth to Fareham in August this year, so the first course they're going to put any people on will (I assume) be starting just after that. And there are people that applied way before me that are still in the process and will most likely get those early spots.
I'm not holding my breath...basically
I wrote a fairly lengthy response but after hitting 'submit' I got a message about it needing to be checked by a moderator (I'm assuming this is because I'm a 'probationary member'?) and so far, nothing.
Is it normal for posts to just disappear without any warning or explanation?
---
Back on topic: Seems as if Stage 2 and 3 dates are popping up here and there but still no word on Stage 1. H/R told me they'd post them in Feb, but no clue as to WHEN in Feb. Anybody else had any more detailed information?
---
JackRalston:
First thing I'd say is, that due to the demand and apparently NATS reducing the number of applicants they take in this year, there are longs waits. If you're interested in applying, I'd do it ASAP.
I sent my application in late December, and April is the earliest I can do the FIRST stage of tests.
Then, if what I've read here is accurate, I can expect to wait 2-4 weeks minimum between each series of tests, and then if'n'when I finish Stage 3 and the medical and all that madness, I could still have to wait up to 3 months to get a place in the college itself.
So, assuming I'm successful in my application, I very much doubt I'd be starting the college til October at the very earliest, more likely early 2012.
All of this is guesswork based on what I've seen/heard/read, but seems to be a fairly good bet. Especially as they're moving the college from Bournemouth to Fareham in August this year, so the first course they're going to put any people on will (I assume) be starting just after that. And there are people that applied way before me that are still in the process and will most likely get those early spots.
I'm not holding my breath...basically
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Don't worry about the online tests, I've not heard of anyone that has failed the one pre-stage 1, so just get your application done and do your best. If I remember correctly I did the online test on windows 7 and it worked for me 
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@AJArkley
now you have done stage 2 and you have passed....could you advice if skytest is good practice or not in order to pass stage 2?
thanks!!!
P.S. well done for the ones are through stage 3!!!
now you have done stage 2 and you have passed....could you advice if skytest is good practice or not in order to pass stage 2?
thanks!!!
P.S. well done for the ones are through stage 3!!!
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Haha thanks Crazy Voyager, you're right, it seems I can now! I registered and posted a question two days ago but it hasn't shown up yet!
In short I just want to know:
-is the NATS process the only route into an ATC career for a UK citizen?
and:
-is there any preparation I can do for the first stage of the process, the online test on the website? I've been researching this for a while and am keen to apply. I think if you fail you can't re-apply for 18 months though, so want to make sure I don't!
It seems highly competitive to get in, right?
Any help/advice gratefully received!
Charlie
In short I just want to know:
-is the NATS process the only route into an ATC career for a UK citizen?
and:
-is there any preparation I can do for the first stage of the process, the online test on the website? I've been researching this for a while and am keen to apply. I think if you fail you can't re-apply for 18 months though, so want to make sure I don't!
It seems highly competitive to get in, right?
Any help/advice gratefully received!
Charlie
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Kautostar,
The NATS process is the only free way of getting into UK ATC. There is also the Eurocontrol process if you wanted to work in Europe. There are a couple of colleges in the UK where you can fund your own courses but you would then have to apply to a non NATS airport for a job.
Another method is to apply to an airfield as an ATSA and hope that they can sponsor you through training, I'm not sure how viable that method is these days.
The application process is tough, I'm sure I've heard that only 3% of applicants make it through to the college. The college itself is even tougher, and validation training at a unit is a whole different world of tough
Worth it in the end though
The NATS process is the only free way of getting into UK ATC. There is also the Eurocontrol process if you wanted to work in Europe. There are a couple of colleges in the UK where you can fund your own courses but you would then have to apply to a non NATS airport for a job.
Another method is to apply to an airfield as an ATSA and hope that they can sponsor you through training, I'm not sure how viable that method is these days.
The application process is tough, I'm sure I've heard that only 3% of applicants make it through to the college. The college itself is even tougher, and validation training at a unit is a whole different world of tough
Worth it in the end though
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Hey,
I'll answer your second question first. There is nothing realy you can prepare for the initial online test. Just make sure you are rested and calm, you'll get to practice the test before taking the actual test. Secondly, the NATS application process is not a competition, as long as your scores are above what they demand you'll keep on going.
The answer to your second question is no.
As a UK citizen you can besides NATS as well apply via private companies, I think this will require you to pay for your training yourself. I don't know anything about that myself.
Besides these two options there are as well other options. The question there is just, what would you like to do and are you willing to move outside of the UK?
You could apply to Eurocontrol, requires you to move to Maastricht in the end and you will only be able to do Upper Airspace.
Besides this you can in principle apply to all countries in Europe. Some countries have different requirements than others, some will ask for a certain higher degree, some will require you to be able to talk a different language besides English as well....
All depends on what you want and what you are willing to do for it....
Good luck with whatever path you choose...
I'll answer your second question first. There is nothing realy you can prepare for the initial online test. Just make sure you are rested and calm, you'll get to practice the test before taking the actual test. Secondly, the NATS application process is not a competition, as long as your scores are above what they demand you'll keep on going.
The answer to your second question is no.
As a UK citizen you can besides NATS as well apply via private companies, I think this will require you to pay for your training yourself. I don't know anything about that myself.
Besides these two options there are as well other options. The question there is just, what would you like to do and are you willing to move outside of the UK?
You could apply to Eurocontrol, requires you to move to Maastricht in the end and you will only be able to do Upper Airspace.
Besides this you can in principle apply to all countries in Europe. Some countries have different requirements than others, some will ask for a certain higher degree, some will require you to be able to talk a different language besides English as well....
All depends on what you want and what you are willing to do for it....
Good luck with whatever path you choose...
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Stage 1 example numeracy question
question:
You burn 36 kgs of fuel per hour. How much fuel will you need to travel 56 miles if you average a speed of 96 mph?
solution:
Solution: 56/96 x 36 = 21kgs
....
my question is how do you work out the above calculation without a calculator?
You burn 36 kgs of fuel per hour. How much fuel will you need to travel 56 miles if you average a speed of 96 mph?
solution:
Solution: 56/96 x 36 = 21kgs
....
my question is how do you work out the above calculation without a calculator?
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question:
You burn 36 kgs of fuel per hour. How much fuel will you need to travel 56 miles if you average a speed of 96 mph?
solution:
Solution: 56/96 x 36 = 21kgs
My solution:
56/96 = 28/48 {{56=28*2 and 96=48*2}} 28/48=14/24=7/12
this leads to
7*36/12 = 7*18/6 = 7*9/3 = 7*3=21
and 21 is the answer, this is how I work with these questions and it got me through stage 1 anyway
Look for common denominators and simplify, keep going until you've got something you can do easily in your head. Just be careful with your units (don't mess up minutes/hours etc).
You burn 36 kgs of fuel per hour. How much fuel will you need to travel 56 miles if you average a speed of 96 mph?
solution:
Solution: 56/96 x 36 = 21kgs
My solution:
56/96 = 28/48 {{56=28*2 and 96=48*2}} 28/48=14/24=7/12
this leads to
7*36/12 = 7*18/6 = 7*9/3 = 7*3=21
and 21 is the answer, this is how I work with these questions and it got me through stage 1 anyway
Look for common denominators and simplify, keep going until you've got something you can do easily in your head. Just be careful with your units (don't mess up minutes/hours etc).
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Thanks for that Crazy Voyager, very good.
Makes sense now I look at it that way.
Is it correct that for the numeracy test where questions like this would appear, scrap paper is allowed?
Not sure I could work it out otherwise..Plus doing that in less than a minute could be tough!
Makes sense now I look at it that way.
Is it correct that for the numeracy test where questions like this would appear, scrap paper is allowed?
Not sure I could work it out otherwise..Plus doing that in less than a minute could be tough!
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Very good Crazy Voyager, that's how I work them out too
It's also handy to memorise time units as a fraction of an hour:
E.g. 10mins = 1/6 hours
4mins = 1/15 hours
It saves trying to work them out for the first time on the day and helps on the questions such as...
'A plane is travelling at 196kts, how far does it travel in 2hr 8mins.'
It's also handy to memorise time units as a fraction of an hour:
E.g. 10mins = 1/6 hours
4mins = 1/15 hours
It saves trying to work them out for the first time on the day and helps on the questions such as...
'A plane is travelling at 196kts, how far does it travel in 2hr 8mins.'
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Morning . . . thanks for the replies to my questions guys - very helpful. Certainly looks like the NATS route is the simplest one in. I think I'll just sit the online test ASAP and see how it goes then - a little bit nervous about doing ok, but I'm usually ok at that sort of thing I think so fingers crossed! . . .
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Woohoo, my posts finally showed up. Anybody know how long this 'probationary member' thing lasts? Having a discussion when my posts don't show up for 5 days, and are now sitting several pages behind the current one, isn't terribly productive.
Ne'ermind, if anybody wants to read what I wrote, look back a page or two (p348 and p349). Batfink, JackRalston, and sambatc, I responded specifically to comments/questions you guys made, so might be more relevant for you than others.
*sigh*
Ne'ermind, if anybody wants to read what I wrote, look back a page or two (p348 and p349). Batfink, JackRalston, and sambatc, I responded specifically to comments/questions you guys made, so might be more relevant for you than others.
*sigh*
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Ommony, thanks for the info - as far as I'm aware my spine is straight!
Your figures for the application process (2-4 weeks between stages, 3 months after stage 3 till start date at college) seem very optimistic to me.... my Stage 1 was 12th Nov, Stage 2 Jan 26th, and Stage 3 would have been April 26th if I hadn't lucked out (I think it must have been a cancellation) and gotten the Feb 10th date. And I'm not really expecting a start date before November to be available if I'm lucky enough to pass next week.
Worth the wait though
Your figures for the application process (2-4 weeks between stages, 3 months after stage 3 till start date at college) seem very optimistic to me.... my Stage 1 was 12th Nov, Stage 2 Jan 26th, and Stage 3 would have been April 26th if I hadn't lucked out (I think it must have been a cancellation) and gotten the Feb 10th date. And I'm not really expecting a start date before November to be available if I'm lucky enough to pass next week.
Worth the wait though