Want to move department but no mobility in public sector job

messyleo said:
Wouldn't suggest going to HR unless you have clear evidence of bullying, and even then, I wouldn't.
Important to differentiate between somebody being "negative" and "highly strung" and bullying also

If you won't move location to some extent you can't really complain imo. If it was bad enough, then you would move anywhere, I speak from experience
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Also I CAN'T move, I have young children, a home, mortgage etc. I had hoped I would be happy here I am worried that things will get worse for me. I certainly do not want to report anyone or cause trouble I was just hoping someone might have suggestions, that perhaps they have been in a similar situation.
 
TBF I am not suggesting you move to Dublin just that you may need to commute a bit longer than currently. Getting a move to another team in the same public service office is dependent on internal HR and would need a documented case

You have more power and agency where you have control over finding a new role (public or private) yourself. That's all I was saying
 
LucyTru said:
Also I CAN'T move, I have young children, a home, mortgage etc. I had hoped I would be happy here I am worried that things will get worse for me.
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So do people in the private sector!

What specifically is the benefit(s) that you get that you feel you absolutely can't give up? Analyse what you need to have and what you would like to have from an employer. This will allow you to target potential employers in your area.

If its job security, for example, maybe a larger emergency fund would give you comfort that you could meet your bills if you were suddenly let go. If its flexi hours, these can be negotiated with an employer up front. If they are not interested, they will let you know. If its that you want to use your specialised skills then maybe a remote role could be targeted.
 
Hi LucyTru. I have great sympathy for you as I was in the same position in a public service position a good few years ago.

You’ll be aware that transferability within the Public Service is a bit different to transferability within the Civil Service. You mention that you’re in the Public Service. That being the case, it seems that your stark options are to stay, resign (after having secured a job elsewhere of course), or request a secondment/transfer, which depends of course on availability and the agreement of your employer.

Transfers within the Civil Service on the other hand are common enough, often encouraged and available but it seems that this doesn’t apply to you as a public servant.

I transferred out of the Public Service into the private sector. Within 6 months I regretted it, as it turns out that I jumped from a lukewarm pan into a very hot fire.

My messaging here is that if you’re stuck in a job you don’t like, make sure that you choose your next career move very wisely, as the hills are most certainly not always greener far away. For my part, I thought I didn’t like the job I was in, until I went to the next place, which made the job I left seem like a breeze. (My issues weren’t so much to do with the work, but rather with the personnel I worked with).

Would you consider taking extended parental leave? Work from home more often (the public service are good at this), or consider requesting a shortened working week so as not to be as exposed to the environment you don’t like? Or even a career break for some months, if finances or your employer permitted.

There’s a lot to be said for the public service in terms of job security, holidays and flexibility. No harm to focus on these aspects, and if you can manage less exposure to those colleagues who aren’t to your liking, all the better.
 
Hi,

I worked as a Public Sector job-share Clerical Officer for over 13 years, in 2 different departments, and I left due to being unhappy. I applied through an open recruitment campaign for each public sector department I worked in. I was on LS1 of the clerical officer scale when I left the Public Sector. After some time out I applied for the civil service on an Open Clerical Officer Panel. There is one every year.

There is also an Open Executive Officer Panel every two years. The next one is in the first half of 2024. Depending on your geographical area and how high you are on the panel getting a job offer can be slow. It could take 1-2 years from applying to getting an offer...Open large-scale recruitment campaigns for HEOs and higher grades in the civil service happen less often.

When I accepted the Clerical Officer job in the Civil Service I was delighted to find out that due to prior service in the Public Sector, I could apply for Incremental Progression, which meant as I had more than 8 years of service I could start back on level 8 of the Clerical Officer Pay Scale. Level 8 is the highest that they will give you in recognition of prior service in the Public Sector. After being back just 2 years I'm now on level 12 as 2 of the increment levels get skipped between 8 and 12.

I was lucky as I was on an identical Clerical Officer scale in the public sector as the one used in the civil service so it was straightforward. As far as I know though, from the experience of colleagues in the Civil Service, as long as you are not trying to enter the Civil Service on a higher or lower grade than the one that you had in the Public Sector you can also get credit for prior service and apply for incremental progression, even if the salary scales are not identical.

If you live in an area where there are not a lot of civil service jobs keep in mind some civil service departments like Revenue, if you are not going to work in an area like customs, employees can currently work from home 4 days a week and only travel to the office one day a week... that might be doable with your circumstances....

When I had my second clerical officer employment in the Public Sector, the department I went into also gave me recognition of prior service, and I didn't start at the bottom of the scale.

An Garda Siochana had a massive recruitment campaign recently. Keep an eye out for future ones. They are pulling away from the Civil Service and will be Public Sector within the next 2 years, but they have a lot of locations nationwide and internal opportunities...

Do some research if you are thinking of applying for the civil service and choosing locations, as some locations have more departments and a higher churn than others. Some locations, unless you score really high on the panel, are harder to get into...

The one drawback with the civil service is that recruitment is much slower than the public and private sectors and local managers don't have as much power in the civil service when it comes to staffing. It is very much centralized.

I don't know if you currently take Parental Leave, but be aware you won't be able to take Parental Leave during your first 12 months in the civil service. The Shorter Working Year might also be the same.

Mobility in the Civil Service is also not a magic bullet. I'm over 2 years in my current location, and I would love a position closer to home, but unfortunately, the panels are not moving at the moment and I don't know if I will get anything soon...

Also, don't forget far away hills are greener. Make sure you have exhausted making your current employment work for you.

Hope this information helps you make a more informed decision. Best of luck!
 
Hi EmOne1,

Welcome to AAM.

EmOne1 said:
An Garda Siochana had a massive recruitment campaign recently. Keep an eye out for future ones. They are pulling away from the Civil Service and will be Public Sector within the next 2 years, but they have a lot of locations nationwide and internal opportunities...
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There are lots of warnings over on some of the boards.ie threads about salary being poor, pensions nothing like they used to be, stress levels high. The recruitment drives are not getting the numbers because of these along with people pulling out of the training half way through the course. This type of stuff does not help either with the recruitment and morale.
 
Sue Ellen said:
Hi EmOne1,

Welcome to AAM.



There are lots of warnings over on some of the boards.ie threads about salary being poor, pensions nothing like they used to be, stress levels high. The recruitment drives are not getting the numbers because of these along with people pulling out of the training half way through the course. This type of stuff does not help either with the recruitment and morale.
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Hi Sue Elle,

I've worked for An Garda Siochana and it was a very positive experience, and I would still consider leaving the civil service and working for them again, even though they are going Public Sector. In the interest of fairness though, I think that anyone considering working for AGS needs to know this in advance so that they can make an informed decision for themselves before they join. It would be unfair for anyone to join now and find out afterwards...IMO.
 
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