N90

Are any prior experience/military controllers on here currently training or have been through training at N90? Looking for the inside scoop regarding N90 academy & facility training, work-life/culture and general info on what to expect going in. Also looking for the best housing options and average monthly take-home pay for a single male making D1 salary (excluding TSP contributions) in Long Island. I start training at the academy late November and expect to be in NY early March.
 
Im not at N90 but I live on long island. Its expensive, and the closer to the city you get (west) the worse it is. north of N90 is very wealthy, might be hard to find a place there starting off, and south of N90 is very congested. many people on long island in general find a place to live east of where they work and commute. i might suggest home hunting closer to or in Suffolk
 
Native Island resident here, get AS CLOSE to Westbury as possible. A 20 min commute here easily turns into 45+, most of the time due to rubber necking & snapchating accidents on the highway (not joking). LI driving is a PROFESSIONAL SPORT & people are extremely unforgiving on the roads, especially parkways. You have been warned.

As far as culture @ N90, I have yet to see the inside of the tower. However, I know a couple lifelong controllers & My personal preparation for employment includes a strict regiment of one 30 rack & bottle of absolute per weekend. That should get my tolerance to the point where I can function @ work after staff meetings (maybe)
 
The shifts we work (well, 90%of them) keep us out of rush hour traffic. I live 23 miles east of work in Huntington and it takes me 20 min to get there for 7x or 3x shift. Some guys live out in Port Jefferson and Patchogue or even farther east. As a trainee, especially a single one, make friends with someone at the Academy and become room mates unless you want to live in someone’s basement. I can’t speak for the training program now, as it was just completely revamped and the first class going through it just started a couple weeks ago. It’s been a while but iirc my take home pay as D1 was something like $1500/bi weekly. But my 500sqft 2 bedroom apartment was $2200/mo (split with roommate). If you still have Post 9/11 GI Bill you can apply for that when you get here. It will take about 2-3 months to get the first check but it will be backdated to your first day. Think it pays around $2800 for BAH, but drops 20% every 6 months.

As far as culture @ N90, I have yet to see the inside of the tower.

Um, N90 isn’t a tower
 
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Are any prior experience/military controllers on here currently training or have been through training at N90? Looking for the inside scoop regarding N90 academy & facility training, work-life/culture and general info on what to expect going in. Also looking for the best housing options and average monthly take-home pay for a single male making D1 salary (excluding TSP contributions) in Long Island. I start training at the academy late November and expect to be in NY early March.
There’s quite a few of us, 9 in the academy now, and at least 2 I know of training through but they have Families. So it’s not bad at the academy depending on where you start in the payband. Get ready to study because it’s intense but fun just a culture shock the first 2 weeks.
 
Thanks for the info! Just making sure, I should arrive in OKC the day before the effective date on my FOL? And what is the starting pay at the academy for previous experience hirees, D1 or AG? Getting a lot of mixed answers.
 
Thanks for the info! Just making sure, I should arrive in OKC the day before the effective date on my FOL? And what is the starting pay at the academy for previous experience hirees, D1 or AG? Getting a lot of mixed answers.

When I went through (granted this was 2014 and VRA bid) I got AG for the first couple weeks then bumped up to D1 for rest of my time at the Academy. Don’t know if it’s still like that
 
Thanks for the info! Just making sure, I should arrive in OKC the day before the effective date on my FOL? And what is the starting pay at the academy for previous experience hirees, D1 or AG? Getting a lot of mixed answers.
Arrive at a decent time the day prior, so you can get your id done. They’re on bankers hours, I think it closes at 1530.
- So we figured out it depends on what bid you got selected, prior experience bid is at the AG band, OTS is ummmm well E1 pay. I’m prior, so the paycheck isn’t bad plus the per diem, I pretty much still make E6 over 10 pay. If you need help just let me know, I’m here for awhile.
 
Is it true that there is an overload of trainees and a training freeze at N90 with grads still flying down the pipe to get there (me included) like a broken escalator? What’s the plan with all the new people who will be arriving in the coming months with more to come from the N90-specific bid...?
 
Is it true that there is an overload of trainees and a training freeze at N90 with grads still flying down the pipe to get there (me included) like a broken escalator? What’s the plan with all the new people who will be arriving in the coming months with more to come from the N90-specific bid...?

Expect to do your maps, then FD/CD for a long time. There’s not a training freeze, but there is a backlog.
 
I have a question regarding the importance of seniority. I received a TOL from the N90 OTS bid, and am currently in my senior year at university. I will definitely be able to complete this semester, but still have one more to go to finish my degree. I have done all pre-employment activities so far except the Medical appointment and drug test, so I would assume that I would receive my class date before 5/19/19, the day I am on track to graduate. I have heard of people pushing back their academy date for their degree, but with the insane amount of trainees going to N90 with this bid I think it might not be worth it to give up seniority for the rest of my career. I know I am looking far ahead and should worry about passing the academy first, but any advice regarding this would be great.
 
As long as FD/CD is D1... How long is it taking now with all these trainees to get past the AG peanuts pay?
D1 is 25% of the radar scopes in whatever area you’re assigned. The only consolation is that you’ll probably start getting overtime once you have FD/CD.
 
D1 is 25% of the radar scopes in whatever area you’re assigned. The only consolation is that you’ll probably start getting overtime once you have FD/CD.

Nope, there’s so many data only people I don’t think they’re working much OT now.

As long as FD/CD is D1... How long is it taking now with all these trainees to get past the AG peanuts pay?

Don’t know. The first OTS hires just hit the floor for FD/CD within the last couple of weeks, at least in my sector. The only people training on scopes right now are almost done but they came from other level 12’s. There’s a class of transfers in the lab right now, think they take their 90% eval for final this week or next. No OTS person is even checked out in FD yet

I have a question regarding the importance of seniority. I received a TOL from the N90 OTS bid, and am currently in my senior year at university. I will definitely be able to complete this semester, but still have one more to go to finish my degree. I have done all pre-employment activities so far except the Medical appointment and drug test, so I would assume that I would receive my class date before 5/19/19, the day I am on track to graduate. I have heard of people pushing back their academy date for their degree, but with the insane amount of trainees going to N90 with this bid I think it might not be worth it to give up seniority for the rest of my career. I know I am looking far ahead and should worry about passing the academy first, but any advice regarding this would be great.

All schedule bidding and leave bidding is done in seniority order.
 
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