As it says on the NATS careers website, as long as you have the right to live and work in the EU, you'll be fine.

Thank you for the quick reply Gonzo! I asked the question because the NATS website isn't completly compatible with my browser(Firefox on a Linux operating system) so I can't find all the information I need..I guess I'll have to install Explorer..
So I'm going to start making a search on the net to know what it takes to obtain a work permit in UK! Thanx again and good luck to everyone!

I might be wrong but I think as a resident of a country subscribed to the EU, you can live&work in any EU country as you please.. Standing by to be corrected though.

initial test
 

can any one help me? i am due to take the inital test for nats soon and just want to know other than spaial awareness, what other things are in it i.e. algebra etc :sad:

Stage 1
 

Shane,

Worth a read through the thread as there are posts with alot more detail, but in brief:

All sections are multiple choice.

1 - Numerical and Alphabetical checking.
Depends on how your brain is wired, but personally I liked these as a bit of a warm-up. Basic test to find the answer that matches. For example, you may be given :AGHN and the choices could be:
AGNH, ANGH, AGHN, ANHG

Starts out with 4 or 5 letters, working up to I think it's 9?
Repeat the exercise again, except for numbers. 5 mins to do each section.

2 - Spacial awareness. 3 sets of cubes and too little time!
The first cube isn't too bad, the next slightly worse, the third is just evil:E

3 - Diagrammatic Checking.
You'll start with a stack of 4 symbols. Next to each is an instruction (eg, reverse the shape, swap it with the one below etc). You'll then be presented with options as to how the shape should look. For example:

:)
:\
:uhoh:
:rolleyes:

If the instructions next to the top three smileys above said swap with the one below, you would eventually get:

:\
:uhoh:
:rolleyes:
:)

(That better be right!)

50 of these, again against the clock, and they get alot more complicated than the example above.

Think that about covers it. Good luck!

1 day to go until my first test day.

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: :eek::eek:

I have a horrible feeling I've not prepared enough.

Visits
 

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note to say that I had a visit to Glasgow tower today and it was excellent, extremely helpful. Combined with my visit to "Scottish" last week, I now feel confident and almost ready for my final interview.:ok:

I would strongly recommend visiting a tower or control centre or both. The guys there are excelent and willing to answer any questions you have, which is obviously a massive help when your final interview is looming. If anyone is in the Glasgow area and are looking to visit either Glasgow tower or Prestwick, you can PM me and I'll give you the details of contacts.

Kevin:ok:

Hmmm I'm in a bit of a situation here. Had a visit booked at prestwick but it has been cancelled due to manning shortages. With such a short time until my final interview and no scope for any extra time off work, I am worried this will have a negative impact on the 'preparation' side of my interview. I currently work in a RAF control tower, and have visited 3 others, but no area centre. Any advice? Is an ACC visit a must?

Stage 1
 

There's a description on the previous page :)

Thanks stu h for the info a bit more chilled about it now BRING IT ON :E

does any1 know any good sites to revise up more on Diagrammatic Checking? been on the nats site and done the type of test samples on that but it is not easy to find other sites or places with it on too.:8

Hi,

If you already work in an RAF control tower then thats a pretty good starting point!!!! I think you already have one up on everyone else right away!!!!:ok:

I was lucky enough to get into the ACC and I must say, it was really helpful, as was the visit to Glasgow Tower. The reason I visited these places was because in an earlier post by Gonzo, he said that when he conducts an interview, he wants to see that you have prepared well....i.e. visiting NATS centres, reading ATC books, knowing about NATS as a company etc etc.

I think you'll be fine with the whole visit thing, might be a good idea to read the book "Air Traffic Control" by Graham Duke, I found it extremely helpful and it put me in good stead for my visits.

Is your interview in Glasgow any time soon?

@Pete

If your in the RAF, couldn't you organise a visit to RAF Prestwick. See what that is like and you never know you, they might even get you to sit in the civi ops side. (you could always ask)

Just a thought, but as has been said previously, if you can demonstrate that you tried to visit and were asked, you could always reply ' unfortunately my visit was cancelled due to unforseen circumstances!'

Hi All

Im new to this site, thought i'd join up as im starting at the college in April having passed all the stages and medical.

Feel free to ask any Q's about any of the stages.

Anyone else starting in April? Anybody know exactly what date its starting in April? I know its the first week of the month.

Cheers
Stu

Hi,

i would like to visit the Swanwick LACC before my final stage in 2,5 weeks. Does someone have maybe some contact details whom to contact to arrange a visit there? (email/tel.) Thanks in advance.

Regards

Reply t Kimmy-57

Also try to do practice on Numerical Reasoning cos it isvery important fo 1st stage and fast speed practice for basic checking section.

Good Luck :ok:

Is numerical reasoning a new addition? I didn't do it at my stage 1.

No numerical reasoning for me either, that was in July, do you mean D/S/T maths questions perhaps?

I asked to prepare in numerical reasoning co in motivaion test, for example they ask the question like if Aircraft is flying at FL310 and have 10 mins fuel left, runway is about 30 miles away so on which degree aircraft has to fly to come down/glide quickly within 10 mins.

I didnot mean exact Numerical reasoning question but these kinds of question, they do involve numerical reasoning.:)

Stage 3
 

Hi there to All!
Well, I'm new in this forum, though I visit it a lot. Congrats for it!
I have passed 2nd stage at NATS and will have my final interview by the end of february. As I live in Spain, it's really hard to visit an ATC facility in UK. I hope it's not an absolutely necessary thing to pass the final interview.
I still have several doubts about this final stage. For example, about the HR interview: what kind of questioins shoud I expect from them? Other doubts are what else do they ask us to do that day. Are there any other tests or exercises that day?
So for all of you who have passed, congratulations. For all of you who are having selection tests, good luck. And for all of you who haven't passed this time, no sadness, and try again!.:ok:

The HR part of the final interview, I found, was quite similar to the one I got at the second stage. In this I mean that the questions were quite similar, such as "When have you worked well under pressure" or "Have you ever worked with a team in conflict?" (which I had to think about at first as I have an army background and briefly thought they were on about serving in a war zone like Iraq or something, but no, they meant a team that argued or had differences :P )

So on the whole, be prepared for those types of questions, so think ahead and try to think of skills you have gained from anything you have done in your life (doesn't have to be work related - I waffled on at one point about an trip to Jamaica, but it was the first relevant example to the question that I could think of! It got laughs). The main difference is that the HR person should hopefully be much more chatty back compared to your stage 2 interview, and will also have your application in front on the desk, and therefore know what you have written about yourself, past employment, hobbies, etc, and will probably partially aim questions around those. So if in doubt, re-read what you wrote, because on the whole, those will be the main things they know about you, as you have told them!

As for other tests or exercises on that day, there is only the group exercise, which is basically a board game, complete with dice and cards and stuff. Actually quite fun, you'll never finish it in the time they give you (about 20-30 mins I seem to remember), and don't panic about it. Everyone is in the same boat - you're working together, and there is no need to feel "in competition" at this stage. If you're good enough, they'll take you. All I can say is, don't just sit there and say or do nothing. Just play along in a chatty way, laugh about things getting difficult (but still try to overcome them), don't get worked up, and you can't go wrong.

You'll probably have a buffet lunch/tea after your interview, talk to the people there, and that's it. No sweat. I found stage 2 more daunting than stage 3. Easy peasy! Haha....I'm sure all will be fine. Good luck!

Agree with everything said above. There was 3 of us at my stage 3 and we were useless at the board game but we all made it through. It's more a test of communication skills and teamworking than anything else.

Hi All,

Apologies if this has already been covered on here but I've been unable to find anything.

Have been considering ATC as a career for little while, and this site has proved invaluable in finding information on it.
Having read my way through this thread I have heard many mentions of the personality questionare taken after stage 1.

Problem is that while Im sure I have the intelligence and apptitude learn what's required and do the job I don't have the first clue what the correct personality type is for the job.

Any suggestions?

Thanks a lot for you answer watch the birdie!
It's been really useful. I hadn't found a lot of info about 3rd stage. And those tiscali pages don't work.

prowle - personality types
 

In regards to the type of personality you need to have, personally I don't think there's a definitive answer. I've met some great, and entirely individual, people when I've visited units during my selection. All you can do is be yourself, and answer honestly.

Sure, if you go through the questionaire, you know the types of responses that wouldn't be brilliant (eg - I tend to flee from the first sign of a problem), but there are so many variations and check questions that you cannot really bluff through it.

Even with answering honestly, there will still be things that come up. In my stage 2, one part of my results apparently said I was optimistic. In my stage 3, the summary said I was totally a pessimist and could never see the positive in anything!

I guess there are certain traits that can be useful, but this is just my personal thoughts:

Do not fear the unknown, just be mindful of it and prepare for what you can. Be strong enough to know your own limits. Try and keep calm, and if things aren't going according to plan, come up with a new plan, not panic.
Be able to think logically ahead, rather than only being able to focus on the now.

There's no doubt tons of others.

Good Luck, and remember, even if things don't work out the first time, there's always the second (or third for me).

not sure if its still in the tests but there used to be a flat cutout of a square with different patterns on the pieces? is there an example in the tests they send to you? If there is then a little square rubber and a pencil can really help in the actual tests themselves ...not sure if thats cheating or using your noggin?

I was sent this link in one of my emails from NATS for stage 1, and therefore I feel it's fairly important and relevant! :

http://natscareers.co.uk/docs/NATS_P...e_Leaflet2.pdf

and apparently there are similar ones on: http://www.shlgroup.com (seeing as this is the company that makes the tests used)

(If these links are not allowed to be posted due to copyright or privacy or something, then just please just remove it, but I assume it's public access if it's on the net and requires no login....)



As for the cubes and using a rubber...genius? - possibly. Practical? - no. I don't think you'll find in the test on the day you'll have enough time. You might though, I don't know - you might be some super human. Or it might be cheating and your rubber will be taken off you by the nasty supervisor :eek:... heehee

as i remember they only use 3 or 4 patterns and after each there is a series of different built cubes (only one/none of which can be built from this pattern) with something like a b c d or e none of these. Obviously the colouring in doesn't have to be to exact or to van goghs standards and should only take a couple of mins and then its just a case of rotating it to answer about 6 or so questions. just my two pence worth but those sites look useful!

Anyway don't stress too much if you don't pass first time as I don't believe they make the best assessment of what a controlled needs. So if at first you don't succeed...try again!

Cheers Stu_H,

Probably good advice all round I feel!

Fact is if I wasn't extremely confident I can do the job I wouldn't even be thinking about applying!

Prowle

zvezda, why not try to visit a Spanish ATC unit...as an interviewer, I'd be far more interested in the fact that you did visit somewhere........:ok:

Hi.
Yes, I actually visited Valencia APP and Alicante TWR. I think the procedures are actually the same (though with much less traffic to manage), but the thing is that if I'm gonna be an ATC in UK, I should know the facilities there. The Spanish ATC facilities may be considered just as an anecdote, instead of a practical thing for the job in UK. Anyway thanks a lot for pointing that out.
Just as a curiosity, I tell you that ATC in Spain makes comm in Spanish, which may result in a lack of info towards those pilots who don't speak Spanish. I think that happens everywhere in Europe, in countries in which English is not the first language. And don't try to convince Spanish ATC or pilots to speak English all the time, because they will go on a strike!:ugh:And also, that there were 8000 people just for 150 vacancy. :eek:
In my experience, the only advice I will give is to be oneself. Just as one is. Honest. And above all, be relaxed.
I remember the first time I did ATC exams in Spain. I was so centered in passing those tests, that I was more focused in which I thought they were expecting from me, that the actual way I would have done things. BIG MISTAKE. In the second stage at NATS, during that rough test with numbers floating by while doing additions and math ops, I began to laugh, just to see how bad I was doing it. I focused in the numbers, not letting them to crash against each other, and practically forgot about the maths. What's better? to let airplanes crash or to make some maths?... Then I noticed I had passed:ooh:. And it was because I was calm. Sure.

Does anyone know what happened to the first half of this thread?! A friend of mine is applying and I'm trying to find my initial posting! Admin, any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Who is your friend Ricky? Anyone I know??.. She could have been so happy with me.... Ahhh

For those looking for tiscali pages - neither of the two versions (2001 and 2005) are still online but... we have web archive!

http://web.archive.org/web/200609010...at.co/home.htm

Enjoy :)

Never you mind Sacrigger, never you mind! Actually, it's Roz from the college!

Info on Stage 1
 

Lots of gen on stage 1, found here:

http://www.mattieb.110mb.com/nats.php

Too late for me, though, as I've already done that stage...

How 2 Become CD Rom
 

I'd like to ask your opinion whether it's worth to purchase this:
http://www.how2become.co.uk/air_traffic_controller.htm

I'd be grateful for your advices.

How 2 Become CD Rom
 

Hi,

I bought this as I was trying to get my hands on as much info as possible. To be honest, its pretty basic. The info it contains is the same as the info in the booklets NATS e-mail you at stages 1 and 2. There is also a lot of info on how to go about actually applying to NATS, which is a waste of time reading if you are already going through the process:).

It would be worth your while to buy a book entitled "Air Traffic Control" by Graham Duke. Again, this book is pretty basic but goes into more detail than the NATS booklets. I also made two visits to NATS centres, I visited Scottish area control centre at Prestwick and also Glasgow control tower, both were amazing and gave me a real insight into the job itself.

I have my final interview this Friday and I hope I've done enough, time will tell I suppose.

Anyways, I hope the above helps you out and best of luck. If you have any other questions about any part of the process so far, just give me a shout.:ok:

Kevin

How 2 Become CD Rom
 

Hello,

Thanks for the information and your impression about how2become. As for the other advices, I have the book of G. Duke and I've already made a visit to Stansted Tower, while at the moment I'm trying to organize a trip to Swanwick. Indeed, it's very much useful.

Good luck with your final stage, I keep my fingers crossed for you to get in.