Local Authority Graduate Programme 2020

saju · 19-04-2021 12:12pm

Jobi1 wrote: »

In 2018 there was both regions and skills areas (1 less skills area than this time).
The only difference was that candidates did not know in advance where the vacancies were. This has been updated this year.

A previous poster said there were 50 calls made in 2017. There were approximately 100 made in 2018 in 2 separate rounds. I have no idea how many are available in the 2021 competition, but judging by the number of locations indicated on the application form where vacancies were available, it won't be so high this time around.

What if we break the 3 year contract in the middle. Do we need to pay back?

Jobi1 · 19-04-2021 12:27pm

Freddow wrote: »

Correct. People may have been 50th on the OOM but 3rd for their desired stream, they had no way of knowing. This is why people who were high on the OOM were getting calls.

This year the OOM's are split into streams/regions meaning generally people will have a low OOM placement in comparison to 2017/18 but a similar chance of being offered a place.

Candidates were definitely ranked on the OOM in 2017/18 by regions, but not by skill streams.
I didn't realise that candidates received OOM rankings for individual streams this time around?

Even so, you still cannot be certain of anything unless you have been placed 1st on the OOM for the region/skill stream of your choice.

Jobi1 · 19-04-2021 12:33pm

saju wrote: »

What if we break the 3 year contract in the middle. Do we need to pay back?

Obviously you do not need to pay back salary earned if you leave early

tgdaly · 19-04-2021 12:41pm

Jobi1 wrote: »

Obviously you do not need to pay back salary earned if you leave early

They're basically encouraging you to try and use the programme as a means to get permanent public service employment anyways. They really hit home that there is no permanent job at the end of the 3 years. Most of the people I know from the 2017/18 left before the end (including myself)

Jobhunting1234 · 19-04-2021 12:52pm

tgdaly wrote: »

They're basically encouraging you to try and use the programme as a means to get permanent public service employment anyways. They really hit home that there is no permanent job at the end of the 3 years. Most of the people I know from the 2017/18 left before the end (including myself)

How did you find the program and which stream/location were you in?

saju · 19-04-2021 5:04pm

Automatic reply from Dcc.

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your correspondence.

We have issued results to the applicants in the Dublin Region.

We will be in touch in May 2021 with offers of employment to the successful candidates as the vacancies arise within the four Dublin Local Authorities and the Local Government Management Agency.

The contract start date for candidates who receive offers of employment will be late June 2021- Mid July 2021.

acawarrior · 19-04-2021 6:57pm

saju wrote: »

Automatic reply from Dcc.

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your correspondence.

We have issued results to the applicants in the Dublin Region.

We will be in touch in May 2021 with offers of employment to the successful candidates as the vacancies arise within the four Dublin Local Authorities and the Local Government Management Agency.

The contract start date for candidates who receive offers of employment will be late June 2021- Mid July 2021.

I assume itll be the same for the southern region?

justin8847 · 20-04-2021 11:59am

The offers have been started in the Southern Region and there is only one 1 position available in the southern region. The OOM this year is not general rather for the skillset you applied. This was told by the council board itself.

acawarrior · 20-04-2021 12:34pm

justin8847 wrote: »

The offers have been started in the Southern Region and there is only one 1 position available in the southern region. The OOM this year is not general rather for the skillset you applied. This was told by the council board itself.

That's unusual that there is only 1 job available to be filled in the southern region?

justin8847 · 20-04-2021 12:48pm

acawarrior wrote: »

That's unusual that there is only 1 job available to be filled in the southern region?

For the Data Analytics Stream

saju · 20-04-2021 1:00pm

justin8847 wrote: »

For the Data Analytics Stream

In that case it's better to move on

acawarrior · 20-04-2021 1:18pm

justin8847 wrote: »

For the Data Analytics Stream

So for other streams there is still jobs available?

Vinci · 20-04-2021 1:19pm

justin8847 wrote: »

For the Data Analytics Stream

I doubt tho. In the vacancy section of the application form we filled, it was stated that for Data Analytics vacancies were available in the southern region at :

Clare County Council
Cork County Council
Cork City Council
Kerry County

How many vacancies in each? No one knows.
But it was stated that those 4 authorities had vacancies for that skill area. So there should be at least 4 vacancies for the skill in the region.

justin8847 · 20-04-2021 2:36pm

justin8847 wrote: »

The offers have been started in the Southern Region and there is only one 1 position available in the southern region. The OOM this year is not general rather for the skillset you applied. This was told by the council board itself.

Sorry for the mistake . They said there was only 1 vacancy in the cork county council in the field of data analytics

Jobi1 · 20-04-2021 3:09pm

Vinci wrote: »

I doubt tho. In the vacancy section of the application form we filled, it was stated that for Data Analytics vacancies were available in the southern region at :

Clare County Council
South Dublin County Council
Cork City Council
Kerry County

How many vacancies in each? No one knows.
But it was stated that those 4 authorities had vacancies for that skill area. So there should be at least 4 vacancies for the skill in the region.

South Dublin is not in the Southern region

acawarrior · 20-04-2021 7:03pm

Would they keep you on after the 3 years?

ChrissieH · 20-04-2021 9:17pm

Hello guys,
I'm on this programme (Enterprise, Southern region), I am shocked that applicants are now expected to have level 9 qualifications! I imagine it's a reflection of the volume of applications, as is the slow process that you're all experiencing.
I applied in 2018, it was a second round of recruitment because they didn't fill all the roles at the time, so I interviewed in early December and was contacted a few days later to say I was second on the panel and therefore being offered a position. I think I had a good few weeks before I had to give them an answer, and then I could pretty much choose my own start date, so I didn't start until March 19.

I can only speak from my own experience, and obviously covid had changed the course of things too, but as someone who'd already been working full-time for a long time before taking this role, it's just another job with a bit of extra training thrown in. I'm doing admin constantly and have not experienced anything outside of the LEO... I appreciate that covid has disrupted things so I'm going to assume I might have been given the opportunity to check out other departments for "work experience" in normal circumstances but as it stands, I'm joining the hundreds of people applying for various LA jobs at grade 4 with a reasonable amount of knowledge compared to people who've never worked in the LA, but probably still not enough to place high enough on the panel to get a permanent job any time soon. Like the graduate program, the current recruitment campaign in my LA has been so inundated with applications that the shortlisting is pretty brutal and the panels are quite small, implying that they don't expect to fill many roles in the next 2 years, - I assume there's a freeze on the way, like the recession, so there's no need for big panels.

tgdaly · 20-04-2021 9:34pm

acawarrior wrote: »

Would they keep you on after the 3 years?

There's no way you can be automatically kept on. If a job arises in the council you can apply as normal but it's all open recruitment

JMariaa · 20-04-2021 9:44pm

ChrissieH wrote: »

Hello guys,
I'm on this programme (Enterprise, Southern region), I am shocked that applicants are now expected to have level 9 qualifications! I imagine it's a reflection of the volume of applications, as is the slow process that you're all experiencing.
I applied in 2018, it was a second round of recruitment because they didn't fill all the roles at the time, so I interviewed in early December and was contacted a few days later to say I was second on the panel and therefore being offered a position. I think I had a good few weeks before I had to give them an answer, and then I could pretty much choose my own start date, so I didn't start until March 19.

I can only speak from my own experience, and obviously covid had changed the course of things too, but as someone who'd already been working full-time for a long time before taking this role, it's just another job with a bit of extra training thrown in. I'm doing admin constantly and have not experienced anything outside of the LEO... I appreciate that covid has disrupted things so I'm going to assume I might have been given the opportunity to check out other departments for "work experience" in normal circumstances but as it stands, I'm joining the hundreds of people applying for various LA jobs at grade 4 with a reasonable amount of knowledge compared to people who've never worked in the LA, but probably still not enough to place high enough on the panel to get a permanent job any time soon. Like the graduate program, the current recruitment campaign in my LA has been so inundated with applications that the shortlisting is pretty brutal and the panels are quite small, implying that they don't expect to fill many roles in the next 2 years, - I assume there's a freeze on the way, like the recession, so there's no need for big panels.

Thanks for posting this it’s really insightful to hear from someone working on the programme. Do you think being part of the programme will make you more appealing to employers if you apply somewhere else in the future? I really wanted to secure a place on the enterprise stream of the programme as I thought it would be really interesting working with smaller businesses and would be a great learning experience. Now I’m not sure if I’ll get offered anything depending on how many vacant positions are in Dublin.

ChrissieH · 20-04-2021 10:47pm

Hi,

I honestly don't think it would impress employers in the private sector but it is definitely an advantage for applying to other public sector jobs, like other LAs, ETBs, HSE - I haven't applied for civil service in awhile so I can't say for sure, but I think with the aptitude testing, it wouldn't be any advantage there either.

I worked in private sector for years prior to this job and I found it a massive change from anything I'd experienced before, so I think maybe any time spent in public sector is helpful when applying for other public sector jobs, because there's an implication that at least you understand the general run of things (I.e. grades, hierarchies, pace, traditions etc) so I guess my advice to anyone hoping to make a career in public sector is to take temporary positions if you can afford to, as it's instantly an advantage to have that knowledge and experience when applying for vacancies down the line.

I was very green going into the LA, I had no idea how it all worked (panels, grades, temporary, contract positions etc.) So if there's any information I can give to help anyone, please ask.

Jobi1 · 21-04-2021 9:08am

acawarrior wrote: »

Would they keep you on after the 3 years?

No. Its fixed term. You will have to interview for permanent posts with the rest of the competition

Jobi1 · 21-04-2021 9:23am

ChrissieH wrote: »

Hello guys,
I'm on this programme (Enterprise, Southern region), I am shocked that applicants are now expected to have level 9 qualifications! I imagine it's a reflection of the volume of applications, as is the slow process that you're all experiencing.
I applied in 2018, it was a second round of recruitment because they didn't fill all the roles at the time, so I interviewed in early December and was contacted a few days later to say I was second on the panel and therefore being offered a position. I think I had a good few weeks before I had to give them an answer, and then I could pretty much choose my own start date, so I didn't start until March 19.

I can only speak from my own experience, and obviously covid had changed the course of things too, but as someone who'd already been working full-time for a long time before taking this role, it's just another job with a bit of extra training thrown in. I'm doing admin constantly and have not experienced anything outside of the LEO... I appreciate that covid has disrupted things so I'm going to assume I might have been given the opportunity to check out other departments for "work experience" in normal circumstances but as it stands, I'm joining the hundreds of people applying for various LA jobs at grade 4 with a reasonable amount of knowledge compared to people who've never worked in the LA, but probably still not enough to place high enough on the panel to get a permanent job any time soon. Like the graduate program, the current recruitment campaign in my LA has been so inundated with applications that the shortlisting is pretty brutal and the panels are quite small, implying that they don't expect to fill many roles in the next 2 years, - I assume there's a freeze on the way, like the recession, so there's no need for big panels.

ChrissieH wrote: »

Hi,

I honestly don't think it would impress employers in the private sector but it is definitely an advantage for applying to other public sector jobs, like other LAs, ETBs, HSE - I haven't applied for civil service in awhile so I can't say for sure, but I think with the aptitude testing, it wouldn't be any advantage there either.

I worked in private sector for years prior to this job and I found it a massive change from anything I'd experienced before, so I think maybe any time spent in public sector is helpful when applying for other public sector jobs, because there's an implication that at least you understand the general run of things (I.e. grades, hierarchies, pace, traditions etc) so I guess my advice to anyone hoping to make a career in public sector is to take temporary positions if you can afford to, as it's instantly an advantage to have that knowledge and experience when applying for vacancies down the line.

I was very green going into the LA, I had no idea how it all worked (panels, grades, temporary, contract positions etc.) So if there's any information I can give to help anyone, please ask.

The way shortlisting was done this year was outrageous. Essentially, the LGMA have selected recent postgraduates only for all streams. I just wish they had stated that this is what they wanted in advance. The level of qualifications required is completely disproportionate to the roles on offer, and most other roles in the LA if I'm being honest.

I'm from a similar background i.e. years in private sector before entering the LA on the graduate programme. I'm coming to the end of my contract shortly and haven't been able to secure anything permanent through the interview/panel set up.

As regards interviews and vacancies, those with longer service in the LA are still favoured at interview somehow so good luck trying to get something at grade 4 or above if this is your first time in the public sector. Private sector experience doesn't seem to count for anything.

The only plus is that you will be able to apply for roles in the LA sector as an internal applicant and there are significant benefits to this when it comes to opportunities when compared to external applicants.

saju · 21-04-2021 9:24am

ChrissieH wrote: »

Hello guys,
I'm on this programme (Enterprise, Southern region), I am shocked that applicants are now expected to have level 9 qualifications! I imagine it's a reflection of the volume of applications, as is the slow process that you're all experiencing.
I applied in 2018, it was a second round of recruitment because they didn't fill all the roles at the time, so I interviewed in early December and was contacted a few days later to say I was second on the panel and therefore being offered a position. I think I had a good few weeks before I had to give them an answer, and then I could pretty much choose my own start date, so I didn't start until March 19.

I can only speak from my own experience, and obviously covid had changed the course of things too, but as someone who'd already been working full-time for a long time before taking this role, it's just another job with a bit of extra training thrown in. I'm doing admin constantly and have not experienced anything outside of the LEO... I appreciate that covid has disrupted things so I'm going to assume I might have been given the opportunity to check out other departments for "work experience" in normal circumstances but as it stands, I'm joining the hundreds of people applying for various LA jobs at grade 4 with a reasonable amount of knowledge compared to people who've never worked in the LA, but probably still not enough to place high enough on the panel to get a permanent job any time soon. Like the graduate program, the current recruitment campaign in my LA has been so inundated with applications that the shortlisting is pretty brutal and the panels are quite small, implying that they don't expect to fill many roles in the next 2 years, - I assume there's a freeze on the way, like the recession, so there's no need for big panels.

U mentioned its a second round of recruitment. Is it second round notification in the same year?. Does it mean in the first round, all candidates who were successful in the interview got jobs?

ChrissieH · 21-04-2021 10:07am

saju wrote: »

U mentioned its a second round of recruitment. Is it second round notification in the same year?. Does it mean in the first round, all candidates who were successful in the interview got jobs?

In 2018 apparently they didn't fill all the vacancies in the first round - I don't know why, whether it was that not enough people applied, or not enough people qualified - I hadn't known about the campaign/program at all until I saw it advertised late in 2018. I didn't know or care that it was a second round until they mentioned it in my interview, but anyway, I applied, interviewed and was offered a job within a very short timeframe, so obviously they were anxious to get the programme complete before the end of 2018, as would be the norm in LA - things have to be done and dusted before the specific deadline.

Btw, I saw other posters asking about breaking contracts/leaving the graduate program... lots of people that I met at the induction and training days left for permanent positions (they were obviously on panels before getting offered the program)
Prior to the current programme, I believe the contract was a 2 year one, then they increased it to 3 because most confined competitions require at least 2 years service before you can apply. The 3 year contract is great but I assume there's an understanding that most graduates will move into a permanent role before the 3 years are up, as your LA will almost certainly be creating a panel during that period of time.

Jobi1 · 21-04-2021 10:25am

ChrissieH wrote: »

In 2018 apparently they didn't fill all the vacancies in the first round - I don't know why, whether it was that not enough people applied, or not enough people qualified - I hadn't known about the campaign/program at all until I saw it advertised late in 2018. I didn't know or care that it was a second round until they mentioned it in my interview, but anyway, I applied, interviewed and was offered a job within a very short timeframe, so obviously they were anxious to get the programme complete before the end of 2018, as would be the norm in LA - things have to be done and dusted before the specific deadline.

Btw, I saw other posters asking about breaking contracts/leaving the graduate program... lots of people that I met at the induction and training days left for permanent positions (they were obviously on panels before getting offered the program)
Prior to the current programme, I believe the contract was a 2 year one, then they increased it to 3 because most confined competitions require at least 2 years service before you can apply. The 3 year contract is great but I assume there's an understanding that most graduates will move into a permanent role before the 3 years are up, as your LA will almost certainly be creating a panel during that period of time.

The reason was because there were approximately 100 posts to fill in total and the recruitment process took about 9 months to complete (this year now looks like it will be the same).
This meant that people who were successful at the interviews etc. had secured posts elsewhere before the recruitment was completed. I imagine that this will happen again this year. Any posts unfilled after the first round in 2018 were offered after a second round of interviews as the first panel had been exhausted.

LA panels usually run for a period of 2 years before they are advertised again, this means (in my view) that graduate recruits will only have one realistic chance to apply for a panel in any LA during the lifetime of their contract.

Just remember that there is no permanent job and that many people did leave during the 3 year contract. I imagine it did not live up to expectations in many cases...

saju · 21-04-2021 12:16pm

Reply mail from Dcc reg oom.

You have been placed xx in order of merit on the Panel for the Data Analytics & Data Metrics Discipline for the Dublin Region. If you applied for a position in another region you should get a separate email from them.

We will be starting to make offers next month, if there are still vacancies when we get to your position on the panel you will be offered a job in the Dublin region, if not you will remain on the panel for a period of one year.

acawarrior · 21-04-2021 4:32pm

justin8847 wrote: »

For the Data Analytics Stream

Jobi1 wrote: »

The reason was because there were approximately 100 posts to fill in total and the recruitment process took about 9 months to complete (this year now looks like it will be the same).
This meant that people who were successful at the interviews etc. had secured posts elsewhere before the recruitment was completed. I imagine that this will happen again this year. Any posts unfilled after the first round in 2018 were offered after a second round of interviews as the first panel had been exhausted.

LA panels usually run for a period of 2 years before they are advertised again, this means (in my view) that graduate recruits will only have one realistic chance to apply for a panel in any LA during the lifetime of their contract.

Just remember that there is no permanent job and that many people did leave during the 3 year contract. I imagine it did not live up to expectations in many cases...

That's insightful. Out of interest why would people leave during the 3 years? Do you have to do exams if you take on this programme? I have done enough college so far so I would rather not do further exams. Or is it just training days? Thanks

Tomlen27 · 21-04-2021 5:20pm

acawarrior wrote: »

That's insightful. Out of interest why would people leave during the 3 years? Do you have to do exams if you take on this programme? I have done enough college so far so I would rather not do further exams. Or is it just training days? Thanks

People leave as they are entitled to apply for full time positions within the local authority while doing the programme. I believe in previous years many people have moved to higher positions internally before the end of the initial three years.

ChrissieH · 21-04-2021 6:49pm

It depends on the formal / academic training you choose, and the options you have open to you. Some of the training is quite intense, like Project Management, and others less so, like Digital Marketing, but they are all legitimate courses so I assume they all have an exam or assessment of some sort.
You can't do the training until you've done an entire year in the job, so the idea is that you choose training in a relevant area to the work you're doing.

People leave before the 3 years are up because the chances are that during the 3 year period, you'll have placed on a panel and get offered a permanent position. There is no point in doing the program, letting the 3 years pass without applying for any of the recruitment campaigns, and then your contract is up and there might not be another campaign for a year.
You're always looking ahead in the LA, the amount of movement between sections and up the ladder, both for full-time and temporary contracts is unbelievable. Staff are constantly changing and moving. It's expected that most Grade 3s will apply for 4, and a lot of 4s for 5 etc. It would nearly be regarded as odd not to apply for everything going!

Jobi1 · 22-04-2021 9:26am

Tomlen27 wrote: »

People leave as they are entitled to apply for full time positions within the local authority while doing the programme. I believe in previous years many people have moved to higher positions internally before the end of the initial three years.

ChrissieH wrote: »

It depends on the formal / academic training you choose, and the options you have open to you. Some of the training is quite intense, like Project Management, and others less so, like Digital Marketing, but they are all legitimate courses so I assume they all have an exam or assessment of some sort.
You can't do the training until you've done an entire year in the job, so the idea is that you choose training in a relevant area to the work you're doing.

People leave before the 3 years are up because the chances are that during the 3 year period, you'll have placed on a panel and get offered a permanent position. There is no point in doing the program, letting the 3 years pass without applying for any of the recruitment campaigns, and then your contract is up and there might not be another campaign for a year.
You're always looking ahead in the LA, the amount of movement between sections and up the ladder, both for full-time and temporary contracts is unbelievable. Staff are constantly changing and moving. It's expected that most Grade 3s will apply for 4, and a lot of 4s for 5 etc. It would nearly be regarded as odd not to apply for everything going!

It is true that you are eligible to apply for internal posts and that is probably the main advantage of entering the programme. However, I don't agree with the views of the previous posters who suggest that it is highly likely that you will secure a permanent post, or at least place well enough on a panel which will see you made permanent before the end of the three years. This is especially true for the admin jobs where there is a lot of internal and external competition. So I think there is an element of false optimism there

Some people have secured posts in the local authority sector, but my own experience is that I have applied for multiple roles in multiple LAs over the past 2 years or so and have not been shortlisted for interviews at grade 4 and 5 levels on more that one occasion. I am on one confined panel and one permanent panel but unlikely to be called before the end of my term.

I also know from the current cohort, that many are still on the 3 year programme which ends for many in June/July this year and are not on panels to be made permanent. There was also no mention previously of those who left the programme and the public sector outright. Many of the 2017/2018 graduate recruits have done this.

As for the training course element, I assume that the training is still meant to be offered according to the skill streams?
I should say that there was some flexibility in the courses offered previously so that may change what you can do. There is also the chance that you will be asked to do training specific to the area where you are placed within the LA which may be totally different not what was offered by the LGMA.
There are exams for almost all courses as far as I am aware

acawarrior · 23-04-2021 9:16am

Any update on job offerings? Still waiting to hear back from Wexford. And is the OOM general in your county or specifically for your stream in your county?

justin8847 · 23-04-2021 10:26am

acawarrior wrote: »

Any update on job offerings? Still waiting to hear back from Wexford. And is the OOM general in your county or specifically for your stream in your county?

The OOM is specific for the streams you applied

domijemc · 23-04-2021 3:23pm

Thanks for everyone contributing to the thread! You're a blessing. Does anyone know any information on the Stamps and whether the LA's help graduates acquire a Stamp 1 if they're on their Stamp 1G which will expire during the 3 years?

justin8847 · 23-04-2021 4:36pm

How many positions do you think will be vacant this year in Dublin City council for data analytics stream ?

acawarrior · 23-04-2021 5:33pm

How would you describe the intensity of the program and is there ever overtime? I would imagine people working in these roles would be quite helpful to new staff? If anyone has any insight? Are members of staff notified of permanent positions that become available in the council and do people generally transfer out of their stream into other areas of the council? Id also like to know is public appointments separate to the council (to become CO/EO etc). Thanks

ChrissieH · 23-04-2021 11:01pm

acawarrior wrote: »

How would you describe the intensity of the program and is there ever overtime? I would imagine people working in these roles would be quite helpful to new staff? If anyone has any insight? Are members of staff notified of permanent positions that become available in the council and do people generally transfer out of their stream into other areas of the council? Id also like to know is public appointments separate to the council (to become CO/EO etc). Thanks

My experience is that it's a much easier job than my previous in the private sector and I have to admit that I've found the cliche about "Council work" to be somewhat true (slow paced) - I'm sure others may disagree, so I'm only telling you my own opinion and experience. I'm a lot older than most people on graduate programs, so I've worked for years in various industries and have definitely felt that this is one of the least stressful jobs I've ever had and the training element (for me, again, I'm sure others doing different courses may feel very different) was very manageable, mine was entirely online self guided learning, 10 modules, couple of hours each, then an exam. Other than that, there are a few days training with the LGMA: an induction day, then various modules (honestly can't remember what kind of stuff they cover, general workplace type skills / education etc I think, and information about the training options that are available). Pre covid, these were held in random central locations so you'd travel maybe 50 miles (then claim your mileage expenses, which is a great bonus), spend the day with other graduates in a hotel conference room, have various tutors / facilitators delivering the content, complimentary coffees and lunches etc.... a nice little day out!! A rare perk :-)

Re. Overtime; I don't know if all Councils are the same, and I know for sure some sections are not (such as libraries & museums), but in my case, there's no such thing as overtime but there's flexi-time, so you have to clock in between 8 & 10a.m.and clock out between 4 & 6p.m., doing approx 7.5 hours + half hour lunch per day, so if you clock in at 8, you clock out at 4. If you stay on until 6, you've worked up 2 hours that go into your "bank" and you toggle your hours then - finish early the next day or save up enough extra hours to take a whole day off.

Re. Vacancies - yes, emails are sent by HR every time there are vacancies within my, and every Council, so you will always know if there's something worth applying for. Also, there's no secrecy or weirdness about people applying for these positions, everyone is aware of the recruitment campaign and openly discusses their intentions and applications (if they want to) and senior staff are very helpful with interview preparation etc. (Again, my experience, may be different elsewhere)

Re. Transferring out of stream into general Council... usually, once you get placed on a panel, you're offered whatever position is vacant relative to your number on the panel, so I'm in LEO now, but if I got No. 1 on a grade 4 panel, I'm going to be offered the first grade 4 job that becomes available, so it could be in planning or housing or anywhere.

Hope this helps!

acawarrior · 24-04-2021 1:00am

ChrissieH wrote: »

My experience is that it's a much easier job than my previous in the private sector and I have to admit that I've found the cliche about "Council work" to be somewhat true (slow paced) - I'm sure others may disagree, so I'm only telling you my own opinion and experience. I'm a lot older than most people on graduate programs, so I've worked for years in various industries and have definitely felt that this is one of the least stressful jobs I've ever had and the training element (for me, again, I'm sure others doing different courses may feel very different) was very manageable, mine was entirely online self guided learning, 10 modules, couple of hours each, then an exam. Other than that, there are a few days training with the LGMA: an induction day, then various modules (honestly can't remember what kind of stuff they cover, general workplace type skills / education etc I think, and information about the training options that are available). Pre covid, these were held in random central locations so you'd travel maybe 50 miles (then claim your mileage expenses, which is a great bonus), spend the day with other graduates in a hotel conference room, have various tutors / facilitators delivering the content, complimentary coffees and lunches etc.... a nice little day out!! A rare perk :-)

Re. Overtime; I don't know if all Councils are the same, and I know for sure some sections are not (such as libraries & museums), but in my case, there's no such thing as overtime but there's flexi-time, so you have to clock in between 8 & 10a.m.and clock out between 4 & 6p.m., doing approx 7.5 hours + half hour lunch per day, so if you clock in at 8, you clock out at 4. If you stay on until 6, you've worked up 2 hours that go into your "bank" and you toggle your hours then - finish early the next day or save up enough extra hours to take a whole day off.

Re. Vacancies - yes, emails are sent by HR every time there are vacancies within my, and every Council, so you will always know if there's something worth applying for. Also, there's no secrecy or weirdness about people applying for these positions, everyone is aware of the recruitment campaign and openly discusses their intentions and applications (if they want to) and senior staff are very helpful with interview preparation etc. (Again, my experience, may be different elsewhere)

Re. Transferring out of stream into general Council... usually, once you get placed on a panel, you're offered whatever position is vacant relative to your number on the panel, so I'm in LEO now, but if I got No. 1 on a grade 4 panel, I'm going to be offered the first grade 4 job that becomes available, so it could be in planning or housing or anywhere.

Hope this helps!

Thank you very much for this reply. So in terms of a long term position, would it be most likely that someone would get a grade 3 job rather than a grade 4 job going from a graduate program? I dont really understand difference between grades other than theres a wage difference. If I took the job I'd be hoping for something long term past the 3 years so I am really just wondering about the future long term prospects. If it was a toss between this graduate job and a regular CO job in the public sector (e.g. in revenue) I wonder which would be best to take? Would public jobs in the public sector (not county council) have longer term prospects? Thanks!

ChrissieH · 24-04-2021 8:54am

acawarrior wrote: »

Thank you very much for this reply. So in terms of a long term position, would it be most likely that someone would get a grade 3 job rather than a grade 4 job going from a graduate program? I dont really understand difference between grades other than theres a wage difference. If I took the job I'd be hoping for something long term past the 3 years so I am really just wondering about the future long term prospects. If it was a toss between this graduate job and a regular CO job in the public sector (e.g. in revenue) I wonder which would be best to take? Would public jobs in the public sector (not county council) have longer term prospects? Thanks!

So you're asking about public service vs civil service (public = locally managed government services such as Councils, civil = government services that are directly managed by the relevant dept of government such as revenue, garda vetting etc. That's probably not an ideal description of the difference but it's my general layman's term description!! Gives you the gist of the difference between them)

I honestly don't know enough about the civil service to say what the difference is in terms of longevity but a permanent job in the public sector is the same no matter what.

I understand your lack of understanding of the grades, I had no real knowledge until I started working in the Council too and I didn't understand that the graduate program "single point salary scale" meant that you're on the same salary for the 3 years: I assumed it would increase every year like other LA jobs, but anyway, to try to answer your question, the graduate program means that you enter the LA on a higher level than entry level (which is grade 3, Clerical Officer) so ideally, you should be aiming to transfer across into a permanent job as a grade 4 or even higher if you have prior work experience or specific qualifications (like maybe in the IT stream, you might get lucky and a grade 5 position in IT might become available that you could apply for)
However, if you're applying for general admin / a panel, at the end of the day, if you're a graduate straight from college with not much work experience, you might find that you're still not qualified enough to be considered for a 4 position (Assistant Staff Officer), as this is, in theory, a role where you are managing a small team in an assistive capacity to the Staff Officer (grade 5)

There's no reason why you shouldn't qualify for a 3, but you should be applying for both 3 and 4 panels. A grade 3 salary does mean that you'll be taking a pay cut from your graduate program salary but it might be the only option if you want to stay in the LA.

acawarrior · 26-04-2021 11:04am

ChrissieH wrote: »

So you're asking about public service vs civil service (public = locally managed government services such as Councils, civil = government services that are directly managed by the relevant dept of government such as revenue, garda vetting etc. That's probably not an ideal description of the difference but it's my general layman's term description!! Gives you the gist of the difference between them)

I honestly don't know enough about the civil service to say what the difference is in terms of longevity but a permanent job in the public sector is the same no matter what.

I understand your lack of understanding of the grades, I had no real knowledge until I started working in the Council too and I didn't understand that the graduate program "single point salary scale" meant that you're on the same salary for the 3 years: I assumed it would increase every year like other LA jobs, but anyway, to try to answer your question, the graduate program means that you enter the LA on a higher level than entry level (which is grade 3, Clerical Officer) so ideally, you should be aiming to transfer across into a permanent job as a grade 4 or even higher if you have prior work experience or specific qualifications (like maybe in the IT stream, you might get lucky and a grade 5 position in IT might become available that you could apply for)
However, if you're applying for general admin / a panel, at the end of the day, if you're a graduate straight from college with not much work experience, you might find that you're still not qualified enough to be considered for a 4 position (Assistant Staff Officer), as this is, in theory, a role where you are managing a small team in an assistive capacity to the Staff Officer (grade 5)

There's no reason why you shouldn't qualify for a 3, but you should be applying for both 3 and 4 panels. A grade 3 salary does mean that you'll be taking a pay cut from your graduate program salary but it might be the only option if you want to stay in the LA.

Thanks for that. What would you say the probability is of getting a full time position if you were taken on the enterprise development stream? Interesting points.

ChrissieH · 26-04-2021 3:53pm

acawarrior wrote: »

Thanks for that. What would you say the probability is of getting a full time position if you were taken on the enterprise development stream? Interesting points.

Honestly no way of predicting it. Considering what's happened in the past year, who knows what way recruitment will go in the coming years, but even without the uncertainty thanks to covid, I can't say there's any predictability about getting a permanent position because it totally depends on your experience and your LA.
Afaik, most sections have a specific amount of staff in each grade, so at graduate level, we'll assume that we will all apply for recruitment campaigns to create a panel of grades 3 and 4: Clerical Officers and Assistant Staff Officers respectively.
I'm currently working in LEO, where there is a quota of 2 COs, but no allowance for an ASO / grade 4, so if I got placed no. 1 on each panel for CO and ASO, I have no chance at all of staying in LEO as a 4, because there's no such position. And I'd only stay in LEO as a 3 if the existing 3 happened to move or leave at the exact moment that I'm next on the panel!
So even if you get onto the panel, the chances of staying within the section that you're in as a graduate, is probably slim. Again, might be different in other streams, I don't know.

So in short, it doesn't really matter where you're placed in your graduate program when it comes to trying to get a permanent position, there's no link between the 2.

Vinci · 26-04-2021 4:58pm

Hi guys... The calls have started coming in...
Got a call and an offer email from the Border and Western Region some minutes ago.

Goodluck...and hopefully more people get their calls soon too.

saju · 26-04-2021 5:08pm

Vinci wrote: »

Hi guys... The calls have started coming in...
Got a call and an offer email from the Border and Western Region some minutes ago.

Goodluck...and hopefully more people get their calls soon too.

Congratulations.. what is u r rank and which stream ?This
Will help us to keep our hopes.

ChrissieH · 26-04-2021 5:12pm

Congratulations!!

Majuuc · 26-04-2021 5:15pm

Vinci wrote: »

Hi guys... The calls have started coming in...
Got a call and an offer email from the Border and Western Region some minutes ago.

Goodluck...and hopefully more people get their calls soon too.

Congratulations!! Happy for you

justin8847 · 26-04-2021 5:47pm

Vinci wrote: »

Hi guys... The calls have started coming in...
Got a call and an offer email from the Border and Western Region some minutes ago.

Goodluck...and hopefully more people get their calls soon too.

Congrats!!!!. What was your rank and the stream you applied?

acawarrior · 27-04-2021 7:26pm

When will they call for Wexford?

Freddow · 30-04-2021 11:14am

Has anyone else heard anything this week? Everything seems to have gone quiet

TheRock2020 · 30-04-2021 4:36pm

Has anybody heard from Kildare County Council hey for the Eastern/Midlands roles?

domijemc · 30-04-2021 11:26pm

If anybody hears from the Southern Region (Cork City Council, Cork/Kerry/Clare County Councils) regarding the Data Analytics stream, I'd really appreciate it if you could PM me. Thanks

Kuiper81 · 01-05-2021 12:10pm

TheRock2020 wrote: »

Has anybody heard from Kildare County Council hey for the Eastern/Midlands roles?

HR from Kildare Council had called me the day before at around 12.50 pm to ask me if I was interested. Since I was interested, I answered in affirmative for Innovation Strategy and Change Management. She said that she will now forward my details to the county that I chose in the Eastern and Midlands region and that county will send me an email describing the further procedures to be followed. I am awaiting their email.

Local Authority Graduate Programme 2020

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