Virtual On-boarding and Online Basics

AJay

Active Member
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Got the call today offering virtual on-boarding and the possibility of completing basics virtually. Anyone who got sent home from the academy because of COVID or has for whatever reason completed basics virtually in the past able to provide any insight on this? How is it? Is it worth going through and doing it online or just waiting for a new class date all together? From what I understand it's being instructed through Zoom so the instructors will actually still be teaching it rather than completely self study. I was also told that not accepting virtual on-boarding will not reflect negatively, but you will probably get processed quicker to come down when this all blows over, which is the least of my worries. I don't mind waiting, just looking for some insight.
 
Didn't take the offer but it seems incomprehensible to me that people who DON'T take the on-boarding offer go to OKC earlier than the people who do.

I've also been told by my rep that people who do virtual onboarding will be given later training dates than people who decline.

The FAA just bleeds money from not pushing people through the training process faster- they save money from virtual onboarding but bleed it from paying people even after online basics is done and they're waiting for terminal/enroute.
 
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Didn't take the offer but it seems incomprehensible to me that people who DON'T take the on-boarding offer are invited later to go to OKC than the people who do.

I've also been told by my rep that people who do virtual onboarding will be given later training dates than people who decline.

The FAA just bleeds money from not pushing people through the training process faster- they save money from virtual onboarding but bleed it from paying people even after online basics is done and they're waiting for terminal/enroute.
Really? that makes no sense...
 
Didn't take the offer but it seems incomprehensible to me that people who DON'T take the on-boarding offer are invited later to go to OKC than the people who do.

I've also been told by my rep that people who do virtual onboarding will be given later training dates than people who decline.

The FAA just bleeds money from not pushing people through the training process faster- they save money from virtual onboarding but bleed it from paying people even after online basics is done and they're waiting for terminal/enroute.
I dont understand why you think people that accept the on boarding offer wouldnt go to okc sooner then someone that doesnt... they are already ahead of you in the process by accepting.
 
I dont understand why you think people that accept the on boarding offer wouldnt go to okc sooner then someone that doesnt... they are already ahead of you in the process by accepting.

That is a massive typo lol, my bad. Edited my original comment.

My rep confirmed that people who accepted the virtual on boarding offer would go to academy later and graduate later as well.
 
That is a massive typo lol, my bad. Edited my original comment.

My rep confirmed that people who accepted the virtual on boarding offer would go to academy later and graduate later as well.

Wait your rep told you that if you take the on-boarding you will be processed later? Because mine told me that if you take it you will be processed sooner. I realize now my original post wasn't very clear in that regard.
 
Wait your rep told you that if you take the on-boarding you will be processed later? Because mine told me that if you take it you will be processed sooner. I realize now my original post wasn't very clear in that regard.

Yes, my rep told me if you take on-boarding you will go to academy later than those who have not taken the offer. I emailed him back and forth in a 20+ email long conversation just to absolutely make sure this backwards logic was true.
 
Yes, my rep told me if you take on-boarding you will go to academy later than those who have not taken the offer. I emailed him back and forth in a 20+ email long conversation just to absolutely make sure this backwards logic was true.

Interesting. My phone call with my rep today was the complete opposite. I have to call her back with a decision tomorrow. I will confirm.
 
That is a massive typo lol, my bad. Edited my original comment.

My rep confirmed that people who accepted the virtual on boarding offer would go to academy later and graduate later as well.

Im going to go with you most likely misunderstood your rep. Again, i dont know why someone who is on boarded now would go to the academy later than someone who isnt. With them being on boarded now, they are already ahead of you in the process. Why wouldnt they use them first.
 
Im going to go with you most likely misunderstood your rep. Again, i dont know why someone who is on boarded now would go to the academy later than someone who isnt. With them being on boarded now, they are already ahead of you in the process. Why wouldnt they use them first.
They’re probably going to have a basics class in the academy then the people who did it virtually will be added to that class.
 
Im going to go with you most likely misunderstood your rep. Again, i dont know why someone who is on boarded now would go to the academy later than someone who isnt. With them being on boarded now, they are already ahead of you in the process. Why wouldnt they use them first.

I literally emailed him 20+ times asking variations of the same question and he kept confirming that it was true. I really hope my rep is mistaken then.

Like I said, it blows my mind if it is true.
 
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I’d rather not roll the dice with the possability of the online basics class since I heard it was superrr hard. I probably would pass but why take the risk?
 
So something to consider...

If you on-board virtually then that should be your EOD date (entry on duty). This is important because, well first you'll be an employee and on payroll, but this is also the date that will be used to determine your pension and your future leave accrual.

However, your NATCA date is what determines your seniority and your NATCA date is the day you arrive at your facility. So if the people who aren't going to do it virtually end up at your facility before you then they will always have seniority on you when it comes to bidding even though you'll have more government time.
 
So something to consider...

If you on-board virtually then that should be your EOD date (entry on duty). This is important because, well first you'll be an employee and on payroll, but this is also the date that will be used to determine your pension and your future leave accrual.

However, your NATCA date is what determines your seniority and your NATCA date is the day you arrive at your facility. So if the people who aren't going to do it virtually end up at your facility before you then they will always have seniority on you when it comes to bidding even though you'll have more government time.
This. You virtually eat away at your 1 year probation period sitting home.
 
NATCA date is the day you're officially assigned to that facility. If that date is April 12th, but you don't actually walk in the door until June 7th, the NATCA date is April 12th.

Okay but unless the OP misunderstood things, they are only going to complete basics.
 
Okay but unless the OP misunderstood things, they are only going to complete basics.
Ahh yeah that would be true then. They're also doing virtual onboarding at the facility level for the direct-hires as well.
Missed the basics and academy part that this post is about.
 
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