Under 30? FAA hiring controllers....

wsuffa

wsuffa

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Bill S.
A friend of mine who is a controller sent this along. It's OK to share. She says it's a "rare 'no experience required' job vacancy announcement". But you must be 30 or younger (e.g. haven't had 31st birthday). Window open June 14, closes June 17 or sooner if the quota is filled.

You do have to apply through the horrid USAJobs site.

Info:

https://www.faa.gov/Jobs/career_fields/aviation_careers/
 
These do typically close early, so if you're serious - get yourself squared away and apply that night or first morning. It's mostly a roll of the dice on whether or not you'll make it to the next step, and be prepared for a lengthy process.
 
Last year it closed a day early.

Anyone know if it opens at midnight, or normal business hours on the first day?
 
And.... if you're not a minority, disabled, a veteran, or have an inside track, you might as well look elsewhere. Don't forget to use those "keywords".
 
Art Rose said:
And.... if you're not a minority, disabled, a veteran, or have an inside track, you might as well look elsewhere. Don't forget to use those "keywords".
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You forgot woman.
 
And after 25 years of doing the job, you all be like my brother and can’t wait til retire from the FAA!
 
overdrive148 said:
That bad? I am under 30 with a pretty strong resume...
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Not always. But the novelty does wear off after awhile and the ‘politics’ that exist in any bureaucracy or large private entity like a corporation can wear on you.
 
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Many moons ago, too many moons ago, I went to a local meeting at a hotel to look into a career as a controller. While I was pretty excited about the possibility, the one thing for me personally that I couldn't walk away from was that I would have to be willing to move wherever the job took me. At least initially. What they told us at the time was that if you graduated from the top 5% (not sure I'm remembering that number correctly), you could have your choice of assignments (don't know if that is still true). It seemed to be pretty slim odds. I'm a family man, and I like being near my family. I wasn't willing to go wherever. But if someone is, and they have the mental aptitude for it, it seems like it could be a rewarding career.

What is a typical starting salary for a controller, and what is the potential income 10 or 15 years down the road? I'm sure that heavily depends on assignments.
 
Fallsrider said:
Many moons ago, too many moons ago, I went to a local meeting at a hotel to look into a career as a controller. While I was pretty excited about the possibility, the one thing for me personally that I couldn't walk away from was that I would have to be willing to move wherever the job took me. At least initially. What they told us at the time was that if you graduated from the top 5% (not sure I'm remembering that number correctly), you could have your choice of assignments (don't know if that is still true). It seemed to be pretty slim odds. I'm a family man, and I like being near my family. I wasn't willing to go wherever. But if someone is, and they have the mental aptitude for it, it seems like it could be a rewarding career.

What is a typical starting salary for a controller, and what is the potential income 10 or 15 years down the road? I'm sure that heavily depends on assignments.
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Starting pay at the academy is around 28 grand if I recall, plus a per diem. This is the first few months.

Then when you graduate your class is ranked and given a list of places - first in class chooses first and so on down the line. When you get to your facility your pay will depend on the level (complexity) of the facility, where it is located (government locality increases), and how quickly you earn certifications.

A fully certified controller at the highest level facilities will be looking at 160 grand a year before overtime, holiday pay, etc. At a Center it may take 5 years to get fully certified. If you start at a Tower it might take a year, but you will have to move several times to get up to a high level tower.
 
overdrive148 said:
That bad? I am under 30 with a pretty strong resume...
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Well like above, everything gets old after awhile. For my brother, he can’t stand the bureaucracy of it such as NATCA, or admin positions that don’t do jack. New controllers who don’t study, don't know their jobs and are lazy. Also, I think for him the novelty has worn off a bit as well.

Personally with all the automation that aircraft have these days, I wouldn’t want to do the job. Just wouldn’t be that satisfying. I think they’re 20 years out from being traffic monitors.
 
Bill Jennings said:
25 years in any job and you're ready to retire or move on.
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Not me. Venture in to the office each morning, check my email, etc. An hour later a couple of cuties come by to get me to walk down to the cafeteria for breakfast. Back to my desk to check PoA, etc. A couple of hours later off to lunch. Then back to the office, the cafeteria really, to check out the desserts, then back to my desk to see if anything new has been posted on PoA. Sometime along the day either some cuties come by to visit or I'll stroll over to visit with them. At 3:20 I start preparing for my departure.

It's been 30 years. They'll have to pry me out of this job.
 
Art Rose said:
And.... if you're not a minority, disabled, a veteran, or have an inside track, you might as well look elsewhere. Don't forget to use those "keywords".
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Some of that was dealt with a few years ago via legislation. A lot of demographics has been removed from the hiring process
 
Gerhardt said:
Not me. Venture in to the office each morning, check my email, etc. An hour later a couple of cuties come by to get me to walk down to the cafeteria for breakfast. Back to my desk to check PoA, etc. A couple of hours later off to lunch. Then back to the office, the cafeteria really, to check out the desserts, then back to my desk to see if anything new has been posted on PoA. Sometime along the day either some cuties come by to visit or I'll stroll over to visit with them. At 3:20 I start preparing for my departure.

It's been 30 years. They'll have to pry me out of this job.
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Did I vote for you?
 
I imagine the age cap is because they are considering you an investment and wanting to get their money worth. I could never do it, being locked in a dark room for hours on end would drive me nuts.
 
Gerhardt said:
Not me. Venture in to the office each morning, check my email, etc. An hour later a couple of cuties come by to get me to walk down to the cafeteria for breakfast. Back to my desk to check PoA, etc. A couple of hours later off to lunch. Then back to the office, the cafeteria really, to check out the desserts, then back to my desk to see if anything new has been posted on PoA. Sometime along the day either some cuties come by to visit or I'll stroll over to visit with them. At 3:20 I start preparing for my departure.

It's been 30 years. They'll have to pry me out of this job.
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We call that "RIP" or "retired in place".
 
Gerhardt said:
Not me. Venture in to the office each morning, check my email, etc. An hour later a couple of cuties come by to get me to walk down to the cafeteria for breakfast. Back to my desk to check PoA, etc. A couple of hours later off to lunch. Then back to the office, the cafeteria really, to check out the desserts, then back to my desk to see if anything new has been posted on PoA. Sometime along the day either some cuties come by to visit or I'll stroll over to visit with them. At 3:20 I start preparing for my departure.

It's been 30 years. They'll have to pry me out of this job.
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You and I must work in the same field except I don't have cuties or a cafeteria.
 
Crashnburn said:
Yep, in a profession in which more lives depend on you than almost any other, diversity is more important than qualifications.
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That doesn't mean they're going to graduate, it only means they'll give diversity in giving them a shot. I don't agree with it, I just know that's the way it is.
 
Grum.Man said:
I imagine the age cap is because they are considering you an investment and wanting to get their money worth. I could never do it, being locked in a dark room for hours on end would drive me nuts.
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You DO know that those guys in the tower can not only hear you, but can see you as well?

But in the radar "locked in that dark room"...If you stop rowing, they beat you with a stick.
 
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overdrive148 said:
That bad? I am under 30 with a pretty strong resume...
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Nothing where you can retire with a federal pension at 56 and have virtually no chance of dying while doing is bad. If I were you I'd apply.
 
Timbeck2 said:
You DO know that those guys in the tower can not only hear you, but can see you as well?

But in the radar "locked in that dark room"...If you stop rowing, they beat you with a stick.
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Admittedly I know nothing about being a controller but I would imagine you don't start in the tower but I could be wrong. The tour I took at RDU only had a hand full of people in the tower, the rest were in the dungeon.
 
Grum.Man said:
Admittedly I know nothing about being a controller but I would imagine you don't start in the tower but I could be wrong. The tour I took at RDU only had a hand full of people in the tower, the rest were in the dungeon.
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You could start tower or radar. Could go to a facility where approach is completely run from the tower.

Also, unless you like the dark, you could be on radar position for maybe 3 hrs out of an 8-10 hr duty day.
 
Grum.Man said:
Admittedly I know nothing about being a controller but I would imagine you don't start in the tower but I could be wrong. The tour I took at RDU only had a hand full of people in the tower, the rest were in the dungeon.
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Radar typically has more people working because there are more sectors. Towers usually have a five mile radius airspace where radar can have significantly more. Towers have a ground controller, flight data, clearance delivery (if not handled by radar) coordinator, local (the person you talk to when you talk to "tower" and don't ask me how that name got started, I have no idea) and a watch supervisor. Some or all of these positions can be combined where only one person works everything.
 
I would encourage anyone even remotely considering it to put your application in asap. I went through the academy last year. It was fun, challenging, and frustrating, but I got through it and I am now a trainee at San Juan Cerap in Puerto Rico. The hardest part of the whole thing is being a 4 hour flight from my family.
 
Wrench978 said:
I would encourage anyone even remotely considering it to put your application in asap. I went through the academy last year. It was fun, challenging, and frustrating, but I got through it and I am now a trainee at San Juan Cerap in Puerto Rico. The hardest part of the whole thing is being a 4 hour flight from my family.
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Does the Academy still have separate Terminal and Center classes or is it all the same? If still separate, which one do CERAP guys go through?
 
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