RAF Air Traffic Controller
Hey everyone! It's been a very long time since i set foot in this forum... actually it was probably when i was first due to attend OASC back in 2004 or something! All of your information was amazingly helpful guys. But I didnt get through 
Anyway i've just reapplied using this new funky online application system they've got going... how vierd! I've placed Air traffic control as my first choice.
Well, back in the day air traffic controllers recieved no equivalent civvi qualification in air traffic controlling during thier career, but recently i've heard that they now do! If this is true then can anybody tell me if this qualification is actually worth something in civvi street? will it allow one to become a civvi ATCller?
Whats the intake like now-a-days anyway? My boyfriend's just got a bursary for pilot and he'll be heading off to IOT next year... he said now's the best time to join the RAF as they had been cutting down too much on personell and are now short?
I'm waaay outta the loop, everything changed since i went to OASC... even the OASC structure's changed! and the filter interview (mine consisted of a lovely wing commander coming to my school and asking me if i really wanted to join the RAF and we had a nice little chat!)
Thanks in advance!
Sarah
Anyway i've just reapplied using this new funky online application system they've got going... how vierd! I've placed Air traffic control as my first choice.
Well, back in the day air traffic controllers recieved no equivalent civvi qualification in air traffic controlling during thier career, but recently i've heard that they now do! If this is true then can anybody tell me if this qualification is actually worth something in civvi street? will it allow one to become a civvi ATCller?
Whats the intake like now-a-days anyway? My boyfriend's just got a bursary for pilot and he'll be heading off to IOT next year... he said now's the best time to join the RAF as they had been cutting down too much on personell and are now short?
I'm waaay outta the loop, everything changed since i went to OASC... even the OASC structure's changed! and the filter interview (mine consisted of a lovely wing commander coming to my school and asking me if i really wanted to join the RAF and we had a nice little chat!)
Thanks in advance!
Sarah
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Currently would be be best time to apply as the RAF is 600 officers short, however this is primarily down to people leaving.
Just because there are currently plenty of vaccancies doesn't meant the standards are lower. You will be required to show improvement since your last visit to OASC.
Just because there are currently plenty of vaccancies doesn't meant the standards are lower. You will be required to show improvement since your last visit to OASC.
This maybe a stupid question but why is the RAF having such a massive problem with staff retention? I understand that often or not that in most roles you can earn a lot more money in civvy jobs that in the RAF. Also people being deployed a lot more overseas, but why is the problem so bad at the moment?
Hello Sarah,
my names Laurence and Im also applying to become either an Air Traffic Controller or Aerospace Battle Manager. My presentation is in January then initial interview is in Feb. From my sources I do believe that if you qualify as an Air Traffic Controller in the RAF, it is an equivilent qualification to that of civvie street.
In regards to intake, the RAF are very low on Air Support positions like ATC, and that is why we will be fast tracked to OASC quicker than say people going for Aircrew or Intelligence (where there is not a shortage). However do not for one second believe that will make it easier to get in. The initial interview will have to be passed first and it will not be just a casual meeting with an officer. To prepare for the inital interview there are many things you can do. Make sure you know everything and i mean EVERYTHING about the RAF. Know all their current operations and know all current affairs. Read the times/telegraph everyday, visit the RAF website. Make sure you know everything about Air Traffic Control. Try and visit the ATC school in Shawbury. Do loads of practice questions. Dont take anything for granted!
Incedently Sarah what was OASC like in 2004? Was there anything in particular you failed?
my names Laurence and Im also applying to become either an Air Traffic Controller or Aerospace Battle Manager. My presentation is in January then initial interview is in Feb. From my sources I do believe that if you qualify as an Air Traffic Controller in the RAF, it is an equivilent qualification to that of civvie street.
In regards to intake, the RAF are very low on Air Support positions like ATC, and that is why we will be fast tracked to OASC quicker than say people going for Aircrew or Intelligence (where there is not a shortage). However do not for one second believe that will make it easier to get in. The initial interview will have to be passed first and it will not be just a casual meeting with an officer. To prepare for the inital interview there are many things you can do. Make sure you know everything and i mean EVERYTHING about the RAF. Know all their current operations and know all current affairs. Read the times/telegraph everyday, visit the RAF website. Make sure you know everything about Air Traffic Control. Try and visit the ATC school in Shawbury. Do loads of practice questions. Dont take anything for granted!
Incedently Sarah what was OASC like in 2004? Was there anything in particular you failed?
DJBowl
Currently would be be best time to apply as the RAF is 600 officers short, however this is primarily down to people leaving
really?
THIS PAGE FROM THE GOVT SHOWS DIFFERENT
Look at the fluctuations of those figures over the year - I'd never take a figure like that as any indication of recruiting or otherwise.
People leave because the Forces have changed - a lot - over the last 15 years - far more than at any other time. The op tempo is far higher and people change as well - they want different things. You'll change as you get older.
Hi,
Not really sure where you got the gen about gaining a civvy ATC qualification automatically through RAF ATC, but unless a lot of things have changed very very recently, I very much doubt it's true. As DJBowl and ProStacker alluded to, it's really retention that's the problem, as opposed to a lack of new blood. If qualifying as an ATCO in the RAF gave you an automatic civvy ticket, that problem would be a whole lot worse! This is because civvy ATC generally earn a lot more than their RAF/RN counterparts, and they don't have to put up with any the "forces BS" (though like any organisation or profession they have their own issues). So people would just join the RAF/RN, get their licences, and then bugger off to civvy street.
What used to be the case was that you could just book yourself in for the necessary exams and boards that qualified you for an ATC licence/ratings, and just turn up and if you passed them then you got the licence. So theoretically anyone could just pitch up to the exams as long as they'd payed the entrance fee! However, nowadays in order to get a Student Air Traffic Controller's Licence you have to undertake a training course at a CAA-approved college, either self-funded (ie you fork out the c.£40k for the course) or sponsored (most commonly through NATS).
Not really sure where you got the gen about gaining a civvy ATC qualification automatically through RAF ATC, but unless a lot of things have changed very very recently, I very much doubt it's true. As DJBowl and ProStacker alluded to, it's really retention that's the problem, as opposed to a lack of new blood. If qualifying as an ATCO in the RAF gave you an automatic civvy ticket, that problem would be a whole lot worse! This is because civvy ATC generally earn a lot more than their RAF/RN counterparts, and they don't have to put up with any the "forces BS" (though like any organisation or profession they have their own issues). So people would just join the RAF/RN, get their licences, and then bugger off to civvy street.
What used to be the case was that you could just book yourself in for the necessary exams and boards that qualified you for an ATC licence/ratings, and just turn up and if you passed them then you got the licence. So theoretically anyone could just pitch up to the exams as long as they'd payed the entrance fee! However, nowadays in order to get a Student Air Traffic Controller's Licence you have to undertake a training course at a CAA-approved college, either self-funded (ie you fork out the c.£40k for the course) or sponsored (most commonly through NATS).
I really, really doubt that the qualification you get in the raf would carry through to civvy street. I've seen both military and civillian controllers in action down at Swanwick and the 2 jobs are quite different. I've met a few RAF controllers that went for civvy street (nats) and they had to go through the full application/assessment just like everyone else and then do the full civvy training.
However I am now completely out of the system and do not know the official word on what you've heard. You need to get it confirmed, probably by the ATC school at RAF Shawbury, http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafshawbury/contactus.cfm. Ring the mod operators as described in the first paragraph. You might want to start by asking for the shawbury station adjutant (a very nice lady) and she can direct you to the most appropriate person at the school.
However I am now completely out of the system and do not know the official word on what you've heard. You need to get it confirmed, probably by the ATC school at RAF Shawbury, http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafshawbury/contactus.cfm. Ring the mod operators as described in the first paragraph. You might want to start by asking for the shawbury station adjutant (a very nice lady) and she can direct you to the most appropriate person at the school.
The way it was worded to me/in info pack was that it is the same qualification.
I would have thought that all ATControllers, whether civvie or military, that they would all NEED the same qualifiaction, so that it is regulated. Its not like military and civvie airspace are completely separate.
Im really worried now! That would mean dropping from RAF salary to £10,000 a year to train again.
I would have thought that all ATControllers, whether civvie or military, that they would all NEED the same qualifiaction, so that it is regulated. Its not like military and civvie airspace are completely separate.
Im really worried now! That would mean dropping from RAF salary to £10,000 a year to train again.
GeorgieH
The way it was worded to me/in info pack was that it is the same qualification.
I would have thought that all ATControllers, whether civvie or military, that they would all NEED the same qualifiaction, so that it is regulated. Its not like military and civvie airspace are completely separate.
Im really worried now! That would mean dropping from RAF salary to £10,000 a year to train again.
I would have thought that all ATControllers, whether civvie or military, that they would all NEED the same qualifiaction, so that it is regulated. Its not like military and civvie airspace are completely separate.
Im really worried now! That would mean dropping from RAF salary to £10,000 a year to train again.
Unfortunately the UK Military ATC Licence and the civvy ATC Licence are two different things, UK Military ATC Licences can't be regulated as such by the CAA as they're outside its jurisdiction.
It would at first seem logical that they would be similar but the reality is there are vast differences between the two - using your airspace example, a civvy ATCO controlling aircraft inbound to say Heathrow would be using completely different procedures to an RAF ATCO controlling multiple Hawks in the circuit at Valley.
As for the NATS training salary, yeah, that does seem a bit gash. But when you think about it you'd have a higher earning potential in the long run, and obviously stuff like deployments and cutbacks in Govt. spending wouldn't really affect you. The official verdict on Mil vs Civvy ATC seems to be, if you're in it for the job, go mil, if you're in it for the money, go civvy,
ProStacker
really?
THIS PAGE FROM THE GOVT SHOWS DIFFERENT
Look at the fluctuations of those figures over the year - I'd never take a figure like that as any indication of recruiting or otherwise.
People leave because the Forces have changed - a lot - over the last 15 years - far more than at any other time. The op tempo is far higher and people change as well - they want different things. You'll change as you get older.
THIS PAGE FROM THE GOVT SHOWS DIFFERENT
Look at the fluctuations of those figures over the year - I'd never take a figure like that as any indication of recruiting or otherwise.
People leave because the Forces have changed - a lot - over the last 15 years - far more than at any other time. The op tempo is far higher and people change as well - they want different things. You'll change as you get older.
From the mouth of OC D sqaudron IOT at Cranwell.
DJBowl
From the mouth of OC D sqaudron IOT at Cranwell.
Well - they are human after all.
http://www.raf.mod.uk/careers/jobs/airtrafficcontroller.cfm
Says Similar Jobs as civvy Air Traffic Controllers. Doesn't say that it's the same thing.
I have looked at the booklet I got from AFCO last night. It doesn't say that you will gain the same qualifications as the civvy ATC anywhere.
Says Similar Jobs as civvy Air Traffic Controllers. Doesn't say that it's the same thing.
I have looked at the booklet I got from AFCO last night. It doesn't say that you will gain the same qualifications as the civvy ATC anywhere.
GR29KHS
This thread is going on and on. I'm close to going to the source for an answer to end the debate.
I thought you wouldn't need to look for answers. I had a feeling that you were an .......
Er no, read my profile, I'm no longer in. I spent 4 months at Shawbury doing a similar job to an LAC in flight planning but that's it. I was selected for a commission and completed about a third of IOT but was medically discharged 2 months ago with a back injury.
I have just asked the question to a friend of mine currently at Shawbury. Will post when I get an answer back.
I have just asked the question to a friend of mine currently at Shawbury. Will post when I get an answer back.
GR29KHS
Er no, read my profile, I'm no longer in. I spent 4 months at Shawbury doing a similar job to an LAC in flight planning but that's it. I was selected for a commission and completed about a third of IOT but was medically discharged 2 months ago with a back injury.
I have just asked the question to a friend of mine currently at Shawbury. Will post when I get an answer back.
I have just asked the question to a friend of mine currently at Shawbury. Will post when I get an answer back.
The profile doesn't say that you were medically discharged, I thought u may have served the 6 years and left.
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