Air Traffic Controller

AlanD wrote: »

It'd be unlikely that I would go again. Would they be likely to advertise again next year? Perhaps not. They said there might even be 48 places for this selection as opposed to 24 so that could cover them for a while.

I'm 31 now and was totally ready for the move. Really glad I applied cos I learned a lot about myself and what I want to achieve. My current career isn't satisfying me and ATCing was fitting in to that desire perfectly. Wife and I had been saving like crazy too since I applied since I would be taking a massive pay cut to do the course. Not a bad thing, cos now we're rich! haha....

I don't think I will hang around to wait for ATCing to come up again. It could mean I'd be almost 35 when I'd be qualified, it's only a year more, but it's too long in my books.

I view all of this positively though, the next thing will come along may suit me better. Whatever reason they had for not selecting me is fine with me. I'm moving on

count yourself lucky you didnt get in . Work in that organisation (atc)myself and most guys in there would kill to get out . Money is great but you have no quality of life with the shift we do . The shine goes off the job after a few years and it is glorified factory work with stress and a bit of fear thrown in. My advice to anyone applying is talk to operational controllers in Dublin or Shannon to get the real picture. Dont mean to be negative but come in with your eyes open.You can get great satisfaction from the actual job at times but decide do you want be on shift until you are 60 years of age.Nights and weekend work can be a killer on your health and your social life .

Yep just got the letter of doom this morning. I knew very well as soon as got a letter in the post..Was not prepared for any math questions in the interview so thats where was caught out. A few time, speed, distance questions before I went in and think I might have been prepared. Oh well will have to stick at the job I hate for a while longer. Congrats to those who got it...best of luck in the final!!

AlanD wrote: »

I would recommend that the thread not descend to this level. Every company everywhere will have people who think their management is useless.

Opinions on your life as a controller I'm sure would be most welcome to those still left in the race (not me ). Remember, many of these folks really want to become controllers regardless.

Alan I am sure you are dissapointed in getting knocked out at this stage of the game and i am not saying this is a bad profession. The job itself has a lot of satisfaction but it is by no means easy . The training is very tough and there is no guarantee of sucess. As some one who has worked in this business for a fair while i have seen the best of people come in full of hope to become disheartened after a few years on operations. For as long as i can remember it impossible to get casual leave even for christenings, communions etc and you depend on the goodwill of your colleagues to do a duty swap to help you out . Most controllers are very decent people with a great work ethic and are highly professional people but we seem to go for very motivated people who by nature are very ambitious and who find there are few outlets to display that ambition beyond operational work . The salary is excellent by Irish standards but it can become golden handcuffs that can keep people there even if they want to move on. Again best of luck to everyone that has got to final selection but as i say come in with the full picture to avoid dissapointment down the line.

I have been keeping an eye on this thread for a while now. Some interesting opinions!!

Anyway, I was lucky enough to be called back for the final interview. I hadn't really been taking it too seriously up to now. However now I feel I should really give it a lash to try and get the job.

So, what I really want to know is what format the final interview will take. Will there be alot of technical questions or will it just be a more indepth version of the first interview, with more maths questions etc.?

Any info would be appreciated.

Apparently there's going to be no mathsy calculations - it's just gonna be pure waffle! My interview is on the 26th - ****ting it is an understatement since I reckon the calibre of the candidates is very high at this stage and like a previous poster said I really haven't been taking it seriously up until now...they called back 100 so a 1 in 4 shot at a dream job ain't bad I guess. May the force be with you all anyway...and hopefully I'll even get to meet some of you in person on our team building adventure weekend jazz!

Just out of curiosity Bramble, would you have taken the job if you got it? I would have thought that flight crew for Aer Lingus would be a pretty cushy number.

I'm a PhD student with less than 10 months left to go until I qualify.

:eek: Wow, that's a massive sacrifice...but it will only stand you in good steed for the interview.

in control wrote: »

count yourself lucky you didnt get in . Work in that organisation (atc)myself and most guys in there would kill to get out . Money is great but you have no quality of life with the shift we do . The shine goes off the job after a few years and it is glorified factory work with stress and a bit of fear thrown in. My advice to anyone applying is talk to operational controllers in Dublin or Shannon to get the real picture. Dont mean to be negative but come in with your eyes open.You can get great satisfaction from the actual job at times but decide do you want be on shift until you are 60 years of age.Nights and weekend work can be a killer on your health and your social life .

I disagree with some of the above.

I am a controller also. Different company, different country but It's not ALL bad.

Here we have some control over our career. Not everyone has to be stuck in a centre. I am a Tower streamed controller and it's great.

At my Tower

1. No doggos
2. Stress? Ftttt whatever. The only stress in this job as far as I am concerned is training. Do the same thing every day and it's like riding a bike.
3. Yeah we work weekends but we also get days off during the week for that and extra annual leave.

Now, I'm not saying I'm working in the hardest ATC environment on earth, but have worked at the busiest aerodrome in the Southern Hemisphere 300,000+ movements a year and it's not all that bad and like you said, it's good money.

Don't fill these people with negative thoughts from the start. If these people you say are dying to get out then they should find a new job. No one is holding a gun to their head.

blake_jl wrote: »

I disagree with some of the above.

I am a controller also. Different company, different country but It's not ALL bad.

Here we have some control over our career. Not everyone has to be stuck in a centre. I am a Tower streamed controller and it's great.

At my Tower

1. No doggos
2. Stress? Ftttt whatever. The only stress in this job as far as I am concerned is training. Do the same thing every day and it's like riding a bike.
3. Yeah we work weekends but we also get days off during the week for that and extra annual leave.

Now, I'm not saying I'm working in the hardest ATC environment on earth, but have worked at the busiest aerodrome in the Southern Hemisphere 300,000+ movements a year and it's not all that bad and like you said, it's good money.

Don't fill these people with negative thoughts from the start. If these people you say are dying to get out then they should find a new job. No one is holding a gun to their head.

Yeah . Take your point. Working in the Tower is great . I have had lots of good times in atc and the work itself is mostly good. Working in Irish ATC you do not control your career and all the new entrants will go to Shannon Hi Level as that is the area that needs the most controllers. What I am saying is the shift we do is brutal on your system and you can work five weeks without a weekend off. The environment is very busy all year round and it impossible to get time off when you need it . These are the facts plain and simple . We are starved of staff and will welcome all new entrants but all they will do is plug the gap left by retiring staff . As regards stress yes there is stress in atc . Try having an incident and see how that feels. We dont have critical incident stress management councillors for nothing. As regards walking away you try walking away from €100000 plus per annum. Still get a good feeling when the job goes well but its hard to watch lads in their late 50s to 60 doing 11 hour night duties where you are busy most of the time. There is no early retirement for controllers. Bear all this in mind and come in prepared .

blake_jl wrote: »

This is the same with our company. It's just the way it is I guess. Surely there must be some kind of career progression management in place that people can strive for.

Agreed, shift work is brutal. Surely you must have to get time off during the week though and sufficient time between shifts. If not then your company is a disaster waiting to happen.

Understood. This does suck but Is common in the industry. It's still better than a lot of business owners who work 7 days a week, all year round and make half as much money. Anyone applying for the job does need to be aware of this. If you want lots of holidays become a school teacher.

We have the same problem in our company. In our case this could have been avoided though better management. Don't even get me started on that topic.

Try watching a PA34 lose an engine on takeoff and turn into the dead engine. You know what happens next. Call me cold but It doesn't get to me. Yes it is stressful at the time only due to increased workload. I have never been stood down for a breakdown of sep. though. All I care about is that I get it right and my licence is safe. The above example is pilot error. Don't turn into the dead engine. Not controller error. This is how I think.

That was exactly my point. It's great money. There are plenty of easier jobs out there. They pay squat. But if people hate the job that much then maybe they should be doing something easier.

Have to say i agree with everything you have said . Look atc is a well paid job with a lot of satisfaction but all i am saying is that it does have negatives all well as positives. All i have tried to do is give a clear overall picture to those on the outside trying to get in . If you come in knowing what to expect then nothing will suprise you and you hopefully wont end up fustrated after a few years. There is no such thing as a dream job and it just concerned me reading the earlier threads from people to this effect. But overall the positives win out and I wish everyone sucess in their final interviews.

[HTML]I'm nowhere near the smug marrieds stage, but longterm, I'd be interested to know if there are opportunites for job sharing/part time work? [/HTML]Yes they are oppertunities
[HTML]Also, regarding time-off, when you say "it's impossible to get time off when you need it", do you mean that you have to take your holidays in bulk and that a friday off here and a wednesday there won't be approved (even if requested well in advance)? [/HTML]You will be afforded the oppertunity to take blocks of leave throughout the year..as incontrol says to take an odd day is far more difficult as leave is based around traffic..for most of the year its near impossible to get the days you want/need off and you are depending on swaps with workmates to get to off...dont let this put you off thou...job is good and so are your workmates...time off is good but the shifts are tough...

John Cusack wrote: »

I have been keeping an eye on this thread for a while now. Some interesting opinions!!

Anyway, I was lucky enough to be called back for the final interview. I hadn't really been taking it too seriously up to now. However now I feel I should really give it a lash to try and get the job.

So, what I really want to know is what format the final interview will take. Will there be alot of technical questions or will it just be a more indepth version of the first interview, with more maths questions etc.?

Any info would be appreciated.

Its a much more personal interview...."why should they give you the job?"..."what do people say about you?"..."why should we give you this job over all the rest of the canidates?" etc etc..a few technical questions as well to see that you have done some reserach and a few questions as regard the job itself ie "what qualities do you think an atco should have"

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

@ in control (or anyone else that knows)

Would you know how are the radio officers jobs in Shanwick-Ballygireen filled?

Are they filled from ATC staff or separately.Am I correct in thinking that these staff are purely radio operators ?

Yes radio officers are sourced differently from Atcos..different skill set required

in control wrote: »

reading your messages, i wish to advise you of the following,
I am an air traffic controller with a fair bit of experience based in shannon centre. The job is tough and is not getting any easier . In Shannon we control out to 256 miles west of Ireland , north to 57n latitude and south to 49north and east as far as the coast of England, Wales and France. The shift is 5 days on and three days off starting at 1130am on a late duty finishing at 2115 that day . the next is a swing duty starting at 0930 and finishing at 1700 followed by 0800 start finishing at 1300 and back that night at 0000 ( midnight ) finishing at 0945. You are back in again at 2100 that night finishing at 0815 next morning. It is a quick changeover and you will be fairly tired at the end . The good news is that you are free for 3 days. On a positive side the money is good starting at €47000 . Add to this 27% shift allowance and bank holidays you start after training at circa €65000 rising to €100000 at the top of the scale. At the moment due staff shortages you can make a fair bit in overtime but it is not compulsory and up to you. Most of the controllers are good fun and like a drink but the shift is hard on your system and you cannot come to work with a sore head as it can be crazy busy and you would be a libability to your team .Hope this a bit of help to those applying.

Just one quick question in control, are you paid shift allowance while taking annual leave or how does it work and also how many days leave do new qualified controllers get? Thanks a lot for the information, very helpful:)

skywatch wrote: »

Just one quick question in control, are you paid shift allowance while taking annual leave or how does it work and also how many days leave do new qualified controllers get? Thanks a lot for the information, very helpful:)

Yeah its paid all year round and included in your cheque every two weeks. I think it is 30 days leave when you qualify. Not sure of when you are training. The shift allowance works out at 27 per cent of your salary and covers weekends , nights etc . On top of that you get public holiday pay for xmas , easter, and other bank holidays.

djmcr wrote: »

Getting a little ahead of myself but i was wondering about the medical, is this something similar to the pilots medical(Class 1 or 2) or something similar

.

Bit of a nightmare tbh...kinda reluctant to say too much since my anonymity may be threatened...but still... :mad: Definitely the toughest interview I've sat (then again I haven't sat many). Pretty standard interview questions to be fair but they really do grill your sorry ass - sometimes barely giving you time to answer the questions and often interrupting you with secondary and related questions. You really will have to fight your corner. Make sure you say what you want to say because a moments hesitation and they will cut you off and move on. Expect some random ATC related scenarios as well where you're asked what course of action you'd take in the following situation and they give you a big spiel about some bollix or another. These felt like there was a definite right or wrong thread of reasoning although they gave no indication either way and moved on. A lot of my prepared answers went completely out the window under their forceful scrutiny but overall, I'd say I fielded the majority of them quite well. I didn't lose my cool at least but it was tempting on several occasions. Definitely messed up a few questions where I kinda changed my answer - mid answer if you like and felt bad about it afterwards. But (like exams) you tend to overanalyse in the postmortem and of course a better answer always pops into your head as soon as you leave the building!:rolleyes: Don't feel that confident because it kinda felt like they were shoving me out the door at the end! Suffice to say, I went for a few beers afterwards and felt a bit more philosophical about the whole thing. But still, delighted it's over.
Best of luck to the rest of you! Play it :cool:

well,still,probably it wasn't the worst interview u had:rolleyes: how long was the show? how many of them were there?:rolleyes:

A friend of mine got through to the final stage & has just had his interview. Went OK he thinks but I suppose you can never really know. He got asked some tricky questions but was happy enough with how it all went.

Apparently everyone will know by around the 3rd week of December.

Good luck everyone - I hope Santa brings you what you wish for!

Tom

Me too! And it's all good!!!! Good luck to everyone else

tomcollins97 wrote: »

I got a letter of doom too ! Maybe having a good career already is not such a good thing for the IAA!

What kind of areas are other people in who have been turned down & accepted? I am a Senior Manager with an investsment bank!

TomC

Tom got turned down AND accepted. What a rollercoaster of a letter that must have been.

remember those planes need clear instruction Tom:D