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 early and quickly 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 prosess a bit smoother.

Mentors vs Buddies

Both Mentors and Buddies are experienced controllers who contribute to the community and help our new controllers, but the way that is achieved differs 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 different levels of base experience.

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

Further reading: Local Training Structure and Buddy System

Tasks and Responsibilities

Buddy Tasks

Conduct "mini sessions" on the network to show controlling techniques and software in use
Demonstrate 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

Staying current on procedures and theoretical knowledge
Using correct phraseology and demonstrating good techniques as much as possible
Maintaining a calm, professional and welcoming attitude
Referring to official VATSCA and real-life documentation when relevant