Can I apply for AO/EO in the civil service while pregnant ?

WA400

Hi all, currently working in the private sector and wanting to make a career change to the civil service (with some time now). I see alot of people commenting that the recruitment process takes months.

My dilemma is I am currently in the early stages of pregnancy with baby number 2 but hoping to apply in sept/Oct when the recruitment process starts again for AO. I earn really well in my current job so would like to utilise my maternity leave (26 weeks) with my current employer and if I was fortunate enough to get a role as AO then I am thinking my mat leave would probably be over anyway by the time I start the job(if I was to get it).

Are the interviews face to face ? I was hoping I will be after having the baby by then otherwise it will be a dead give away I am pregnant 😆 not sure if it would play into their decision not to move me forward if they knew I was pregnant.

I am also interested in EO position and maybe they advertise more often than once a year for that ?

I have a bachelors degree in business and a master's in IT and experience managing various projects and some teams over the years and work in tech 12 years. Really longing for a better work life balance. I am willing to take a pay hit for this.

Also are AO roles usually only for Dublin ? I wouldn't be able to relocate so hoping for cork/kerry. Do EO roles be advertised for down here or you just put down a county as a preference when applying ?

Thanks for the help and advice .

DMcL1971

There is no problem applying for a Civil Service position while pregnant.

It is illegal for them to try treat you any different from a non pregnant candidate and they take that very seriously in the Civil Service. I have seen plenty of pregnant women start a new job while pregnant. In fact as there are usually many jobs on offer in a competition it is no problem to accept a position but not start until you are ready to return to work.

YellowLead

Is there any reference check at application / interview stage? As in if they ring your current employer to verify that you work there, would that not call into question your upcoming maternity leave? Probably not, but just asking the question. Presumably you are pretending you are coming back to your current role if you are availing of the mat leave?

Maybe they only do reference check once a position is offered.

trashcan

You don’t have to pretend anything, or hide anything. As DMc said above they can’t discriminate against you. There’s really no need to stress over it.

WA400

Yes you make a good point. I really don't know if they do, it be great if someone did. Yes I could potentially screw myself over if they did find out. Definitely can't afford to lose my mat leave or my job.

Do you know how often they advertise EO roles or does it depend ? I could wait until halfway through my maternity leave to apply.

Also is there any difference in terms of interview style through the different agencies so say external v PAS ?

I assume they take similar amount time to process applications and both use STAR heavily ?

WA400

@trashcan thank you and that's really useful to know that you can tell them when you can start 🙌

My only concern then is my employer finding out too soon due to reference check and I guess if they thought I wasn't coming back maybe I wouldn't even get my mat leave from them although not sure if that would be illegal 🤔😁

I'd hate the thought of waiting until the following sept/Oct to even apply when the process takes so long.

Anyway I am sure it will all work out somehow .

Ciaran

Your references won't be checked until you're being offered a job.

Ezeoul

Does your current employer top up your maternity benefit to full pay? If they do you need to check if they have a claw back clause in your contract of employment. Many private sector employers will have a condition that if they pay a top up, you have to return to work with them for a minimum period after your maternity leave ends or else they can claw back any maternity top up they paid to you. Usually it's six months (the same length of time as maternity benefit).

CramCycle

As above, by the time they filter applications, chances are you will have already given birth. They won't contact references until an offer is made and even then, only when you say OK. Best of luck.

WA400

They do top up but No clause but I better make sure that hasn't changed . The last time I checked they had a few sentences on their maternity policy in employment book and that's all. Will suss it out..thank you !

Worked with a colleague who was 1 week in the job and went on 6 months maternity leave. Came back worked another year and got promoted.

suilegorma

This sounds like a big step down in terms of responsibilities and pay. Are you sure you can't find some flexibility in your current role with parental leave? Will childcare still be affordable in the new role ?

WA400

@suilegorma you are right it is but I have been looking for a change for awhile now. I think I am looking for less responsibility while my kids will be young. I want to be able to switch off once my day is done and I am attracted to the 35 hour work week aswell. Currently working 45 before commuting and breaks. Aswell big push by most IT companies to get employees back into the office so remote working was reduced. At the moment my pay is good so not getting much of an NCS discount which is fair enough but when my pay reduces I will so that will help me financially . It will definitely be tough for the first few years but I am hoping worth it. Trying to put my mental health first. I am not sure IT was ever for me 😬😆

Augme

There's very few AO roles outside of Dublin. Your best bet in EO. They are advertised generally every two years but can sometimes be less often. The last one was advertised June last year so would expect another one to be advertised sometime next year.

suilegorma

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121818205#Comment_121818205

Oh I hear you! I will say my experience was that we battled through those tough years and I explored every avenue from giving up work to working part time to moving close to home to cut out commute. It does get easier as they get older though so if that is helpful, so do consider all options, including the fact that you can potentially extend out unpaid leave with parental leave in your current role and so on which gives more time to explore more local jobs without having to take a big hit in salary.