Interview Tue 15Oct
 

Dear all,
Got my final interview on tuesday at Kemble St.Bit apprehensive but looking forward to it in a funny sort of a way!
Anyway just wanted to say thanks to anyone who has contributed anything regarding interview tips etc. on this site in order to help us sad wannabees!
In all seriousness,it has proved to be as invaluable and important as the bumpf sent to me by NATS.
Anyway,off to do some last minute study.......hope to see you all soon if successful!
Rgds mr.777
P.S thanks a lot to ATCO2 for helping me out with the EGLL visit and,if u r reading this,to the guys at EGSS for putting up with me in the tower.........loadsa fun!cheers.

All the luck in the world and let us know how you get on.

Don't lie. The answers on that massive questionnaire you filled in will tell them if you are

Good Luck

oh dear!
 

Well,after months of waiting the big day came and went very quickly.
In fact,to some degree it was a bit of an anticlimax.......both the technical and personnel interview were nowhere near as difficult as I thought they would be.The whole day was progressing rather nicely........until the nightmare of computer testing reared its ugly head.Put bluntly,I think this has completely destroyed my chances of being ATCO,this time around anyway!Does anyone know what sort of level they are looking for in these tests?Also,has anyone thought that they f***** up the computer test completely only to have been successful?!
Anyway,let you all know how I get on,
Rgds mr.777 (currently camped out patiently by letterbox awaiting fat A4 envelope....hopefully!)

777

Congrats mate cos it looks like you gave it a dam good shot there mate! Forget about the computer tests, they are, to be honest, a load of rubbish i think. To an extent I can see what sort of abilty and skills it is trying to test, but on the most part, it really is sooo difficult, you have got to wonder if ANYONE could pass it- I could have done with several shirt changes during mine, firstly because I was a bit late for the interview thanks to South West Trains doing there usual thing causing me to sprint from waterloo to kemble street, but secondly, having got my breath back just, the computer tests were the 1st thing I had to do! Nightmare!

Somehow quite miraculously (and I know some out there might well agree with that :D ) I passed!

I start down at the college on Jan 6th, and I am really looking forward to it now ;)

Just dont worry about the computer tests. The most important part of the day is the interviews, and by the sounds of things, you did your homework, so fingers crossed!

All the best mate

LORI:cool:

I wouldn't worry too much, by all accounts everyone thinks they have failed the computer tests, I did at least.

Yes, everyone comes out convinced they failed the tests.

I certainly did, and actually scored a credible pass.

As I see it, you are supposed to think that it's going terribly badly. The tests are fiendishly hard on purpose, the purpose being (I think) to weed out those who think 'It's too hard. I can't do it. B*gger this for a game of soldiers' halfway through, and those who resolutely plod through the whole task making the best that they can of it. An important quality in ATC, imho.

As long as you didn't let the phrase 'Ah, f*** it' enter your mind at any stage and tried your hardest all the way through , don't give up hope.

Let us know the result, and good luck :)

As far as I remember it, the training is also like that, they keep you feeling like you haven't quite got the hang of it ALL THE TIME. You do, however get used to it after a while

Good Luck

SECOND INTERVIEW
 

777

LIKE EVERYONE HAS STATED, I TO THOUGHT I HAD MADE A PIGS EAR OF THE COMPUTER TEST BUT GOT THOUGH IT AS BEST I COULD.
FUNNILY ENOUGH I PASSED AND AM ON THE JULY COURSE NEXT YEAR.
ALL THE BEST AND HOPE TOU GET IN PAL,
TONY :D

Just one little point on those computer tests....

We had a guy downunder that was a seriously good approach controller of some 20 odd years. He left the organisation for personal reasons and finally after some time wanted to come back.... so the powers at play decided the best thing was to make him sit the ab-initio test.

Well as could you could imagine...he failed hopelessly and was subsequently not offered a job even though they were short!!.......but could he do the job? Bl**dy well.

Hi!
I´ve got my interviews and tests in 1 1/2 weeks and after reading everybodys comments on the computer tests I`m beginning to feel slightly panicky :(
Would anyone mind taking a few minutes to tell me what exactly I´m supposed to do in these tests and how they work. Is there anything I could practice which might help? Arithmetics, 3 dimensional thinking, multitasking...??
Thanks for any help.

I'm a student...but when i did my tests i found that there was pretty much f*** all you can do to prepare for the computer stuff. Just go in and do your best. (be fresh, don't panic etc etc.)

I don't know for sure, but i think that if you show a basic grasp of the required skills in those tests...then the actual interview is the more important part of the selection process.

success!!!!
 

After 10 working days of waiting for a nice fat A4 envelope to arrive,I got a phone call out of the blue yesterday from NATS recruitment............I'm on the Oct 2003 course!!!!!!!CANNOT BELIEVE IT!!!!!
Anyway,thanks again to all those who helped.The real hard work starts in Oct I guess!
Cheers,
mr.777,absolutely ecstatic in case you hadn't guessed.

mr.777

Congratulations, you are about to embark on a real adventure.
Seems like only yesterday that I started at Bournemouth (it was 1980). Time flies, so enjoy it - even if you do end up in flow!

Flowman

Excellent news - work hard and the very best of luck.

Top Banana!

Great news mate, now go and get some serious beers in ;)

LORI:p