Assistant Engineer role in a County Council

The standard for public sector appointments is that recruitment is at the bottom point on the salary scale- unless you are a pre-existing public sector employee- in which case the point closest to your current salary point- without involving a salary cut.

A council could try to make a case to have your recruited at a point other than the minimum point on the salary scale- however, even with significance experience and qualifications- the sanction of such would be exceptional- it does happen sometimes- but its highly unusual- all the more so because other prospective recruits and/or HR could try to use it to set precedence.

Ask by all means- but don't get your hopes up (aka nothing ventured, nothing gained)........

You need the experience to even be considered for the role.
It is not the private sector though- and the pay is not commensurate to what you might get in the private sector. There is a presumption that you are attaching a non-financial value to some of the remuneration associated with the job- such as the pension associated with the job, availability of flexible working arrangements etc- that may or may not be available elsewhere.

Honestly though- large segments of the public sector are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit staff- now that opportunities are opening up again in the private sector. You are not going to get paid private sector rates in the public sector- honestly- its not going to happen.........

Why don't you chat with a few of the Engineers/Assistant Engineers over a coffee and get a feel for what the story is from them?

Chemical Byrne wrote: »

I suppose I'm considering that the council might be the sort of job where you could get your workload out of the way in less than a working week and have the time to manage whatever sidelines that you might have going, such as a bit of development or whatever.

It depends. As an assistant eng- you could be oncall nights/weekends(you'd get an allowance for it- but there could well be antisocial element to it). It really depends on what the job is. I wouldn't assume though that you'd be allowed squash 5 days work into 3.5 days- and then go off to do something non-related for the rest of the time- that is not normal.

Chemical Byrne wrote: »

Hi. I'm hoping to draw on peoples knowledge and experience here.

I am a civil engineer, 29 yo, M.Eng, not chartered yet with 2 yrs post grad experience and 1 yr self employed between BEng & BEng Hons. At the moment I am a Graduate Engineer with a multinational civil/structural consultancy.

I've been asked to come to interview for a panel position for Assistant Engineer in a County Council.

Can anyone advise exactly how these panels work? Like if a panel position was offered how long could one expect to have to wait for an actual job to come up?
What exactly is an assistant engineer's role? The job description was almost non-existent.

Could I expect to go in at the bottom of the Assistant Engineer pay scale with this experience/quals or could I go in a up a step or two?

Would taking a council job be damaging career wise, as in would I ever be realistically able to work in the private sector again after spending a few years in the council?

How do council engineer salaries compare with private in the general long term run of things? I am currently on 30k with current employer - am I getting rode? I feel it's poor. Entry level for assistant engineer is 40.3k. Are the increments yearly or what int he council?

Thanks folks.

MODS, can I post/copy this thread into work & jobs too?

Panels last 12 months unless specifically told otherwise.
If you place 3rd for example, 1st and 2nd get offered the position before you and it will come to you if a 3rd position becomes available or if the people on 1 and 2 decide to say no for some reason.

You will go in at the bottom of the scale unless you are already in a public service position paying more than the bottom point, in which case, you usually go in at the nearest point to your current salary plus one scale point. Quals mean nothing here, once you have the basic qualifications for the position, any extras may mean a better chance of placing, but it won't allow salary amendments.

Career wise : DCC City Engineer Michael Philips was Engineers Ireland chairman for a year iirc, so they are not looked down on as much as people may think. There are a lot of old wives tales about how you go into the council to get ready for retirement but things have changed in the last 10 years in my opinion.

Salary scale on risen incrementally on a yearly basis, from the date you started in that position. Private V Public comparison is hard as the PS salary scale is laid out with all to see and I think the Assit. Position tops out at 57k iirc?

You lose any chance of over time, Xmas bonus, project bonus etc as you get noting extra on top of your salary, not even a free cup of tea a Christmas time

Any further questions, please ask and I can try answer as best as I can.