Air Traffic Controllers
Experience training and evaluating air intercept controllers provides a foundation in controller performance, but the documented duties do not establish civilian traffic-separation experience.
How to prepare: Have your existing certifications, facility ratings and post-certification experience assessed against the appropriate hiring route before choosing additional training: FAA entry-level applicants must be under 31, have one year of progressively responsible work experience, a bachelor's degree, or a postsecondary education/work combination totaling one year, and meet citizenship, English, medical, security and testing requirements. The FAA's 2026 experienced-controller notice instead sets an original-appointment age limit of 35 and requires 52 consecutive weeks of full-time active traffic separation after certification or a facility rating within five years at a qualifying FAA, DOD, National Guard or FAA-contract facility, with no educational substitute or credit for pre-certification military training; that notice also requires citizenship, a physical examination, drug testing, Secret clearance and willingness to work at any FAA facility, while applicable certification and facility training remain necessary.
What the civilian work involves
- Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.
- Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights.