Aspiring 2B-ATC
 

Hi Experienced guys!
Would anyone suggest the area(s) that one needs to prepare for the ATC telephone interview! Is there a panel interview?
Appreciate your inputs Mate!
Cheers

Le Pingouin, Plazbot, Duane, et al - thanks for your comments. Some very useful points made there.

I'll be sure to listen to the 'old farts' if I get the chance. They usually know what they're talking about & what actually works in the real world.

The shift work thing is another good point. I realise this is a given with enroute ATC (which is what I'm aiming for) but you still have your annual leave to look forward to right? Which is some consolation.

How many weeks do you get per year?
Do they give you any extra for missing out on public holidays?

Cheers,

SDC :}

4 weeks p.a leave
+1 week for working 7 or more Sundays
+1 week for 24 hour shiftwork
=6 weeks p.a (if you can get it approved....)

p/h rostered on = 1.97 x hourly rate + 1 day (or toil)
p/h rostered off = 1 day pay or 1 day toil.

Thanks Hempy.

Double time on p/h sounds pretty good.
And 6 weeks annual leave at max - better than my current job, but that's not too hard to beat.

I'd assume your annual leave accrues y/y?
Do they let you cash it in if you don't take it?

And long term service is pretty much standard 3 months / 10yrs?


SDC :8

The policy these days is that the leave is there for a reason so needs to be taken, although you can accrue up to two years if you have a particular reason. Many of us have at least that much due to lack of opportunity to take it, although in my group at least this is slowly being addressed.

Leave planning is done 18 months in advance so if your best mate wants to involve you in his wedding extravaganza he'd better give you plenty of notice! Leave slots over popular periods such as Christmas and school holidays are tracked so if you got Christmas last year you probably won't be getting it again for a couple of years.

You won't get the extra week for 24hr shiftwork until you have sufficient ratings to actually do doggos (night shifts) so it might take a couple of years.

Long service leave is the standard 3 months/10 years. Good luck in being able to take any....

I get the impression things are slightly busy...
Sounds like a pretty tough gig, but I still want in.

Just have to bide my time until April & give it my best shot on the assessment day.

Your best shot is all you can give. If you get through the selection process and on a course you still only have a roughly 50% chance of gaining a rating. That's the long term stats, plus or minus, but if you don't have a crack you'll never know.

Many days are fairly mundane with everything on the rails but occasionally you get a day with, say, extensive bad weather around (like this afternoon) and you well and truly more than earn your pay. All you can do is keep plugging away, keeping them apart and in some semblance of order. It might not be pretty but everyone gets where they're going in the end. It's also very satisfying because you've worked bloody hard, done the best job you could and hopefully made it a bit easier for the next controller down the line.

Not to argue the point too hard but a 50% chance of rating is extremely harsh. (I know you are commenting on stats but I am commenting on reality of the job) Having worked 'elsewhere' OZ ATC is far from difficult. The complexities come from knowing the rules inside and out and being able to recite them on command.

If I were advising a brand new OZ ATC I would have them committing to memory every part of MATS and every Local Instruction. Technicalities like fine speed control to close gaps, climb indicated air speed to create a vertical scenario, headings to avoid conflict areas caused by congestion, bashing in 20 in a row in 8nm trail, you know, Air Traffic Control, are all a waste of your effort.

That's what I figure - I've got to have a crack at it.
Pretty much like to the lotto in that you've got to be in it to win it.
The only difference being that I won't be walking away with $20M if I do win!
But I'd be just as happy with a course offer at the moment.

Plazbot, can I ask what the MATS reference is?
Wouldn't mind having a squiz at it.

Coming onboard
 

Greetings. It's been a while but since things may be coming up, I was wondering if anyone can give me an early start in explaining some things.

I am currently slated for a March 31 start date (YSSY). I am an ATCO from the USA. Right now, I am just waiting to hear back from the immigration. I actually even paid for my CASA medical to try to keep the time frame possible. I do have a slight medical past so I am hoping it does not give me a problem. I have yet to start the onboard process with ASA but was told that is done after all the immigration and medicals are approved.

In pre-planning, can anyone offer a more detailed account of what I can expect? I was told they accommodate housing for academy training in Melbourne. And all this planned for by the onboard team (which I am sure I will hear from soon). I am concerned with how do we get from the accommodations to the training site? I will be in Australia for only about a week before the start of the training and I doubt I can get a car in that time. Also, does anyone know what happens after training and returning to Sydney (i.e. can we pre-book accommodations for a month til I can find a place)?

Oh, what is "toil" listed above regarding annual leave? Is that like an acronym for TIME OFF IN LIEU? If anyone has questions about ATC stuff in the USA, please ask.

Thanks for all your help in the past.

Best regards!

I may be wrong, but I believe Airservices provide you with a hire car to get from the accommodation to the Academy. Unless things have changed, the accommodation is at Quest Flemington, right next door to the home of the Melbourne Cup.

Clear2Land
 

I think I am your course instructor. Other students who have been staying at Quest sometimes ask to move. They go for Punt Hill apartments in North Essendon. It is well placed near shops, restaurants and transport. I live about 1 km away so if you are initially stuck getting to work, I can probably give you a ride.

Delay Assessment Centre?
 

Hi everyone,

I recently became interested in becoming an ATC and decided to apply to see where it goes.

I've been through the online testing and phone interview and have been invited to the assessment centre in Melbourne on March 14.

My question is: would it be possible to delay my assessment centre visit - does anyone know if/when the next one is scheduled?

Cheers

andyinstkilda
 

If you want to be a controller, don't ask here. Take control and ask Airservices directly.

I thought it might harm my chances if I ask them - I would prefer to know whether it's possible/whether anyone has done this in the past.

Assessment days are rostered months ahead. You might be able to fly interstate for another date.

Thank you! I hopefully will know more soon. I am sure I will have plenty of questions when I start freaking out -- LOL! :eek: (being silly here) :)

Melbourne 2014 course dates?
 

Does anyone know which dates the next course(s) in Melbourne are scheduled for - I have an international trip booked in June (non-refundable) and was hoping the next course(s) were scheduled to start after that...

Experienced Regional Tower Controller tests
 

Hi,

Are there any UK applicants applying for the above ??

I have had technical problems with the supervised assessments and my results have either not been logged or I was unable to complete the tests.

Has anyone else either done them without problem or had similar problems.

Hi seasaw, I'm still in anticipation of an appointment for the tests (I'm not from the UK by the way). WHat was it like compared to the online ones?