3,500 candidates for 12 vacancies at Belgocontrol

About 3,500 people have applied for a job as air traffic controller at Belgocontrol in recent weeks, three times more than the company expected, according to brusselnieuws.be. Only 12 of the applicants will be selected to follow a two-year training course in September in order to become an traffic controller for the Belgian airspace. Belgocontrol launched its most recent recruitment procedure for air traffic controllers on 12 January, and was immediately inundated with applications.

Eight out of the ten candidates are men. More than half are Dutch-speaking, 37% are French-speaking and 8% speak English. The average age of the candidates is 28.8 years. About half of the applicants meet the minimum requirement for a higher secondary education, according to a press release from Belgocontrol.

An extensive selection procedure is set to start in early March, including computer tests, an interview with a psychologist, a group evaluation and a medical examination. In July, the 12 new air traffic controllers will be chosen for the two-year, paid training course starting in September.

Following the course, the employees become eligible to work in the control towers of the Belgian airports with a salary starting from €6,200 gross per month.

Belgocontrol currently employs about 270 air traffic controllers.