What's the training at the academy like? Is it 9-5 in a classroom 5 days a week, or is it part teaching/part private study like a uni course? I assume it's based at the airport?

Sir Duke
 

Usually around 0730 - 1500 but when a number of courses are running they have staggered starts/finishes. Classroom and simulator but you need to get your nose into the documents out of hours and memorise the essential/immediate recall stuff or the simulator will make it obvious very quickly.

Part of the reason there is a course going on in Brisbane at the moment is so Instructors can be sourced from Qld without having to transplant them to Melbourne.

YAASB, are you saying there is a course
of ATC TRAINEES going through in Brisbane
at the moment?

If so, will there be more in the future?

Hi SpankyR
as it so happens I've just had a house mate move out, leaving available a fully furnished double room in our 3br house. Two of here are on ENR50 which started in April.
When are you looking at heading to melbourne?

Kieran

Thanks Kieran
 

Kieran,
I'll PM you.
SpankyR

Triathlon,
Yes, there is a an ATC course running in Brisbane at the moment. The guys, and girl, are about 4 months into the course, and I am proud to say that they are all doing well.
There is talk that there will be another course run in Brisbane, but with the lack of real estate it wont be until the current course finishes, which is later towards the end of the year.
Cheers
Boonie.

Online Tests
 

I'm about to do the online tests (Numerical Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Calculation Test, Checking Test and AirServices Talent Screener)- does anyone have any idea what the last 3 are about? Or what you could to do practice?

Cheers :-)

The Calculation test is just basic arithmetic problems, no biggie there. The checking test is picking a matching sequence of letters/numbers out of several options, with a decreasing amount of time to find the correct sequence (that is, you get something like 8 or 9 seconds initially, and it gets down to like 3 or 4 seconds towards the end, don't panic if you start missing a few towards the end!). The talent screener is just some questions to answer, no study you can do for that, it's just about you :)

Good luck with the tests!

It's been over a year since I posted on this forum, however I'd just like to say to all of those going through the current recruitment process or the academy to work hard, do your best and never give up.

I just recently graduated from the Academy and although I know the hard work and learning is only really just beginning, it's still a fantastic feeling to be able to move onto this next stage. It was all worth it to get that handshake at the end :-)

Good Luck all.

Congrats Gemmy on passing the course.

The real hard work is now about to begin.

Hey guys! I just got invited to attend the melbourne assessment centre in july. Anybody else heading to that one?

Mat00: I guess not, I only do the phone interview this week. Maybe there's still place for me though, if I do well at that? What date is the Melbourne one?
Did you get a choice of dates & locations?

I know you can't say much about the phone interview, but anything you can say?

Does anyone know how frequently courses are run at the academy, and how many trainees are on each course?

Up until now, it's usually been 12 enroute people and 4 tower people to a course, starting approximately every 7 to 8 weeks. However, a new course has just started in Melbourne, and it's only 8 enroute and 4 tower, and I believe that's what they're planning to stay with due to sim places, etc.

Thanks fatty

Hey ergaster2, theres every chance that you will be doing the assessment centre the same week as me if you pass the interview. You do get a choice of the date but not the location. I had a choice of any day from the 18th-22nd of july. I decided on tuesday the 19th as Im flying over the day before and accommodation is generally cheaper on a monday night :ok:. Im guessing Im not allowed to say much about the interview, but just relax and you'll be fine. Good luck and let us know how you go!

ATC
 

Gday all, I am also very excited to say that I have been offered a spot on a tower course in August (what are you doing spanky?). Now just waiting for CASA to send my medical (I have been giving them regular persuasive phone calls).
A quick question for current ATC's or students. Is there anything that would be a good idea to read, am planning on reading through some of my PPL manuals to refresh my memory on airspace and rules.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I am a current ATC student. The most useful thing I think someone can do before starting is practice your basic maths. 6 to 9 times tables, up to 15. Adding and subtracting up to 3 digit numbers. Most of your PPL stuff I think will be useful, but remember there is HEAPS of other stuff you need to know.

A bit further on, about a month before you start, they send you a USB stick with a whole pile of stuff on it to go though, which will keep you busy :p but until then, yes basic maths practice is a good idea :)

Hi everyone,

I'm starting at the academy in August - Enroute Course 56. Very exciting! Is anyone else on the same course?

Good luck to everyone currently working their way through the application process. Hang in there and stay positive. For anyone that's curious I've included a timeline of my application below:

Online Application - Apr 2010... Online Testing - Sep 2010... Phone Interview - Jan 2011... Assessment Centre - Apr 2011... Letter of Offer - Jun 2011

I was going to apply for the course for MEL but I didn't do science...has anyone got in that didn't do science? Might be a major weakness though.

Otherwise I was going to do my PPL and then apply. (well I was going to do the ppl anyway)

What has others found out about how competitive the course is? I mean as someone said, 12 positions, not 100 people going for it I hope....

In my course of 12, only half came from science or aviation backgrounds, however we're with the old recruitment method, so I don't know if the new one changed that. On most of the newer courses, from what I can gather, less than half come from aviation backgrounds.

Science is not a requirement for the course, just to have passed grade 12 (or some form of tertiary education or PPL). My course was under the new recruitment process, and we have a mix of people from all sorts of different backgrounds. Pretty sure it's more whether you're the kind of person they want than what you did at school, which is what the testing is designed to discover. So I'd say apply now, you'll have the same chance either way, although having your PPL will make some things a little easier once you do get in :)

Fattys hit the nail on the head. I reckon background is not as important as having the skills they are looking for - you either have those or you don't - which is what you have to demonstrate at the assessment centre.

At the assessment day (new style) we were told that so long as we pass the assessment centre (and referees etc. check out) we will eventually get a position on a course.. it's not as if you are all fighting for 12 spots. In fact, multiple people from my assessment centre got through and were placed in 2-3 different courses.

I concur, so far 5 people out of 12 from my day of testing have made it onto various courses, because we had what they were looking for. Other days have produced noone apparently.

You're either ATC material, or you're not :)

Hey MAT00, I'm heading to the assessment centre on Wednesday the 20th.
Know any others from Tas attending?

Hey Sammy, congrats on getting through! No, I don't know anybody else that has applied, we might be the lone Tassie representatives lol. Have they sent you any detailed info about the day? So far all I know is to rock up at the centre for an 8:30 start. Do we need to bring anything? Can anybody shed some light on this?

Thanks mate, you too! I know the same as you, show up at 8:30 and get down to business. No idea on any materials required. As Mat said - any help?

They don't tell you much but pretty much show up on time :) I would suggest dressing smartly, rather than comfortable, creates a better impression. Bring all the paperwork they want you to bring filled out and completed, we had one guy show up without some of his stuff signed, and was just lucky that we had someone who could sign his stat dec!

Thanks Fatty, So they will send this paperwork through rather soon i guess? I haven't received anything as of yet. I'll definitely will be looking sharp on the day as it shows that your taking things seriously as well as setting a good first impression, which is important.

Ah well, paperwork being copies of your proof of residence, copies of high school results, pilots licence or tertiary education, and a stat dec we had to bring as well, which was linked to in the email we got confirming our booking for the testing day. All easy stuff, but one guy on my day still managed to not bring half of it signed and copied like he was asked :P

Pretty sure the ability to follow simple instructions is a valued quality in a potential ATC recruit :P

[QUOTE "........and a stat dec we had to bring as well, which was linked to in the email we got confirming our booking for the testing day.]

All this talk about a "stat dec"? There was no mention of it in my confirmation email. All the stuff about copies and originals of qualifications etc, yes, but nothing about providing a stat dec. Fatty...., what was the Stac Dec "declaring"? I'm just wanting to make sure I didn't miss something somewhere, although I've been back through the email they sent me, and definately no mention of it.

Cheers
str8

ATC
 

Was my last day at my old job today and went home to relax and enjoy a cold bevy and have a bit of a holiday. Checked the mail and my usb stick was there. Fatty, you weren't wrong with a little bit of info to read.. Well I guess the holiday's over and time to start the study. Though have to admit I can't wait to get stuck in...

str8shooter: Maybe they've changed it again, we had a stat dec to sign stating that we weren't subject of any pending criminal charges, we hadn't been found guilty of various aviation related offenses, etc. Maybe they worry about that later now?

shane: just some light reading :P having said that, there should be a study guide in there which points out which sections to go over, and once you take that into account, it's not as bad as first thought :P Plus there's some material on there which is relevant later, and will make very little sense at the moment without context (the Local Instructions folder if they still include it) so you can leave that for now. Good luck with it!

atc
 

Hey Fatty, do we get a copy of the ARM in hard copy when we start? Just wondering if its worth printing them out.
cheers

Sadly you don't get a copy, but having said that, once you start, you don't really use it for much, just for one or two subjects, most stuff is out of the manuals they do provide you on day one. A lot of people printed the ARMs out tho, as they prefer to study from paper. I only printed out the pages I needed for the sections mentioned in the study guide, but that was easier for me since I was doing my print at my old job :P

atc
 

never thought i'ld say this but wish I had 1 more day at old job and could print the whole lot. Oh well, off to office works to get some more paper and ink. At least its tax deductible now.

Congrats to the new guys getting ready to start in august.
I'm one of the 12 that started in melbourne last month so thought I'd throw some advice at you.

You'll receive a USB stick with the ARM + other pre-reading material and study guides. Get through as much of that as you can help... 1 month into the course and the bits of pre-course learning I got through have helped!

Try make sure you get to melbourne/bris as early as possible before the start date to settle in because after a couple of formal induction days you get thrown head first into the theory and you'll want as few distractions as possible.

Course is great so far, expect to be there for 7-8 hours a day, and then be prepared to put another 3-4 hours minimum in a night to get through the wall of theory that comes your way. Obviously anyone who has come from an aviation background has a slight headstart, but it seems like it's levelling out already in our course.

Life changing opportunity so make sure you do everything possible you can to make the most out of it.

I was in your position 3 months ago so if you want to ask any questions go ahead!

I'm also doing the testing on Tuesday the 19th. I never received confirmation of my booking, now that I look back, although when I log in it says I'm confirmed. I haven't received anything about what to bring, etc, so I'm glad I read this. I guess I should ring them up? I wonder if my spam folder ate the confirmation email?

I'm also doing the ATC assessment centre in Melbourne on 19th July. Haven't received any email confirmation yet but hoping it will come soon, I've been keeping an eye on my spam folder as well to make sure I don't miss it..

Also wondering if I get through all the stages and get a job with Airservices Aus, how long can I expect to wait before training starts? Put original application in early April, as it's such a long recruitment process just want to know when I'm likely to actually start the job?!