Questions concerning a career in ATC

[KAG]

Hello all
I have a few questions about getting into ATC and the lifestyle:

How much weight is placed on post secondary or the lack there of? How about high school marks or is the application process solely weighted on attitude/aptitude and how well you do during the process?

During the training process, are there any breaks aside from civic holidays?

If someone was from Southern Ontario and wanted to stay there, what are the chances of getting a posting there?

How conducive is a career in ATC to having a family (from a woman’s point of view)?

How much flexibility is there in the schedule? (Shift trading, etc)

Thanks

[invertedattitude]

How much weight is placed on post secondary or the lack there of? How about high school marks or is the application process solely weighted on attitude/aptitude and how well you do during the process?

It is pretty much based soley on your aptitude and interview success. You need a high school diploma, but as far as I know you Physics marks or engineering degree have little grounds on your application. Now the actual selection process behind the scenes is a bit of a mystery to most controllers, but this is to the best of my knowledge.

During the training process, are there any breaks aside from civic holidays?

Assuming IFR, while in the "school" you will train Monday-Friday for approximately 6-9 months depending on your location, there will be no pay during this time period. You will get lengthy breaks around Christmas if you're training then, but generally it's civic holidays and weekends only during this time.

If you are succesful in hitting "the floor" you become an employee and begin to get paid (Around $32K per year?) you also will be entitled to vacation time, Lieu days and sick time like any other qualified controller. That being said, while taking a few days here and there is acceptable, generally it is expected trainees will work their schedule (17/11 for most controllers, more on that below)

If someone was from Southern Ontario and wanted to stay there, what are the chances of getting a posting there?

A good chance these days, NavCanadas attitude seems to be to post people to centres/towers where they are from.

How conducive is a career in ATC to having a family (from a woman’s point of view)?

Well it's shift work, but the most common schedule is 17/11, that is seventeen days on, eleven off, and repeat. The most common form of that schedule is: 6/4, 6/4, 5/3 and repeat, so you get 4 days off every week, and your shifts are eight hours, twenty eight minutes long.
Family life is generally fantastic since you are off a great deal of the year, and even day-day life is good because you generally don't have to join the Mon-Fri rat race getting chores done. (Nothing like doing your "weekend" shopping on a Tuesday afternoon)

Some schedules depending on your specialty can be challenging, late evenings quick changes to midnight shifts, but that's generally reserved for guys here and in Gander, most other units have a somewhat more balanced schedule.

How much flexibility is there in the schedule? (Shift trading, etc)

This part is a gem. We are currently able to freely trade shifts with co-workers, and provided we are within the "rules" (no more than 9 days in a row, and 10 hours between shifts) we can trade as much as we want and it will be accepted.
You can also do a "Self- Mutex" which means you can request to work on one of your regular days off in order to get time off on another day of work, provided there is no staffing shortages on either shift.

Any other Q's fire away, thinking of a change in careers?

[natej]

If someone was from Southern Ontario and wanted to stay there, what are the chances of getting a posting there?

Everything InvertedAltitude said is correct, except this. Have you considered what stream of ATC you want into? FSS/VFR/IFR? If you go FSS, be prepared to go west, and north. If you want IFR, you will get posted to the center in your region. So in your case, Toronto. As for VFR... I have no idea. But don't go into this career "hoping" you will get posted somewhere. Because part of the deal is you go where they tell you to.

[invertedattitude]

If someone was from Southern Ontario and wanted to stay there, what are the chances of getting a posting there?

Everything InvertedAltitude said is correct, except this. Have you considered what stream of ATC you want into? FSS/VFR/IFR? If you go FSS, be prepared to go west, and north. If you want IFR, you will get posted to the center in your region. So in your case, Toronto. As for VFR... I have no idea. But don't go into this career "hoping" you will get posted somewhere. Because part of the deal is you go where they tell you to.

Yes that is true, I was assuming IFR, which I shouldn't have. From what I understand however even the VFR streams are meant to stay as local as possible, hence the regional VFR training units?

[parrot_head]

I think "local" as far as FSS/VFR go refers to the FIR that you train in. If you train in Toronto then a local tower would be anything in the Toronto FIR. At least that is how it works here in good 'ol YEG.

[natej]

If someone was from Southern Ontario and wanted to stay there, what are the chances of getting a posting there?

Everything InvertedAltitude said is correct, except this. Have you considered what stream of ATC you want into? FSS/VFR/IFR? If you go FSS, be prepared to go west, and north. If you want IFR, you will get posted to the center in your region. So in your case, Toronto. As for VFR... I have no idea. But don't go into this career "hoping" you will get posted somewhere. Because part of the deal is you go where they tell you to.

Yes that is true, I was assuming IFR, which I shouldn't have. From what I understand however even the VFR streams are meant to stay as local as possible, hence the regional VFR training units?

Sort of. I'm training in YEG on VFR right now. I could be sent to whitehorse, yellowknife, or Fort Mac. I'm from Calgary... anywhere in the FIR is fair game.

[invertedattitude]

Sort of. I'm training in YEG on VFR right now. I could be sent to whitehorse, yellowknife, or Fort Mac. I'm from Calgary... anywhere in the FIR is fair game.

That's a fair answer, just that Edmonton FIR covers a disproportionate amount of area

[NJ]

Well essentially it's Alberta or the North.

I vote YZF. Go IPA benefits for trainees!

[KAG]

Thanks for the rsponses.
It's not for me, I'm very happy at Westjet, it's for a friend of mine who I told I could get some first hand info from this site. I'll pass it along with many thanks.
Although I must admit I am addicted to the FOG ATC game...

[jetboy1975]

Be smart and go VFR first. Easier/shorter training (get paid sooner), and a much higher checkout rate. That way you're in the company and have job security. Then you can choose to go IFR and if you don't make it will get sent back vfr. It sucks to train for 2 years and be streeted when you get ceased trained.

[cyeg66]

Be smart and go VFR first. Easier/shorter training (get paid sooner), and a much higher checkout rate. That way you're in the company and have job security. Then you can choose to go IFR and if you don't make it will get sent back vfr. It sucks to train for 2 years and be streeted when you get ceased trained.

I second that advice.

[NJ]

I received that advice 5 years ago and it's the best advice I ever received. It's better to have the tower experience and a big picture knowledge of everything.

[invertedattitude]

I wasn't offered VFR only IFR applicants don't always have the choice.

That being said with my airport/flying experience made the training immensely easier than those right off the street.

Being an aviation/airplane geek didn't hurt either.

Being VFR doesn't mean you'll make it IFR either though the job security is a definate plus obviously, many great tower controllers just don't do well in the IFR stream, not sure if it goes both ways, but it's pretty rare for a controller to downbid from IFR to VFR

[cyeg66]

Being an aviation/airplane geek didn't hurt either.

I second that advice. If it's capable of powered flight, I like it.

[Braun]

I third that advice. It might sound geeky but I got introduced to ATC because of VATSIM (Flight sim) and it really helped a lot when it came to understanding and using airspace sectors, approaches and most importantly phraseology. Even though it isn't always perfect on VATSIM it really helped getting an ''idea'' of what it's like.