Stage 3
 

Hi everyone I just got through to stage 3 I wanted to know if anyone who has done it, and whether you could give me some tips eg what kind of ATC interview questions they may ask, tricky questions etc and what to expect on the day would be helpful :)

How are people preparing for their stage 3 group session and interview?
What are you looking into?

If you've already been for your stage 3, what's the best advice you can give?
Appreciate the help.

JH

Stage 3 Assessment
 

Hi, I've finally got my stage 3 booked for the 21st Jan 2020!
When I selected this date back in November I was told that the dress code for the day was to be formal/business dress, and I was wondering how many people actually planned to turn up in a suit etc. or would that be too extreme?
Also it says to get there for 8am but doesn't give too much indication as to what time the day will end, so I've been struggling to find the correct train times to book. If anyone could offer some advice on anything I've missed that would be amazing!
Good luck to everyone still in the process too :)

Happy New Year
 

Happy New Year to everybody🎄⛄!

I wish everyone to have a successful year and good luck with applying for the✈️ ATC job✈️!

I havn't even applied to NATS but i'm sure going in a suit would be better

For my interview there were a couple of guys in full suits, a lot were in shirts and smart trousers, and I think one guy was in chinos and a shirt.

I did the old process, but I think I'd finished the stage 3 by lunchtime. I was in the first session of the day, which was a general interview and a technical interview.

Can someone take me through the up to date process please?! I keep visiting the tower and learning some basic info from them at my workplace but they all went through the process 10 + years ago barring 2 and they had different processes to what I've currently been through.

What was the interview process like? I know we have to resit the online tests which I thought I had done terribly on but apparently not as my assessment centre is in a few months.

I'm losing my head :ugh:

This is based on my experience from July.

At the assessment centre depending on how big the group is you may be split. My group did the tests first of which there were no surprises; identical to the ones you did at home but they are on an iPad. The multiple choice test on the reading material you are provided with is in this sitting. Revision of the entire booklet is necessary.

Personal interview which is entirely competency based, there was little to no interest in 'why you want to be a controller' and 'what you know about NATS' it's 90+ minutes of scenario based competency questions - 'How do you respond in x scenario', 'Give us an example of when you have been in x situation'. It is very important that you relate back to the situational judgement test you would of done at home in your answers as this is what it is referenced from (not the questions, your responses).

Q&A with a NATS controller

A timed group discussion, 4 of us centre room with 8-10 assessors (HR and NATS employees) sat around taking notes. This is again scenario based and you are expected to role play. It is important that you relate back to your situational judgement test and your interview responses when conducting yourself. It is not surprising that given the pool of applicants and their personalities you will be drawn into the various scenarios that are reminiscent of the scenario based questions. You will get found out if you claim to be a introvert but then engage in heated exchanges with the rest of the group. Basically be yourself, I can't imagine anyone can keep up an alter ego all day in such a demanding environment.

Day concludes.

It's very difficult to prepare for the assessment centre as a whole, the aptitude testing is just that which cannot be revised and the interview had so many question it would be impossible to have a loaded answer for every single one, you have either experienced what they are referring to or you haven't there were times where I hadn't and responded with 'I've never dealt with x but if I had I would x'

Hope this helps and good luck.

Hey, good luck on the 21st. In terms of dress code: if you're ever in doubt, it's easy to be under-dressed but hard to be over-dressed :-) I wore a suit and tie, following the "business dress" instruction, and didn't feel out of place on the day. Can't help too much with train times, but maybe best to have an open-ended ticket?

Do you mean referring back to the situational judgement test or the personality questionaire?

I've got mine booked on the same day - travelling down the night before!

I'm going to be wearing a full suit with tie, you can never go wrong interviewing in a full suit.

As for booking a return train, obviously the best thing to do would be to book an open return, but if you can't do that, I'd personally play it safe and book beyond 6pm - it's "expected" to finish at 4pm but I think leaving a 2+ hour window would be smart.

I really don't know how to prepare for the competence tests, all I've been doing to prepare is reading that 26-page document every day... still haven't memorised any of the aircraft info on the last few pages yet!

I'm honestly not preparing for the group discussion or interview phase, I'm solely revising the 26-page document as I don't really think you can do much else!

You really can't prepare for the group exercise, just be yourself and try to have fun with it. For the interview, make sure to think of a number of scenarios where you've demonstrated different skills (just as you would for any other interview). And of course, as absolutely is doing, make sure to read through and learn the information pack that you have been given. Good luck all!!!

Hi everyone!
I am attending the Stage 3 interview next Wednesday 14th Jan. Anyone else?
I had already apply for ATC with NATS two years ago, but did not manage to pass the DART test.
So the booklet test should not be too difficult but I am very curious about the interview and group discussion.

Anyone that has attended can give any example of the questions they may ask?
Also, English is not my first language so Im worried any language barrier might be an issue and not being able to communicate as much as I want to.

Please, any advice?
Btw, Im planning to attend also on suit and tie :)

Thank you!

What I was trying to get at is there's no use in free styling answers in the interview and group discussion. It needs to remain fairly pragmatic and in line with how you would actually respond, which in turn should tie in with your SJT and personality questionnaire.

Hi Chris, I have my stage 3 on 17th, Can you give me some more info about the day especially the interview questions and group discussion topics.

I hope you passed and look forward to training together

Hi how did your stage 3 go ? I Have mine in March, do you have any tips ?

Is there anyone starting at Jerez in March 2020 that's still browsing this forum? I know there is only a handful of us on the course but it would be nice to get acquainted before it all kicks off, and I haven't been able to get in contact with anyone else yet.
Cheers and good luck for folks in the application process, it can be a headache but just be yourself and if its meant to be then it will be.