Assistants Jobs
 

I am almost 17 and starting my final year of school. I am very interested in a job in air traffic controlling. I have spoken to an air traffic controller who is a friend of the family. He suggested that starting out as an assistant is the best way forward. I am willing to work in any part of the country. Does anyone have any assistant jobs available at the moment or know of any that are coming up? Thanks

Compile a list of all the UK airfields and their phone numbers etc where you would be happy to work

Phone them and explain your situation - and ask for a liaison visit.

Take a notebook with you to the liason visit, wear smart clothing, wash behind your ears and wipe each shoe on the back of your trouserleg before going in - you only get one chance to make a good impression.

Try and mug up on the airfields operation beforehand - your family friend will be useful here. Ask any question you like on the liaison visit, don't be afraid to ask a 'simple' question.

Do NOT leave without making a note of the name of the actual person to send your CV to at each unit.

That should keep you out of mischief for the summer:)

I don't understand the logic with starting out as an assistant if you want to be an atco?

Just apply to be an atco, if you get knocked back then look at being an assistant with an eye on a future re-application to be a controller.

There are plenty of atcos who used to be atsas but there is no need whatsoever to do this first.

Thank you minesthechevy i will do that :).

I want to start off as an assistant because i can see if ATC is for me and if not and could use the year as a gap year and earn money in the process and go off to uni but if i enjoy it and i am good enough your employers send you on courses to get tower and radar license when you are 20 or older and I will be able to get experience before going on the courses.

No future for Assistants
 

Let's not give this young chap a false view.
ANSPs are shedding Assistants en masse. New electronic systems are taking their jobs and those that are left have plenty of experienced staff fighting for them.
Even if you did find a post, there aren't many employers that will pay for ATCO courses, there are too many controllers in the market.
Final pointer; if you're not sure whether you want to be an ATCO, don't bother applying, the competition is so fierce that only those who show total commitment will get past the first hurdle. :(

As Deucharsipa says assistants are a dying breed.....if you are interested at all why not visit an ATC unit for the day, I see you are in Kirkcudbright, arrange a visit to Scottish centre and Prestwick,talk to those involved and then make your decision.....apply direct to NATS as an ATCO, you will no doubt get knocked back first time as many of your age do....then toddle off to uni for a few years, waste a few grand of your parents dosh then re-apply to NATS if your still interested, by then NATS will look more favourably on you as you have proved you can study and you will have matured a little bit more...at the end of the day if the job is for you it is a great and well payed one and will give you much satisfaction:cool::cool::cool:

I am fully committed to become an ATCO and I am planning to write to most airports in Scotland and England and visit them. The ATCO who came to speak to me told me going in as assistant is the best route as there is a high fail rate at NATS but i am not writing it off because if i have to go through the NATS to become an ATCO i will.

fisbangwollop.....what an attitude to have!!!! "you will no doubt get knocked back first time as many of your age do"...what a load of crap!!!
Let him apply....get in there at a young age!!! You cant say that many youngters get knocked back first time....I got into NATS at the age of 19...as did the majority of course 85 in 1992! I feel that people coming straight from school have the best attitude for the job and haven't wasted years at uni!!!:mad:


nathan_steel....go apply to NATS...I did at 17 and got the job...just had to wait 2 years to join! Its a great job...and worth missing out on uni and saving your folks alot of money...join the uni of life!!:ok:

(I am fully committed to become an ATCO and I am planning to write to most airports in Scotland and England and visit them)

The majority of Scottish airports are operated by HIAL. HIAL have in the recent past selected ATCOs from the ATSA/ATSOA, Fire service and Admin grades. (albeit in small numbers) Members of these grades often do FIS as a supplementary job to their main paid job. Allowances are paid for being a FISO and carrying out MET observing. - This might be another route towards your final goal.

An expensive trip to visit all or most of these locations, however I think you would be made most welcome.

-However you get there best wishes.:)

ATCA Vacancies
 

I'm also interested in an ATCA job (there is one currently advertised at a regional UK airport not a million miles from me), but unlike Nathan, I'm actually in my late 30s and wishing to make a career change. I have experience in various jobs, some high-demanding and safety-orientated, shift-work, a genuine 'spotters' interest in aviation, some PPL hours from about five years ago (had to put my PPL on hold for financial and other reasons) and have visited towers/units in the past.

Is my age likely to go against me, as well as lack of specific experience? Some units do not ask for specific experience but concentrate more on skills in their job advertisments.

Any brief DOs and DON'Ts regarding selling myself? Is it appropriate to ask to visit the unit concerned? How much emphasis to I put on wanting to progress to ATCO (in all honesty, that's something I may or may not wish to do in the future). Any general or specific advice would be appreciated.

I'm sure these questions have been covered before, so any links to helpful previous posts/threads would be welcome. Thanks all.

PCGU... Bottom line is that if you do get a job as an ATCA at anywhere other than a NATS unit you might (note I said "might") be just a "general" assistant doing a variety of jobs on not very good pay.

In NATS, many ATSA positions carry a great deal of responsibility and they pay well but this may not be the case in the outside world. If you want to sit around answering the phone, writing out flight progress strips, logging aircraft movements and making tea then you may find the job attractive.

Advancing years will generally be against you if you are ever accepted for ATCO training. I read on PpruNe today that Eurocontrol do not accept ATCO trainees over age 24. I don't think a similar rule applies here because of government legislation. If you start young you can grow up with the job and still be very efficient later in life. However, starting from square 1 with no previous experience at age 30 may prove difficult but, of course, there are always the exceptions to the rule.

I appreciate what you are saying about your background, but do you really know much about air traffic control? I suspect that adverts for positions which do not require any background are really adverts for tea boys!!

Good luck

atcomarkingtime...Not an attitude my dear boy just a fact, have alook at the figures and see how many 17 year olds get accepted first time......I look at most of the new entrants arriving at Scottish and most seem to have wasted a few years at Uni before getting in!!......that said if you dont try you will never know. :cool::cool::cool:

Thanks for the advice atcomarkingtime and edinv. I realize it will be expensive but ill try to save money somehow :)

Heathrow Director - thanks for your advice/opinion.

The starting salary is 'acceptable'; the only specific info on the JD regarding experience relates to meteorology and I can swat up (still have the manuals from when I was PPL training). I certainly know more about ATC than Joe Public but only what I've read in books, on here, and picked up on my (ahem) scanner. A lot of this is specific to my local unit (depature routes etc). I guess what I really want to show them is that I know enough to give me a headstart on someone without that knowledge, whilst not wanting to give the impression that my 5% of the required knowledge makes me a know it all and obviously the best person for the job. I'd happily 'make tea' for the salary in question!

As for progression, my honest answer is that I'd obviously like to progress to ATCO but it's not the end of the world if I don't. Either my superiors or myself may not consider I have waht it takes, which is fair enough. How do I put that over without sounding like I have no wish to progress, when my real point is that I won't walk after a year or two if they haven't offered me a promotion!

From a recruiters point of view, I'm somewhere between the aircraft enthusiast who thinks he knows it all coz he's read a few books and someone with very relevant experience.

ETA: The job in question is at EGNT.

Job at EGNT..... and you say: "the only specific info on the JD regarding experience relates to meteorology and I can swat up (still have the manuals from when I was PPL training".

I'd bet that what they are looking for is someone to do met observations and reading a PPL met book won't help terribly much. However, do read through it so that you can have a stab at any questions they may ask. If the interviewer asked you to look out the window and say what the clouds were and their likely height, could you do it? If you can get a copy of the Met Observers Handbook then that would be much more useful and you would have to do a training course before becoming a qualified observer.

Thanks.. and I will check out that book!