Fixed term contracts with public service

slimboy fat

Hi

I am currently employed full time for almost 5yrs with a company in the private sector.

I have been trying for a long time to get a job in the public service. I have now been offered a job with a public sector body but only on a 6 month fixed term contract.

What would people recommend I do? Stay in my current full time job or take up the offer & get my "Foot in the door", so to speak, in the hope of maybe securing a more secure job in the public service.

I'd appreciate your opinions.

Thanks

Eoin

Personally I wouldn't dream of giving up a permanent job for the sake of a short contract with the way things are at the moment.

The_Conductor

The current proposals are for 20% redundancies in the public sector- with the admin staff in the HSE, State Bodies and Agencies, and the civil service, thought to bear the brunt. Totally aside from this- there is pre-existing agreement that the staffing budget is 4% less for 2009 than for 2008 (and this is likely to be further revised downwards). There are also rumours of a supplementary budget to be announced for early March- to take account of updated financial situation (the ESRI are already preparing an economic commentary with this in mind).

In this situation would you give up a permanent job in order to take a temporary contract in the public sector? Personally I think you'd be insane to even contemplate it........ When they are cutting staff (as they actively are doing) contractors are definitively going to be at the front of the queue. Getting your foot in the door is a total non-runner- when the proposals are to initiate redundancies among the permanent staff on a last-in-first-out basis.......

Be very very careful!!!!!

the_syco

smccarrick wrote: »

Getting your foot in the door is a total non-runner- when the proposals are to initiate redundancies among the permanent staff on a last-in-first-out basis.......

Be very very careful!!!!!

100% agreed. You'll be there 6 months... and then ye won't be needed. Ye won't be given anything at the end. And your current job may be filled by then.

blooper

Can anyone tell me how long do you have to be with the public service on fixed term contracts before you have to be made permanent. Thanks

universe777

blooper wrote: »

Can anyone tell me how long do you have to be with the public service on fixed term contracts before you have to be made permanent. Thanks

Never, hell will freeze over before a fixed term contract in the public service is extended. That's why they offer 6, 9 or 11 month contracts if you are lucky enough to get a public service job these days.

Firetrap

4 years unbroken service. There are two chances of getting that these days though - slim and none.

blooper

It depends on exactly where you are working in the public service. An appeal can be made to the dept of finance if there is acute staff shortages, particularly in bodies that are self financing. Recently mine was extended for 2 years.

The_Conductor

blooper wrote: »

It depends on exactly where you are working in the public service. An appeal can be made to the dept of finance if there is acute staff shortages, particularly in bodies that are self financing. Recently mine was extended for 2 years.

The norm is reassignment of permanent staff from Departments who are said to have excess staff- there was a schedule of 2000 available staff circulated last week (and I believe a directive given to the Department's concerned to make the staff available).

There can be exceptional cases made by parent departments to the Department of Finance- particularly in areas of expertise in which its simply not possible to source the needed expertise internally (these tend to be self employed contractors on fixed term contracts).

Blooper's 2 year extension of his/her contract is exceptional in nature, and should not be presumed to imply a similar expection might be made for anyone else. Exceptions, when they are made- are not necessarily the sole preserve of self-financing bodies, but are like hens teeth these days.......

chocgirl

To be honest Slimboy I think you'd be mad. I'm in the publice service and people are dropping like flies around me and that's in what's considered a frontline service. In some areas two jobs have to be "suppressed" before someone else can come on board, chances of getting a permanent contract are slim to none.

Firetrap

Slimboy's post was in December 08. I wonder did he/she take the contract?

slimboy fat

Yeah I took it, was looking bad for a while but got 2yr extension, very very lucky.

road_high

slimboy fat wrote: »

Yeah I took it, was looking bad for a while but got 2yr extension, very very lucky.

I am amazed you got that. Must be very front line or something. My own job is a contract with a public sector/sem state body; have just under a year to run on it; not a hope in hell of it being renewed after that unfortunately

ParkRunner

Very lucky indeed! My probation period is finished with the civil service 2 months now but they are stalling making anyone permanent. More rough times ahead