Economist & Policy Analyst Graduate Role

TheIrishPC

Turns out it's very quick! I got emailed various forms today and a request to fill them out along with sending scanned private documents. Essentially commencing the clearance process which is great!

SavageSpuds

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118602929#Comment_118602929

Woaw no way, that's amazing!! There ya go, sounds like you could be in the job before the summer starts! Congrats

Whatsbehindthat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118602929#Comment_118602929

Congratulations, i just received mine today! I was talking to a guy who got one of the positions last year and he said they were emailed recently saying that 30 out of the 49 on the panel would be called to clearance. I'm still a bit worried with not being able to start until after my masters (September) but hopefully there's no issue

TheIrishPC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118615978#Comment_118615978

Well done. I sent in the forms and references yesterday and about 20 minutes later the person I emailed phoned me to clarify things and send on more info to fill out. She's a lovely woman and I had a pleasant 20 minute call with her talking about various things. In terms of starting it depends on how quickly references get back to her, garda vetting, and health forms being checked by the department each taking about 3 weeks. So she said she'd estimate I'd be in the job by end of March as long as everything checks out.

As she's friendly I'm sure once you say you're doing your masters then she can try hold your place until September. It's very thorough so they'll check absolutely everything.

exitstageleft

Would you not just start at the end of May once your classes finish? You probably don't really need all summer to write the thesis.

Whatsbehindthat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118620838#Comment_118620838

Ah its good to know their nice! Yeah i had a friend who go the job 2 years ago and she was asked to start in may but couldn't until September and everything was grand, hopefully its the same for me. This is probably a stupid question but for the garda vetting, we just send the form with the ID's to pas and they do the rest, we don't have to contact the guards ourselves do we?

Whatsbehindthat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118622349#Comment_118622349

I'm not doing a thesis, 12 week internship instead, so there would be no chance i could start earlier. At the start of the competition the requirements were to just have our masters by September, adding this to my comment above about me knowing someone who got there offer deferred to September i think it should hopefully be okay. My only worry came from them indicating they were short in a number of departments.

exitstageleft

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118629824#Comment_118629824

Ah right, that makes more sense. I hadn't realised that was an option and figured after the living the student life all year you'd be keen to start earning some cash!

I've also heard of them being accommodating in the past so you should be fine. It's fair enough, really given how drawn out the application process can be - you don't know applying if you'll have an offer after 3 months, 2 years or ever!

elyaya

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118615978#Comment_118615978

Damn, I'm inside the top 35 so I guess I won't be called :(

Well done if you got through!

SavageSpuds

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118631624#Comment_118631624

I wouldn't give up hope just yet. If any of the ones called from the top 30 don't pass the clearance or drop out for any reason, you could be called. The fact that you're between 30-35 means it wouldn't take too much for you to be called a couple of months down the line!

TheIrishPC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118629782#Comment_118629782

Send in the form with ID, once it's verified you'll be emailed a link from the vetting bureau to complete the next step which is basically adding every address you have lived at, confirming your details, and saying whether you have had any convictions or not. Then you'll be given a link to track its progress.

Wonderstruck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118631624#Comment_118631624

For AO jobs looooads turn it down, watch your phone for texts like a hawk

bigcher

Just wondering if anyone has heard back from their department yet about a start date? I got confirmation last week but not sure how long before a department reaches out!

TheIrishPC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118768252#Comment_118768252

Still waiting. It's been 2 weeks since I was told that the department I am being assigned to will contact me. As it's a short week, if we don't hear anything by Wednesday morning, then it's going to be another week. Looks like an April start date?

My friend in the department of finance asked had I heard anything yet. There are still security checks with HR to go through which I presume involves signing the contract and getting an ID badge.

bigcher

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118783673#Comment_118783673

Yeah definitely looks like April at the earliest! Hopefully, they email this week.

CrispyTee

Hey guys, it's been quite a few weeks now since people got assigned. Anyone's department been in touch with them yet?

TheIrishPC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118847670#Comment_118847670

I followed up with the recruitment manager who contacted us and they cc'd someone in the department of public expenditure and reform to contact instead. They got back to me right away. I've been assigned to a department and should hear from the department in the next few days. He sent a form to HR today about my assignment. The rest of yous should hear something soon too if that's the case for me!

CrispyTee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118852779#Comment_118852779

Congratulations, hope you start working soon! Do you think it's worthwhile to do this myself or wait on them to get in touch first?

exitstageleft

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118859835#Comment_118859835

Definitely get in touch. It's not unknown for applicants to slip off the list / be forgotten until they follow up directly!

Clarelessly

Hi Everyone,

I've just been invited to  the Graduate Policy Analyst/Economist – Stage 1 competition for 2022, which is the case study element. Can anybody guide me to any resources or previous examples you may have used to help with this? Thanks :)

Protoman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119818845#Comment_119818845

From memory, this was a challenging but fun excercise that required you to go through several documents on a particular policy issue / challenge. I think they were actual internal civil service documents and we labelled as such unusually.

I did pretty well on this and concentrated on basic principles of policy analysis like the Five E's:

Effectiveness - How well does it work (or how well will it be predicted to work)?

Efficiency -How much work does or will it entail? Are there significant costs associated with this solution, and are they worth it?

Ethical considerations - Is it ethically and morally sound? Are there unintended consequences

Evaluations of alternatives - How good is it compared to other approaches? Have all the relevant other approaches been considered?

Establishment of recommendations for positive change - What can actually be implemented? Is it better to amend, replace, remove, or add a policy?

You should be able to display a small bit of number crunching if there's data in there (if only to display you can do it under time constraints, nothing to mad), but most of all, try to have a nimble mind about the excercise and show you're considering all permutations - you'll likely to be asked to rank your favoured policy proposals and have a short paragraph defending your choices. And be prepared to back up what you say from the panel.

louisejam

Hi folks, thought I'd revive this thread! Thankfully enough I'd passed the interview stage and was told my OOM was 20-25, and a month later today I've moved up the panel three spaces... I'm wondering if this pace indicates I could be quite a while waiting to hear back about moving to the clearance stage, or maybe the pace could (hopefully!) pick up in the near future? 

Also, out of curiosity I wonder does anybody know if working from home/hybrid work format is feasible with this role- from an accessibility point of view I'm really banking on this! Curious to hear other people's thoughts?

exitstageleft

Hey Louise,

The previous panel was used up fully so you'll almost certainly be called at some stage. I'd say it'll be sooner than later too since IGEES recruits are looked on favorably in a lot of departments so your skills are in demand.

The blended working really depends on what unit you land in but you'll definitely have some options, most likely either 2 or 3 days at home / in office.

louisejam

Thanks for that insight exitstageleft! Really reassuring to know that I'll hopefully be offered a position- even it does mean it'll be a while away yet. The blended working aspect of the job would be really handy too... it wasn't specified anywhere on the job specs where the role could be based, so in my head I'd assumed WFH could be a possibility. Otherwise, if it's Dublin-based I'll be stuck having to commute 2 hrs each way, which would not be ideal!! How are other people who are waiting to hear back or even those who are in the job currently finding it? 

AssimilAj

Hi Louisejam, I actually got called to clearance last week so hopefully we won't be waiting long. Does anyone know how long it usually takes between getting called to clearance and actually starting work?

Also, thanks to everyone who shared their experiences on this thread over the last few years. Being able to look back over them was a great help throughout the process.

louisejam

Ah that’s great news! Can I ask what was your OOM @AssimilAj ? (:

TheIrishPC

I keep an eye on this thread every now and then. I got this position April last year, and so I'm nearly a year into the role. I was also 27th, and a total of 35 on the panel joined between April and September 2022, so it should be pretty similar this year. IGEES is great to be part of and you'll get lots and lots of training throughout the year.

Various AOs get promoted to AP and this leaves numerous AO positions vacant, filled by this panel. We're calling out for IGEES AOs to join actually due to vacancies left by promotions and mobility. After 2 years we're encouraged to move departments to gain experience in the civil service so we can go for that promotion in the future.

As for working from home, it depends on the department how much per week you're allowed. My department has Tuesdays and Wednesdays mandatory in office days, with a third mandatory day every 2 weeks. Other departments it's only 1 mandatory day. It really depends which department you're assigned to.

Looking forward to meeting yous at various IGEES events in the future!

countyireland12345

Hi all.

Congrats to all those receiving offers. I reached the case study stage for the 2022 IGEES competition last November but unfortunately did not pass it to reach the next stage. The feedback provided by PAS was a little vague and I think I may know where I went wrong, but would anybody be willing to chat more about in PM, and prepare for next time! Thanks!

louisejam

Hi there! I found the case study assessment a bit funny, particularly as I didn’t really prep at all (I don’t think there was a way you could tbh- the purpose was to test your critical thinking skills and ability to rationally analyse rather than to assess your knowledge). I did find the grilling at the end, which went into detail about what I wrote and why I took a particular stance, a little overwhelming? But then I thought to myself if I failed so far, so be it, and leaned into the idea that this ‘grilling’ is just a constructive chat (and that there weren’t necessarily any “right” answers, so long as you could reason?) where I could bounce ideas off people… that might sound a bit strange, but one basic example of this would be when they had asked me something to the effect of “how do we gauge train users’ experiences with Irish rail”, and I went on to talk about how assessing train users’ experiences would inherently infer a bias in any survey/assessment, as if they’re train users, then chances are they’re somewhat happy with Irish rail, so you’re sort of cherry picking survey responses. So, I presented them a question instead; how do we find and establish a channel of communication between us as survey moderators and the potential Irish rail customers in the future who are currently avoiding the service for whatever reason, as well as currently Irish rail customers? I think going with this tack showed I was able to be a little resourceful in a critical way but also look at the bigger picture? I hope this gives a sense of how my assessment went- when I was finished it, yup I was a little drained, but I also felt stimulated in an energising way?

Also, in other news, I’ve heard from PAS that they’ll be calling on everyone who got on the panel this year- so it’s a matter of when rather than if! Who knows how long it take to work through the panel and get past clearances 😅

BigElmo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120360933#Comment_120360933

Have you been called for clearance now @louisejam ?

Does anyone know if IGEES hires the entire batch at once to do mass training all at once, or is it one-by-one as individual positions open? Do you get assigned to DPER or your host department from the start? I have so many questions right now.

AssimilAj

@louisejam that was a great response to the Irish Rail question, well done.

For anyone whose waiting, the garda vetting took about two weeks for me, so don't worry too much about the horror stories about people waiting for months haha.

exitstageleft

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120376117#Comment_120376117

In my experience, people get called one by one. Training comes up at different times during the year but, depending where you end up, your unit workload can make it hard to get to. If you end up in a department other than PER, you'll probably find your link to IGEES fairly tenuous. Saying that, IGEES recruits are looked on favorably and, at least from what I've seen, they are given work that makes use of their numerecy skills and data analysis.

louisejam

Yup, I’ve been called now! I’ve submitted my garda vetting form so I’m just waiting to hear back- It’s quite a nerve-wracking process having to wait to hear back as I’m a little concerned there’ll be no consideration for where candidates are based. I live hours away from Dublin and re-locating isn’t an option, I had just assumed that as there was no location specified on the information pack for where the jobs are based, that remote working would be an option for those who don’t live nearby? It would be a bit heart breaking to jump through all these hoops and wait months to hear how I’ve done, only to have to turn down the role simply because of its inaccessible location (that wasn’t specified too)!

exitstageleft

Unfortunately @louisejam, almost all every IGEES AO role is Dublin based. There are precious few general AO roles outside the capital and possibly no IGEES ones.

On the plus side, most departments now offer two or three days per week work-from-home. Generally, you can avail of this relatively quickly after starting. It means that people can beHQ-ed in Dublin while living all over the country, albeit with a long commute a couple of days a week.

TheIrishPC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120443521#Comment_120443521

Great that you've been called. Garda vetting is a minimum 3 week wait so it will still be a little while yet. It took nearly 2 months from when I submitted forms, to starting my first day. So you might not start until end of May/early June.

I agree with exitstageleft, it is mainly Dublin based. You can commute into Dublin, but it would mean a 5am/6am start to commute on time. You just get placed into a department, no choice. After 2 years in the role you can move departments of your choosing if there is a vacancy.

Bobbitt

Hi everyone, hope you're well. I was just wondering if anyone knew where I could find contact info for the Department of Public Expenditure internal HR department? I finished clearance a week ago and I've been assigned there according to the PAS, but they haven't reached out to me yet so I wanted to touch base. The wait is driving me slowly insane haha.

louisejam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120476309#Comment_120476309

Have you since heard back @Bobbitt ? I’m in a similar boat myself!

AssimilAj

I'm still waiting as well, I finished clearance a month ago. I've tried following up with the PAS but no luck yet.

louisejam

Hi! Hard to believe I’m asking this so many weeks on, but have you heard anything yet? I am still waiting on getting assigned a department 😅

kksaints

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120448962#Comment_120448962

There's at least two non-Dublin based IGEES AO's that I'm aware of. There also used to be be one at least in Dept of Defence in Kildare but I don't know if they're still there.

AssimilAj

I actually started about a month ago, the job is real, don't worry haha! I know the wait is incredibly frustrating but the work has been really interesting so far and it's definitely worth it

countyireland12345

@louisejam Have you got an offer and started yet? Keen to find out if you managed to accept the offer and not have to move to Dublin. I've an offer for a different competition and wondering what the hydrid working set up is. I also would prefer to not move to Dublin.

@AssimilAj Does your department have a hybrid working set up? How many days a week are you in the office?

I’ve been placed 10th on an OOM with the Data Protection Commission for a job at HEO level (completely shocking because it was the hardest interview I’d ever been to and didn’t think I even passed). The job description said there were several vacancies available, so just wondering if anyone knows how likely it is I’ll be offered a job?

gmor96

Hi guys can I ask how difficult was the interview? I got mine now in January

Barbarian98

The Interview process is different this year to prior years in its format. So it's hard to tell, I have heard from people with an interview it's a presentation now on a self-selected topic.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121563069#Comment_121563069

gmor96

Yes that's apparently how it will be. I'm a bit worried about the interview questions, what they'll be asking etc.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121583457#Comment_121583457

gmor96

Hi guys! Anyone around who got places on the OOM?

InnIRE

Hi! Yeah, I’m in Batch 1.

DW92

Yes! Also in batch 1.

gmor96

Also batch 1 here! Did you get any info so far? Last I know is that they didn't know how many openings there will be