So Im a little confused on how exactly you go about becoming one of you guys. Can you ONLY go to a AT-CTI approved school?
Getting into ATC can come via various routes. You could go to one of the FAA sanctioned colleges and earn a degree in ATC. If memory serves, Beaver college in PA, UND in Bismark, are two of several colleges offering the requesite ATC degrees.
Can you go to any school that has an aviation department? How's this work? What if you already have a 4-year degree?
The only collegiate "pipeline" into the FAA is through those CTI schools. And that pipeline is not flowing any too rapidly. There are quite a few graduates that are still waiting their initial call up from the FAA.
There are avenues through the military as well. There is one program for military retirees that offers them limited employment. There are possibly other programs for soldiers recently completing their enlistment obligation, but again I am not sure what they are.
Getting into ATC can come via various routes. You could go to one of the FAA sanctioned colleges and earn a degree in ATC. If memory serves, Beaver college in PA, UND in Bismark, are two of several colleges offering the requesite ATC courses.
I seem to remember reading/hearing recently that the FAA is going to give a test to mere mortals off the street. The way I think it goes is that you go to a job fair and sign up for the test then there is a lottery somewhere in here. Whether it is to determine who gets to take the test, or who gets the job after passing the test I can't recall.
Also, i've noticed the pay is pretty nice, although all the places i've looked seem pretty dated.
This site should give you some of the pay information you want. Keep in mind that the controllers are in contract negotiations and one of the FAA's rumored desires is to drastically lower the pay scale for new hires. Whether or not they succeed is yet to be seen.
http://atpayplan.natca.net/pay_calculators.htm
Click on the "ATC Grades" button
http://atpayplan.natca.net/atc_grades_03_02_02.xls to find a list of FAA facilities and their respective pay grades.
Click on "[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]
2005 Pay Bands without Locality"
[/FONT]http://atpayplan.natca.net/pb_r14.xls To see the pay ranges for those pay grades.
How do you get assigned an area?
I believe that when you apply you state your choice of areas. That is what happened 20+ years ago when I applied. You can still be offered different areas. Keep in mind that the more desireable an area, the less likely it is a new hire will be sent there either because of the number of current employees wanting to get there, or none of those there are leaving.
Can you expect to have to pack up and relocate?
This depends on where you currently are, and where you get hired. In any case, you are responsible for getting yourself to your initial training, and first duty station. After that there are occasions that the government will reimburse some of your moving expenses if/when you transfer.
Is it like the airlines where you're gonna be in the toilet for the first few years until you gain seniority?
Depends on what you mean by "in the toilet". It is possible to get hired initially into a high paying center. In this case the up side is that you should start out at a significantly higher pay grade, and eventually advance to some of the highest pay grades. The "in the toilet" part is that for that high pay, comes hard, sometimes brutal work. If you get hired into some of the smaller facilities, the up side is that the training and atmosphere will usually be a bit more laid back and the traffic not generally as demanding. The "in the toilet" part here is that you will be at the lower end of the pay scale, and probably remain there for several years until it is your turn to be able to bid out.
Seniority is generally only used in bidding slots on the work schedule and vacation time. Each facility determines what kind of schedule they work, and how and when vacations are bid.
When you bid on a promotion you are evaluated based on bid points. These points are comprised of many things, education, awards, length of time as a journeyman controller, FAA courses taken, FAA positions held, and several others. Right now, from what I understand, there aren't many people being moved around, regardless of seniority. This may change after the contract gets ratified. Something is going to have to happen soon, as more and more of us hired shortly after August 1981 come up on 20/25 years and become eligible for and/or retire.
