Air traffic controller's assistants
 

G'day fellow ATC fan's :D

Having applied for several jobs for office junior positions - and failed I might add - I would like to ask how you go about getting a job as a ATC assitant. I would like to be a full ATCO - but do not yet meet the age requirements.

So I figured instead of passing time until my 18'th birthday running about making tea & coffee for people in a dull office - which is completely irrelevant to aviation - I would be better running about doing "chores" for something that has some relevance to my future career!

Also, I suspect that when applying to NATS, if you have some previous ATC assistant (even admin work related to ATC) then you will get extra "brownie" points ?

Thanks,
Andrew

Just a quick reply to some of your questions....

Firstly ATSAs (Air Traffic Services Assistants) are recruited at unit level. That is, Heathrow will recruit their own ATSAs, Cardiff will recruit their own ATSAs and so on, so to apply you would need to write to the training sections at the respective unit - not NATS HQ.

The CATC in Bournemouth also employ loads of ATSAs as blip drivers - so don't forget there if you are planning to apply.

Most recruitment for ATSAs these days seems to come internally though, with people moving from one post to the next and failed ATCO cadets covering the gaps. It seems jobs in the ATSA grade are hard to come by at the moment. It wouldn't do you any harm though, if you're interested, to bang off your CV and a nice covering letter to wherever you're interested in - regardless of whether you have any prior experience or not.

Of course, should you get an interview or assessment for an ATSA post any relative previous experience would be taken into account. But not having worked in aviation before will not preclude you from becoming employed if you have the aptitude, knowledge and enthusiasm.

We all had to start somewhere and quite a few of the ATCO cadets are ex-assistants.

Good luck! :)

Thanks a lot for your reply - I'll certainly be dropping off a letter to my local tower.

But age wouldn't really be a factor would it ? - I would be 17 when starting.

I would say that I have the enthusiasm, proberly the aptitude - and the enthusiasm drives my interest to learn anyway. Proberly the main reason for wanting to do this is because I don't think NATS would be quite so keen to take me as soon as I turn 18 - and I've never worked before.

This means I will have work experience - and it's related. Great ! :)

(Edited for spelling)

After running a search on these forums of Assistants and ATSA's I found out this :-

* Some ATSA's are very lowly paid - I seen even around £10,000 mentioned. I know this is PPRuNe (Rumour) so is this true ?

- The pay doesn't bother me - but this is around the same as office junior positions - so they are looking for young 'uns like me then ?

* NATS take ATSA's from those that fail ATCO courses and internally (as said here).

- So I should apply to non NATS towers ? Just to confirm, my local Glasgow Tower is controlled by NATS right ?

Would GA strip Cumbernauld be looking for an ATSA (even Prestwick) ?

Oh - I cannot find the address for Glasgow Tower ANYWHERE. If somebody could PM me it - that would be great.

With thanks,
Andrew

Andrew

Answering some of your latest questions:

Glasgow ATC is indeed NATS.

Prestwick tower is non-NATS

ATSA's are also employed by NATS at Atlantic House (Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre) in Prestwick.

No idea as to the vacancy situation, however.

Thanks BALIX

RE: Vacancy situation -

Always worthwhile sending off a CV and letter like niteflight said.

I'm not sure about the situation at Glasgow but Edinburgh is very short of assistants at the moment so it may well be worth dropping us a line (I'll PM you the address and who to speak to). Do bear in mind, however, that (as mentioned above) most ATSA vacancies are filled internally - the last advertised posts at Edinburgh attracted applications from far and wide, but all internal.

The last time I was at Prestwick they certainly still had assistants, but as BALIX says, by far the largest employer of assistants in Scotland is Scottish Centre.

Just a note: don't confuse Prestwick Airport with Scottish Centre - NATS provides airport ATC at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen but not at Prestwick. Scottish Centre just happens to be at Prestwick (squeezed in between the airport industrial park and a local housing estate).

It may be of some interest to any ATC “Wannabes” that at most RAF airfields there are a few MOD employed Air Traffic Assistants. The pay is awful and there are no prospects but it might just be the first foot on the ladder.

Thanks folks - I searched career information sites - I can find info for ATCO's - but not ATSA's. Your help has helped answer my questions, and the letters will be getting sent out shortly.

ATC Assistant pay with NATS starts at about 13 - 14k if I remember correctly (that's the ATSA 1 scale)

Andrew

Good luck with the application :ok:

Ta, - let's just hope age doesn't discriminate against me.

Andrew,
are you still continuing your A level studies or is it Highers in Scotland, I see you said you wanted to become an ATCO. I believe they like you to have studied A levels .
I would hate to see you miss out by giving up on your education now, as I know from Chat how keen you are to become an ATCO.

Correct - it is highers in Scotland.

I've did four highers this year - still to find out results though :eek: :confused: - and another business education module equal to a NQ.

I was considering going back for a sixth year - but it would be a waste of time as.....

1. There is a lack of advanced higher subjects (don't know what that is down south) at my "education establishment".

2. There is also a lack of other subjects I could study at higher level next year. I need a timetable of a minimum of 4 subjects - if I was to pass all subjects this year - I can only find 3 other highers to do next year.

3. I would therefore need to take a Intermediate level qualifacation - equal to a GSCE. A total waste of time.

4. Going into the world of work would be better for me overall - to provide that although I have the required education (NATS minimum of 3 highers) - I need to prove not only I have the interest and motivation towards aviation - but the simple fact that I am not a lazy person and I have a basic aptitude for work in general.

University is a option yes - but .... one of the highers I missed out on was Maths. :ugh: I only got a grade 3 - the lowest grade I got across the whole board of qualifacations - as it is my weakest subject. That means if I did take it up this year, I would need to do it at intermediate level - not high enough for uni :*

I've tried vocational training posts for accountancy - applied for around 4 - not got those either. Proberly could be because the lack of motivation towards the subject. It is incrediably boring.

So, therefore a office junior position would give me spare cash for training towards my PPL, until I am 18 then I apply for NATS. This is my last hope, before becoming a desk jockey.

best regards,
andrew

PS: Sorry about the life story :D

AFAIK,
ATSA1s are "locally" recruited. ATSA2,3,4 are [and always have been] a "mobile" grade. Hence the several incomming ATSAs to EGCC.
If you get taken on as an ACPO/ATSA1 and are "lucky" enuff to get promoted, you coud go "anywhere". Mind you, I did 14 months at Brum and 33 years at Manch:ok:
we aim to please, it keeps the cleaners happy

I guess ATSA1 is the starting grade ?

And thanks, chiglet

best regards,
andrew

Yes the ATSA1 grade is the "entry" grade and also the grade of the ACPOs - blip drivers who act as pseudo pilots on the simulators. A good foot in the door ;)

Just a point to note for anyone Dahn Souf.

Swanwick Ops room ATSA's are generally recruited from the Swanwick ACPO ATSA 1's. Those ACPO's are then generally replaced by ACPO's from Bournemouth (pay is greater at Swanwick) and then its down to Bournemouth to externally recruit.

"Yes the ATSA1 grade is the "entry" grade and also the grade of the ACPOs - blip drivers who act as pseudo pilots on the simulators. A good foot in the door "

Gotta agree. I know of several 'Blippys' at LTCC who have gone on to take cadetships. One of them is now a GS.

Wow, at our facilities we have some contract labor who helps out the training dept. at the centers. They are all retired controllers. The rest of the folks that we use for ghost pilots are just plain old controllers who we can scrounge off of the floor, or who are not in possesion of a medical at the moment...

regards

Scott