Public Service - Salary Scale

the-island-man wrote: »

Hi,

I am wondering if someone could clarify what way the salary scale works in the public service?

I have recently seen an advertisement for a job in the public service and a salary scale is given. It has salary points labelled from 1-13 followed by 3 more salary points labelled with MAX, LSI 1 & LSI 2. I have absolutely no idea how this works. Is the successful candidate able to negotiate the salary or is it based specifically on years of service within the public sector?

Thank you in advance,
the-island-man

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

LS1 and LS2 are 3 and 6 years no?

Certain Civil Service COs and EOs are skipping points 4 and 8 on the scale - not sure about public service.

You'll have to claim it from your hr

You go to the bottom of the scale unless your salary in previous role is higher than that

It's all dealt with in the circular which details pay upon promotion

That might be the case in the Civil Service but in the part of the Public Service I work in I regularly take in staff well up the relevant scale who has no prior public sector experience. I have to justify it every time but that's easy enough to do as they (a) usually earned more in the private sector and wont join if it means a large pay cut or (b) have a skill set I won't get for point 1 on the scale.

We don't issue Recruitment Booklets per se, rather job descriptions with Functional and Core Competencies listed along with a salary scale and a note that you will be placed on a point on the scale in line with Dept. Finance Guidelines / based on experience and qualifications. I'd never be able to recruit entry level admin support if they had to start on point 1 of the relevant scale (~€27,500).

I'm in the wider public service rather than the civil service. We would appear to have a lot more flexibility than the civil service. Our grades aren't really analogous to any civil service grades.

Not commercial semi state, third level education. Most of our entry level admin roles require a couple of years experience and some a degree but not all.

Going off topic here but I am always in awe of how popular the Clerical Officer threads are on here when I can struggle to get more than 5-6 applicants for a similar role with similar entry criteria but with with better pay and prospects. We don't advertise on Public Jobs as a rule so maybe we aren't on everyone's radar (that goes for almost the entire sector).

You should be able to get put on to the same salary you are on now then.

Being on a career break is considered as still in employment. You should check the relevant circular for your sector to confirm.

Tks, looks like a very specific solution was put in place for specific roles in one specific sector.

In general, it is not possible, except for prior public sector experience. There may be some small number of specific roles in specific sectors where it IS possible, but they would be the exception to the rule.

Slightly of topic but does anyone know if say your at an AP grade and decide to apply for an EO position in open competition and you are successful do you start at the first point of the scale because it's an open competition or do you go on the max point of the scale because you're earnings as an AP would have been far higher than the max EO scale?

You will go in at the point higher than your current salary.

No point of the HEO salary scale is higher than the AP though so no issue really.