i had my stage 2 recently...i heard somebody else on that day didnt get through and i still havent heard anything yet, starting to worry.....expecting not to have got through!

Yes just heard i've passed stage 2. :)

Just tried to book my stage 3 but there are no dates available at the minute.
Anybody else encountered this problem?

when did u have ur stage 2 geordieboy?

Hi,

I sat my S2 on May 18th, just found out today that I got through!:)

Has anyone else who sat their S2 the same day got through?

Does anyone have any advice re S3 (I hear it's changed recently)?

Also, sorry to hear about Tim and Craig coming up short this time - try again next year lads.

PS I can also recommend the Fareham Travelodge, cheap and cheerful and only 5 mins away!

Good luck all

Howdy,

I'm due to attend the Stage 1 tests in a few days and was wondering how many of the motivation paper questions are related to specific aircraft details? Would anyone who has already passed stage 1 be able to provide a couple of examples?

I'm just wary of spending all of my remaining revision time trying to remember flight level stats and the difference in speeds between a 200 & 300 series Dash 8 lol!!

Thanks for your help!

Gremlin81

Stage 1 Test Next Week
 

Hi there,

I have few queries regarding the test.

1. Is the aptitude test computer based??? And if so, can you back to the question you may have left out for later??
2. What types of question do they ask regarding the reading material that was given. i.e. basic one word or indepth descriptive answers.
3. Would I need to know the aircrafts and airlines section?? i.e. the aircrafts speed, flight level, seating etc

Absmahi,

1. No, it's on paper.
2. All questions have multiple choice answers (4)
3. Learn everything they sent you, plus have some knowledge of distances in nm between major cities and know how to do speed/distance/time calculations.

Hope that helps...

Nice 1 matey....

I received the e-mail on Wednesday that I failed massively at Stage 3. I knew I didn't do well, but at least I know the sort of Qs they ask and will give better answers next year.

To everybody at whatever stage you're on and failed, don't give up until the 3rd try :ok:

To everyone that recently got the dreaded email saying you didn't make it, don't look upon it as failure, look upon it as good experience! Now they've raised the age a bit gives you plenty of time to gain experience, although 12 months is long enough!

I failed on S3 the first time round, admittedly I was un-prepared.. Got accepted the second time round and looking forward to training.

Good luck to everyone who applies or re-applies! :ok:

Dim Sum,

Sorry to hear the news... I know you think you know why you failed, but have you asked for feedback? It's worth getting feedback from NATS - they might have picked up on things you didn't notice and could stand you in better stead for next year...

Hello,i've been lurking on here for a while, just looking and reading the info, which is great btw!
I have my stage 1 booked for 22nd June (had to rearrange cos of work and stuff, was originally in April, so have had lots of time to study the motivation paper!)
Anyways, I feel pretty prepared, thanks to you guys, but i'm just doing some practice S/D/T questions, and was wondering, what sort of distances between cities should i be studying? Like, London to European cities, or pretty much anywhere!?

Hi Emilie,

Still got my fingers crossed for you, but I am suprised they leave you hanging for a week!!!!! Maybe check the online application system in case an email has slipped through un-noticed?

DimSum,

As others have said, definitly worth ringing HR and getting some feed back as to what part of your interview let you down. You sound like its not a big suprise, but it would be a shame to go through it all again and *maybe* tripping up again because you hadnt asked.

EggShen

Thanks for the advice :)

Urgent Help!
 

Hey Guys,

I need some URGENT help from someone . I booked my stage 3 on tuesday 26/5. However, I did confirm my attendance 5 days before the date as I was on a trip. The problem is that monday is bank holiday ( I didn't realize this until last night) and I cant get into contact with the HR people.

I have sent them an email saying that after careful consideration I will not be travelling there on tuesday due to expensive travelling and accomodation expenses. Also, I might not be able to attend the assessment as I didn't confirm my attendance.

I have sent them 3 emails explaining this and my apologies and hope they will gimme a second chance to rearrange my test.

Did anyone else experience this kind of problem when they did not reply 5 days prior to their attendance???? I am so worried now.:confused:

1000 x thanks for anyone who can shed me some light.

Sorry aliu_sc I.D.K.

I had my S1 at swanwick yesterday, Friday May 22nd... Hope I passed...

Was anyone else from here there?

I am so excited to see if I got through...

Thank you to all who have posted advice on this thread as I have read it all. It has undoubtedly helped me in this first stage of the process. Special thanks to whoever posted the link to /files/ATC/ - - Many thanks, and well done. :D

aliu
i have my stage 3 that day!
do you mean you didn't reply and then read that you were meant to and then panicked?
Cos i did that for my stage 2 which was also a bank holiday.
I sent an email on the monday and got a reply very late in the day. Before I got the reply I rang up and checked my name was down, which it still was. I panicked sooo much and nearly gave up. But everything was fine in the end. I'd ring them up or something on monday.
hope that helps?
helen

alliu SC
 

I hate to say this, but I think you might come unstuck as they plan the interview days for specific numbers of people, and bearing in mind they are execting you at 8.00am, its likely once they get back to the office to read your mails you are already a no show.

I would think carefully about your descision.

If this career is really for you, then the expense is not so much. Excuses such as being on holiday (you can access the message centre from and PC after all), forgetting the BH and deciding its to expensive to attend the interview dont bode well for your organisation and comittment to the role - which are both vital attributes. You have to be really driven to get through the college and validation.

I think not confirming your attendance would maybe be at worst a minor issue. Not tuening up on tuesday I think is a big no no.

All of the above are just my thoughts you understand, and i wish you all the best, but you did ask...

aliu
 

Thanks for your reply HP20 and Whitelighter.

The thing that worries me is that whether or not they are expecting me on tuesday. Because I haven't replied on time they might think I will not be attending. I am not sure how they plan their stuff.

Today, I panicked the whole day thinking of whether I should go or not. I sent them an email saying that I will come anyway. Later on, I decided to give up and will ring them at 8 am on the day explaining my situation.

To be honest, I am still struggling if my decision is right. I dont want to cause any inconvenience for other candidates and recruiters.

Helen (HP20), do you know other ppl (or how many) are going on that day? What should I do? Monday is bank holiday, there is no way to contact them.

Many Thanks:)

I would honestly say still turn up.
When I rang up to check if I was still meant to be attending, even though I hadn't sent my confirmation email, the lady on the phone sounded a bit like, 'yeah of course you're on the list you chose the date so you're obviously meant to be coming'. She didn't say those words obviously..
But I would really try and come. Like whitelighter said, it really won't look good for you if you don't come..
I don't know how many people are at the stage 3 interviews. But I'm guessing it's only a few cos of how long the interveiws are meant to be.

Good luck with your decision making, and hopefully see you tuesday!!

I did the same for my S2, completely forgot to send a confirmation email 5 days prior. Remembered 2 days later and sent one but unlike evryone else I'd spoken to, did not recieve anything from NATS. Turned up anyway and was relieved to find I was on their list to attend.

Thanks for everyone giving me advise. :)

It seems that everyone is advising me to turn up anyway. I was thinking of this the whole night. However, I have finally decided to stick with my final decision.
First of all, I have sent them so many emails and I don't want to change my mind all over again. This impression won't look good either as being a ATCO you need to be decisive!
From another point of view if I am allowed to arrange another date I can be more prepared and also take a visit to one of the control towers. The only risk is that they might withdraw my application for the worst case (Hope they won't:sad:)

I know it doesnt look gd if I don't turn up that day but I was really confused by the email saying that you need to reply 5 days prior otherwise they may withdraw ur application. Planning for the journey is also not an easy thing to do for me.

I hope that they will understand my situation and the emails I sent them should indicate my passion and that I really do care about getting the job.

So HP20, I wish you gd luck with the assessment and hope we can meet up in the college! (fingers crossed;))

Gd Luck to the other candidates too!

This is just my opinion, no rudeness intended,

Why ruin your chances of passing stage 3 by simply not turning up? If I was the HR representative in charge of your day on Tuesday I would scrap your application despite however many emails you send. The least you can do is turn up anyway.

With so many others failing at stage 1 and stage 2 and in both cases probably losing out financially in the process, it seems quite unforgivable for you to simply not attend your stage 3. :confused:

Hey,
I took my Stage 3's on the 20th May. Found out 2 days later I'd not got through but I kinda knew that because I messed up big time in the interview.
I know some of the other guys who took it that day are on here, and just wondered if they got through? Drop me a message if you happen to read this!

Good luck to everyone else who's applying, I'll be back again next year!

@CassieS24

can i ask you something? if yes, what do you think why did you fail at the interview?

hey all,

anybody got Stage one at fareham on 9th June?

I'm really panicking about my stage 3 tomorrow!
How do they find enough things to ask you to make an interview last 2 hours?!
People who've done stage 3, what's the hardest questions they ask you about yourself? I've never had an interview for anything before so I have no idea what it will be like.
If anyone's got any tips..?

Did anyone on here do the stage 2 tests on the 19/5, found out that I had passed and was wondering how the rest of you did.

HP20:

My best tip for any interview when you'll be asked about 'competencies' - look up competency based interviews on google - think about your past experiences and what you've learned, struggled with, achieved, succeeded, etc and the skills associated with those experiences. If you have gaps in your CV or work experience, make sure you are comfortable explaining the reasons why. Be confident speaking about the choices you've made in your life and the reasons behind those too.

The real thing I see people struggle with in interviews is recalling an appropriate example for a skill - I'm usually pretty sure they have the skills, but thinking of something immediately can be difficult if you haven't prepared. I generally recommend the book 'Brilliant Answers to Tough Interview Questions' as it's good at explaining how to tackle questions and structure your answers, but that might be a bit late for you now!

Good luck!

Thanks paperclip that's really helpful :)

hey tony...i had my stage 2 on 19/5 aswell.....still havent heard anything yet....when did you hear?? well done!!

Jeez... times are changing so quickly. Just reading this thread with a hint of nostlagia..
When I interviewed (just 2 years ago now) all expenses were met by NATS and they'd even put you up in a hotel if you needed overnight stay.
And they would arrange all stages in several cities around the country so that your travelling would be limited anyway.

Just shows you how quickly and in what direction this company is changing :confused: Expecting more (from employees, and prospective ones too) and giving less !!!

I took the online personality questionaire well over a week ago now and I still havnt heard anything.

How long does this process usually take?

Hey Tony

Was at stage 2 on the 19/5 as well. Told me Id passed 2days later couldnt believe it. Not looking forward to the stage 3!

Tower Visit
 

Hey Guys,

I am through to stage 3 and I want to arrange a tower visit in LHR or Gatwick. Does anyone who I need to contact?

Many Thanks

I have a problem.

I completed the online personality questionaire well over a week ago and have yet to hear anything.

I have spoken to hr recruitment 3 times who have told me that someone would get back to me. The last person I called actually provided a little info and told me they have no record of me completing the questionaire and that they would have someone contact me (again).

I know I shouldnt complain as I'm quite happy to just be in the selection process but trying to get someone from hr recruitment to talk to me is like trying to get blood from a stone.

I'm very frustrated.:ugh:

wayhay just invited to the stage 2 tests- had a big wait after taking the OPQ as i had to send off 6 years of eye tests- one eye is just outside of limits, but has shown no deterioration in 6 years (if anything its got better) and they seem happy with the eyesight at the moment!


really happy- will be attneding in June just so long as i can work out what exactly is in the new stage 2!

Hatemyjob, i wouldn't hassle too much, they are busy people also i believe even after the OPQ it says the results will be back with you in 15 working days.
I took Stage 2 on 1st May, several people have their results from this day and the 18th and 19th May, i haven't.
I do share your concerns about HR, my 15 working days has passed and wa told today they will get back to me in 2 working days !!!. Unsure what this means, have they lost it ??? or still laughing at how many i failed ??? Either way i dont want to hassle them as im sure it wont help.

Good luck with your OPQ results, i know others on here have waited more than 2 weeks or so to get results from it.

Hi
 

Hi emilie

I heard on the 18th that i'd ballsed it up think i may have come across as too layed back in the interview and not keen enough, absolutely gutted. I would hope that as you havent heard yet you may have done alright. Let us know when you do.

good luck!!

Steve

stage 3 interview: is it good to be nervous?
 

what fatstig said has got me thinking...

is it actually good to turn up to the interview with a confident demeanor and the ability to answer every question with relative ease? or is it better to reveal hints of nervousness, for this might demonstrate how much you want the job?

i pictured myself in the interview being able to convince the panel that i'm almost impervious to pressure (not necessarily true, admittedly). and i guess i'd hope they would see this as a quality of an ATCO.

did our successful applicants have nervous interviews? or were you mostly cucumber cool?