How badly do you want to be an ATC? You can't just skip a week as the course will continue on without you & there's very limited scope for making up lost time, particularly sim sessions. Everything runs to a fairly tight schedule.

I guess I'll find out just how much i'm willing to sacrifice for a job.

I think with ATC you just have to get use to having weird schedules and minimal time off over the holiday seasons. Good thing im young and single, ill just hope that overtime pay helps.

And there's the whole problem boys...

"ill just hope that overtime pay helps"

Idiot.

Baileys, can you please elaborate on why fivel is an idiot?

bit harsh baileys

A lot of misplaced anger in this thread I think.

well perhaps my comments shouldnt be in this thread anyway.
Some one should start one title "New ATC about to jump in the deep end, after a bit of advice"

From memory someone at ASA (when i visited) told me that you don't get paid overtime because that's incorporated as part of the salary already, its expected everyone does their share of overtime or something along those lines???

Overtime? What's that?
I've run my own business for the last 12 years.
No overtime there, you might work a 12 hour day (on tools) and then come home to 2-3 hours of quotes, invoices, tax payable, ringing builders who owe you thousands of dollars at a time. I can't wait to work for someone else. Maybe I'll get to see my kids.

Toboto, you might be getting confused with the conditions for some supervisor/management types.

We don't get paid penalty rates as that's all been rolled into our normal pay. We do get paid extra for additional duty - same rate for overtime & being called in.

We're expected to do a "reasonable amount" of additional duty, whatever that actually means. A discussion for another time & place.

Well I was just trying to point out that because I was young and without kids it's easy for me to do a "reasonable amount" of additional duty. I hope I didn't step on any toes using the "o" word.

Go your hardest, fivel.
I'm just bringing you my personal perspective.
More power to you!:ok:

Someone asked about tower courses before. I think the pass rate is generally pretty good. All of our course got through the college and I think all subsequently rated at their towers. A few have done multiple positions now (about 2.5years later).

Blippy you hit the nail on the head about Bailey's comments re overtime.

As a general rule at the moment once you go to your first posting you are permanently there (once you are fully rated). However off my course one guy has moved from Vic to NSW, one from a Radar tower to TCU and I did a stint at another tower for 6 months. The first 2 were essentially at the guys request, mine was a bit of an odd case but fun all the same.

Don't worry about moving around too much once you are rated at your final destination.

Surely if you've been pulling your weight wrt the 'reasonable amount' of additional duty that's expected, you are not obliged to accept any more 'overtime' offered?
I assume colleagues help each other out when one needs a day off for whatever reason, but has accepting all the overtime offered become a benchmark and therefore the 'norm'?
In any industry there are always those that grab all the overtime they can get, and those that, whilst still pulling their weight, are not that interested in the extra time away from family.
(See my earlier rant after a gutfull of vodka consumed at a Russian Christmas party. Spent the night on the couch after that effort:yuk:)

enemyMiG,

Controllers are pestered on their days off and while on their way home from work about returning for overtime.
Many will not answer their phones and those that do, not many of those accept taking on more hours; which is why there are various airspace closures every day.
The folks over at Civil Air (union for ATC) are a very helpful bunch and will possibly elaborate further! ;)

Also, try Ruski Standard (great Russian Vodka) - hopefully you can find someone who can read the cyrillic alphabet to determine which is ACTUALLY R/S! :)

Strangely enough, I can read the cyrillic alphabet, and it does say Russian Standard on the bottle.....although there are many standards of Russian vodka.....:suspect:

Good luck to those who have their 1st day of college tomorrow! :ok:

Cheers thanks Cookie7