Air traffic instructor to air traffic controller
An air traffic instructor already meets 39% of what the air traffic controller role asks for. The move turns on 19 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.9/ 100
1 How much of what an air traffic controller is expected to do is already part of an air traffic instructor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the air traffic controller role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An air traffic controller role treats 13 of its required skills as things an air traffic instructor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- air traffic control operations
- air transport law
- analyse work-related written reports
- apply technical communication skills
- aviation meteorology
- common aviation safety regulations
What stands in the way is 19 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An air traffic controller role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an air traffic instructor background worth leading with.
- already held operate airport control tower working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held use of air traffic services document assisting and caring
- already held operate radar equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held air traffic control operations services
- already held interpret visual literacy information skills
- already held air transport law business, administration and law
All 13 carried skills, including the 13 the air traffic controller role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn electrical systems used in transportation required
- still to learn electronic communication required
- still to learn electronics required
- still to learn carry out navigational calculations required
- still to learn have spatial awareness required
- still to learn monitor aviation meteorology required
- still to learn read 3D displays required
- still to learn assist during take off and landing required
- still to learn execute working instructions required
- still to learn stay alert required
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- still to learn apply airport standards and regulations required
- still to learn ensure public safety and security required
- still to learn comply with checklists required
- still to learn aircraft flight control systems required
- still to learn pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
- still to learn handle stressful situations in the work place required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held perform multiple tasks at the same time optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an air traffic controller role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assist during take off and landing practise this
- 02 assist in the conducting of flight checks practise this
- 03 aircraft flight control systems study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 13 skills that carry over
- already held air traffic control operations knowledge
- already held air transport law knowledge
- already held analyse work-related written reports skill
- already held apply technical communication skills skill
- already held aviation meteorology knowledge
- already held common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- already held give instructions to staff skill
- already held interpret visual literacy skill
- already held operate airport control tower skill
- already held operate radar equipment skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held use meteorological information skill
- already held use of air traffic services document skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn celestial navigation required
- still to learn assist in the conducting of flight checks required
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
- optional, not held perform multiple tasks at the same time optional
29 held skills the air traffic controller role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on teaching methods skill
- not needed by the target role air traffic management knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse data for aeronautical publications skill
- not needed by the target role assess students skill
- not needed by the target role assist students in their learning skill
- not needed by the target role coach employees skill
- not needed by the target role communicate in air traffic services skill
- not needed by the target role compile data for navigation publications skill
- not needed by the target role comply with air traffic control operations skill
- not needed by the target role deal with air traffic issues skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate education programmes skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate training skill
- not needed by the target role geographic areas knowledge
- not needed by the target role geographic information systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role geographical routes knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify training needs skill
- not needed by the target role meteorology knowledge
- not needed by the target role pedagogy knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare examinations for vocational courses skill
- not needed by the target role prepare syllabuses for vocational courses skill
- not needed by the target role procedures associated with different air navigation areas knowledge
- not needed by the target role review meteorological forecast data skill
- not needed by the target role surveillance radars knowledge
- not needed by the target role teach air traffic control skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
- not needed by the target role train staff in navigational requirements skill
- not needed by the target role use geographic information systems skill
- not needed by the target role use modern electronic navigational aids skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn aircraft flight control systems required
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn celestial navigation required
- still to learn electrical systems used in transportation required
- still to learn pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
- still to learn electronic communication required
- still to learn electronics required
Common questions about this move
Can an air traffic instructor become an air traffic controller?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An air traffic instructor already covers 39% of what an air traffic controller is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 13 of which the air traffic controller role treats as required.
What skills does an air traffic instructor need to become an air traffic controller?
19 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is assist during take off and landing.
How hard is the move from air traffic instructor to air traffic controller?
Its learning distance is 67.9 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.