I think breathing down their neck it's the worst thing you can do esecially when those 15 working days aren't over yet . If I as were to choose between e-mailing and giving a call I would have chosen to give a phone call , talk nicely , explaining why I called before the deadline .

To be honest assaulting them with e-mails and phones even if those 15 days are over it's not a smart move either since they are already stressed with not meeting the deadline due to heavy workload ..

Although there is no any other ANSP who has the same standards and policy and everything you ever dreamed of of an employer , and although I love UK and everything about its people and culture , and although I am dying to find out the outcome of my application ... I wouldn't call for anything in this world .

So i have my stage 2 tomorrow but i don't know when i need to be there for. the email says 10:00 at the top but to arrive at 08:30 further down?

I have emailed them but have had no response so obviously i will just turn up early to be on the safe side, but wouldnt mind the extra hours sleep/rest!?

Anyone got any idea?

you could also look at it another way if like some of us you were told you would receive your result but a certain date but don't then your lack of contact could be seen as a lack of commitment. In NATS own literature they have us learn, it says they have a very open reporting policy, so maybe they would want to know that you would question something that goes against what you have been told?

Honestly i think it wouldn't really matter either way they care about our ability to do the job at the end of the day.

Stage 2 - Those who passed...
 

Just wondered if it's normal to feel like you COMPLETELY messed it up after coming out of stage 2?? :(

S

I feel like my brain has melted after stage 2...

Wait and see I guess, although I don't have high hopes.

Completely normal. Everybody on my course thought they had messed up stage 2. :ok:

Pes ta re!

Do you guys (and gals) know if the application procedure changes for people that passed FEAST in other country?

Thanks guys - I feel a little better now :)

It just seems to be impossible to gauge how you've done in it... and oh my gosh, exercise 6 of DART. *Shudder*

Fingers crossed I hear soon, one way or the other... the waiting begins again!

Good luck all..

Congrats on getting through to stage 2! does anyone actually know of anyone who has been put through to stage two deep into the dreaded 15 days before?

Hi Sarah,

Fingers crossed for you. Did you do anything to prepare yourself for stage 2? got mine on Wednesday.

@woocash, it used to be the same, not sure if that's still the same though.

Stage 3 here I come...
 

I passed stage 2...!! Had it yesterday and heard today. Stunned.

@Sarah_Lou: congratulations!

Well done Sarah Lou!:D

I had stage 2 yesterday too, but no email as yet which is probably not a good sign if you have had yours already......!:sad:

My fall back plan is going to New Zealand for a couple of years so at least I have options!!

@Rae - thank you :) ridiculously happy.

sarah you have pm . gratz btw for clearing all stages

Hi all,

I'm one of the people who did my stage 1 on October 4th and still haven't heard anything. Eagerly awaiting a reply however I'm not massively confident because I think i overheard one of the examiners saying that only 13% of stage one applicants get through to stage 2... Does this sound about right? Or do you think it was more likely to be 30%?

We can only wait...

I sat my stage 3 yesterday and we were told that only 11% of candidates passed stage 1

It's about 30% that get through stage 1.

Of everyone who starts the process by sending in an application, around 2-3% become an ATCO

Stage 3
 

Sarah, I must have been in the same tests as you, well done. I also got the call Yesterday saying that I had got through to the next stage, which I was a little shocked about to be honest, I thought I did alright but was certain after my near miss that I wouldn't get the call back. then again after the test I was speaking to a few of the guys and some of them had 3 or 4 near misses which made me feel a little better.

Anyway I have my interview on Tuesday, so 4 day to prepare is not very much considering I'm working 42 hours in those days. Is there anything specific I should know for the interview? I'm a manager myself so I've been interviewing people for the last 2 years so its going to be weird being on the other side of the table for once. I kind of know how to answer questions, and I'm aware of what qualities they are looking for in candidates, its just with the little time I have what should I concentrate on?

If i'm currently studying A levels Maths, Physics And Psychology, would it perhaps put me at an advantage when applying?

also, does anyone know how many applications do NATS recieve per term?

Because 3% is a useless figure if the amount of applicants is not known.

Sky test
 

has anyone downloaded the sky test for the 2nd stage or does anyone think its worth downloading?

I do not think the A levels will be of any assistance as the maths and physics needed is very basic (from what I have seen so far at stage 1 and what I have heard of stage 2)

Someone previously mentioned they try to get 3500 - 7000 to sit stage 1. I do not know if an "applicant" counts as people who sit stage 1 or everyone that applies including those who get knocked out at the on-line stage.

Well, first of all you have to get through the first few selection tests which don't really relate to any academic study you will have carried out and as said previously, the maths required at stage 1 is basic - GCSE standard at best.

If you get to stage 3, your educational background is likely to be discussed during interviews. In the end, the decision to recruit you or not comes down to a range of factors, so I don't think too much importance will be placed on having A-levels in this particular career. It could possibly show that you will be ready for the rigours of ATC college and have useful study techniques etc but I'm speculating.

@Jimbo
@Owen

I see. So But surely it should put me at an advantage compared to those applicants who are only educated upto GCSE standard.

From GCSE physics, i know what an air traffic controller needs to know the position, height, speed and direction of motion in order to monitor its flight path. Its speed and direction of motion just defines its velocity.

From A-levels, I can say that i know that the position, height and heading of an aircraft gives its displacement, (which is its distance traveled relative to its direction).

But at the end of the day, does the main factor come down to how well one does on the FEAST/DART test?

Do you think they mark you down majorly for near misses on the Dart test or are they judging your ability to react to potential collision e.t.c? I assume the loss of seperation would be of some detrement to your mark but is your ability to keep calm and avoid the collision seen as a positive?

@famzy/eptesicus
 

famzy, obviously knowing all that garb will help you do the tests, but ultimately if you **** them up, they're not gona let you through just cos you've got those a levels.
you seem pretty clued up academically, so that should stand you in good stead, but it's also about logic and spacial awareness, and the two sometimes don't go hand-in-hand. i'm sure you'll do alright though.
eptesicus, that's an interesting point, i'm kinda thinking the same lol. i sat stage two on friday, you mighta been there as well.
i didn't have any major problems with DART, i didn't do it perfectly but considering what everyone else said, i would have been fairly good. that said, i haven't had my results yet so i could have completely cocked it up lol.
with regard to your point, i reckon if they flash red but you change their FL immediately or whatever, you'd probably get a half decent mark, as opposed to just shutting your eyes and hoping they don't crash.
obviously it's better to not let it get to that stage, but they can't expect everyone to be perfect first up.

@rr9

Hope things went well for you on friday. Can i just ask how did you find it travelling from the hotel?

@sas5
 

you staying at the premier inn?

no problem at all, as long you know where you're going (i suggest looking for it the previous night or something) it's fine. i went at 0815, so prime time, and it took me all of about five minutes.

@ RR9
 

Yeh i was there on Friday. What did other people say about DART then? I had a few alerts and one time i didnt get to a checkpoint in time so one of the planes auto moved to it.

I don't know what to think about it really. The tests were tricky but then I've read everyone thinks they have done badly.

You went at 8.15? Doesn't it start at 10?

Transportation
 

Hey everyone, could anybody advice me on how to get to NATS centre in whitley for the 2nd assesment stage from the centre of southampton, and how long does the it take? Would be grateful for any replies!

Hello all,

As you can see from my post count, i don't come here often! Firstly let me say good luck to you all but it sadly doesn't come down to luck very much. If you can 'do it' then you can 'do it', if not then it's not likely you'll make it (or want to make it for that matter) as a controller.

Try not to get hung up on how long it's been since you last heard from nats as they can be spectacularly inefficient as well as very timely with their communications sometimes. Practice on the selection tests appears to be so well documented here already that i won't repeat the good work of others but revision of sorts is never wasted. I'd always encourage someone who loves the idea of an atc career to persevere if they don't make it the first time around but believe me when i say that some very intelligent folks have fallen at every hurdle and some no-hopers seem to have slipped through the net too!

I'd encourage everyone to try again at least once if they fail at some stage (i did after all and survived a college recourse too) but be aware that the hard work really starts at College and only gets harder with UVC's and live training.

As for the "shall i, shan't i" email/phone call/letter etc then i promise, nobody is being paid enough money to care whether or not your application success hinges on it!

Once again, best of luck, it's a fabulous career that awaits!

Best way from Southampton Central to Nats is to get on the train to Swanwick, should take 20 mins/half hour depending on train you get, then I would reccomend getting a taxi from there to Nats Whiteley, will cost around £6-8 and depending on traffic can take up to 25 mins so give your self plenty of time. You can walk from the station but its a bit of a mission and if you don't know the route then its probably not a good idea.

hope that helps.

@rr9
 

Yeah i'm staying at the same premier inn, wont be driving tho as i'm going by train tomorrow from Manchester so it'll be a taxi on Wednesday morning. However it seems my slot has changed and its now starting at 10am rather than 9am which works out better :)

Did my stage 1 on Thursday and haven't heard back yet which I assume means I didn't make it judging by posts here. Wish they would tell me though, amusingly they just replied to my email asking then to confirm the time
for lay Thursday..

November course news?
 

Has anyone who has successfully passed stage 3 and medical heard anything definitive regards the November course yet?

@eptesicus/minicub
 

epte, yeah people were just generally saying they found it really tough and had a few near misses etc.
yeah just gota hope for the best, i haven't heard yet so just gota think positive.
minicub, yeah i had a few different emails saying 0830, 0900 and 1000. it made no difference to me what time i got there really, as i'm used to getting up early, so i just made sure i was there in time for the earliest time i'd been emailed.
as it happened, you're right, it didn't start til 10, but i just sat in the cafe with my hot chocolate reading my book. had time to think about things and go to the toilet etc, and wake up adequately, so i was happy to have got there so early.

Tomorrow's testing date has been cancelled for anyone who may not have heard yet.

Annoying news for those of us with trains and accommodation booked :sad: