Job pays £1,200 a day (From Andover Advertiser)

Job pays £1,200 a day

11:50am Friday 29th January 2010 in Hampshire Business By Gareth Lewis, Business Editor

THEY say there’s safety in numbers.

But for one lucky safety expert there is also considerable wealth as well, with Hampshire-based air traffic control firm NATS offering £1,200 A DAY for advice on the subject.

The eye-popping figure is in a job advert calling for someone to “look at all aspects of safety within the business” and “see where improvements can be made”. Although the cash is equivalent to a footballer-style salary of £6,000 a week or £312,000 a year, the expert is only needed for a handful of days a year.

Basic salary for a qualified air traffic controller at Nats, which employs 3,000 at centres in Swanwick and Fareham, is about £40,000, although the firm says potential earnings can top £85,000.

NATS controls UK airspace, and the skies over the eastern part of the North Atlantic. Last year it handled 2.2 million flights carrying about 200 million passengers.

A NATS spokesman said: “Aviation safety is a highly specialised field. We are looking for an expert who can not only enhance our current rigorous safety standards, but also anticipate future challenges. At NATS safety is absolutely our top priority and we are happy to invest in keeping the skies safe.”