New competition opened today
https://publicjobs.tal.net/vx/lang-en-GB/mobile-0/appcentre-1/brand-4/user-138568/xf-423dd989250d/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/3/opp/5275-Senior-Management-Opportunities-in-the-Civil-Service-Assistant-Principal-Officer-Standard/en-GB
Closing date June 18th. Booklets attached. Good luck all!
As someone on probation still as a HEO (from the ongoing interdepartmental HEO comp) - am I eligible to apply? It reads like I am but just want to be sure before potentially going through all that effort again.
I suppose it depends if “acting in a permanent capacity” specifically means having passed probation. I would tend to think it does, but definitely worth checking with your HR. I don’t have 2 years service so can only apply on open stream.
Can I ask if anyone knows what the online test for the AP Open comp is like, and how difficult it tends to be? I’m currently an HEO but have less than two years’ service in CS, so I understand I’ll need to apply through the Open competition rather than the Interdepartmental stream. There was no test for HEO comp I did two years ago.
Any advice on the format, level of difficulty, or preparation tips would be much appreciated.
Thanks.
Hi all
I see this has been advertised.
Would anyone have any idea when the online testing might be in July?
I am onl a family holiday mid July and just would like to see if anyone might have an idea of timeliness from previous campaigns
Many thanks
Usually maths (which doesn't count towards your OOM score), verbal reasoning and situational judgement.
As to how difficult they are, that's subjective. It depends on the company they use. I used https://www.jobtestprep.co.uk/ for the last Open Comp and found them pretty good. It really helped me understand what they were looking for in the verbal reasoning, I was terrible at the start of practicing.
I practiced for an hour every day and when I completed everything on the site, I did it all again. Reminding myself of "why" each answer was correct.
I'm an engineer so the maths wasn't something I needed much practice in. Did it when I was tired.
Hi all, Does anyone know when the deadline is for submitting the application? Thanks in advance.
It states it in the first post.
Best of luck to all
Can someone post the breakdown for me please
My phone is acting up and I don't have acess to laptop as I am away
" breakdown of the number of Assistant Principal Officer candidates assigned from panels across locations in recent Assistant Principal Officer competitions can be viewed on page 5 of the General Information document."
Here you go!
Assistant Principal Assignments
2024*
2022
2021
2020
2018
2016
Irish Language Stream
4
0
3
Carlow
Cavan
1
8
2
Clare
Cork
6
10
Donegal
Dublin
130
305
333
175
213
365
Galway
Kerry
Kildare
22
5
Kilkenny
Laois
Leitrim
Limerick
Longford
Louth
Mayo
Meath
7
Monaghan
Offaly
Roscommon
Sligo
Tipperary
Waterford
Westmeath
15
11
Wexford
Wicklow
Total
153
355
422
210
238
436
*2024 figures are approximate as the competition is ongoing.
Hi all, sorry if this is a silly question. I’m asking on behalf of a friend who isn’t on Boards and isn’t in the Civil Service. Can she apply for this position? Thanks in advance. 🙏
yes there is an open competition which means anyone can apply
Also they'll need to check the conditions and requirements.
There was little to no placements outside of Dublin from the 2024 competition. Even the Dublin placements were way less than the 2022 competition. I don’t know if i’ll put myself through all the effort again if there isn’t even a chance of getting past stage 1.
Shockingly low number of appointees in the most recent competition compared to other years
it’s quite off putting. Obviously there’s fluctuation over the years but you’d have to think the competition will be tough, and you could end up languishing on a list going nowhere, even after a lengthy and fairly demanding process. And that’s if you’re lucky.
I was 2nd on a regional panel after interview and the General Info booklet states that 2 appointments were made from the 2024 panel. I am still on the panel and currently first after the person ahead was appointed, so struggling to understand the maths here!
Just filling out the first few pages of the application. On the qualifications page, there is an upload box and a list. I've listed all my third-level qualifications. There's no instructions for the upload part, are they looking for me to upload proof of the qualifications? Thought that usually happens when you get placed
1 from Open Panel and 1 from Interdepartmental?
That must be it. I was on open and not 100% sure how those two panels interact.
In the information booklet, it says "Existing eligible civil servants are permitted to apply and to sit the selection tests/interviews". I work in the public sector. Could i apply for interdepartmental as well as open stream or does inter only apply to civil servants?
There's an option to upload file above where you list your qualifications.
No, interdepartmental is open to Civil Servants. You need to be a Civil Servant not just a Public Sector Worker.
Yes I see that, just clarifying are they looking for proof of qualification? There aren't any instructions for the upload box.
I would say they are looking for proof.
I'm shocked to see how few positions there are outside of Leinster. I was in the 2021 competition with Kerry as my first choice. I eventually got called for video interviews in 2023 just prior to expiration of that OOM panel - I see that only 1 person was appointed in Kerry from that competition! I really thought there were more APs around the place! Galway was my 2nd choice county and 2 were appointed there.
To be fair a friend advised me that you are better off to apply for Dublin and then go for interdepartmental after that. It's hard to know if it's worth all the hassle to apply again when the choice of county is down to one and mine is still Kerry 😔 But I will 😂
I suspect a reason for the lack of the regional AP roles is that once an AP gets it they often don't leave it as it suits where they live, there probably is nowhere near the same churn in people moving on from those roles in regional locations.
When filling out the job description on the application form are people listing it out as bullet points or in paragraph format? Presumably bullet points? Thanks
Application Q here also:
How far do people go back with their employment? Employed by the Civil Service since 2006.
Am I good to only include my Civil Service employment history? I have no relevant employment history (bar/shop work) before this that would support my application.
I think a general rule of thumb is 10/15 years so your CS history is sufficent since its from 2006. Unless there is really something of note you want to add in before that time.
In my opinion, I would think when you're going as far back as '06, you're probably safe to stick to Civil Service. But for me, I only have just over four years in the Civil Service, so even though the previous work isn't that relevant in terms of the level of work I was doing, I think it's important to show that I have ten more years of some kind of work experience, that my first job wasn't in the Civil Service.
