ATC in the UK

RFC1873 · June 6th, 2007, 17:45

Does anyone know anything about becoming an air traffic controller in the UK? Cost of training? Demand for controllers? etc. I am interested in becoming an air traffic controller but I am a british citizen living in the US so I my only option is doing it in the UK. Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks.

coa · June 7th, 2007, 11:36

visit the folowing site, you may get some answers there:

http://www.pprune.org/forums/

asl · June 7th, 2007, 11:56

Check out the NATS website
www.nats.co.uk
and follow the careers tab - there is an ongoing shortage or controllers here, so apply away, they have removed age restrictions recently, due to EU law.
Basically they pay for your training at the ATCO training college just outside Bournemouth. The course lasts 12 months for Tower (aerodrome and approach radar) or 18 months for en-route Radar. You have no choice in which one you are given, but the first 6 months are the same.

They give a very basic subsistance allowance whilst you are studying.

Once you pass the college training you get allocated to an aerodrome where NATS provide services or to one of the centres - Scottish Centre at Prestwick, Shanwick Oceanic - also at Prestwick (near Glasgow), London TMA (Terminal Manoevering Area) at West Drayton (near Heathrow) which is a special approach control covering all London airports or London centre, which as of 3 years ago is in Swanwick, Hampshire. That's kinda between Southampton and Portsmouth.

You then pass through the trainee ATCO grade to certified ATCO grade and so on.

As far as I am aware the NATS course at the training college is respected around the world, and many controllers from other countries are trained here as well as NATS's own.

Be aware as they are paying for your studies they make you sit some very difficult entry tests (which I tried once and failed)... there is a learning styles questionaire, a data checking test (easy unless you are dyslexic), and the toughie one they call a spacial reasoning test which is basically folding up a flattened cube (or cuboid) net in your mind with patterns on and deciding which of several choices it would make......nightmare.....they claimed it had something to do with reading a 2D radar display and converting it to 3D but it just seemed silly to me - I never had a problem on the various ATC radar games available. And finally there's a test on some basic ATC reading materials (probably to check if you can learn a whole pile of info.)

Only if you pass the tests do they let you goto interview. If you do get that far, make sure your mental arithmetic is good, they apparently ask questions like plane out of fuel descending at so many feet per min, at such and such speed, the nearest airport is this far, will it make it?

RFC1873 · June 7th, 2007, 13:33

Do you know anything about the ATC training programme at BAE Systems Training College? And also ASTAC at Gloucester?
Thanks for your help.

asl · June 8th, 2007, 17:35

Don't know about them - but check they are NATS certified, else you are limited to working at airports who don't use NATS services.

Haribda · August 26th, 2007, 13:15

I will be starting a Ab initio course on Tuesday in Shoreham, with ASTAC.

I also dont know what to expect so maybe I will give some feedback later, if you are still interested.

June 6th, 2007, 17:45	#1
RFC1873 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 62	ATC in the UK Does anyone know anything about becoming an air traffic controller in the UK? Cost of training? Demand for controllers? etc. I am interested in becoming an air traffic controller but I am a british citizen living in the US so I my only option is doing it in the UK. Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks.

June 7th, 2007, 11:36	#2
coa Newbie Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 18	Re: ATC in the UK visit the folowing site, you may get some answers there: http://www.pprune.org/forums/

June 7th, 2007, 11:56	#3
asl Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Dartford,UK (near London) Posts: 241	Re: ATC in the UK Check out the NATS website www.nats.co.uk and follow the careers tab - there is an ongoing shortage or controllers here, so apply away, they have removed age restrictions recently, due to EU law. Basically they pay for your training at the ATCO training college just outside Bournemouth. The course lasts 12 months for Tower (aerodrome and approach radar) or 18 months for en-route Radar. You have no choice in which one you are given, but the first 6 months are the same. They give a very basic subsistance allowance whilst you are studying. Once you pass the college training you get allocated to an aerodrome where NATS provide services or to one of the centres - Scottish Centre at Prestwick, Shanwick Oceanic - also at Prestwick (near Glasgow), London TMA (Terminal Manoevering Area) at West Drayton (near Heathrow) which is a special approach control covering all London airports or London centre, which as of 3 years ago is in Swanwick, Hampshire. That's kinda between Southampton and Portsmouth. You then pass through the trainee ATCO grade to certified ATCO grade and so on. As far as I am aware the NATS course at the training college is respected around the world, and many controllers from other countries are trained here as well as NATS's own. Be aware as they are paying for your studies they make you sit some very difficult entry tests (which I tried once and failed)... there is a learning styles questionaire, a data checking test (easy unless you are dyslexic), and the toughie one they call a spacial reasoning test which is basically folding up a flattened cube (or cuboid) net in your mind with patterns on and deciding which of several choices it would make......nightmare.....they claimed it had something to do with reading a 2D radar display and converting it to 3D but it just seemed silly to me - I never had a problem on the various ATC radar games available. And finally there's a test on some basic ATC reading materials (probably to check if you can learn a whole pile of info.) Only if you pass the tests do they let you goto interview. If you do get that far, make sure your mental arithmetic is good, they apparently ask questions like plane out of fuel descending at so many feet per min, at such and such speed, the nearest airport is this far, will it make it?

June 7th, 2007, 13:33	#4
RFC1873 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 62	Re: ATC in the UK Do you know anything about the ATC training programme at BAE Systems Training College? And also ASTAC at Gloucester? Thanks for your help.

June 8th, 2007, 17:35	#5
asl Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Dartford,UK (near London) Posts: 241	Re: ATC in the UK Don't know about them - but check they are NATS certified, else you are limited to working at airports who don't use NATS services.

August 26th, 2007, 13:15	#6
Haribda Newbie Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1	Re: ATC in the UK I will be starting a Ab initio course on Tuesday in Shoreham, with ASTAC. I also dont know what to expect so maybe I will give some feedback later, if you are still interested.

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