Becoming an ATC (air traffic controller)

Hi to whoever is reading this , i'm currently panicking about not being able to achieve my (current) dream job which is becoming an ATC. I want to apply with NATS due to their highly beneficial program and good reputation but im worried about their acceptance rates and just what skills you need to be accepted on their program, i have been on their website which at first glance appears to give you all the information that you could possibly want when deciding whether to apply or not, sadly i need lots more information on this career to make my decision! So if anyone has any information on this subject, helpful advice or even questions of their own concerning this topic please reply to this.

- thanks

Reply 1

Grim_Squeaker

19

Original post by Ecclyn

Hi to whoever is reading this , i'm currently panicking about not being able to achieve my (current) dream job which is becoming an ATC. I want to apply with NATS due to their highly beneficial program and good reputation but im worried about their acceptance rates and just what skills you need to be accepted on their program, i have been on their website which at first glance appears to give you all the information that you could possibly want when deciding whether to apply or not, sadly i need lots more information on this career to make my decision! So if anyone has any information on this subject, helpful advice or even questions of their own concerning this topic please reply to this.

- thanks

There's always the RAF if eligible. https://www.raf.mod.uk/recruitment/roles/roles-finder/air-operations-support/air-operations-control

As to your worries, yeah, the acceptance rate and quotas might be low, like many Apprenticeships are too. All you can do is work on becoming the best candidate you can be, preparing properly and making an impression on the interviews.

Reply 2

Drewski

19

Original post by Ecclyn

Hi to whoever is reading this , i'm currently panicking about not being able to achieve my (current) dream job which is becoming an ATC. I want to apply with NATS due to their highly beneficial program and good reputation but im worried about their acceptance rates and just what skills you need to be accepted on their program, i have been on their website which at first glance appears to give you all the information that you could possibly want when deciding whether to apply or not, sadly i need lots more information on this career to make my decision! So if anyone has any information on this subject, helpful advice or even questions of their own concerning this topic please reply to this.

- thanks

Look into working at your local airport / airfield and getting some experience in the tower. NATS isn't the only way in.

Reply 3

AscendingWings

13

Original post by Ecclyn

Hi to whoever is reading this , i'm currently panicking about not being able to achieve my (current) dream job which is becoming an ATC. I want to apply with NATS due to their highly beneficial program and good reputation but im worried about their acceptance rates and just what skills you need to be accepted on their program, i have been on their website which at first glance appears to give you all the information that you could possibly want when deciding whether to apply or not, sadly i need lots more information on this career to make my decision! So if anyone has any information on this subject, helpful advice or even questions of their own concerning this topic please reply to this.

- thanks

As with most careers, you will never really know what it's like until you try. Have a think about getting some experience in the field, organising that yourself would be a great discussion point. But don't narrow your opportunities, consider different routes too. The RAF have Air Traffic Controllers, as do the Navy, they also work alongside NATS. But also, you have your local airfields, small airport, or flying clubs sites, look about.

Now, that's not me saying hey, give up on NATS, but more go about making yourself a candidate they would want to hire. Give the application process a go now, you have nothing to loose, if unsuccessful, get some feedback and get some experience. That will hopefully help with your worries too, with the experience you'll have a better understanding of the job.

Worrying about acceptance rates will only make you more anxious about the whole process, although I'm sure it is interesting to know. Be the best you can be, prepare hard and hope it all pays off.

Reply 4

Grand_Exchange

4

Hi, I am an air traffic controller with NATS. What would you like to know?

Reply 5

Anna0208

6

Original post by Grand_Exchange

Hi, I am an air traffic controller with NATS. What would you like to know?

Hi I've got a few questions if you dont mind:

1) Do you know if NATS is opening applications for trainee ATCs for this academic year?
2)How stressful would you say the job is (I've heard various different opinions about this)
3)What are your usual work hours during the day (I've heard you work 90 minutes on 30 minutes off)

Any other advice about applications and what they look for would also be much appreciated.

Reply 6

nabel ali

2

hi therei don't think they are doing any recruitment this academic year. I emailed NATS a couple months ago and asked if they were going to open for recruitment because i have been waiting for about a year and a half now, they got back to me and said because of COVID-19 they had to delay their recruitment process as they do not need anyone right now. There is a alternative however, eurocontrol. I've been looking into it and they apparently also provide ATC training for free for people from Europe and they're taking applications right now. the requirements are pretty much the same but they do require a levels instead of gcse and its preferable if one of the a levels is maths.

Reply 7

Grand_Exchange

4

Original post by Anna0208

Hi I've got a few questions if you dont mind:

Hi, thanks for the questions and sorry to have taken a while to get back to you.

Original post by Anna0208

1) Do you know if NATS is opening applications for trainee ATCs for this academic year?

Sadly, NATS have just terminated the contracts of all the 120 trainees who were doing their initial training at the college. They don't envisage needing to start training again until 2023, according to the e-mail they sent out - and they will offer any jobs to those trainees first before recruiting externally. Lots of us disagree with this choice, as historically NATS have always followed the trend of recruiting frantically (I was taken on 3 years ago during their last mad recruitment drive where they were running assessment days every weekday) - and then stopping, and then recruiting frantically when they need more. This leads to units becoming understaffed as it takes 2 - 3 years minimum to trian a new controller.

Original post by Anna0208

2)How stressful would you say the job is (I've heard various different opinions about this)

People often ask this but I don't know what they mean by stressful. The training is stressful because you are continually being assessed and if you fail an exam you could find yourself off the course. The job itself... well, the traffic comes in peaks and troughs. There are frantic bits and boring bits. If you're good enough to pass the assessment and training, you'll be able to deal with it all. Part of the job is knowing when to ask for help - for example splitting the position (bringing another controller in to take some of your traffic), or applying flow control (limiting the number of aircraft allowed to depart a particular airfield in an hour, for example). Overall the job is fun, challenging and rewarding!

Original post by Anna0208

3)What are your usual work hours during the day (I've heard you work 90 minutes on 30 minutes off)

Depends what unit you end up at but for me it's 2 mornings (06:30 - 13:30), 2 afternoons (13:30 - 21:30) and 2 nights (21:30 - 06:30), followed by 4 days off. The legal minimum is a 30 minute break after 2 hours of working - but sometimes you get more breaks depending on how many people are in that day and what positions they know. Sometimes you can do 1 hour on, 1 hour off. Sometimes you're doing 2 hours on, 30 mins off, and it can be anywhere in between.

Reply 8

Ash.101

1

Original post by Grand_Exchange

Hi, I am an air traffic controller with NATS. What would you like to know?

Hi,

I am currently waiting for the NATS Air Traffic Controllers trainee application to reopen and I have been looking for online resources to prepare myself for the tests and training, but unfortunately I couldn't find much online. I was hoping that someone could help me by pointing me in the right direction where I can find the necessary information about all the training resources please.

Thank you.

Becoming an ATC (air traffic controller)

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