About the Buddy Role

The Buddy System

The Buddy System is designed to help S1 students progress through their training in the Polaris FIR as quickly and efficiently as possible. It functions as a way to close the gap between completing the Moodle self-study course and having a training session, easing mentor workload and making the entire process smoother.

Mentors vs Buddies

Both Mentors and Buddies are experienced controllers who contribute to the community and help our new controllers, but their roles differ slightly.

Mentors are responsible for training, evaluating, and helping students succeed through the different training programs. Being a mentor takes considerable time and effort and requires the ability to adapt and teach students with varying levels of prior experience.

Buddies also help students, but in a more general way. A buddy can help new students by demonstrating and discussing various topics that are relevant for new controllers.

Further Reading

• Local Training Structure
• Buddy System

Tasks and Responsibilities

Buddy Tasks

• Conduct "mini-sessions" on the network to show controlling techniques and software in use
• Demonstrate the use of software and other commonly used tools and websites
• Answer questions about theoretical training material and practical controlling techniques
• Be inclusive and helpful to new members in the community

Buddy Responsibilities

• Stay current on procedures and theoretical knowledge
• Use correct phraseology and consistently demonstrate good techniques
• Maintain a calm, professional, and welcoming attitude
• Refer to official VATSCA and real-life documentation when relevant