Securing a place on the Irish Aviation Authority's training programme for air traffic controllers is not easy. With a ratio of roughly 10 applicants for every place, there is a rigorous selection process.

The first stage is a "paper sift" through the application forms, explains Tom Deane, the team leader on the student controller programme. A proportion of applicants are then called to do a computer-based aptitude test, which takes about two and a half hours. It tests for a range of abilities including logic and reason, planning ability, spatial comprehension, multi-tasking, ability to follow directions, reaction time, ability to reason with words and capacity to deal with conflict.

If you do well enough, you will called to interview where you must demonstrate mental agility (through mathematical calculations) and general motivation. Between 70 and 80 candidates are called back for a biographical interview. Your knowledge of aviation, your motivation and your ability to relate to others will also be assessed. Then, the final hurdle, the medical.