Administrative Officer 2020 in the Civil Service

Great! Is it my imagination or are there an unusually large number of campaigns going on at the moment? I naively assumed that there'd be a hiring embargo due to Covid

Gus Ivey wrote: »

Can't see anything about job descriptions and eligibility requirements on OP's link.

Can someone please advise on eligibility? I have a level 8 honours degree, is that enough? Or do you need to have a few years experience in the CS?

Click "Learn more and apply" on the two positions that are open, then scroll down to the bottom and click the Information Booklet link

floorpie wrote: »

Great! Is it my imagination or are there an unusually large number of campaigns going on at the moment? I naively assumed that there'd be a hiring embargo due to Covid

Trying to get staff in the door before any embargo perhaps

Augme wrote: »

From a PR (and economics) perspective the government will not want to send out the message that their is an embargo so Id very much expect it to look like business as normal.

Very much different behind the scenes though. The panels will move much slower and the numbers taken will see a massive reduction compared to previous comptetitions.

There's a load of people due to retire in October after the last PSSA pay increase, they may be contingency planning by having a lot of panels ready to go. Though nothing like causing yet another retirement cliffedge to deal with when they put in another embargo :pac::pac::pac:

Aes Triplex 94 wrote: »

If you apply for several streams for the AO competition, do you have to do separate aptitude tests for each stream or would they use the results of your first attempt for the other streams?

I assume it'll be the one aptitude test. The reason why I'm thinking this is, a couple of years ago I applied for CO in the prison service and CO in immigration. I was only required to one aptitude test for both separate competitions. Sure you can apply and see what happens?

This is an oddly short closing date, no?

beanyb wrote: »

This is an oddly short closing date, no?

Yes, but it was much the same last year.

ciano316 wrote: »

Has anybody applied for this already?

Not the same as before or am I missing something?

I clicked apply and there was 1 single form to fill out

This is similar to last year too. I think the next stage will be the online tests and they whittle the numbers down from there. I presume there'll be a more detailed form at some stage down the line. This way saves some hassle for everybody involved. You may fill out the form at a later date if you progress and PAS only has to screen these forms, which is far less than the amount to be screened if every applicant submitted one.

ciano316 wrote: »

Ah OK. Few years since I did the AO one. It was 2 full forms last time I did it. One online and one you download. Thanks

Yeah, that's how it was done until last year.

Is it dublin only this year again?

It states that the general stream was nationwide. Will I just take this as all the positions been in Dublin similarly to how it was stated as being nationwide two years ago. With all the positions in Dublin? (From what I recall reading on that particular thread..)

BlueJay424 wrote: »

I graduated in 2014, so not exactly recent. Reckon it's ok to apply?

Yeah I graduated a couple of years before that and I got an AO position this year!

Hi, I currently work as an AO in the CS and have done for about 3 yrs. I was considering entering this competition as the rollout of the new mobility scheme for AOs has been delayed due to Covid and I would really like to transfer and gain some experience in a different Department. Does anyone know if I will remain at my current point on the payscale or if I will revert to point 1? If I remain at my current point will the date of my increment change? Also, will I have to go through a probation again? Thanks!

rostalof wrote: »

You'll continue at your current point on the payscale and with the same increment date. You're an established AO so probation won't apply either. You have nothing to lose. I know because after 4.5 years as an EO I moved department via an open competition last year and I retained my point on the salary scale, my increment date and I had no probation period. My initial contract said there would be a probationary period, but it turned out that was because the department hadn't been informed I was an established serving EO.

Thanks! I wonder if it's the policy of the CS that you don't have to do a probationary period for the same role twice or if it's at the discretion of the Department? Do you know if your pension was affected? As if there'd been a break? Was your new job treated as a transfer by your old and new Dept? Sorry for all the questions!

doc22 wrote: »

Id say it's up to the department, when you apply for an open role there's meant to be probation. But my previous role that going into I was not established in didn't even have probation in the sense of meeting and reviews as departments/staff didn't want the bother.

But say as an established EO I apply for an IT EO role(and get it), the employing department has no obligation to keep me if I'm crap at IT after 12 months and back to my old department/redeployment I go if I'm not up to it(all recent comps seem to have this condition). But this is the civil service and NOONE fails probation. Mobility "officially" is a different ball game, when you're gone you're gone.

That's the exact situation I was in. I started as an EO ICT in 2015, then moved into general service to get a transfer out of Dublin. Then three years later I was successful in another EO ICT competition and moved department. Where was this condition specified in the recent competitions? The new department might well be able to send you back if they wanted due to poor performance (although I'm not sure about that either), but if you're established as an EO or an AO for that matter, you are not obliged to undergo probation again for a grade that you are established in. If you moved to a new department while still on probation, yes, you'd have to continue as a probationer. I got that from the HR department in my new department last year. Someone else in DPER confirmed it to me.

doc22 wrote: »

This text seems to be on all open comps now(didn't see it before much)

All appointees will serve a one-year probationary period. If an appointee who fails to satisfy the conditions of probation has been a serving civil servant immediately prior to their appointment from this competition, the issue of reversion will normally arise. In the event of reversion, an officer will return to a vacancy in their former grade in their former Department

The above text was in EO IT,EO general and EO revenue comps but would apply to all grades.

For example established COs take positions in Airport and Prison service at CO levels but if the role isn't for them they often revert.Once your established in new role(passed probation) you can't revert roles.Although I read in forsa that at the time justice wanted COs to resign from their original role(presumably rather then transfer into roles)

True, that's in all current competition information booklets. I've always taken that paragraph to refer to a promotional appointment, as it specifies returning to your former grade, similar to section 43 in the attached PDF. The option to revert certainly exists to my understanding in the case of being appointed at the same grade, and it's entirely possible that probation is applicable if moving to a specialist type role in an equivalent grade as you described. But for a current standard AO to be appointed as a standard AO again, there shouldn't be a probation period. In my case I was established as an EO ICT initially, so returning to the same role meant probation wasn't applicable in this case.

The_Conductor wrote: »

You go to the point closest to your current salary point, without suffering a reduction in pay. Your increment date changes to your offical date of appointment in the new grade. You have a new 1 year probationary period, which if you're deemed unsatisfactory at the end of- you revert to your previous substantive grade. You would not be entitled to your old post back- you would be entitled to the next available post at your old grade that arises. It pays to keep on good terms with HR in your original Home Department........

Spot on Conductor. https://www.gov.ie/en/circular/57443f-082019-starting-pay-on-promotion/#