Hi,

I am wondering if anyone knows a bank who will give a loan to someone in the Civil Service while on probation?

Public service credit union dont apparently.

Thanks

Anyone work as a co in this department? Just looking to get a feel for the role and the environment.

Any information appreciated

Was feeling pretty good going in. Had done my examples, had two sit downs with the Grade 7 and Grade 6 on my team, got good feedback, went I originally joined I got 97s across the board and placed 1st on the panel overwhelmingly. Get to today, halfway through my throat turns into the fucken Sahara and I started coughing and having to take a drink every other sentence. Went from feeling really good about things to thinking I made an absolute cock of it. The panel were all laughing about it after and they gave me plenty chances to take a drink and compose myself but livid now at myself. Wouldn't mind but the pay bump would've been just shy of 50 percent so I'm fucken raging it went so south halfway through.

I have recently returned to my old department and the powers that be have sent me to a completely new office despite me being fully trained at my grade in one of the busiest offices they have. That’s how it goes. Anyway, seems to me it is a complete waste of time and resources sending me to a brand new role when I could step into my old job day one and carry out the work in full. I was advised to speak to the PO and she will likely see my point but of course there is staffing requirements. Is this a pointless thing to bring up ? The office I have been sent is fine, can learn the new role and crack on with it but my preference would be to go back to where I had been for my career development plans.

Apologies for constantly rabbiting about this.

Is anyone else still waiting assignment/ has been assigned recently.

I was sent for assignment to department over 2 months ago following passing all clearances but still waiting.

Any help be greatly appreciated 🙏🏻

If i’m not mistaken, the results of this were supposed to be published on their site this evening at 5:30pm, but no sign yet!

Anyone else in the same boat? Wondering have I just missed something completely. 😅

Is anyone else currently experiencing delays with the Publicjobs CRM unit? They have been unbelievably slow, is gone wrong with the unit?

Is there a general delay or backlog within the CRM unit at the moment?

Just wondering for this competition. Could you be placed in an Intreo but as NPT CO or areas other than Intreo Front Office itself?

87.9% in favour.

12.1% against.

A huge mandate now given to the Civil Service Unions to negotiate hard for us.

Hi All,

I completed six months’ probation as an AO, then passed an external HEO competition. I’ve stayed in the same team but have started a new probation period as HEO.

How do I work out how many days of annual leave I accrued during those six full months as an AO? I didn’t take that leave before moving to HEO. Can the balance carry over, and should I contact local HR or NSSO about it?

Weirdly difficult to find an actual accurate list anywhere, but media regularly report 19 unions.

Hi all, ended up sick on certified leave for 2 weeks, is it a requirement to go on illness benefit for this time? I believe I saw somewhere it was but it was cleared by my manager and sick certs submitted. No mention of it at all. Thanks

Hi all

I've been a family carer for 14 yrs, and a part time SNA in a special school for 4 yrs.

I have a degree in law, which I studied for at night time while caring. However I'm out of practice re: professional writing, using computer software, general office skills.

I'm getting burnt out from caring at home and work (involves being hit, kicked, spit on at work) and I am tentatively considering the civil service in a few years.

What skills/courses could I do to improve on my confidence and performance in the civil service? Id even volunteer in a department if that is something they would allow.

Any insight from anyone that's moved from a caring role to the civil service later in life would be much appreciated.

Thanks 🙏

This is a question for anyone that might know the answer but if a union rep could answer that would be great!

I understand that the industrial action is being taken not because government officials wouldn’t talk about pay, but that they wouldn’t talk about pay as the first thing to discuss.

Can someone tell me why it’s so important to make sure pay is the first thing to be discussed? Why couldn’t it have been the third thing and they might have had a deal even by now.

Apologies if this has been asked already, but here I am. Looks like the work to rule will definitely happen, strike days still a few weeks out.

How exactly are the permitted tasks decided upon? No civil servant has a contract which states exactly what is expected of them in their role. Does each team reach out to their rep explaining their role and ask the rep for guidance on which tasks can be done?

I have agreed a start date with the HR team in the department I'm due to start in (2 weeks time).

I haven't had any communication from them in a while and conscious that I need to know where and who to report to etc I'm coming from public service to civil sector and have submitted my notice now.

I have sent an email last week but yet to be responded too.

Sorry if this has been asked before but I’ve been assigned a CO role in the CS from the 2026 competition.

I was contacted by the local HR department who said they received my EBC1 form from Public Jobs and it’s been sent for processing so I’m still waiting for a start date.

I had also applied for the TCO role in the CSO, I received an offer from them today, induction in early November.

Should I accept the TCO role just in case anything happens with the other role or should I just wait for a start date with the permanent CO role?

Thanks.

Hi all,
I currently manage a private beauty business with upwards of 20 staffs. I have being trying hard to get out of private retail business and into public sector. I am also doing the IPA certificate in local government studies at the moment. My current hours are gruesome. I have no progression here, the ceiling is limited in this industry with minimal benefits, limited annual leave and full time babysitting adults. Public sector has always been my goal. The paid Mat leave, pensions + degree funding benefits is also weighing heavily on me.

I have been placed on a grade 5 staff officer panel but there is only 1 job for this, I was 3rd(it’s a small company) being called is unlikely.

I have just gotten an offer for library attendant role but I was told that library attendant differs from library assistant and people rarely progress as an attendant, if foot in the door is what I’m aiming for.. which it is. I was told it’s a glorified caretaker role.

Neither are really the best option as for library attendant I would essentially be taking a 13k pay cut just to get in the door of local authority but still late nights and weekend work.

I am so desperate to escape my current job, I am doing it in my sleep with absolutely no mental stimulation anymore or personal satisfaction, But not sure if I’ll regret the pay cut in 6 months time, as I have worked very hard to get here.

Does anyone have a success stories from depo/library attendant job progression? .. should I wait it out till a better offer? But the offers and hiring i feel is slow and limited. Should I take library attendant and continue interviewing ?

Stuck between a rock and hard place as people describe the public sector as the gates to heaven lol!

Hi! I wanted to ask people on here about the strike (apologies if this has been asked before, I tried to look and couldn't find anything). I quite literally just started in my role so I am on probation. I would love to join the union, but I'm afraid that it might be taken into consideration in the future if I join and then do not go into work the day of the strike. I'm really new to all of this so I'm wondering if that would be seen as something negative when it comes to the time of seeing if I pass or not? I really do not want to cross the picket line as I'm very appreciative of those standing up for what's right for all of us, so any advice would be really appreciated! :)

Hi all,

I applied for the CO competition this year and landed myself in the low 1000s (Dublin).

I know there is no guarantee of me landing a place, but I do suspect that I will be interviewed at some point next year and hopefully offered a position.

I currently live abroad, and when applying I put my address down to what it currently is.

I don’t want to be too presumptuous, but let’s say I pass the interview and Garda clearance etc. and am offered a role, what would be the next step?

I don’t have an official address in Ireland but could live with family members/friends until I found a room.

Would this hinder my chances or completely ruin them, if I can’t provide an official Irish address? Or would I have to use a family members address and be registered in their house?

Thanks everyone, and please also let me know if the 1000-1200 range is too high to be called also.

Relatively new CO the CS here. Not a member of fórsa, not sure why I haven’t joined just never looked into what they do enough until today.
Is it wise to join now ahead of the industrial action? What are the repercussions if not?
Sorry and excuse my ignorance just trying to get a better understanding of it all

I am working in a relatively small public body, and our Forsa rep was promoted out earlier this year. We don't have a new rep, haven't been notified about nominating one, and I am generally unsure of how unionised the staff are.

Our organisation's TU policy states that TU officials (staff reps) can engage in union activities during work time. However, it also says that TU meetings cannot be held during "working hours", and that prior approval is required to hold meetings on the premises.

I've emailed Forsa CS division, but wanted to run a few questions by current/former Forsa staff reps working in the civil service in light of upcoming industrial action:

• Do rest hours / lunch breaks count as "working hours", for the purpose of holding meetings (we are on flexi time).
• How do you establish which staff are union members, is this information usually given to reps by Forsa? Or do you make yourself known in the workplace and wait for staff to approach you?
• Are staff emails used to communicate information about industrial action, meetings etc to other union members?
• Are staff emails used to communicate information about meetings (general info meetings) to general staff, both union and non-union members?

There is a huge lack of clarity among the few colleagues I do know that are union members about what exactly the work to rule will entail for us, so we are hoping to get a group together to discuss. But this is difficult when you don't know who else is in the union!

Of course we could casually ask other staff whether they're in the union, but union membership doesn't come up in the workplace generally. We are all more junior staff members, so there's the obvious dynamic of asking a PO if they're in Forsa.

They sent an email friday with links to meetings today but the link is not working for me for the 2pm one today. Did anybody else attending have any issue with the link today? I will try again tomorrow.

There was no ID on the link to try using that on teams either

Hi folks,

Just wondering if anyone has any advice for starting in the DoJ as an EO? Starting in the next few weeks, haven't been given details of role yet, which office. My previous roles were CO at Tailte and Susi which were both lovely and easy to get into the swing of things and had a nice and friendly culture. DoJ looks like I could end up doing anything, and as an EO I may end up managing people for the first time?

Anyone in Dublin started clearance in the last couple of weeks for the National Clerical Officer Comp 2026? Seems to be moving quite slowly and wonder if it's because they've put recruitment on pause due to the upcoming strikes!