Should I apply for a Flight controller job?

[jangoux]

Hey guys,

There will be a public selection of people for a flight controller job on the place I live. I'd earn 1/3 more than I do as an AE + health security + feeding help + education help + fuel help. I know the risks of the profession, how stressful it is, but I don't see any growth from where I actually am. Would you guys do it?

Btw, I'd get the training and then work on a trainee program for some months before being a flight controller.

 

[Steven Otto]

It's your life. It's pretty hard for us to decide what you should do with your life. If you want to be an AE with a little bit less money, be an AE. If you want some more money and do AE as a hobby, go for the Flight controller job.

Just weight out the pro's and cons I guess
BTW, being a flight controller would be pretty cool job too!

 

[Clockwork]

Maybe take a shot at it? If you aren't selected then things stay the same, if you are selected then you can think it over and decide then.

 

[Pxz]

Do it . I guess you are gonna have some time to mix some bands right ? like weekends for example.

 

[TheDriller]

[Deleted: christ, i was in the wrong thread entirely.]

 

[LeSedna]

DO IT.

One of the best jobs ever if you're just remotely close to liking planes and the environment you would be living in.

Don't trust people : it's NOT the most stressful job in the world. Far less than being in the cockpit. Actually, it's precalculated (as for pilots) that your level of stress should be inside limits (because if you're not enough, like almost sleeping and having only one plane every hour, you might miss things, and if you're too, like controlling 30 planes at the same time, you can crack and lose control). So, in a nutshell, you have plenty of free time, a big salary, hours are flexible, and I don't know for you but here as it is all controlled by state or Eurocontrol, you are more or less sure to have a job for all your life.

All you need is to be somebody clear in your mind, cartesian if you prefer, cause in this world, it's good to understand things and be down to earth.

ATC is pretty easy, to be honest, unless you end in a really big airport, but it also is where it's the most interesting.

EDIT : all my post is based on the french state system that is based uppon concourse, and maybe it will differ a little with you since i get your local system is private, otherwise you wouldn't have a "local" concourse. But I can guarantee you unless it's VERY VERY different, it's a damn good job.

EDIT 2 : if ever you get the job, please take flight lessons, try to go a little far in it (at least professionnal level instrument flying etc) and try to enter cockpits as much as possible, because you can't imagine how many controllers don't really understand what can be happening in a cockpit, or lead us to difficult places (like being too high too close to the airport), or give us complicated orders, or don't understand why sometimes we ask a precise thing, because, and it's human, they are comfy sat in a tower and not in planes going at 400 mph inside clouds and the bumpy winds while the flight attendant is calling and while you are typing the parameters into the Flight Management System for the approach, all that while the company sent you a message saying that if you lose 1 more mn on your schedule it will mess up with another flight !

 

[Wolfeman]

I can tell you from experience, the job sucks. I never was personally a certified air traffic controller, but I had to take a bunch of classes on it when I was in college for flight school. And being a pilot, I've had the chance of talking with many controllers. I'd say about half loved it, and the other half completely hated it.

I suppose it all depends on your bearing and how you like to do work. It's a fast passed job, and very stressful. Will it be at an airport? A flight control center? Small airport? Busy main airport? Will you be doing ground control, approach, etc?

There are a few good simulations floating around, you should check them out. I'm not talking about iPhone games, I mean actually air traffic control simulations. Try downloading one, and set it to realistic settings. As you 'play', try speaking out commands to the different aircraft to make it even more realistic. If you have fun doing that, then I'd say go for it!

I wouldn't do it though, every time I fly and listen to those guys dealing with so much crap it makes me glad I went the flying route and not the controller route

 

[Styvo]

Are you making ends meet doing audio?

If you are and your happy then keep at it.

If your not

Then yeah look into it ....benefits come at a price and rewards are earned at each sacrifice.

You need to sit down and have a good think about where your at and where you want to be and if the desire is there then you will manage and succeed.

Best with it.

 

[MindMunch]

I´m pretty sure I´ve seen it ranked at the very first place on a "most stressful jobs in the world" list.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Ivan, correct me if I'm wrong on this, but haven't you mentioned in the past having a bit of an issue with anxiety and stuttering? Maybe not the best career choice if so But seriously, good luck with whatever you choose to do man!

 

[jangoux]

Ivan, correct me if I'm wrong on this, but haven't you mentioned in the past having a bit of an issue with anxiety and stuttering? Maybe not the best career choice if so But seriously, good luck with whatever you choose to do man!

hahahaahah 'Hey man, sorry, the radio is failing on me...'

Yeah, you're right and that's one of the things I am weighting on this thing. But , what job can be done without speaking ? I have thought of one hundred careers , and everyone needs someone who speaks nicely to be successful, so the stuttering should not be an excuse/problem. The only job I don't have guts to try but would love to have a chance is a university professor.

Fuck it, I am applying for the job, I will do the tests and see what happens. I need some stability on my life, I need more time with my 3 girls and this jobs gives it all to me. I will be 30 within one year and I need to get past the always-broke stage eegege

Well, my city's airport isn't that busy. I live on the biggest city on brazilian's northern region (Belém , Pará , if you want to google it), but I don't think we even have a lot of international flights - I think Belém - Miami is the only internal flight we have here. So, I guess it is not like working at Ohara's or one of the NYs or LA's airports. I will have a whole free day after each 12 hours of work so i guess I will also have some spare time to do some AE'ing , playing guitar and other fun activities.

The funny thing: I just told my mom about this and she started laughing, saying I will crash a lot of planes ehehehhe

 

[ahjteam]

To Ivan: Do it!

And being a pilot

slightly offtopic, but I thought you went to Afghanistan already?

 

[JeffTD]

slightly offtopic, but I thought you went to Afghanistan already?

...because there are no pilots in the military, especially in the Air Force?

 

[ahjteam]

...because there are no pilots in the military, especially in the Air Force?

I asked that wasn't he supposed to be in Afghanistan.

 

[angryoldsoundguy]

I know quite a few rampies at MSP who went to ATC school and now are waiting for a job opening, though sounds like it could be quite a bit different for where you are.

Doesn't hurt to apply. Worse case scenario is you don't get the job. Best case scenario is you get it, you make a bunch of money and enjoy what you do.

And if you get the job and end up hating it, you can always quit and go try your hand at something else.

 

[JeffTD]

I asked that wasn't he supposed to be in Afghanistan.

Ah, wasn't clear from the phrasing. Dates keep getting moved back.

 

[Jevil]

In Spain a flight controller can earn an average salary of 350.00 €/year... there are some of them that can reach 970.000 €. While average salary in Spain is 22.000 €/year

Some months ago there was a great controversy about this cause government wanted to decrease their salary to save country's money and they went on strike, there were flight delays, total chaos at airports...

Therefore regular people was very disappointed about it, and now controllers are hated by most of the people.


I'D TAKE IT

 

[LeSedna]

In Spain a flight controller can earn an average salary of 350.00 €/year... there are some of them that can reach 970.000 €. While average salary in Spain is 22.000 €/year

Some months ago there was a great controversy about this cause government wanted to decrease their salary to save country's money and they went on strike, there were flight delays, total chaos at airports...

Therefore regular people was very disappointed about it, and now controllers are hated by most of the people.


I'D TAKE IT

I was gonna write you must have smoked something, and checked, and discovered it's true !... There seems to be something weird about the spanish system because I don't know another place where it's as high. It's like 3 to 10 times the normal salary (depending on the parameters), and it's even more than the salary of an experienced captain from a major company flying a big plane. It's normal the government wants to decrease their salary ! And from what I have seen of the spanish ATC (i've flown there a few times), there's no obvious reason for it. It's in spain where i've lost the most time waiting on the ground for some clearance.

Anyway, to stay on topic : stuttering is not an issue if you're still clear overall and show confidence. I have a good friend who stutters (just a little) but it's not a confidence problem, it's just the way he is. But if you feel like you cannot handle pressure or stay calm in a stressful environment, maybe you have to think about it by contacting ATC or students to have an insight of how is the job, cause there will be stressful moments, even if overall stress is really manageable.

About international flights or not, the activity of an airport is really not determined by that. Big company jets are really not the most difficult to handle unless they are very numerous, they are professionals, they always follow the same routes and procedures, are well equiped, you know at what time they'll be here, and they would be done in 5mn. The most intense part is dealing with the numerous little planes here and there that sometimes don't even say what they do or do what they say, etc, or fly at different speeds etc. In fact, I have been the one being the problem in many big airports by being the only little training plane inserting myself between fast big jets during the last 2 years i've been training as a pilot I'm talking about a "normal" airport, as you seem to describe yours is, because of course if you are talking about Heathrow or O'Hare Int'll, of course it's not the same problem and theirs is to insert as many planes as possible in an amount of time while maintaing safety rules and commercial standards.

As some said : you're risking nothing by applying and seeing how it goes, so do it and you'll see what happens !