:ooh:

yep - tower controllers all over the country are lining up and begging to transfer into en-route!!

Unless you absolutely have to live in Brisbane or Melbourne, it is a no-brainer.:ok:

Thanks enemymig and others,
Am guessing there is a little friendly rivalry between enroute and tower!

2 more questions...

Is the 'bid list' (sorry if there is a better description) limited to the less popular destinations? ie would a newbie have the option for bidding on Adelaide/Tullamarine, or the smaller airports in capital cities? or are those roles generally taken by more senior collegues, and the newbies get options at the plethora of regional towers (such as Alice springs/Cairns/Rockhampton/Broome/Jandakot). Have nothing against these places, but for family reasons (as suggested above) could be very difficult to be based outside Melbourne, Brisbane or Adelaide.

Are there options long term to transfer from enroute to tower (say after 4-5 years) or is this frowned upon/ unrealistic.

Thanks again, and sorry if there are more than 2 questions!

Gunmaaarrk,

As for tower 'choice'. All that really happens is they find the towers that need new staff and send the graduates there. They range from Capital cities to Class D and the Towers "formerly known as GAAP". One cyear you might get lucky and you favourite tower/city is on the list, other years: Alice, Broome and Launy!

*No offence to those that work there. Just having a laugh :)

As for Enroute -> Tower in 5 years? Join the queue, its about 20 years long I think.

You funny eastern staters. Jandakot isn't regional.

Not sure how they are running now but I got to bid on anything (some were certainly less likely than others though).

If you definately don't want to come west, then tower probably isn't for you.

Gumaark, as everyone else has said, if you are worried about being posted somewhere out of a capital city, go for enroute.
Yes you get to put down preferences, but they, in the grand scheme of things, mean absolutely nothing. It sounds like you want a capital city......so does everyone else on the course!

If you aren't 100% flexible and willing to go to any location, then go to enroute. In my course, quite a few people went to places not on theirs, or anyone else's preferences. Some didn't have 100% confirmation until a week before they where supposed to start.

Thanks all for the details on how the process works.
sorry for inferring jandakot was regional- having lived in Arnheim land, Cloncurry, Mt Isa, Port Augusta, and Murgon over the last 15 years, I would much rather have lived in Perth! That said, these days one has a growing family and looking for a little more stability and predictability. Sounds like enroute would be the better decision for me, should I get the option.
cheers and thanks again.

If you select Tower you are signing up to be posted to any of the 28 tower locations currently staffed by ASA, you are also agreeing to be transfered throughout your career based on operational requirements. Tower is by far the best option, however if you're not prepared to live outside Brisbane or Melbourne then go enroute.

If you can't live in WA then i would suggest not going Tower you have at least a 25% chance of getting a spot there (all tower groups currently have at least 1 person going to WA 'slated')

I wouldn't bank of the "bid for 5 positions" crap. The last tower group were given 8 (out of 28) tower positions and asked to give 3 preferences, so your options are already quite limited. You have almost zero hope of getting any brisbane based position given the current waiting list of experienced controllers for Brisbane based positions.

At the end of the day, if your given an offer for a tower course and turn it down, you will be kicking yourself for the 12-18 months your at the college, if not the rest of your career, just don't go in expecting you'll get a certain tower, not only will you be disappointed you'll piss off the rest of your course mates and instructors

Is there any form of graduation ceremony when you finish the academy with your class or is it more along the lines of you have passed your final test here - report to xxx on Monday (or is there a break between the academy and the field placement or ...)

Thanks

Unfortunately there's no graduation ceremony. The firies have one because they graduate as firies. Controllers don't graduate. They have to go out to the field and get a licence from CASA. By that stage, you and your course mates are scattered to the four winds and various training regimes, depending on which group you are allocated.

Passing out of the academy simply indicates that you have potential to make the (substantial) jump to safely handling live traffic. It's a big jump from meeting a basic standard on a 45 minute sim run, to doing it 7+ hours a day, day-after-day, to your OJTI's and checkie's satisfaction.

Perhaps there needs to be longer sim runs as you are hardly "match fit" to be doing 90-120 minutes of live traffic.

There are. Average run is 45 though

Hi guys! Anyone else whose referees were contacted?:ok:

I take it yours were contacted??

Yep. Just wondering what's gonna happen now. I haven't heard from AsA yet. Maybe in a few days. Hope yours will be contacted too. :ok:

Hi one of my referee's were contacted last week. Were both of yours contacted or just the one like myself?

The waiting is killing me!

A question to those who have done or are doing the course. What is the study work load like? As a general rule of thumb how many hours do trainees find they need to put in a week after college hours? I dont mind the study at all, just curious as what to expect if I am lucky enough to get in.

Mine was contacted this week. I'm pretty sure they called up just one of them. The waiting game is a killer isn't it...

Question is, does it mean we passed the assessment day or this is just part of it?

Are we near the end of a very loooong and gruesome tunnel? :)

Your referee wouldn't have been contacted unless you passed the assessment centre.

The first 10 weeks you cover alot of theory and theory exams, i think most students in my group were studying at least a couple hours a night. Once you start in the sim work i think the "home" study work load decreases other then the odd few hours a week that you might go over standards or what not.

Don't plan on getting a second job, you wont have time during theory and when you hit the sim it tends to suck the life out of you with no energy left in the afternoon for a 2nd job.

Hope that helps

Thats great information, thank you. Gives me an idea of what to expect.

no, but getting closer to entering one! :)