FSS jobs in Alaska

As someone who didn't get a TOL this past bid but still has a couple years before I turn 31, does it seem worth it to apply? I love Alaska but seems like the pay is low with high cost of living.
 
It doesn't appear to help you at all getting a TOL if that makes a difference. The only thing that gets you a TOL is ATSA score I believe. Other aviation or FAA experience doesn't seem to matter a shred.
 
As someone who didn't get a TOL this past bid but still has a couple years before I turn 31, does it seem worth it to apply? I love Alaska but seems like the pay is low with high cost of living.
I would go for it nothing's guaranteed
 
As someone who didn't get a TOL this past bid but still has a couple years before I turn 31, does it seem worth it to apply? I love Alaska but seems like the pay is low with high cost of living.
I remember some guy applied for FSS and had to go through the medical and security clearances process which is the same as an ATC process minus the ATSA and got the clearances. Then had applied for the ATC OTS bid and just had to take the ATSA and if he “passed” he would get a class date pretty quick since the clearances carried over.

I’m not sure if he actually did pass the ATSA and get a class date though. This would be the only perk of applying if an OTS bid opens up around the time you're about to get cleared/cleared then just take the ATSA. You’d have to be pretty lucky with timing.
 
It would be worth it to work on gov time and you’d get save pay at the academy I think. Some Tsa guy at my facility got to keep Tsa pay At the academy.
 
It says on usajobs that you still get sent to Oklahoma for training. Is the FSS training different?

If they don't complete the ATSA then how is HR selecting applicants?
 
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I remember some guy applied for FSS and had to go through the medical and security clearances process which is the same as an ATC process minus the ATSA and got the clearances. Then had applied for the ATC OTS bid and just had to take the ATSA and if he “passed” he would get a class date pretty quick since the clearances carried over.

I’m not sure if he actually did pass the ATSA and get a class date though. This would be the only perk of applying if an OTS bid opens up around the time you're about to get cleared/cleared then just take the ATSA. You’d have to be pretty lucky with timing.

It is kinda a backwards way of doing things, but it worked out for me! Again, the timing is everything but I got the first* FOL of the July bid since I already had everything done.

*first of people on Stuckmic.
 
It is kinda a backwards way of doing things, but it worked out for me! Again, the timing is everything but I got the first* FOL of the July bid since I already had everything done.

*first of people on Stuckmic.

This would only be advantageous if you applied to the FSS one year before ATC? If you applied now and then a month later to the atc bid--then what?
 
This would only be advantageous if you applied to the FSS one year before ATC? If you applied now and then a month later to the atc bid--then what?

Good question, and that's exactly what happened.

Here's my whole timeline -

Applied ATC July 2017 bid
Did not pass Bio-Q

CTI Degree conferred August 22nd

September 2017 Applied FSS Bid
Didn't have to take Bio-Q due to CTI degree.
12/2017 - ATSA
2/2018 - Referred

Applied 2018 ATC bid: 7/27/18
ATC ATSA: 10/16/2018 (Retook cause I thought I didn't do good enough. But as you can see, 3 days later I got a FSS TOL...
FSS TOL: 10/19/18
FSS CIL 10/19/18 - Told to expect a June* 2019 class date. *this was prior to the gov shutdown, so it may have delayed the time frame as well.
FSS Medical 11/14/18
ATC Referred: 12/7/18
FSS MMPI-2: 12/17/18
ATC TOL: 12/21/2018
ATC CIL: 2/12/2019
ATC MMPI-2: Used FSS,
ATC Medical: Used FSS,
ATC FOL: 3/11/2019 - Accepted
FSS FOL 3/13/19 - Declined


Offered ATC class date of April 2nd - delayed due to school, New Class Date: 5/17/2019 - Enroute

It is doable, it is just a long wait. The HR people in Alaska are some of the nicest people I have every talked too. Wendy is the best!

So, to answer your question, Apply to FSS bid this year, it takes about a year and a half to get through everything and for them to have enough people in a class to warrant an academy date.
 
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Good question, and that's exactly what happened.

Here's my whole timeline -

Applied ATC July 2017 bid
Did not pass Bio-Q

CTI Degree conferred August 22nd

September 2017 Applied FSS Bid
Didn't have to take Bio-Q due to CTI degree.
12/2017 - ATSA
2/2018 - Referred

Applied 2018 ATC bid: 7/27/18
ATC ATSA: 10/16/2018 (Retook cause I thought I didn't do good enough. But as you can see, 3 days later I got a FSS TOL...
FSS TOL: 10/19/18
FSS CIL 10/19/18 - Told to expect a June* 2019 class date. *this was prior to the gov shutdown, so it may have delayed the time frame as well.
FSS Medical 11/14/18
ATC Referred: 12/7/18
FSS MMPI-2: 12/17/18
ATC TOL: 12/21/2018
ATC CIL: 2/12/2019
ATC MMPI-2: Used FSS,
ATC Medical: Used FSS,
ATC FOL: 3/11/2019
FSS FOL 3/13/19

Offered class date of April 2nd - delayed due to school, New Class Date: 5/17/2019 - Enroute

It is doable, it is just a long wait. The HR people in Alaska are some of the nicest people I have every talked too. Wendy is the best!

So, to answer your question, Apply to FSS bid this year, it takes about a year and a half to get through everything and for them to have enough people in a class to warrant an academy date.
Thanks, I figured it wouldn't hurt. I feel with this now and the new ATC possibly next month I might end up getting the ATC first anyway (if I do well enough).
 
Thanks, I figured it wouldn't hurt. I feel with this now and the new ATC possibly next month I might end up getting the ATC first anyway (if I do well enough).
Thats exactly the mindset you should have (as counter-intuitive as that is)
 
Probably not going to get any responses here but I applied for the 19 FSS bid, since I wouldn't mind relocating to Alaska but I did see on USAjobs that I was "not eligible for further consideration"? I used the exact same resume that I did for the OTS bid and answered the qualification questions identically, thought it was strange?
 
Probably not going to get any responses here but I applied for the 19 FSS bid, since I wouldn't mind relocating to Alaska but I did see on USAjobs that I was "not eligible for further consideration"? I used the exact same resume that I did for the OTS bid and answered the qualification questions identically, thought it was strange?
Probably just missed something on the application
 
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