Don't worry too much about the wait. It took the full 15 working days before they told me I'd got through Stage 1 and I'm now starting at the college in Jan.

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy it!

Was stage 2, oh and 3 as nerve wracking as I expect them to be?!

Stage 3.......depends who interviews you!!! :E

:yuk::yuk::yuk::yuk:

Yes. Quite.

Gonzo, didn't you say earlier that you are an interviewer??!! Lol! I'll be on my best behaviour I promise;)!

Chocolate biscuits make me a much more amenable interviewer, don't worry! :}

Provided by the hotel, of course..........:suspect:

I'll bring along a packet of chocolate digestives then...at least I can console myself if I don't get through!!

Oh, and I'm not going to tell you the date of my 2nd stage in case you are actually there!!!

ATCOs aren't involved in stage 2, so you're quite safe! :}

Professional as ever:E:E:E

They can be, just make sure that you are well prepared with the reading they give you. Also if you have the opportunity and you haven't already see if you can arrange a visit to a tower or area control centre.

Personally the worst part of stage two was the computer tests. I thought I had seriously messed them up. So don't worry too much if you feel the same way.

And one last thing, I personally found the second Stage the hardest out of the three stages. I was alot more positive coming out of Stage 3 than stage 2. So anyway good luck and hope you get through.

Manchester 14th Dec
 

Hello all, was anyone at Manchester for stage 1 on friday 14th Dec? Just wondering has anyone heard back yet?

Thanks for the good luck wishes!

I am fully intending on revising like mad for the second stage although I have realised that I learned a lot of the information from the 1st stage info pack. However, I'm going to learn as much as I can about ATC because I will definately be prepared then...plus if I do get the job, my hard work won't be wasted! If I don't, well, I can't say I didn't try.

I'm assuming I need to contact Swannick for a visit?? Or NATS maybe??

Hi

I went all the way through the interview process for NATS and fell at the final hurdle back in the summer, during the group assessment and interview in Glasgow.

I'm 28 and in all honesty this was the first job I have wanted to do with all my heart, so obviously I was devastated at being knocked back.

I'm working in a general admin job for now and will apply again in June 2008. I was very impressed with the feedback I received. I was on the phone for half an hour and got detailed points on good/bad elements as well as being told how to succeed next time.

I was told many people re-apply and pass second time. Has anyone here done this? Did anyone else fall at the final hurdle?

Second attempt for me. Starting in April. I originally failed at stage 1 though.

Jay79,

I did exactly what you did and passed second time.
PM me if you have any questions:ok:

Jay79, stick at it and apply again. I originally applied in 1992 and didn't get through and was told I was to old to try again. The rules were changed and I applied again in 1998 and this time got in.

Wouldn't swap it for anything.

Thanks for the support.

I'll be confident when I reapply in the summer :)

Jay79, how long was it before you received your feedback? I recently fell at the final hurdle too - it's been over a month and still no word.

Help for 3rd Stage
 

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post so take it easy!!!

I've just spent around 2 hours reading through your comments and I can relate to most of them. At the moment I am at the final interview stage, which I am booked in for in February. I'm just really looking for some hints and tips on the best way to approach the interview. I am by no means clued up on the aviation industry, and, if I'm being honest, am a little fearful because of this.

I have been reading a lot of Gonzo's replies and there seems to be a lot of emphasis on preparation. i was wondering what Gonzo done in preparation for his final interview?

I was also wondering if anyone could help me in getting into Glasgow tower or Prestwick control centre for the day?

Thanks
:ok:

Hi.

To explain: NATS' recruitment process is not looking for ATCOs. It is looking for candidates with certain attributes which statistics show give a better chance of coping with, and ideally thriving in, the ATC training environment. Therefore I, as an interviewer, am not expecting someone to know as much about ATC as I do. However, as an interviewer, it really does not please me when I am faced by a candidate who has done zero preparation of his/her own bat, doesn't really know what the job of an ATCO is, doesn't really know about the company they're apparently hoping to work for, and doesn't really know what has been happening elsewhere in the aviation industry.

I applied in mid 1997, whilst taking my A-Level exams. I went through the selection process in the last few months of '97, and started at the college in April 1998.

My preparation:
A lifelong passion in aviation. I'd been going to airshows and airports since I could remember. I had an airband radio so I could listen in to ATC. I had some flying experience. I had worked at a flying school for a period. I thoroughly researched NATS as an organisation....which airports it had a contract with, the rough boundaries of the FIRs. I also read quite a few books on ATC (Graham Duke is the perennial favourite), and subscribed to Flight International and AvWeek. I knew what were the coming events and big projects in both UK, European and worldwide ATC in the next few years (the then EATCHIP, RNAV, MLS, CFMU, IFPS, NERC etc). I had visited quite a few control towers both with Procedural Approach units and Approach Radar units, I had also visited London Terminal Control and London Area Control when both were located at West Drayton. I knew exactly what an ATCO's job was, and I definitely knew that I wanted to be one.

All the above sounds a great deal. However, because I was such an 'anorak', as one might say, I would have done a lot of it anyway, regardless of what career I was aiming for. It certainly didn't seem like work at all.

Away from the aviation side of things, I am also continually surprised by the lack of basic generic interview preparation that I see. There are many websites out there that will give the candidate guidelines on what sort of things every interview covers.

Being an ATCO entails lots and lots of planning and preparation while actually doing the job. Why not start now? :ok:

Thanks Gonzo,

Its great that we can speak to guys like you who are doing the job and have been since such an early age. My interview is not until February, however I have started to prepare already. I have bought a CD - Rom called "How to become an air traffic controller" which is really helpful, I'm also beginning to read up on the technical side of things, technology used, major events in aviation etc. My only stumbling block is that I'm based in Glasgow and I really want to get into the tower at either Glasgow or Prestwick airport. I would also love to get into the control centre at Prestwick just to get a real feel of how you guys do the job. The only thing is I don't really know how to go about getting the opportunity to visit these places.:ugh: I'm going to look into it today but if you could give me some contact details, that would be much appreciated.:ok:

Ill also have a look on-line and try and get a hold of a couple of books by Graham Duke, if you think that will help.

Thanks again for your help Gonzo, I really appreciate it.:ok:

Jan start?
 

Anyone starting on the January course on the 2nd? Whats going on with it, did they halve the intake again, like they did for September? Shortage of instructors maybe? Can anyone shed any light? Thanks.

As far as I know, it's a combination of different factors: Course redesign, so some instructors are working on that, and also there are quite a few trainee 'holding' between courses, so spare capacity 'built in' to the Jan course will be used up by those.

1967kev - I read the Graham Duke book and agree that it was extremely useful so I definitely recommend it. I understand that some of the info contained is out of date but it helped to whet the appetite and gave snippets of info and helped gain basic understandings of subjects that I could then go and research further (mainly in the internet).

Gonzo's "anorak" reply does reveal a little too much about his hobbies. Can someone make sure he goes home after his shift? :8

For any applicants who are wanting more of a feel for the job check out This Simulation. I've been using it for a couple of years, it's about as close as you'll get on your PC especially with the Voice Addon. There is a free demo too.

Thanks NeoDude! I downloaded it a few weeks ago before my stage 1 then got scared pretty quickly! Not been on it since as too busy revising for stage 2 however, instead of being scared, I'm more excited about learning how to use it...! Sad or just interested?!

NeoDude, check your PM's!!

It's actually starting on the 9th Jan now and like Gonzo said there is apparently a new course format that they are trying out. Although I've also heard that there will be only 17 of us starting next week :ooh:

It will be a new basic course format, different to the basic course i just finished, as i understand the situation its purely area-based and leads more into area foundation than before. Although I personally know nothing about area foundation...

Is it your induction that starts the 9th or are you in college then? I'm back on Monday for Aerodrome, was beginning to wonder if there would be anybody around at all :bored:

You may be right about the 17, although I believe there may be 8 or so recoursees with you making it around 25.

Good luck with it, probably see you around college,

Adrian

We're physically at the college on the 9th for a bunch of new test they are trialling, then a whole load of induction and introduction stuff. The actual learning I believe will be starting on the 17th.

Got a phone call today asking if I can start at the college in April. Anyone else in the same boat?

That makes it about 7 months from applying, to actually starting...quicker than I thought!

There are already quite a few of us holding for the Spring course, should have been starting in January, although the plans changed as discussed above. We were told March although wouldn't be surprised if thats slipped to April!

Yeah the three day induction at the village hotel, seems so long ago but its about 3 months! Nice place though...

My app-to-start was a shade over 5 months, could have been 2 but i couldnt start in June. Some people we're even quicker... comes down to pot luck as to how full the courses are. 'Holding' is a much-heard term amongst our course going into area :}

I'm hopefully starting Apr. Its taken me over a year to there!!

I'll be starting in April too apparently. Have heard next to nothing about it though! I understand most people stay in B&Bs while they're training. What do they do for the other two meals of the day??

Ginger ;)

I think they usually eat them..........unless things have changed......



;)

I'll get me coat

Mr and Mrs Aramark will look after you for lunch...

And I thought ATCOs were a witty bunch - http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=59309

:}

It was supposed to be a faintly serious question. In B&Bs i've visited before, you get a room and a bathroom and that's it. Enough for a night but not to live with because you have no cooking facilities. Do some people rent or are they reluctant to get stung by council tax?