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-   -   NATS interview process (https://www.pprune.org/atc-issues/265195-nats-interview-process.html)

idloveit 30th August 2022 11:37


Originally Posted by ManUtd1999 (Post 11286774)
It's still a positive sign that recruitment is starting up again. Hopefully it will filter through to trainee's soon :)

Have the trainees that were let go during Covid all now restarted training? There was a plan to restart them in 3x cohorts throughout this year?

Some are back and some aren't, those i have spoken to who haven't started yet were 'fresher' trainees i.e only a few months into their courses before COVID and they're yet to receive an official restart date, but they are certainly going back at some point (my guess is still early 2023)

But there are definitely trainees back as we speak. How many, i don't know.


ManUtd1999 28th September 2022 14:32

Little snippet of info from the NATS instagram today:

"we do not have a date for when we will be recruiting controllers again. It will most likely be 2023 at the very earliest."

A somewhat negative outlook :(

JohnLi 5th December 2022 13:32

Hello all - long time reader first time poster.

I was offered a role on the Trainee Air Traffic Controller back in early March 2020 - obviously we all know what happened next.

Are many of you in the same situation as me? Last I heard from NATS was back in September when they emailed to say they 'are now beginning to plan when we may be able to begin returning those that are waiting to join, on a phased basis.'

If any of you are in the same situation, have you been offered training dates yet? or do you know of anyone who has?

Cheers
John

aboots 7th December 2022 16:59

Hi John,
I'm in exactly the same position and haven't heard anything since September, unfortunately. Just waiting to hear and keeping fingers crossed.

Cheers

DruryC4 7th December 2022 18:53

Same boat here, last email in September, nothing further heard :)

Flight25 7th December 2022 21:20


Originally Posted by JohnLi (Post 11342714)

If any of you are in the same situation, have you been offered training dates yet? or do you know of anyone who has?


Hi John,

I am also in the same position. Last email in September and I was initially offered the position in March 2020.

The only person I have heard of returning is somebody who was cut after they had commenced training, they have just been invited back to start in January.

Fingers crossed we all here something soon. I am hoping this side of Christmas but who knows.

stgnats 18th January 2023 23:25

I'm still waiting to apply for ATC, I got an amazing opportunity in airside operations at my local airport now so I'm going to wait a few years to get experience and let the inevitable backlog of applicants calm (and to save up to cover the year of low-ish pay ;))

ManUtd1999 2nd February 2023 18:09

Any rumours as to when NATS may reopen applications for trainees?

The ones who had just started training in early 2020 but were then cancelled have now restarted (or at least some of them have). Then I presume there are still a few more people who were accepted but never got the chance to start a course, but after that the pool of applicants will be empty.

I'm not sure how often they start new courses, but they could need people fairly soon? Next autumn/winter maybe?

am59fly 13th March 2023 13:31

TATCO Training Start
 
Hi all,

Just thought I’d chip in with some info if anyone is still following this thread.

I passed selection and was “offered” a place back in March 2020.

I’ve now been given a start date of 6th June based at Whiteley (Course 311), and have received contracts etc.

If anyone else is in the same boat, it would be good to hear from you.

Thanks,
Allan

*I’m also aware of a Global course that starts on 3rd April*

ManUtd1999 14th March 2023 22:24

Thanks for the update :ok:

If you were originally offered a place in March 2020, you are probably one of the last of the "old" cadets to be recalled. Hopefully this means they will open up recruitment again soon!

stgnats 11th April 2023 19:27

IT'S OPEN!
 
I got the official NATS email saying that the applications for trainee air traffic controllers, I won't be going for this one, I'm going to wait for 2024 when I have more experience in the airport

Gonzo 11th April 2023 20:27

Recruitment open!

https://krb-sjobs.brassring.com/TGne...s=1474720_5722


Runway26 12th April 2023 13:00


Originally Posted by stgnats (Post 11418390)
I got the official NATS email saying that the applications for trainee air traffic controllers, I won't be going for this one, I'm going to wait for 2024 when I have more experience in the airport

NATS recruitment process is historically slow and that’s probably because of the amount of applicants and stages involved.
If you applied now I wouldn’t expect you (if successful) to start at college for 9-12 months.

Worth considering hey

solarplexus 12th April 2023 19:20


Originally Posted by older (Post 11418843)
I applied as soon as I had the application open email! Luckily have a child free couple of days while they are visiting grandparents so completed Stage 1 and Stage 2 while it was quiet earlier today. I've just had a success email! Now to wait for a Stage Three date....

same! i'm really excited

older 13th April 2023 12:17


Originally Posted by solarplexus (Post 11418899)
same! i'm really excited

Anticipating a long wait. It's been so long since recruitment was last open - I imagine they are inundated.

Munpun 14th April 2023 09:49

Hey, same boat aswell completed stage 1 and stage 2 awaiting date for stage 3. I know there is no upper age limit but I'm 39 just wondered if anyone else is probably in the upper age bracket?

PaoloPP 14th April 2023 12:10


Originally Posted by older (Post 11418843)
I applied as soon as I had the application open email! Luckily have a child free couple of days while they are visiting grandparents so completed Stage 1 and Stage 2 while it was quiet earlier today. I've just had a success email! Now to wait for a Stage Three date....

Hey guys, i've done stage 1 on the 12th but still waiting to hear if I made it to stage 2.
Still showing as application under review, was it faster for you?

mrbll 15th April 2023 14:08


Originally Posted by PaoloPP (Post 11419781)
Hey guys, i've done stage 1 on the 12th but still waiting to hear if I made it to stage 2.
Still showing as application under review, was it faster for you?

I got the Stage 1 pass email, which included the link to sit the Stage 2 within 5 minutes of finishing Stage 1. I then got the Stage 2 pass email within minutes of finishing Stage 2, so for me it was near instant feedback but I dont know what's normal or to be expected. Fingers crossed for you! No news is still good news and you would think that if it were a rejection, they'd send it without much delay?

saikrishna13 16th April 2023 07:39

Is this for the Trainee ATC role ?

ManUtd1999 16th April 2023 12:32


I've just had a success email! Now to wait for a Stage Three date....
Same here, although I'm not getting my hopes up too much :O

The emails imply that everybody who passes Stage 1 & 2 gets an invite to Stage 3 and that we're not competing against each other (yet...)? That's great, but what happens if more people "pass" than there are available places on the interview days? Could there be an extra stage of filtering before they send out invites? I hope not....

Jailhouse 16th April 2023 15:47

SHL Test
 
What kind of personality would suit a NATS ATCO?
Are they looking for leaders or followers or a person good with numbers etc...

What kind of personality suits the role?

This is what they extract from their SHL test with 104 questions.

JH

gemboss 16th April 2023 16:14

How long did it take from taking stages 1 and 2 to be informed if you’ve passed that stage?

mrbll 16th April 2023 17:28


Originally Posted by ManUtd1999 (Post 11420784)
Could there be an extra stage of filtering before they send out invites? I hope not....

That was my exact thought too! The email said words along the lines of you've passed and we will now assess your results and invitations for Stage 3 will be sent when we have capacity at the assessment centres. So I also wondered whether there is a further stage of filtering amongst those who passed Stages 1 & 2. I guess we will see!

mrbll 17th April 2023 07:46


Originally Posted by gemboss (Post 11420878)
How long did it take from taking stages 1 and 2 to be informed if you’ve passed that stage?

Email saying I'd passed within 5 minutes of finishing each stage for me

am59fly 17th April 2023 09:15

TATC Course - 6th June 2023
 
I’ve started a fb group (NATS Trainee ATCO - 6th June 2023) for anyone that is starting the course at Whiteley on 6th June.

thought it would be good to meet and potentially discuss accommodation etc.

If anyone else is starting the same course, let me know or feel free to join the group 👍🏻

Gonzo 17th April 2023 13:11

am59fly You could let NATS Careers know of that, they may then let everyone else know about your FB group. It's quite common for courses to do that.

gemboss 17th April 2023 15:47


Originally Posted by mrbll (Post 11421179)
Email saying I'd passed within 5 minutes of finishing each stage for me


Originally Posted by older (Post 11421206)
I wasn't refreshing email after I took them - or noting the time, so can't be exactly sure but I've just checked and my stage 1 and stage 2 pass emails were about 4 hours apart. So pretty quick. I took both onthe same day. Stage one in the morning and two in the afternoon. It was office hours on a weekday - so not sure if perhaps they are manually sent and weekend might make a difference?

Stages 1 and 2 completed on Saturday afternoon and haven't heard anything since. Hoping no news is good news and they just have a backlog to deal with.

rodan 17th April 2023 19:37


Originally Posted by Jailhouse (Post 11420861)
What kind of personality would suit a NATS ATCO?
Are they looking for leaders or followers or a person good with numbers etc...

What kind of personality suits the role?

This is what they extract from their SHL test with 104 questions.

JH

They’re looking for the kind of stable, persevering character traits you’d probably expect.

It’s best not to try and second-guess the personality quiz though - it’s designed to find the same information out from different angles, so inconsistencies in your answers would be apparent.

And, honestly, if you don’t have the right kind of personality for the job then it’s best to find out before you start, before you potentially waste a lot of time and effort on something that doesn’t work out.

JJay92 20th April 2023 14:07


Originally Posted by PaoloPP (Post 11419781)
Hey guys, i've done stage 1 on the 12th but still waiting to hear if I made it to stage 2.
Still showing as application under review, was it faster for you?

Did you hear back? I’m in the same situation. I was invited to stage 1 tests on the 12th and completed them on the 17th. My application is showing as under review.

Cameron235 21st April 2023 01:34


Originally Posted by JJay92 (Post 11422969)
Did you hear back? I’m in the same situation. I was invited to stage 1 tests on the 12th and completed them on the 17th. My application is showing as under review.

Did you manage to book an assesment centre? I got through to the 3rd stage but theres none available.

mrbll 21st April 2023 20:32


Originally Posted by Cameron235 (Post 11423277)
Did you manage to book an assesment centre? I got through to the 3rd stage but theres none available.

Same as you. From the moment I got my 3rd stage invite, no slots have been available. The email says check back periodically if you don't see any slots, so I guess that's all we can do!

notebook1 24th April 2023 20:12


Originally Posted by sayitasitis (Post 11244227)
Also can't believe the comments regarding pay.

I can't even begin to guess what rust buckets problem is. And runway, by training at Global your experience during training, is likely to have been very different from the majority of other NATS trainees. In fact, you really need to count yourself lucky that you avoided CTC and the potential to hold for well over a year (even pre-covid). So to state that this guy should stick to Australia is downright ignorant at best. The huge majority of TATC's, SATC's and anyone considering the career will rightfully be concerned about the salary. Particularly with the rate that living costs are rising.

"Bear in mind there is a long list of people waiting to return to NATS who are happy and have been able to make their finances work in the short term for a suitable salary when qualified." - I'd bet that the returning trainees are definitely not "happy" with the salary. They will be happy to be returning but managing their finances definitely will not be a "short term" thing. The reality is that they will very likely hold, some for a considerable time. At this point they will not progress in salary past the SATC points (circa 25k p/a). Realistically it could be 2+ years before they reach that suitable salary. That's a long time to manage finances, particularly for those who have taken huge pay cuts, have kids, mortgages, credit card debts etc etc. Its a long list and everyone will have something that they need money for.

Dan Dare really hit the nail on the head. Trainees are hindered by the salary. It adds unnecessary stress to an already stressful period of time. The last thing you want to be thinking about the night before a sim summative is how you're going to pay this month's gas bill.

Let's break down some figures here.

Income whilst at CTC: £18k + £60 per week. Round this to £1300 per month salary and add £240 per month for the accommodation figure = £1560 per month.

Lets take some rough figures for expenses.
Accommodation in a house share = £600-800
Unless you are lucky, with so many trainees all looking for somewhere to stay, it's going to be difficult to get accommodation within walking distance to CTC so then you have transport costs.
Car insurance = £50-100
Fuel = £100-200
Food costs = £150-250
Phone bill = £20-100
Credit card/student loan/overdraft = £50-300

Realistically you could be looking at anywhere in the region of £970-1750 of outgoings a month. Now just imagine you have a mortgage back home in Belfast or Manchester or wherever else.. childcare costs.. car payments. And lets not go down the route of "oH bUT TheY cAN EAt LeSs Or WaLk EVeRyWhERe". These guys and girls are giving up years of their lives to train and validate. They put up with constant displays of complete and utter contempt from the upper echelons of management. Surely they deserve a salary that they can at least live on?

As stated above, the salary does go up a bit at unit. You'll be looking at £31k at the top bands after shift pay is included. That's currently as good as it gets for the 1-3 years it takes to get on-the-job training started and validate.

Rant over.. to summarise.. wind your neck in

Wow, I made my comment about training pay almost a year ago and then never returned to the forum after someone told me in not so many words to shut up lol. Great to see it sparked a conversation! I see they've raised the basic salary by a small amount (only around half the inflation rate tho) and with the accomodation allowance brings it up to an amount that seems doable outside London, given I have no mortgage, kids etc., so I'm going to give it a shot.

Good luck everyone!

chiranjib 25th April 2023 08:01

For the third stage do they send books related to ATC knowledge? I mean hard copies to the residential address for preparing?
TIA

mrbll 25th April 2023 18:24


Originally Posted by chiranjib (Post 11425601)
For the third stage do they send books related to ATC knowledge? I mean hard copies to the residential address for preparing?
TIA

They send you a link to an online document that is password protected and they share the password in the Stage 3 invite email.

Though that said, I wasn't ever able to book a Stage 3 assessment. Passed the tests, got an invite and a link to book Stage 3, but it permanently showed no slots available from the moment I got the invite and now has a new message that the event is now closed for registration, so I didn't even get a chance to book Stage 3 before it closed. Seems that getting a Stage 3 invite doesn't actually mean you'll ever get there

Curious how many others actually got to book it and if anyone else like me is left wondering if this is now the end of it. It's a bit strange that you can be invited but never actually have a chance to book

ManUtd1999 26th April 2023 08:43

I was lucky and managed to open the email as soon as I received it. There were a few dates available in April and May and I booked onto one of them. I seems like they booked up very quickly.


Seems that getting a Stage 3 invite doesn't actually mean you'll ever get there
I guess you just have to stay patient, they are sure to release new dates at some point.

mrbll 26th April 2023 08:51


Originally Posted by ManUtd1999 (Post 11426045)
I was lucky and managed to open the email as soon as I received it. There were a few dates available in April and May and I booked onto one of them. I seems like they booked up very quickly.



I guess you just have to stay patient, they are sure to release new dates at some point.

I also opened the email within a few minutes of it arriving but no slots were available from when I got it. I checked probably upwards of 10 times per day, every day since and always got the same red text message that no slots currently available and to keep checking back.

Then after almost a week like that, the message text has now changed to say that they are no longer accepting new registrations for this event. I don't know what more I could have done but it seems to come down to luck. No idea what comes next or whether it means I fall out of the process, even though I passed.

Hope it goes well for you!

ManUtd1999 26th April 2023 09:02


Then after almost a week like that, the message text has now changed to say that they are no longer accepting new registrations for this event. I don't know what more I could have done but it seems to come down to luck. No idea what comes next or whether it means I fall out of the process, even though I passed.
It could be that the online "event" has expired but that they will create a new one in the future with more dates. I have no idea, but I doubt the whole process comes down to the luck of when you opened the email :)

Misty101 27th April 2023 15:33

Hi, does anyone know if there are any useful resources/websites to prepare for stage 1 amplitude tests?

Retsek 28th April 2023 06:16


Originally Posted by Misty101 (Post 11426657)
Hi, does anyone know if there are any useful resources/websites to prepare for stage 1 amplitude tests?

BBC Bitsize > GCSE Physics > Waves

maxd 29th April 2023 18:40


Originally Posted by mrbll (Post 11426050)
Then after almost a week like that, the message text has now changed to say that they are no longer accepting new registrations for this event. I don't know what more I could have done but it seems to come down to luck. No idea what comes next or whether it means I fall out of the process, even though I passed.

I'm in the same position as you but for me, it says no slots available. The one thing telling me that they will post new dates is that they're still advertising for more applications.


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