So I received an email saying that I had been selected on a prior experience bid today. The problem is I already accepted a TOL from this past summer 2022 bid(Pool 1 military). The email states that it knows that I have accepted this position, but can opt to take the Prior experience bid that I applied for instead, and skip to where I am currently in the process which is just the EODS portion. I applied to this position "just because". I am a former Army controller and don't have a CTO and only a ATCS cert, so I did not expect to be picked up prior experience. I enjoyed controlling in the army however my experience was mostly tactical without much fixed base. The email states I have until this Friday to decide which position I want to continue the hiring process in. Should I take the prior experience and go straight to a facility? Or is it worth it to learn the FAA way in OKC and go through that whole process? Any insight is appreciated, Thanks.
Academy or Prior Experience?
- Thread starter Jujt139
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If you don't have a CTO my understanding is you're going to be sent to OKC tower class anyways. The difference is you'll go to the facility first and get checked out on radar before going to tower class. I would choose that option to get to facility quicker thus getting a better seniority date, vs waiting for a new hire class.
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Take the prior experience bid brother.
For sure take the prior exp bid. You will enter your facility sooner, and you will be paid as if you were at the lowest Developmental pay band right away, instead of being paid $20/hr at the Academy and $25/hr at your facility as Academy Graduate.
That honestly makes sense it’s just the way the email stated “report directly to that facility”. So to me that just implied I’d be starting the training program right away. I’m cool with either just didn’t want to be flustered.
Yeah, I thought we would just get AG pay so you telling me that is kind of shocking. Thanks.
Raz
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I missed the prior bid originally and I went through the non prior bid for en route. I made Academy pay while I was there and became D1 when I arrived at my center. I would take the prior experience bid. I wanted terminal, but at the same time I took what would get me in the FAA the fastest.
boots
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Fairly certain they would go to lowest d band once a facility
Raz
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Yes. I went to the lowest d band out of the academy.
Atc_junkie
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Go prior experience! If you fail the academy you run the risk of not getting back in. They will teach you what you need to know at your facility
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Take the prior experience bid. You will be set at a higher pay band (though it is still considered AG but set at the lowest available D level at the assigned facility. When you would actually achieve a d pay raise, you would gain more overall because you would jump from AG to Dx which more than likely would trigger the 6% pay bump and move you higher within the new band; it is in your interest to go direct to facility not just because of pay though) if you were to take the off the street bid.
SpeediestYew
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I got hired on a prior experience bid, I also didn’t have a CTO. I chose a level 6 tower only, went straight there. Never went to the academy, this was never even mentioned as an option either. Started as D3 pay, and still got a raise when I got data and ground. I retained that raise when I got CPC as well, so I started slightly higher than the bottom of the CPC pay band. (This was 2016, so I don’t know how much of this has changed).
I feel like because the army tells us “you won’t be able to get in” if you don’t have a CTO. This stops a lot of good controllers from even trying because they don’t want to go through ATC school again. Starting to think it’s just a ploy to get us to raise the right hand again. Thanks for the info!
Bama
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I was told the army doesn't produce good controllers.
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Not prior army here but it is a very common theme that the army does not prepare its enlisted (and commissioned, not entirely sure if it’s on option) controller workforce for the job outside the uniform because the focus is squarely on tactical operations, a majority of helicopter traffic, being assigned to other duties unrelated to air traffic, limited assignments to facilities with similar air traffic responsibilities to a normal facility that provide credentialing, etc etc. I‘ve worked with plenty of Army controllers and they all either struggled in training, discussed their struggles in training in retrospect because they were certified, or did just fine. It’s not just limited to the Army but it’s more frequent across the services because of the nature of their mission. There are many factors working against them but it is up to the individual in the end to adapt.
I was gonna reply to Bama and say something similar to this. The focus of the mission dictates that they don’t always put controlling first, therefore a lot of the controllers end up mediocre by nature. It’s entirely up to the individual to learn to adapt to the FAA I feel.
Cmsgthokage
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If you go prior experience route you def won’t start out on AG pay. I’m not sure if that would be the case going to the academy. Either way go prior experience!
