Terms and Acronyms
OTS: On-the-spot
Hiring authority. Commonly referred to as "off the street", because there is no specific experience or education needed. There are a few different ways to qualify for OTS bids, the two most common are: Bachelors degree and 3 years progressive full-time employment history.
VRA:
Veterans Recruitment Appointment, a hiring authority for veterans meeting
specific criteria. A VRA hire can be OTS or previously experienced.
TOL: A Tentative Offer Letter is given as an offer for employment, pending clearances. It must be accepted or declined. An individual cannot hold multiple TOLs (IE: from different bids), one will be removed before another is issued.
FOL: A Firm Offer Letter is an offer of employment. You will receive one once all your clearances are cleared and you have been offered a facility or class date. Your FOL will come with information regarding attending the
Academy and your class information, or facility assignment for direct hires.
CIL: Clearance information letter. An email which contains instructions, forms, and contact information for completing security and medical clearances. This is given out after acceptance of the
TOL.
What is the AT-SA?
The Air Traffic Skills Assessment test is the replacement for the AT-
SAT. 2016 was the first implementation of it. Go to the
AT-SA compilation thread for details of the test itself.
What is the MMPI-2?
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, a psychological evaluation everyone is required to take. It consists of
567 True/False questions conducted on a computer at a FAA facility.
What is a Tier 2?
An extended medical evaluation. "Failure" of the MMPI-2 will require a tier 2 evaluation, given by a psychologist. Trying the 'cheat' the MMPI, or testing too perfectly will force you to take a Tier 2. You can also receive a Tier 2 if you have any past drug or alcohol related incidents. Also, if any irregularities are found on your medical, you can be given a Tier 2 to verify.
If flagged for tier 2, you
cannot bypass it. There is no "retake" of the MMPI-2.
What is TETRA?
An acronym for Ten-Eleven-Twelve Radar Assessment. This is an academy class for those going to 10-12 TRACONs (
N90 specifically, to date).
New hires have job jeopardy, but failures
may be retained.
What are Credit Hours
Credit hours can be earned by working overtime, but you earn credit hours in lieu of overtime
Pay. Credit hours are used as leave, and no special pay will apply while credit hours are being earned or used. There's no limit on the amount of credit hours that can be earned, but only 24 hours can be carried over per pay period.
How much leave will I earn?
For both
DoD and FAA, all federal service counts when calculating how much leave you accrue, including military service. Leave accrues as follows:
- 1-3 yrs service: 4hrs per pay period
- 3-15 yrs service: 6hrs per pay period
- 15+ yrs service: 8hrs per pay period
6hrs/pp come out to 19.5 days of leave a year. Those in this category are given an extra 4hrs at the end of the year to round it to 20 days.
When does my seniority start?
The date on your SF-50 for your first facility assignment.
This thread contains more information and details.
What health care plans are available?
Go to
OPM.gov to view plan information. Select federal employee (non-postal) and bi-weekly pay period.
