Trainee Air Traffic Controllers

Join NATS as a Trainee Air Traffic Controller, and you'll have a vital role to play in keeping the skies over the UK safe. It's a uniquely challenging and rewarding role that means being part of a supportive, close-knit team, getting recognition and benefits that reflect the importance of what you do and receiving all the training you need to be at your best throughout your career. You don't need any specific experience to join us – it's your mindset that matters here. What will I do? Your first few months as a Trainee Air Traffic Controller will see you learning on simulators and studying everything from meteorology to aviation law. You'll then move to an airport control tower or one of our radar control centres and start doing the job for real. Once you're trained, you'll coordinate up to 25 aircraft – not only as they take off and land, but throughout their journey across our airspace. Communicating constantly with pilots, you'll keep each plane a safe distance apart and react swiftly to changing events. Training takes around three years. What will I need? Our Trainee Air Traffic Controllers come from all sorts of backgrounds – many are recent graduates; others have worked in totally different sectors and are looking for a more fulfilling career. All of them have the ability to think on their feet, handle pressure and adapt to unpredictable situations. As well as those qualities, we'll want to see: A real passion for becoming a Trainee Air Traffic Controller Resilience, a calm nature and good powers of concentration Strong spatial awareness and excellent problem-solving skills Good general health – you'll need to pass a medical At least five GCSEs or equivalent, grade C or above, including English and Maths (although many people who join us have A levels and degrees too)

NATS is the UK's leading provider of air traffic control services. Our 4,000 employees work at airports and control centres across the UK and overseas.