ATC Guys - Civil Service Exams?

[MarineGrunt]

Anyone have an idea if/when/where there will be civil service testing for ATC jobs? Anywhere that this information would be posted when if it happens?

I'm thinking about making the switch, but don't have the time to go back to school and turn 28 this summer.

Thanks for any input.

 

[smellthejeta]

Anyone have an idea if/when/where there will be civil service testing for ATC jobs? Anywhere that this information would be posted when if it happens?

I'm thinking about making the switch, but don't have the time to go back to school and turn 28 this summer.

Thanks for any input.

Call it the great mystery of 2005 and now 2006. A bunch of centers did them last year and publicized them locally. The FAA never publicized it on their website, at least not that I knew of. Your best resource in that regard is http://www.atccti.com. Those guys are mostly students or wannabe students in the ATC arena.

FWIW, the civil service exam (it's actually not the civil service exam, but an ATC specific aptitude test) is not open to anyone -- when you show up, you enter into a lottery to take the test. So yeah, you have to spin the wheel of fortune to just take the friggin test. You, Mister Pilot Man, have no better chance at getting a shot at the test than the McD's fry cook.

Who do you fly for currently? One young man around here that I know went to class during the week and flew for his airline on the weekend... commuting cross country to go to class and work. You can get out of school in one to two semesters if you put your mind to it and go to the right one.

Me? I'm a bit burned on the whole hiring process. It takes SO LONG to actually set foot in OKC. I graduated last may, got picked up in October, and have been waiting since then for my security clearance. Now, it's been publicized that the FAA is hiring 25%-30% fewer controllers this year than they forecasted (they're hiring 300 fewer than the slightly more than 1200 that they advertised). I don't know if my slot disappeared and I have to wait until the next fiscal year or not.

Next, they've already screwed with our retirement. I don't know the end result, but I assume it's going to be a DC plan (403(3)/401(k) type) and not a DB plan (pension). Marion has also been stumping around the Hill telling everybody how overpaid we are. She's looking for significant wage cuts. I do not know whether or not she will get them. However, if she does... ATC is a mandatory age 57 retirement. All of my retirement forecasts I'm running now assume a 40 year career for me (non ATC, that is). If my working years (and compounding years for that matter) get shortened 10 years to 30 years, I don't have a pension, AND I have a significantly reduced income from which to save for my retirmenent, well, needless to say, I will be reconsidering my career options. You airline guys who retire at 60 can do charter, frax, and a whole host of other things... we walk out the door at age 57, there ain't a whole lot for us to do.

 

[Hold West]

Next, they've already screwed with our retirement. I don't know the end result, but I assume it's going to be a DC plan (403(3)/401(k) type) and not a DB plan (pension).

Where did you get this information, and what exactly has changed? Retirement is governed by law and OPM, not the FAA. Nothing has really changed since FERS came down the pipe about 20 years ago.

Give me an idea what you've heard.

 

[smellthejeta]

Where did you get this information, and what exactly has changed? Retirement is governed by law and OPM, not the FAA. Nothing has really changed since FERS came down the pipe about 20 years ago.

Give me an idea what you've heard.

All I heard on the rumor mill from others in the government is that "retirement is different for you guys" but I know no specifics.

 

[Hold West]

All I heard on the rumor mill from others in the government is that "retirement is different for you guys" but I know no specifics.

Well, yeah, retirement is different for ATC from the rest of the government - has been for a long time. There are no changes that I'm aware of.

 

[smellthejeta]

Well, yeah, retirement is different for ATC from the rest of the government - has been for a long time. There are no changes that I'm aware of.

How does retirement for ATC? I don't even know that Sorry I jumped the gun earlier, I just presumed Maid Marion wants to screw us every we she can.

 

[Hold West]

How does retirement for ATC? I don't even know that Sorry I jumped the gun earlier, I just presumed Maid Marion wants to screw us every we she can.

Oh, she does, but this is harder to touch than things like making me work split shifts.

WHat I will describe is FERS retirement - anyone hired after about 1984 is in FERS, vs. the older system called CSRS.

An ordinary federal employee must have 30 years of service and be at least age 57 to retire. Their pension is made up of a percentage of their "high-three" salary - the average of their highest paid three years, which in their case is 1% per year of service. 30 years, 30 percent. Then there is a 401k style plan, the Thrift Savings Plan that we can contribute to - the gov puts in 1% of base pay for everyone, then matches employee contributions up to a max total of 5%. Employees may put in up to 10% of their pay in the TSP. When you retire, the money is yours - you can buy an annuity, roll it over, etc. Finally, we get Social Security when eligible.

Air traffic controllers get the same basic things, with a few twists.

We can retire with 25 years of service at any age, or 20 years at age 50.

We must retire by the last day of the month we turn 56

Our basic retirement is computed at 1.7% of the high three for the first 20 years, then 1% for years over 20.

We are eligible for a special supplent payment until we are eligible for Social Security.

And we have the same Thrift Savings Plan as "normal" feds.