Thanks Pete, I never went to Canadia but took the UAE ACC gig a couple of years ago. I just landed back in D-Town from Brisbane this morning after twenty of my sixty days days leave. Hearing what I hear, seeing what I see and reading what I read not just about AsA but the country in general, I might just stay put. I kept associate membership of Civil Air so read the forums there from time to time. Some pretty disappointing stuff that I wont bore the readers with on both sides of the fence. Applicants will be best served to just believe what they want and find out for themseles. :D

:ok:

Plaz,

So you went to Aisle 5! Mate, if you want to come back, you could tell those above me where you'd like to go. We are short everywhere.

Drop me an email from time to time mate. It would be good to catch up.

DP

ask23
 

While I am not an assessor or involved in any way with the recruitment process I have been in for a decade or two and I at least I have learn't to know how to take advice. If you carry your attitude with you to the learning academy and then, should you make it through into the field I would suggest that your chances are slim. An explosive approach to advice will be contrary to the help you will desperately need. Suggesting advice is offensive has got an enormous tag of ' I do not belong here'. I'd save my 300 bucks and go see centrelink. Your circumstances have been seen a thousand times before and while applicants aren't as thick on the ground as people think there are still plenty of choices.

ask23, read what willadvise said again & think very hard.

Fly down on the day & there's a very good chance you'll arrive late for the test, even if the flight arrives on time. Rushing around like a blue @rsed fly (& you certainly will be) isn't good preparation for anything let alone a full on day of testing.

The choice is yours but seriously, you're not doing yourself any favours.

ask23, while "utter madness" might be a bit harsh, willadvise is pretty much bang on otherwise. 8.05 will be the time the plane touches down (if you're lucky), not when you get off the plane. By the time you taxi to the gate, file off the plane, run through the terminal to the cab rank, you'll be lucky if it's earlier than 8.25. I'm in Melbourne on the course at the moment and I fly home a bit, and I tell my wife to show up 20 minutes after the arrival time, as that's usually when I'm standing out the front ready, and that's at 10, 11 at night even.

Having said that, if you persist with that particular flight, it'd be lucky to be a 5-10 minute cab ride. It's not far, just by the time they weave their way through all the morning traffic at the airport, and get to ASA, you're gonna be late no matter which way you slice it :(

As you said, we don't know your circumstances, but we do know the testing. I would in the strongest way suggest getting there the day before if you can to give it your best shot.

Red Eye Flight
 

Thanks for all the advice guys. My initial response was a bit harsh I presume. My apologies to willadvice. I rescheduled my flight and am looking for a cheapish place to stay near the airport in Brizzie. Suggestions are most welcome!

Formula 1 Motel is just outside the Airport area and is $89/night the sign I saw said. You could opt to stay further away and catch the Train to avoid an expensive taxi fare. The train is (was?) not all that cheap but is not robbery like Brisbane cabs. There is a train station at the domestic terminal and you can(could?) easily walk to the centre if that is where the interviews are.

Update
 

Update: Received an email, Success! Woot
Notified to keep an eye on my email for an invitation to select a time and date for the phone interview.

The email suggests that the phone interview times are dependent on location.
"We arrange telephone interviews based on your location and when we are holding assessment centres in that location next."

Thanks, and hope everyone in my postion also had a happy outcome.
Cheers :)

Hotel
 

Tnx Plaz, booked the Formula 1, much appreciated. Anyone else here who
is gonna stay there for the test in the second week of September? we might be able to catch up the day before the test.....:)

People & Change = HR

Terminal to ASA is about 500-1000m depending on what terminal u come out from. You'd be able to walk it pretty easily in 5 minutes. Head towards the tower.

Hi all,

So glad that I found this forum :-)
I recently applied for the ATC program.. (hopefully in Melbourne)

Early July: Application in
Early August: Email invitation for online assessment
Early August: Online assessment completed
Mid August: Email received advising of successful online assessment

So now I am waiting on the next email regarding phone interview times.
I believe the whole process up to this point has been quick compare to others in this forum.

Still very excited about passing the online assessment stage and very eager to progress! :)

Anyway, best of luck to all of us!

Hi Ask,

Good run in you had there with your Dutch background (being very direct, upfront, defensive etc. Often perceived as rude, too strong and outspoken in Australia). I know, I've been there many times. But good on you for taking the advice so swiftly. I know you absolutely meant well and didn't mean to be so defensive...I still get caught by the differences in communication etc from time to time and have learned so much in that regard, especially professionally.

Absolutely much better idea to come the day before. For myself, I want to have done everything I can to peak perform today.
Yes, it's today!!!! I'm very excited and slightly nervous.
Keep sending the good vibes!!
I'll let you all know how I went.

Test day over.
Tired
I gave it everything, cldnt have done different
Just very hard to know how I did.
Results in appr 4 weeks.
Ohhh, I want this so badly!
Will keep you posted.

Success! :)
 

Woo hoo just got an offer for the tower course starting 21st November. So excited, now just have to get medical done.
For anyone who wants to know I attended the assessment centre in Melbourne on July 19 so offer came just over a month after. Hope others attending the same week as me have had some good news as well. Good luck to all. :D

ELone:
Congratulations on getting into the tower course. Did you specifically apply for Tower, as opposed to Enroute, or did you go through the same process as everybody else and then get asked to do Tower?

Let us know what the process is for Medical, I heard it can take up to three months (can't see why, no matter how many tests one has to get done - perhaps it's for the CASA paperwork?) I do have a couple of medical concerns that from what I read on the CASA site shouldn't disqualify me but I'm still a bit nervous about them, so I'm wondering if it's worth trying to begin the process now to save time if (when!) I get the offer (I wouldn't want to quit my current job until my ATC offer was definite).

jetdownunder: yeah, i feel the same way. I think I could have done better on one of the tests, but hopefully we all did well enough to get in :-)

ergaster2: Same application process for both enroute and tower, I was simply asked when I got the offer which course I wanted to be placed on.

I think most of the time involved in the medical is CASA taking their time with paperwork. You will also be required to undergo a drug and alcohol screening for Airservices Australia. I also had a minor concern about the medical, but I rang CASA and spoke to one of the doctors who approves the medicals and was assured it would not be an issue. I would not try to start the medical process yet as Airservices Aus. will give you someone to help you organise it all, just their procedure I guess.

Also try not to worry too much about how you did on the tests, I felt exactly like that, that there were some things I could have done better. They are not looking for perfection, just testing whether you have the right aptitudes for the job.
Good luck and I hope you have some good news soon.:ok:

Egraster2: if it's not too personal, what concerns do you have? I had concerns regarding my hearing for example, but for my own peace of mind, I went and had a test done myself to prove I was fine (to myself at least :p)

I didn't have any problem with my medical other than CASA sending me a letter saying they weren't going to process it without payment (which ASA is supposed to pay) so I just paid it and got reimbursed when I started. But yeah, if there is a delay, it does seem to be with CASA.

Fatty: Thanks for your answer. I have a congenital kidney condition. I don't see why that should be a problem for ASA as it certainly doesn't mean I'll die suddenly (or young). What I read (briefly, a while back) on the CASA website seemed to say that it shouldn't disqualify me but I'd need to go for further tests (because it can sometimes be associated with other problems).

I also had slight concerns about my hearing, but if you're saying it's not that difficult I should be fine. It's not normally a problem for me, unless they try to run the Control out of a crowded pub.

Was the test expensive? Seems like it couldn't hurt to try to get it.

So to clarify, basically you knew for certain that you were in at the end of your visit to the DAME (doctor), as you'd already have had an emailed offer, and a verbal OK from the DAME (but just not the paperwork)?

Ah ok, yeah a kidney thing is a bit more serious than mine, but if you've had a look through the CASA stuff, you should be ok. It's been a while since I had a look at that stuff, and when I did, I was scanning it with an eye out for things affecting me :P

With regards to the hearing, they listed specific levels of hearing loss that were the cutoffs, and I was close on some (having had hearing problems since I was a child) so I had a hearing test which showed I would pass the CASA requirements. I actually did that before I applied even since I didn't want to get disappointed if I was ineligible from the start! That only cost me $60 at an audiologist, but unless you know you have a diagnosed hearing problem already, you'd probably pass easy, the limits aren't too restrictive. I don't know where you live, but there is a place we had in QLD called Bay Audio that had a basic hearing test you could do for free which would tell you if you needed a further test. If you passed something like that, you'd definitely be fine.

By the time they ask you to go for a medical, they've offered you a job (well for me it was at least). Then they organise your visits to the DAME and an ophthalmologist, and the drug test. Given they pay for all that, I guess they don't want to bother on people they don't want :P

@ergaster2: I do live in Melbourne so I'd be hoping to get to that day in October. I'm in no worry at all as i'm giving it my best and will continue to persevere. Hopefully I will hear something in the near future.

Going by some of the older comments in this thread, they must have really streamlined their recruiting. I had my phone interview around 3pm yesterday and got an email this morning to say I'm through to the next round. My assessment is on the 21st. Looking forward to seeing some of you there. It would be nice if they do run a course in Brisbane, since it's only about a 15 minute drive for me.

Hey Stevep, no offence, but are you 46 like your profile thingy says?

Yeah, sounds like they might have sped things up a little bit. I wouldn't count on getting a spot in Brisbane :P When I was starting, they were putting together the first Brisbane course, and after hearing about it, I let them know I was obviously keen to stay in Brisbane, only to be told the course was already full. I asked how they selected people for it, and the answer was "At random". :ugh: And apparently, the second Brisbane course has mostly Melbourne people on it, despite still sending Brisbane people to Melbourne! :confused:

Mrfancypants, none taken, and yes I'm 46. Hopefully that won't go against me, although I've got this far with them knowing my age, so it shouldn't be a problem.

I'm not holding my breath as far as training in Brisbane is concerned, or even a posting here for that matter. It would be nice though, since I applied not knowing there was even a possibility of courses up here.

Posting is a different matter (assuming you're going for enroute). I was told before I started I would be going back to Brisbane, so that's good at least :) As for age, it doesn't seem to matter, someone who started on the most recent course is in their mid 40s :)

stevep64: Congrats on getting this far, I hope you make it. I was worried I might be the oldest person on the course. It's good they give us the opportunity to try - in the UK I think you have to be under 30?

I wouldn't worry too much about being the oldest there Ergaster2, I'm used to hanging out with 20 somethings at uni residentials, and I'm not always the oldest there either. There are advantages to being the old fart too.

You won't be discriminated against but being older does make it harder - you'll have to work harder to make stuff stick than if you were 21. I think most of us will say we aren't as sharp as we were 25 years ago but that doesn't say you can't meet the standard.

stevep64: is that at UNE by any chance?
lePengouin: if by "most of us" you mean most of people on here, I think most of us (not me) are under 30, so I'd hope they wouldn't agree that they're not as sharp as 25 years ago :-)

Airservices has a history of ALLEGED discrimination... Do a pprune search for 'airservices discrimination' and you'll find the old thread about it. Also seen in the TV news and papers. More related to alleged sex discrimination rather than age though.

A couple of things.

Age is irrelevant, if you are good enough to get through the assessment day, you will be offered a course. Simple as that. The assessors are not given any personal details about anyone, until after the end of the day, and only if we ask for it. The whole idea of these assessment centres is exactly that to assess, not to judge.

I wont even enter into the discrimination case; well below the line.

Remember, the Learning Academy is in Melbourne. That is where training is conducted. There have been two courses run in Brisbane recently, as a trial. They have both been successful so far, but there is simply not enough real estate in Brisbane Centre to run any more courses. The current courses will have to finish which is not til next year before any more are run there, and even then there is no guarantee. So, if you want a course, prepare for a trip to Melbourne. A Brisbane course is a long shot.
Having said that, who doesn't love a winters day in Melbourne? Especially in December!;)

Cheers
Boonie.

P.S. Look forward to meeting all the candidates in Brisbane this week.
Good Luck!

I attended the assessment day on Tuesday the 23 August. (2 weeks ago) Im nervously waiting for a response from the Airservices recruitment team. Anybody in a similar position? Im not sure that my referee'shave been contacted and was told that they could be contacted anywhere from a week after the course onwards. Im really looking forward to hear if i have been offered a position! That way at least one way or another I can start to make some arrangements!

Nathan1986

Nathan1986:

I'm in the same position as you (not assessed on the same day, but in the same week).

I don't think my referees have been contacted either. I wanted to change my referees, as I originally put down the boss from my previous job whom I haven't seen for about four years, so I emailed them to change it (as we were told to do) but never got a confirmation reply.

Anyway, I got the impression that our referees will only be contacted either for a fairly simple verification that we didn't completely make up all the stuff in our resume (e.g. "does Nathan really work for you as a lion tamer?") *or* if there was something in the assessment day which caused them concern but they were otherwise interested in taking us (e.g. "can you tell me about how Nathan is at working together in a team?"). So I guess not having our referees contacted yet can be either good or bad news.

Or no news. I would imagine that they would have waited until they interviewed everyone last week, analysed us late last week, and be ringing our referees this week with a view to giving us an offer late next week.

I think even if we got an offer we couldn't start till next year anyway (which would be great by me). So I guess it's just wait and see, just like the last six months.

Good luck with it.

Boonie, curious as to why you have deemed these courses successful already?
Aren't they still a work in progress or have the trainees off these courses already been released to the field?

5miles,
Empahasis on "so far"
We get a report on the progress of the trainees regularly, and all that have been selected in this process are all doing very well.
There is still a way to go, with the first groups starting in the field early next year.
I was not only commenting on the progress of the trainees, but also the way they have been accommodated and assimilated into the centre.

But, so far, the signs are very encouraging!!

Cheers
Boonie.

Hi All,
This is for anyone in the know.
Airservices advertised for ATC DELIVERY
SPECIALISTS a couple of weeks ago for positions in Brisbane and Melbourne
My question is: Is Airservices looking to
ramp up courses run out of Brisbane?

Awaiting phone interview conformation.
 

I received a email conformation that my online assessment was successful on the 17th August,

Im still waiting for an email regarding phone interview times. How long should I wait (Im located at Melbourne)?

Has any one received a follow up email? and if you have please let me know where your located

Thanks,

Spider,
I got my confirmation email the same day as you, then got the email to book my phone interview on the 25th. Have you tried logging on to your application and see if there's anything there?

I'm in Brisbane.

Anyone else starting the course on November 21st in Melbourne? I'm on the tower course but it would be awesome to meet up with anyone starting either tower or en route course before then. I can't wait to start, if anyone in Melbourne is on the same course let me know!

Yaasb bucket.
 

:=Hey Yaasb,

If only it was the good old days of Sectors in SY. Remember the general ratings and the fact that nobody wanted to train us.

Caio

Don't go rolling any more Corollas.