Support Specialist

[Stinger]

Have seen some manager staff specialists getting 2152 good time for years as a "detail"

For temporary positions that's usually how it's handled. Your retirement coverage will be unchanged until you have another permanent assignment. Job announcements will usually have something like this:

Early Retirement Coverage. During the temporary assignment, coverage for good time/early retirement purposes will depend on the selectee's current retirement system and coverage. For the permanent assignment, this position is not a covered position under P.L. 92-297.

 

[jdatc]

So for a permanent position, would you still get 1.7 for your controller years, or do you sacrifice that if you didn’t get to 20 years. Seems like you give up the good retirement benefits right? Social security supplement and such, but you get to stay past 56?

Seems dicey to me, but I guess people have to do what they have to do if they feel stuck.

 

[Move78]

That would be something to figure out, they don't count as AOB, same for supes so I would assume it's a automatic release?

Everything in the ATO is subject to the national release policy. So going into staff support wouldn't be automatic release. Coming back to controller from staff support might be automatic release.

 

[ATC0997]

Anyone have any tips on how to get a support specialist job?

 

[Logical_Mongoose]

Anyone have any tips on how to get a support specialist job?

Same facility or transferring?

If it's the latter then make sure you are able to be released from your facility. Apply. If you have a decent ATM, talk to them about your interest in the position and then try to tour and meet the other ATM/Support Manager as well. The process can be very similar to what you would do in a perfect NCEPT world: show up, suck up, and move up.

 

[FlightOfTheShortGuy]

Same facility or transferring?

If it's the latter then make sure you are able to be released from your facility. Apply. If you have a decent ATM, talk to them about your interest in the position and then try to tour and meet the other ATM/Support Manager as well. The process can be very similar to what you would do in a perfect NCEPT world: show up, suck up, and move up.

What about same facility?

 

[kombucha23]

Need to be able to be deviated (so if you’re low on staffing, unlikely to be pulled off the floor). You can do a solicitation of interest with your ATM, and if there’s an opening, you can assume the duties of a support specialist (Article 17) while remaining a standard ATCS (basically additional work assignments if you’re not on position). This is basically like being assigned to do eLMs or some other bs. It’s just extra work while you continue to control.

Then you apply when there’s an opening and continue to express your interest in taking the duties full time. You’ll lose good time, even if you continue to work traffic, but you can also stop working traffic if you so desire.