Administrative Officer 2015 open competition

eleah

just to keep you updated i got my letter from PAS today - I am number 130, got Department of children and youth affairs - which I am delighted with, youth work is one of my interests/experiences

Emmal14

eleah wrote: »

just to keep you updated i got my letter from PAS today - I am number 130, got Department of children and youth affairs - which I am delighted with, youth work is one of my interests/experiences

Congratulations!

keepkeyyellow

Emmal14 wrote: »

Do you mean what number was called to interview in december? That was 250. We haven't quite determined the number on the panel but i think there is people in the 160's definitely

Yes interview is what I meant! I'm 500 so I won't hold my breath anyway.

trebormax

eleah wrote: »

just to keep you updated i got my letter from PAS today - I am number 130, got Department of children and youth affairs - which I am delighted with, youth work is one of my interests/experiences

Congrats! Thats great to get one that ties in with your experience

I got my PAS letter and a call from Dept of Health came in yesterday, just waiting while they discuss my start date with my current department's HR, but they asked me to start ASAP. Delighted.

Veledan22

Hi everyone, just wondering how long it took to get your letter after PAS had received the reference from your current employer?

Holysock

Veledan22 wrote: »

Hi everyone, just wondering how long it took to get your letter after PAS had received the reference from your current employer?

I got my reference email March 1st and my official assignment letter yesterday The letter was from PAS saying my Department would be in contact and provided a contact for their HR if I had any queries for them

trebormax

Veledan22 wrote: »

Hi everyone, just wondering how long it took to get your letter after PAS had received the reference from your current employer?

Mine took about a week, but my ref was interdepartmental and received on a Friday.. so I'd say that is a rough example..

Holysock

trebormax wrote: »

Mine took about a week, but my ref was interdepartmental and received on a Friday.. so I'd say that is a rough example..

Yeh I should highlight I'm also already in the civil service too so it's all being done between HRs

Emmal14

Just awaiting my contract in the post. Was meant to be here yesterday so hoping i get it monday! Really want it before I hand my notice in on Tuesday.

LondonFields

It's 8 days since my email, and nothing in the post yet. I hope I haven't misunderstood and they're waiting for me to do something...

shedex

LondonFields wrote: »

It's 8 days since my email, and nothing in the post yet. I hope I haven't misunderstood and they're waiting for me to do something...

I'd say give them a ring to find out whats going on

Veledan22

shedex wrote: »

I'd say give them a ring to find out whats going on

I got my letter yesterday. It was 2 weeks since I received my email notification but I have to get police clearance from abroad so that would have delayed things a bit.

shedex

received an update from PAS this morning: they are at number 140 and have finished filling existing requests for AOs. There may be further requests, but at a much slower rate.

I'm curious if any of those in the mid- to late-130s received their notifications and letters, and what departments they went to?

Thisisit90

Does anyone know where the Department of health jobs are based? Also how long generally does it take to start a job, once you hear you are under consideration. Any info would be really appreciated

trebormax

Thisisit90 wrote: »

Does anyone know where the Department of health jobs are based? Also how long generally does it take to start a job, once you hear you are under consideration. Any info would be really appreciated

Dept of Health all appears to be based in Hawkins House, near Dublin Tara Street Station. (though rather happily for me, there is talk that they will be moving to Baggot Street at some point, possibly either end of this year or start of next)

I'm starting there the first week of April Not sure what section yet.

LondonFields

Well, I've turned mine down, due to location, so there'll be one more on offer! Good luck all

Emmal14

LondonFields wrote: »

Well, I've turned mine down, due to location, so there'll be one more on offer! Good luck all

Oh no! What department did you get?

LondonFields

Department of Agriculture. It was a long-shot application, as I cannot work in Dublin, and most of the posts are there, so it wasn't too much of a surprise!

BTW, there have been no offers made of Irish Language AO positions yet, I've been told, as none have been requested...

sqooka

LondonFields wrote: »

Well, I've turned mine down, due to location, so there'll be one more on offer! Good luck all

Does that mean that if you turn one down you stay on the panel and get offered the next one that comes up?

sqooka

sqooka wrote: »

Does that mean that if you turn one down you stay on the panel and get offered the next one that comes up?

Wait, sorry, I just understood what you meant!

LondonFields

sqooka wrote: »

Does that mean that if you turn one down you stay on the panel and get offered the next one that comes up?

I wish
No, I mean it'll get passed down the line and will hopefully suit someone else

shedex

LondonFields wrote: »

Well, I've turned mine down, due to location, so there'll be one more on offer! Good luck all

When did you turn that down?

The_Conductor

LondonFields wrote: »

Department of Agriculture. It was a long-shot application, as I cannot work in Dublin, and most of the posts are there, so it wasn't too much of a surprise!...

So- that's 16 AO posts for Agriculture?
Seems like a very high number- though I guess that's because they haven't had a HEO competition or panel in place for so long- and the grades are seen as analogous?

sqooka

Hi everyone, I was hoping somebody could explain the process once you get the e-mail saying you're under consideration to me. I can't quite remember but I'm worried I may have put my current employer down as a reference thinking they'd contact me before contacting references and I could let him know then as I know he'll sing my praises to them. That may sound like a mad thing to do but the job I'm in was looking quite unstable at the time and he knew about the interview (I couldn't get the time off for it without telling him), but things are a bit settled now and I really wouldn't like him to be blindsided. I definitely would leave in a heartbeat for the AO, but like I said, I wouldn't want them to contact him before I got a chance to tell him myself. Does anyone know if they e-mail you before contacting references and the like?

trebormax

sqooka wrote: »

Hi everyone, I was hoping somebody could explain the process once you get the e-mail saying you're under consideration to me. I can't quite remember but I'm worried I may have put my current employer down as a reference thinking they'd contact me before contacting references and I could let him know then as I know he'll sing my praises to them. That may sound like a mad thing to do but the job I'm in was looking quite unstable at the time and he knew about the interview (I couldn't get the time off for it without telling him), but things are a bit settled now and I really wouldn't like him to be blindsided. I definitely would leave in a heartbeat for the AO, but like I said, I wouldn't want them to contact him before I got a chance to tell him myself. Does anyone know if they e-mail you before contacting references and the like?

My understanding is that if you are an external employee (ie not in the civil service) then PAS will give you notice before contacting your current reference.

I think they know it can rock the boat to request one without doing so.

Veledan22

sqooka wrote: »

Hi everyone, I was hoping somebody could explain the process once you get the e-mail saying you're under consideration to me. I can't quite remember but I'm worried I may have put my current employer down as a reference thinking they'd contact me before contacting references and I could let him know then as I know he'll sing my praises to them. That may sound like a mad thing to do but the job I'm in was looking quite unstable at the time and he knew about the interview (I couldn't get the time off for it without telling him), but things are a bit settled now and I really wouldn't like him to be blindsided. I definitely would leave in a heartbeat for the AO, but like I said, I wouldn't want them to contact him before I got a chance to tell him myself. Does anyone know if they e-mail you before contacting references and the like?

Yes, I was in a similar situation myself. PAS definitely wait until they have clear confirmation from you before they will contact your current employer. It is only once you give them the go ahead that they will get in touch with your employer and ask them to fill in a reference form. You should get a phone call from the department you are going to shortly after that

Veledan22

Has anyone started as an AO yet? Any information about the onboarding process or training would be much appreciated :)

Poppy88

Got email at start of month, waiting for Garda clearance, told it would take 3/4 weeks, anyone else waiting this long? References from current employers and all done so just waiting for letter of assignment and contact from department so I can hand in my notice

sab78

HI does anyone know what number they are up to in Limerick?

Whizzgirl

Hi,

Heard from PAS today that they have reached number 145 on the panel. Good luck to everyone who is waiting.

ashball

Oh Christ I'm in the next five so. How long do we have to accept or decline again? I just started a new job in the last few months, I'd be dreading that conversation with my boss 😬

Emmal14

ashball wrote: »

Oh Christ I'm in the next five so. How long do we have to accept or decline again? I just started a new job in the last few months, I'd be dreading that conversation with my boss 😬

Im not sure i had took a whole week to make up my mind when i knew theyw ere getting close to my number so i was able to just proceed straight away!

ashball

Emma you are holding this whole thread together! Have you started yet?

ashball

Emmal14 you are holding this whole thread together! Have you started yet?

Emmal14

ashball wrote: »

Emmal14 you are holding this whole thread together! Have you started yet?

Haha thanks but theres alot of great posters on here! I start the 18th of April can't wait! Even though finishing up in my current job is mental at the moment! What are thinking about the ao are you leaning towards takingit or not taking it if offered?

shedex

Under consideration for department of health! Have a bit of a problem with police clearance as I have to get clearance from two foreign countries, one of them Germany, and the bureaucracy to get it is a headache. Like it might take as long as two months

griffdaddy

shedex wrote: »

Under consideration for department of health! Have a bit of a problem with police clearance as I have to get clearance from two foreign countries, one of them Germany, and the bureaucracy to get it is a headache. Like it might take as long as two months

Did you hear that somewhere or just presume it? I had to get clearance from the Netherlands when I became a clerical officer and it was straightforward

shedex

griffdaddy wrote: »

Did you hear that somewhere or just presume it? I had to get clearance from the Netherlands when I became a clerical officer and it was straightforward

Actually the Netherlands is the other country I have to get clearance from, and its relatively straightforward as far as I can understand it. I just send the form to PAS for them to fill out the relevant section, fill in the other sections myself, pay the fee online and then send it via post to the Justice Ministry.

Germany is more problematic as I am currently living there, and you have to apply in person at one of the townhalls. The problem is actually getting an appointment at the townhall as the huge influx of refugees needing to register has created a massive backlog. I have an appointment for June 1st, but thats miles away. Maybe I can get a walk-in appointment if I get there at 5am to get at the front of the queue, but I currently have a job and its difficult to drop everything to spend all day waiting for an appointment that I may or may not get.

shedex

griffdaddy wrote: »

Did you hear that somewhere or just presume it? I had to get clearance from the Netherlands when I became a clerical officer and it was straightforward

Actually the Netherlands is the other country I have to get clearance from, and its relatively straightforward as far as I can understand it. I just send the form to PAS for them to fill out the relevant section, fill in the other sections myself, pay the fee online and then send it via post to the Justice Ministry.

Germany is more problematic as I am currently living there, and you have to apply in person at one of the townhalls. The problem is actually getting an appointment at the townhall as the huge influx of refugees needing to register has created a massive backlog. I have an appointment for June 1st, but thats miles away. Maybe I can get a walk-in appointment if I get there at 5am to get at the front of the queue, but I currently have a job and its difficult to drop everything to spend all day waiting for an appointment that I may or may not get.

Has anyone gone through the process of getting police clearance from Germany?

ashball

Jesus I genuinely don't know. I'm having to think seriously about it this week. I'm doing a course at the moment as well, and the last year can be done full time in a year or weekends over 2 years. I'd been planning on doing the year 'cause I thought my number would never come up but now I think the smart thing to do is take AO and have that safety net

Make my decision for me!

shedex

ashball wrote: »

Jesus I genuinely don't know. I'm having to think seriously about it this week. I'm doing a course at the moment as well, and the last year can be done full time in a year or weekends over 2 years. I'd been planning on doing the year 'cause I thought my number would never come up but now I think the smart thing to do is take AO and have that safety net

Make my decision for me!

Its a tough one. I'm in a similar position to you in that I've accepted a new job and accepting the AO post would involve a pretty drastic change of plans and circumstances.

There's no easy way to make the decision, just make a list of pros and cons and listen to your gut!

Calina

Has anyone gone through the process of getting police clearance from Germany?

I requested it from Ireland 12 months ago. It was an immediate turn around although there is an admin charge and the form to apply for it had to be stamped by the local police here in Ireland. It took 2 weeks including post as far as I remember.

Check with PAS whether they will require a certified translation.

Emmal14

ashball wrote: »

Jesus I genuinely don't know. I'm having to think seriously about it this week. I'm doing a course at the moment as well, and the last year can be done full time in a year or weekends over 2 years. I'd been planning on doing the year 'cause I thought my number would never come up but now I think the smart thing to do is take AO and have that safety net

Make my decision for me!

I think you should first listen to your gut and then think about what you want! I know for me it was about making a great lifestyle choice with a good career there. Personally id say take the AO what have you to lose?

shedex

Emmal14 wrote: »

Personally id say take the AO what have you to lose?

I cant speak for ashball, but personally I'd be worried that AO is the safe but low-reward option. The pay isnt great and i'm not sure the opportunities for advancement to higher levels are that great either. I'd be concerned about the risk of... stagnating I guess.

If there's anyone out there currently working as an AO I'd love to hear your opinion of working for the CS

ashball

It's more that I'd really want to know what I would be doing in the dept before I started, and I hear that can be very dependent on which one it is and who you end up under? If I knew I'd be able to use some of what I'm doing in this course, a bitta law for example, I'd be much more tempted to take it 'cause that's the area I want to end up in. I also would really like to hear from someone doing it already!

For me it's a toss up between having the permanent AO job to fall back on if this other thing doesn't work out, or jumping straight in to the full time course, getting it finished and seeing if it's something I can legitimately pursue.

I think on balance AO is the smarter thing but potentially not what I want long term. Definitely the most appropriate forum for this deliberation is a general post on boards though, that I'm certain of.

The_Conductor

As a general rule of thumb- the only civil servants who are specifically placed in Divisions/Sections to leverage their specific skillsets- are those who enter via confined competitions (think tax, accountancy, law, IT etc). If you enter via the regular as opposed to a confined stream in an open competition- you may get some use of your skillset- however, it'll be more coincidental than by design.

Recent attempts have been made to audit the skills and qualifications of pre-existing civil servants- however, there is absolutely no evidence on the ground that the surveys conducted have had any purpose or use whatsoever...........

If you have a law background- it will be helpful in the Civil Service- you might be drafting SIs, involved in EU Regulations and negotiations etc etc- however, you also may not be- its impossible to tell.........

Holysock

I was initially assigned to a department as part of this competition, got the letter of assignment from PAS. That departments HR section rang me after looking at my qualifications, said that I seemed more suited to a different department and would I be open to going there instead if possible. HR sorted it out directly with the other department and then with PAS to get me re-assigned there instead.

It's delayed my start date a fair bit but at the end of the day I'm now going somewhere where I can actually utilize my degree. I'm delighted that the first departments HR took time and effort to get the best place for me, even if it wasn't with them. A positive for the Civil Service!

The_Conductor

Holysock- that's great.
I've never heard of Personnel in any Department being as proactive- and I've been around for a while- I hope they've decided to turn over a new leaf- as it makes perfect sense- it keeps staff happy- and it enables the best use of the skills that people have to bring to the job........

In most Departments- its a running joke that skills aren't acknowledged or used- and what you have experienced is something I have never come across before........ I hope your experience becomes best practice- and is rolled out elsewhere........

Holysock

The_Conductor wrote: »

Holysock- that's great.
I've never heard of Personnel in any Department being as proactive- and I've been around for a while- I hope they've decided to turn over a new leaf- as it makes perfect sense- it keeps staff happy- and it enables the best use of the skills that people have to bring to the job........

In most Departments- its a running joke that skills aren't acknowledged or used- and what you have experienced is something I have never come across before........ I hope your experience becomes best practice- and is rolled out elsewhere........

The first departments HR said on the phone something along the lines of that it just seemed like such a waste for me to have studied something for 4 years and not to use it. I feel like they really were just looking for the best placement rather than passing me off somewhere else. I agree, it would be great if this kind of proactive approach became the norm in the Civil Service

ashball

That is great, it's really encouraging. And great for you that they see your potential and usefulness!