Administrative Officer - Revenue Commissioners

Ann Landers

barneystinson wrote: »

Are you in for the Audit/Compliance or the ICT?

I can only speak about the audit roles, and without wanting to rain on your parade, having met lots of them, the profile of the people coming in on the last few AO Audit/Compliance panels is typically the following:

1. Business / law / finance / accounting degree along with one or more of the following professional qualifications - accountant, tax consultant, solicitor, and several years experience in a relevant role in practice or industry.

OR

2. A serving eligible civil servant with some of the above qualifications and relevant experience (generally people already working as Revenue auditors at EO grade, or accountants serving in the C&AG's coming across due to better prospects in Revenue).

While the roles are advertised as graduate roles, given the state of the country in the last 6/7 years these jobs are very much sought after now and the calibre of the candidates is going up every time. The youngest person I know who came in as an AO in recent years was 26 at time of joining, and a qualified accountant with a couple of years experience in practice as well as some 3rd level lecturing... most are in the 28 - 38 age bracket with substantial relevant work experience to demonstrate. A college graduate of 22/23 is going to be very hard pushed to compete with that.

Ah yeah, I wasn't too fussed, plus I have exams to study for so don't have time for the pretty in-depth application form. Though apparently people with TOO much experience don't have much luck either!

I'm actually 30 though. :P (but with unrelated experience so pretty much the same as a new grad in one of the above areas)

mozattack

This will be my third time applying for revenue and wait and see the rejection. I have a degree, have aiti qualification since 2004, have ACCA qualification since 2010 and 13 years working in tax. I am also a member of the local tac committee.

Wait though I am not good enough to get an interview meanwhile I deal everyday with these eejits.

Better yet, if I did get the job I start on €30k, €22k less than my current wage whereas if they take on another civil servant they don't start on the lowest pay scale irrespective of their experience.

Farce

Ireland to a tee

mozattack

I applied for the AP position and am going to apply for the AO job... will applying for the latter remove my slim chance of the former?

delricyo

mozattack wrote: »

This will be my third time applying for revenue and wait and see the rejection. I have a degree, have aiti qualification since 2004, have ACCA qualification since 2010 and 13 years working in tax. I am also a member of the local tac committee.

Wait though I am not good enough to get an interview meanwhile I deal everyday with these eejits.

Better yet, if I did get the job I start on €30k, €22k less than my current wage whereas if they take on another civil servant they don't start on the lowest pay scale irrespective of their experience.

Farce

Ireland to a tee

It has been stated on several occasions that the qualifications do not matter at the first stage of this competition. There is no point putting in an application with a list of qualifications on it and expect to get an interview. This part of the competition is all about your competencies and how you illustrate them.
Look through what is being asked - and make sure that your examples demonstrate each part of the competency being examined.

When you get to interview, then you can refer back to your experience and qualifications.

I dont agree with your statement about the salary scale. While you may have somebody in a completely unrelated department getting the position, you could also get an experienced EO with 10 years experience in Revenue audits getting this position. They will be able to hit the ground running - given their experience ....

delricyo

mozattack wrote: »

I applied for the AP position and am going to apply for the AO job... will applying for the latter remove my slim chance of the former?

As far as I know the competitions are completely separate. The HR department will know you applied for both, but I doubt that the people screening the forms or on the interview panel will know how many you applied for.

mozattack

delricyo wrote: »

As far as I know the competitions are completely separate. The HR department will know you applied for both, but I doubt that the people screening the forms or on the interview panel will know how many you applied for.

Thanks, can't go for A0, my wages would be down €900 per month so trapped where I am. No future in current job

Ann Landers

mozattack wrote: »

This will be my third time applying for revenue and wait and see the rejection. I have a degree, have aiti qualification since 2004, have ACCA qualification since 2010 and 13 years working in tax. I am also a member of the local tac committee.

Overqualified, perhaps?

Why do you want to apply if it's such a salary drop?

delricyo

mozattack wrote: »

Thanks, can't go for A0, my wages would be down €900 per month so trapped where I am. No future in current job

When I joined the CS - I took a cut in my salary. Thankfully not as much as you would be taking. And with increment freezes, pension levy & pension contributions - it would be a long long time before you start to see the benefit. Working really hard on the AP application might be a better choice ...

barneystinson

mozattack wrote: »

This will be my third time applying for revenue and wait and see the rejection. I have a degree, have aiti qualification since 2004, have ACCA qualification since 2010 and 13 years working in tax. I am also a member of the local tac committee.

Wait though I am not good enough to get an interview meanwhile I deal everyday with these eejits.

Better yet, if I did get the job I start on €30k, €22k less than my current wage whereas if they take on another civil servant they don't start on the lowest pay scale irrespective of their experience.

Farce

Ireland to a tee

If the same attitude as the emboldened part is conveyed in your application form then that'll probably explain why you're not getting an interview.

As a previous poster said, it's not about the qualifications so much as the examples on the form and how well they convey what the competency is looking for - it's a fine art. I came in on an AO competition from practice a few years ago, with only a business degree and at the final stage of ACCA, and I know others who did so as well.

As for applying for both competitions, the forms are screened by completely different groups of people, so it doesn't in any way hinder you - I know people who applied and got interviews for both competitions the last time round.

Zipppy

Well application gone in for AO ICT.
Third application in as many years..two interviews down, presumably one to go.....third time lucky as they say

Slydice

Me too. Good luck to you

Zipppy

Slydice wrote: »

Me too. Good luck to you

AO ICT?

Uncle_Joe

Zipppy wrote: »

Well application gone in for AO ICT.
Third application in as many years..two interviews down, presumably one to go.....third time lucky as they say

Same here, I even got the "acknowledge receipt" two days ago

Slydice

Zipppy wrote: »

AO ICT?

Yeah. 3rd time. Same as you. Fingers crossed for both of us.

barneystinson

Interesting... if ye don't mind me asking, why is this AO job so attractive, that you've now applied 3 times in less than 3 years? I'd have thought the money (or relative lack of it) would mean that 3 years on there's no way you'd still be interested, given the opportunities for people with IT qualifications & experience...

mozattack

barneystinson wrote: »

Interesting... if ye don't mind me asking, why is this AO job so attractive, that you've now applied 3 times in less than 3 years? I'd have thought the money (or relative lack of it) would mean that 3 years on there's no way you'd still be interested, given the opportunities for people with IT qualifications & experience...

Not sure who this is directed to?

If me, I would try to consider AO but dropping €23k might be too much. I would still consider it though as it is least a career whereas working in tax in practice is limited enough.

cactuspaw

can I ask where this elusive job is hiding? its not on their website.

Uncle_Joe

Closing date was April 28th I think

Slydice

barneystinson wrote: »

Interesting... if ye don't mind me asking, why is this AO job so attractive, that you've now applied 3 times in less than 3 years? I'd have thought the money (or relative lack of it) would mean that 3 years on there's no way you'd still be interested, given the opportunities for people with IT qualifications & experience...

Well, to be honest, it's the only position I've applied for over the 3 years. I feel inexperienced at applying for other jobs and I don't know how my skills and experience rate in the private sector. Revenue seem to advertise their requirements clearly. I have a good few years of both Software Development (php and java) and System Administration (loads of windows, linux, bsd, novell and ibm server stuff).

Recently I've had thoughts that if I don't look to be getting a job in (what's looks to me to be) a good paying job like AO, that I should take my chances and apply for jobs in companies like google, microsoft, twitter, (not sure if they are in Dublin but also) facebook.

Really clueless on job-getting to be honest

barneystinson

mozattack wrote: »

Not sure who this is directed to?

If me, I would try to consider AO but dropping €23k might be too much. I would still consider it though as it is least a career whereas working in tax in practice is limited enough.

No, I was directing it at the ICT lads.

I've been in your position, but younger than you are now and less of a drop so not really a tough decision, and I'm delighted I did it - I feel the last few years and next few years are/will be a great time for the new people to make an impact and seize opportunities for advancement, given the demographic of the organisation.

dollymix92

Hi All,

I applied to the AO Compliance competition. Got through to the interview stages last year but was unfortunately unsuccessful. I wonder what timeline they're working towards this year? I seem to remember it was around 2/3 when we heard if we had been short listed for interview?

Good luck to all.

Zipppy

barneystinson wrote: »

Interesting... if ye don't mind me asking, why is this AO job so attractive, that you've now applied 3 times in less than 3 years? I'd have thought the money (or relative lack of it) would mean that 3 years on there's no way you'd still be interested, given the opportunities for people with IT qualifications & experience...

Well in my case I'm a serving PS and intend staying so

The AO Job in Revenue attracts me because of the actual role involved...I know a few people in revenue and view that I would fit perfectly...just need the Interview Board to come round to my way of thinking

barneystinson

Zipppy wrote: »

Well in my case I'm a serving PS and intend staying so

The AO Job in Revenue attracts me because of the actual role involved...I know a few people in revenue and view that I would fit perfectly...just need the Interview Board to come round to my way of thinking

So the answer to my question really, is that it won't be a drop in money for you, and you won't be on the 10% reduced new entrant scale either..!

Jonathan

barneystinson wrote: »

So the answer to my question really, is that it won't be a drop in money for you, and you won't be on the 10% reduced new entrant scale either..!

The NRP pay scales have been abolished. See Circular 02/2014.

barneystinson

Jonathan wrote: »

The NRP pay scales have been abolished. See Circular 02/2014.

Careful now! They haven't been abolished, they've been assimilated (proving that resistance wasn't entirely futile!)...

WHat I mean is that's not the scale I came in on as an AO in 2010, it starts about 10% lower, and has an extra 2 points below the previous starting point of 33,247 - so an AO who started in 2010 would take 2 years to hit 39,967, but an AO starting in 2014 will take 4 years to reach 39,967.

That doesn't look like abolition to me...!

Jonathan

barneystinson wrote: »

Careful now! They haven't been abolished, they've been assimilated (proving that resistance wasn't entirely futile!)...

I never said that staff on the NRP payscales reverted to 2010 payscales, but the NRP payscales have been abolished. All AOs now have the same max (albeit new staff will take longer to reach it).

barneystinson wrote: »

WHat I mean is that's not the scale I came in on as an AO in 2010, it starts about 10% lower, and has an extra 2 points below the previous starting point of 33,247 - so an AO who started in 2010 would take 2 years to hit 39,967, but an AO starting in 2014 will take 4 years to reach 39,967.

That doesn't look like abolition to me...!

It is interesting to note that there are now 3 different AOs:
1) Started prior to 2011 on 2010 paycale; no disadvantage
2) Started 2011-2013 on NRP payscale; spends two years on NRP points (10% less), ends up one increment behind 2010 equivalent in long run (entitled to skip point 3 on merged payscale)
3) Started 2014 onwards on 2014 payscales; spends two years on NRP points (10% less), followed by small scale transition increment of €672 (point 3), ends up two increments behind 2010 equivalent in long run

Gareth178

so just to get it straight, what position would a person be in if they got an AO position and they were already an established EO at the top of the EO scale (post 1995)? any takers? (top of scale being in the early €40k's)

barneystinson

Gareth178 wrote: »

so just to get it straight, what position would a person be in if they got an AO position and they were already an established EO at the top of the EO scale (post 1995)? any takers? (top of scale being in the early €40k's)

I know someone who is in that position but I never asked them that question! As I understand it there's no change in pay initially, since you're already at a point somewhere between points on the scale (I think there might be some kind of formula by which you move to the next point above your EO salary without waiting a whole 12 months), and you move up the scale accordingly from there... you certainly don't drop money if that's what you're asking!

Gareth178

thanks for that barneystinson

Jonathan

Gareth178 wrote: »

so just to get it straight, what position would a person be in if they got an AO position and they were already an established EO at the top of the EO scale (post 1995)? any takers? (top of scale being in the early €40k's)

Better than if they got promoted to HEO; AO and HEO scales both converge at €54,329 and are identical thereafter, but because AO increments are more valuable, you will actually reach the same convergence point two years faster as an AO than a HEO promoted on same day.