Joining the Guards.

FERGAL7

I am 18 and currently repeating my leaving. I got 375 the first time and felt I should have done better. I want to join the Guards after college and have a few questions in relation to that.
1: Is there any indication as to when the Guards will recruit again? I know there is no definitive answer to this but could someone give me even a ball park estimation?
2: My ultimate goal is to become a high ranking Detective (I'd like to be atleast a Detective Sergeant by my early 30's.). What would be a better option in college Law or Psychology. keep in mind that I intend to pursue an MA in Criminology afterwards. Also it is more important to me to become a Detective than to rise through the ranks.
3: Is there something that would be more beneficial to study than Law or Psychology.
4: How applicable is Behavioural analysis in Detective work?

Thanks for your time

unattendedbag

As you can see from this forum there is no current indication of when recruitment will start. Infact in today's news they are looking to get rid of 1000 more guards, meaning things are still going backwards. Ball park figure?? I'd say 2015 at the earliest.

You say you want to be a detective sergeant in your early 30's. I admire your optimism and motivation but realistically it would take at least 10 years to get promoted to sergeant and even longer to get experience as a detective, but then again this depends on how good you are at the job and which district you work in.

Bear in mind that doing an undergraduate degree plus a masters would probably take 5-6 years full time. A law degree or psychology degree will make no difference when applying for the job but if you can study a criminal aspect of either then it will stand well to you and can be of practical use.

Leave the behavioural analysis to the forensic psyhologists. There is no substitute for old fashioned police work and experience. Safe to say you won't be out tracing serial killers on your first day.

anynameatall

Your only 18 but you'll be lucky to be a rank and file garda at 28 never mind Detective Garda.Two or three hundred recruited at most this decade-they may not even recruit because they want numbers to drop to year 2000 numbers circa 12,000.My advice is to do a course you are interested in and not just for AGS,if this Govt's judicial appointments are anything to go by,there's no point.Our ecomony isnt going to improve so dramatically for a u-turn on moratorium.More gardai recruited in one false boom year than ten years of recession I'd say.
Govt recruits defence forces and no gardai.How many senior Garda will complain publicly?None.
There will be plenty of stations and cars for AGS by the time they are finished putting the chainsaw to numbers.

Luca Brasi

Sorry to say it but if you interested in being a police officer rather than being a Garda you can start looking towards the UK. There will be no Garda recruitment in the forseeable future and when there is there will be such a demand that gaining entry will be very difficult. The upper age limit now is 35 so there will be strong competition for places

FERGAL7

thanks all for your comments they have been very helpful. I realise that the guards is probably the most uncertain career path out there at the moment, nonetheless it is the line of work I've always wanted to work in.
Is there any other line of work in Ireland that would be similar to the work of a Detective if the guards aren't recruiting when I come out of college???

unattendedbag

FERGAL7 wrote: »

thanks all for your comments they have been very helpful. I realise that the guards is probably the most uncertain career path out there at the moment, nonetheless it is the line of work I've always wanted to work in.
Is there any other line of work in Ireland that would be similar to the work of a Detective if the guards aren't recruiting when I come out of college???

Private investigator
Insurance claims investigator
Retail security
Forensic accounting
Auditing
Customs
Airport police
DSPCA
Etc...

Have a look at www.bluelinejobs.co.uk and you'll get an idea of the amount of police support jobs that exist without having to be a serving police officer.

CDM001

My brother is in the Guards, loves it

Steba

I was in the same boat as you when I left secondary school ( 2010/11). I was considering which course to do in college and after all the advice I was given was that it doesn't matter that much! You could have an MA in law and the personality of a book and still not be accepted! I ended up getting 510 in my leaving cert and chose to do Social Science with a requirement of 360 points in UCC. Law and psychology, in my mind, were far to direct at other career paths.
Social science is a common course for people that are considering a career path such as the gardaí. In Ucc we study Psychology, Sociology, Economics ( but direct towards Irish economics, welfare ect ) social policy and philosophy.
Basically we cover topics like criminology ( which I'm currently doing an essay for but instead procrastinating by writing this! ) deviance, social and behavioral psychology, welfare and its origins ( poor law ect ) morality and ethics ect ect. It's a great course but just to give you a heads up, it's on par with psychology and law as far as the academics of it goes. You get out of it as much as you put into it basically!


All of that said, after a year and a half of this course, I've realised that the gardai might not be for me! ( Not saying that the course created a pretentious attitude towards the institution, but there are some values they advocate that I personally wouldn't, particularly after studying deviance.) Before the course my mind was completely set on joining the Gardaí as soon as possible, but now I'm considering other pathways. Pm me anyway if you want any more information on the course or anything else!

WilcoOut

Join the Garda Reserve

When you put on that uniform, step into the street and deal with emergency situations - youll know exactly if your for the job and the job is for you

howarethings

anynameatall wrote: »

Your only 18 but you'll be lucky to be a rank and file garda at 28 never mind Detective Garda.Two or three hundred recruited at most this decade-they may not even recruit because they want numbers to drop to year 2000 numbers circa 12,000.My advice is to do a course you are interested in and not just for AGS,if this Govt's judicial appointments are anything to go by,there's no point.

Are you implying nepotism/pull,if you are correct in what you say what's it going to be like for guards where you just need a leaving cert with so few other jobs out their-so cruel

Luca Brasi

howarethings wrote: »

Are you implying nepotism/pull,if you are correct in what you say what's it going to be like for guards where you just need a leaving cert with so few other jobs out their-so cruel

A very high number of Gardai now have third level qualifications when joining. The days of a pass Leaving getting you through are gone especially when there will be such a demand for any few positions that might be filled.

FERGAL7

well could anyone tell me what it would be like working as a solicitor cos to be honest if the guards doesn't work out that's the route id most like to go down..

cfc.forever

Being a solicitor requires you to be someone passionate for Law. If your wishing to become a solicitor, I have listed everything below and it is from a valid source. I also recommend if the gardai really interests you to keep looking out for positions

become a solicitor, you must complete an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and you must pass exams set by the Law Society at Blackhall Place in Dublin.

Solicitors have a very wide range of different functions:

A solicitor may give legal advice about non-contentious matters, such as buying a house or flat or drafting a will
A solicitor may act as your agent or representative in commercial transactions
Your solicitor may also give you legal advice and represent you in relation to a dispute or disagreement that you have with another party, for example, a family dispute or a dispute with your employer or your neighbour
A solicitor may give you legal advice about taking or defending a case. If you have been involved in an accident, for example, a road traffic accident or an accident at work.
If you are involved in a court case, your solicitor will manage the case and represent you when dealing with the other party. For example, your solicitor will send letters to the other side on your behalf. Your solicitor will file all of the necessary court documents and contact the witnesses for the case.
If it is necessary to involve a barrister in the case, your solicitor will "brief" the barrister by sending him/her all of the necessary documents and information
Your solicitor may also actually represent you in court, although in the High Court and the Supreme Court, a barrister will usually be engaged.
Unlike barristers, solicitors are allowed to join together to form partnerships or companies and they are allowed to advertise their services.

Solicitors do not have to wear any special clothes when in court. If there is a barrister involved in the case, the solicitor will usually sit facing the barrister in the bench under the judge. If the barrister needs a matter to be clarified, he or she can then lean over to ask the solicitor.

Rules

The Law Society sets down rules and regulations about how solicitors may conduct their business. There is a Disciplinary Tribunal, which can investigate any allegations of misconduct made against a solicitor. In the past, it was not possible to make a complaint about a solicitor or barrister in Ireland involved in a family law cases due to the 'in camera' rule. (The in camera rule prevented anyone other than those directly involved in the family law case being present in Court. In addition, the 'in camera' rule prevented the publication of any matters discussed there, including the outcome of the case).

However, in July 2005 an amendment was made to Section 40 of the Court and Civil Liabilities Act 2004 (pdf), and complaints about solicitors and barristers in family law cases are now admissable.

Read more about making a complaint about a solicitor in Ireland here.

Complaints about solicitors provided by the Legal Aid Board should be made as per the Legal Aid Board's complaints procedure.

Rates

Solicitors' rates and fees vary greatly. Your solicitor is under an obligation to explain to you how much his or her fees will be before you engage him or her to act on your behalf.

Many solicitors take on cases on a "no foal, no fee" basis. This means that you will not be charged a fee by your solicitor if you do not win the case. This is most common in personal injuries cases, i.e., where you have been injured in an accident.

You can read more about solicitop's fees in the Law Society's leaflet: Information in relation to legal charges (pdf).

How to apply

If you are a qualified lawyer from another jurisdiction (i.e., outside Ireland), find out how to convert your qualifications to practice as a solicitor in Ireland.

Where to apply

As the regulatory body for solicitors in Ireland, the Law Society maintains a list of registered solicitors throughout the country. Search the directory of solicitor firms throughout Ireland.

talla10

Why anyone would apply for AGS now is beyond me! Pro; Gusrenteed wages

Con; severely reduced wage for new entrants, more cuts on way, insufficient and dangerous fleet, standard 60 hour working week, dangerous job incressed liklihood of injury, ombudsman eager to make examples out of member defending themselves, not enough Gardai to police effectively, no support from public/supervisors, immence work load, very lenient judge's, dealing with distraught victims of crime after their attackers openly Laugh after joke of sentence! Morale all time low justice Minster ignoring worrying situation in AGS, commissioner with no back bone essentially the lap dog of the government!

Steba

Not to go off topic, but are you suggesting that people stop trying to gain entry to the AGS?
It's a public sector job, you can't but expect cuts! And, you shouldn't initially be enrolling on the basis that its a secure and safe job. That's the reason why gardai are inefficient at the moment ( not generalizing about all gardai but there is a majority that really couldn't give a **** and are just running on a "power trip").

Luca Brasi

I think all the Gardai should be made resign and let their jobs be taken by taxi drivers, journalists, contributors to Joe Duffy and on line forums who really know how to do the job better

talla10

No just making the point that people should be aware of the reality of the job rather than their often flawed expectation of police work