How To Become An Air Traffic Controller

Step 1. Get Good Grades and Study Math in High School

If you’re interested in a career as an air traffic controller, then it’s wise to focus on doing what you can in high school. During your high school years, it’s best to focus on getting good grades while taking many mathematics courses.

If you’re able to do well in math and science courses, then that will bode well for your future as an air traffic controller. Keeping your GPA high will give you an easier time when trying to get into CTI schools to pursue becoming an air traffic controller.

Step 2. Ensure That You Meet the Requirements

There are actually requirements to become an air traffic controller that have nothing to do with your educational background. For example, you aren’t going to be able to become an air traffic controller in America if you aren’t a citizen of the United States.

If you’re simply a resident of the United States, then you’ll need to pursue citizenship before moving forward with this career. It’s also necessary to be able to speak English clearly and succinctly so that everyone can understand you.

Prospective air traffic controllers will need to be able to pass a security investigation as well. Air traffic control is a very important and sensitive job, and it makes sense that job candidates would come under scrutiny.

A medical examination is given to people who apply for air traffic control jobs, too. This is to ensure that they will be fit enough and well enough to do the job that is required of them.

You must be thirty or under to apply to become an air traffic controller as well. Those who are above thirty before the application date closes will be disqualified from contention.

Step 3. Attend a CTI School

Attending a CTI school is going to be where most of your time is spent when seeking this job. AT-CTI schools focus on teaching students everything that they need to know to do air traffic control jobs. Not every school or area is going to have an AT-CTI school that you can attend.

Even so, there are several AT-CTI schools that you can choose to attend in America, and you can easily peruse locations to see where you might want to go to school. These schools will offer both two-year and four-year degree courses. Upon graduation, students will have the necessary skills to become air traffic controllers.

Step 4. Get Certified by the FAA

It will be necessary to get certified by the FAA before beginning work as an air traffic controller. This means that you will need to pass exams to prove that you have gained the necessary knowledge to do the job.

Once you have passed the assessments, you’ll be able to be considered for training programs. This will give you a direct path to becoming an air traffic controller should you make it through the training process.

Step 5. Complete FAA Training Courses

The FAA has training courses that they put people through as well, and you can’t finish getting certified without going through this step. Depending on what school you went to, you might be able to skip some of the basic courses.

The academy portion of FAA training can be completed in two to five months, but things don’t end there. You’re also going to have to go through a significant amount of on-the-job training to get fully certified.

This part of the process can take quite some time, and you should expect to spend two to four years training with the FAA. You learn many important things during this training so that you can perform well as an air traffic controller.

Trainees will learn how to read maps and look out for weather patterns that can have an impact on aviation. You also need to gain knowledge about airspace allowances and different federal regulations. FAA training courses are very thorough because of how crucial it is for air traffic controllers to be able to make the best decisions on the job.

Step 6. Start Applying for Jobs

With all of the training out of the way, you’ll finally be able to start applying for jobs. When you have the right credentials, you’ll be able to apply for jobs by searching an FAA database of available positions.

Only people who have graduated from these programs or have prior air traffic control experience will be able to look for jobs. Once you see a position that you would like to apply for, you can submit your application.

It’s possible that there might not be available positions in your area. Many air traffic control workers move to different areas to fill vacant positions. This does mean that it isn’t always as easy to find work as some would like, but this is an important job. With patience, you could find an available job at the location you wish to be at.