Tourist/Heritage Site Jobs

V480

Hey,

I've been living in Wexford for the last year and hoping to settle here. I'm looking for work at the moment and thought it would do no harm to put a post here.

I'm an MA History Graduate and have worked as a Tour Guide for the last two years. It's a job I really like and, although I know opportunities are limited, would like to persue. If anybody knows of any tourist/heritage sites in the south east (Wexford/Wicklow) that may be recruiting or be worth applying to please pm me any info.

I would greatly appreciate any help.

PrinceMax

I know the OPW were looking for people for Temporary employment as Seasonal Guides at 7.65 per hour. I applied. There was a list of locations and you pick one. Might be closed now though.

dubbie82

Just check the Heritage Ireland website but I think recruitment for this year is over. They only had a very limited amount of jobs this year to start with.
For other tour guiding jobs you are a bit late. Keep in mind the tourism season is about to kick of after St. Patrick's day.
Things might look a bit better this year than last season but it's still pretty bad. Not many places looking for guides at the moment.
I understand you are looking for local guiding and not for national tours?
Best thing you can do is go round to all the places that might need a guide.
One place that just comes to mind is the Dunbrody Famine Ship, they are looking for staff once in a while.

V480

dubbie82 wrote: »

Just check the Heritage Ireland website but I think recruitment for this year is over. They only had a very limited amount of jobs this year to start with.
For other tour guiding jobs you are a bit late. Keep in mind the tourism season is about to kick of after St. Patrick's day.
Things might look a bit better this year than last season but it's still pretty bad. Not many places looking for guides at the moment.
I understand you are looking for local guiding and not for national tours?
Best thing you can do is go round to all the places that might need a guide.
One place that just comes to mind is the Dunbrody Famine Ship, they are looking for staff once in a while.

Yeah I was an OPW guide for the last two years but I never knew about the recruitment for 2011, we were told in 2010 that our jobs were safe for the next season so I just assumed that was the truth. They wont take my application now though.

Thanks for the heads up on Dunbrody.

dubbie82

I could be wrong on this one now but I always thought that OPW seasonal staff get a direct invitation for the interview after working 3 full season with them. I am pretty sure there was a agreement on this one but again this was back in the golden days of tourism.

I noticed that some of the sites that usually take on summer staff were not on the list this year so I would be very careful to trust anyone in any industry telling you your job is safe.

V480

dubbie82 wrote: »

I could be wrong on this one now but I always thought that OPW seasonal staff get a direct invitation for the interview after working 3 full season with them. I am pretty sure there was a agreement on this one but again this was back in the golden days of tourism.

I noticed that some of the sites that usually take on summer staff were not on the list this year so I would be very careful to trust anyone in any industry telling you your job is safe.

Yes you are correct there, that situation still stands, if you are with the OPW for three years then you are invited for interview and do not need to re-apply. I just missed out because I just had two full seasons with them. If I re-apply in 2012 and get accepted then I will start back at the minimun wage 7.65 an hour (or 8.65 as it's meant to be again), I think I was on about 11.50 an hour last year.

genie

If you have completed three or more seasons with the OPW, you are automatically re-hired, no interview, nothing. I have done five seasons with the OPW but not three in a row.

Why has the hourly rate of pay dropped so much? I was on ten Euro something last year.

V480

genie wrote: »

If you have completed three or more seasons with the OPW, you are automatically re-hired, no interview, nothing. I have done five seasons with the OPW but not three in a row.

Why has the hourly rate of pay dropped so much? I was on ten Euro something last year.

I think one of the reasons they had the sneakey little 5 day recruitment campaign was to get rid of a few of the people who may have been on the verge of their third year when, as you say, you become kind of 'permanent'. I think in some sites there were problems with troublesome staff that they could not fire because they were in their 3rd season or longer.

Also it's alot cheaper now to bring in new staff. I think if you are a new guide now you will probably be coming out with about 330 a week maby? Which is about 100 euro a week less than what I was getting in my first year. Then again I am very bitter now that I have lost the summer job I loved so much:(

genie

Sympathies.

I knew nothing about their recruitment 'campaign' either and I was on the verge of a third season, too. When was it? Did they advertise in the papers? What happened to the Civil Service recruitment embargo? :rolleyes:

Typical OPW. They really don't give a toss about their seasonal staff. :mad:

Troublesome staff should be dismissed regardless of how long they have been employed. :mad:

V480

genie wrote: »

Sympathies.

I knew nothing about their recruitment 'campaign' either and I was on the verge of a third season, too. When was it? Did they advertise in the papers? What happened to the Civil Service recruitment embargo? :rolleyes:

Typical OPW. They really don't give a toss about their seasonal staff. :mad:

Troublesome staff should be dismissed regardless of how long they have been employed. :mad:

I didn't know anything about it until last night when someone on here told me. Nobody from my site or the regional site contacted me, or probably didn't know themselves.

Apparently there was a notice on publicjobs.ie about it and you had to fill in an online application form, it was up for about a week and applications were being taken until the 3rd of March. I couldn't believe it when I heard because, as you said, there is (or was) an embargo in the Civil Service.

Last year we were simply invited back with no interview and that was meant to be the situation this year too but somewhere along the line OPW decided to change their minds. I had been looking forward to the summer all year because I've been unemployed since last season finished, presumably there are alot of oeople who have been fecked about like this.

genie

V480 wrote: »

I didn't know anything about it until last night when someone on here told me. Nobody from my site or the regional site contacted me, or probably didn't know themselves.

Apparently there was a notice on publicjobs.ie about it and you had to fill in an online application form, it was up for about a week and applications were being taken until the 3rd of March. I couldn't believe it when I heard because, as you said, there is (or was) an embargo in the Civil Service.

Last year we were simply invited back with no interview and that was meant to be the situation this year too but somewhere along the line OPW decided to change their minds. I had been looking forward to the summer all year because I've been unemployed since last season finished, presumably there are alot of oeople who have been fecked about like this.

I looked at publicjobs.ie and didn't apply because I assumed that it was for clerical jobs only. :rolleyes:

The way the OPW have done this is sneaky and nasty and shows a complete disregard for staff who have been loyal to them over the years. :mad:

V480

genie wrote: »

I looked at publicjobs.ie and didn't apply because I assumed that it was for clerical jobs only. :rolleyes:

The way the OPW have done this is sneaky and nasty and shows a complete disregard for staff who have been loyal to them over the years. :mad:

Exactly, I'm glad there is somebody else who feels as aggrieved as I do! I was offered a good job elsewhere last summer and I turned it down because I enjoyed my job with the OPW and was told that I wouldn't have to re-apply for the guides job in 2011. So annoying...:mad:

dubbie82

It used to be advertised on the national and local newspapers but this year it was only placed on the website for a very short time.

Failte Ireland didn't advertise any jobs for the seasonal tourist offices either as far as I know. They have a similar rule for long serving seasonal staff.

I have a lot of dealings with the OPW Heritage sites and always found the people "in charge", the management, most troublesome. They can be a real pain in the backside and are very unflexible at times if you arrive with big tour groups.

Yes I do agree 7.65 per hour is a bad rate of pay but does it apply for the people who already worked a seaons or more too?
I know many people decided that pay was a reason not to apply but they are great jobs and good to have on a CV. I worked on a OPW heritage site, not for the OPW but needless to say it was a great door opener for my future career.
Yes certainly not a nice move by the OPW.

genie

This is the link to publicjobs.ie http://www.publicjobsdata.com/tco2011/ It says clerical officer. :rolleyes: :mad:

dubbie82

http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/media/Seasonal%20Guide%20Recruitment%202011.pdf

This was the correct link for the season guide jobs.

gráfinn

Does anyone know when applicants are supposed to hear back? I applied but can't find any information about the interview stage. I just want to know if I should stop getting my hopes up!

The OPW website is useless for information, I can't find contact details for the various branches just one main number! Sigh!

V480

If it's OPW then they will always leave it until the last minute, I'd say a few more weeks at least.

Visitor Services are in charge of recruitment, their number is 016476592. Ask for Bernard Egan or Patricia Ryan.