TCO 2012 Information Booklet

7/27/2019 TCO 2012 Information Booklet

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INFORMATION BOOKLETFOR CANDIDATES

TEMPORARY CLERICAL POSITIONSINTHE

PUBLIC SERVICE

This campaign will be conducted in compliance with the Code of Practice for Appointment topositions in the Civil Service and Public Service prepared by the Commission for Public ServiceAppointments (CPSA) These codes are available on www.cpsa.ie

The Public Service is committed to a policy of equal opportunity.

Helpdesk Contact Numbers:

01 858 772401 858 768401 858 7400

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1. INTRODUCTION

Public Service bodies including the Civil Service and certain public service agencies may, fromtime to time, require temporary clerical staff to fill vacancies in various locations throughout the

country.

Requests to fill many of these vacancies are undertaken through the Public AppointmentsService. To facilitate possible demands, the Public Appointments Service will initiate a selectionprocess to fill vacancies in particular areas, should they arise.

While temporary vacancies may arise at various times during the year, many vacancies occurduring the summer period. The terms and conditions, including the duration and period ofcontracts may vary from post to post.

2. THEROLE

The duties of clerical staff may vary depending on the nature of work carried out by theemploying organisation. This involves such clerical/ administrative tasks which may beassigned to the employee from time to time by the organisation.

The following outlines the type of work that you may be required to undertake, if appointed.

o General clerical duties e.g. filing, photocopying, answering/making telephone calls,

dealing with e-mails, reception desk, etc;

o Supporting line-managers and colleagues

o Working as part of a team in delivering services;

o Dealing with the public/customers e.g. responding to queries and providing information;

o Use of Information Technology e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, database, e-mail and

internet.

o Routine accounts work

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3. LOCATION INFORMATIONIt is proposed to establish panels in the locations set out in List A and List B below from whichvacancies will be filled, should they arise.

You may select ONLY ONE County from List A. Vacancies for which you may be considered

will extend only to a city/ town in your chosen County (for exceptions, see List B).

In addition, you may also apply for ONLY ONE of the locations set out in List B below.

You must only select a location where you would be prepared to take up a position. Once youhave submitted your selection choice, changes will not be permitted.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL BE ASKED FOR YOUR LOCATION CHOICE(S) WHENYOU ARE COMPLETING YOUR ONLINE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE.See Paragraph 6

Should you be offered a position (whether you accept or not) you will, in the normal course,

cease to be considered for any other position.

LISTA

Carlow Longford

Cavan Louth

Clare Meath

Cork Monaghan

Donegal Mayo

Dublin OffalyGalway Roscommon

Kerry Sligo

Kildare Tipperary

Kilkenny Waterford

Laois Wicklow

Leitrim Westmeath

Limerick Wexford

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LISTB

Buncrana, Co Donegal Belmullet, Co Mayo

Gweedore, Co. Donegal Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim

Clifden, Co. Galway Bantry, Co. Cork

Listowel, Co. Kerry


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Candidates who wish to be considered for positions which may arise anytime between theperiod April to September must be available for the full duration of the contract offered.

Extended holiday plans during this period may affect your possible assignment. The duration ofthe contract period may vary from post to post.

4. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Candidates must:

(a) have the requisite knowledge and the ability and be suitable to enter on the discharge of theduties of the position. This includes the ability to:

take direction / follow instructions

organise and prioritise their work effectively;

be able to work well with the public and colleagues;

be flexible in their approach to work;

and(b) be able to communicate effectively in a clear and concise manner

and

(c) fulfil the requirements set out as to age, citizenship, health & character.

It is desirable that applicants would have previous relevant work experience and good IT skillse.g. Word, Excel, etc.

AgeApplicants must, on or before 1st February 2012, be at least 16 years of age (i.e. born on orbefore 1st February 1996).

Citizenship RequirementCitizens of non-European Economic Area (EEA) States will not be eligible to compete. TheEEA consists of the member states of the European Union along with Iceland, Liechtensteinand Norway. Special conditions may apply to citizens of Bulgaria and Romania with regard totheir entitlement to be employed and work in Ireland. A candidate who is in doubt in this regardshould consult the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation.

Health & Character

Those under consideration for a position will be required to complete a health and characterdeclaration. Candidates should be of good character and a reference may be required. Someposts will require special security clearance and will require completion of a form for Gardavetting purposes. In the event of conflicts of interest, candidates may not be considered forcertain posts.

Candidates should note that people who have taken part in the public service earlyretirement schemes set out below are not eligible to take part in this competition.

Incentivised Scheme for Early Retirement (ISER):It is a condition of the Incentivised Scheme for Early Retirement (ISER) as set out inDepartment of Finance Circular 12/09 that retirees, under that Scheme, are debarred fromapplying for another position in the same employment or the same sector. Therefore, suchretirees may not apply for this position.

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Department of Health and Children Circular (7/2010):The Department of Health Circular 7/2010 dated 1 November 2010 introduced a TargetedVoluntary Early Retirement (VER) Scheme and Voluntary Redundancy Schemes (VRS). It is acondition of the VER scheme that persons availing of the scheme will not be eligible for re-employment in the public health sector or in the wider public service or in a body wholly or

mainly funded from public funds. The same prohibition on re-employment applies under theVRS, except that the prohibition is for a period of 7 years, after which time any re-employmentwill require the approval of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. People who availedof either of these schemes are not eligible to compete in this competition.

Declaration:Applicants will be required to declare whether they have previously availed of a public servicescheme of incentivised early retirement. Applicants will also be required to declare anyentitlements to a Public Service pension benefit (in payment or preserved) from any otherPublic Service employment and/or where they have received a payment-in-lieu in respect ofservice in any Public Service employment.

5. TOMAKEANAPPLICATION

You should make your application online through www.publicjobs.ie using the steps shownbelow. All sections of the application form must be fully completed.

Step1 Log onto publicjobs.ie2 If you have not already done so, you must Register before applying -Please do not

confuse registering with submitting an application for the position.3 Once registered, you must then access the application form, complete and submit it.4 Once you have submitted your application form, it is suggested that you return to your

publicjobs account and ensure that your application has been successfully submittedvia my applications i.e. status of application will appear submitted.

5 You will receive an email acknowledgment of receipt of your application.

Note: Only fully submitted applications will be accepted into the campaign. Only oneapplication per person is permitted.

After the closing date, you will be required to complete and submit an online Skills andExperience Questionnaire. For full details see paragraph 6 below.

6. SELECTIONPROCESS

STAGE1 ON- LINESKILLSAND EXPERIENCEQUESTIONNAIRE

Stage 1 of the Selection process will be conducted by the Public Appointments Service and willcomprise of an online Skills and Experience Questionnaire. Following the closing date you willbe contacted by email (at the email address you provided at registration). You will receive yourCandidate Identification Number along with instructions on how to access the onlineQuestionnaire. If you do not receive these details by Friday 24th February 2012 please contactthe Public Appointments Service on 01 858 7684 / 8587724. The onus is on you to ensure thatyou complete and submit the questionnaire before 5.00pm Tuesday 28th February 2012.

If you have not completed and submitted the Questionnaire before the deadline, yourapplication will receive no further consideration.

Candidates will be ranked on the outcome of the Questionnaire and may be called to Stage 2 inaccordance with their ranking.

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You must complete your own Questionnaire. The responses you provide will be verified latershould you come under further consideration.

The on-line Questionnaire will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. Once you startthe Questionnaire you must complete it, as it is not possible to return to the Questionnaire if left

incomplete. Before commencing, ensure you have your own email address and PPS number tohand.

STAGE2 - INTERVIEW

Candidates will be ranked based on the results of Stage 1. Those invited to Stage 2- interviewwill be called in accordance with their ranking however; the number to be invited will bedetermined by the number of vacancies arising in their selected location. There is no guaranteethat a vacancy will exist for every candidate who is successful at interview.

Should you be invited for interview please note that you will only be entitled to one Interviewregardless of whether you have opted for location(s) in List A and List B. Once you have beenoffered a position (whether you accept it or not) you will, in the normal course, cease to beconsidered for any other position from this campaign.

Should you be invited to Stage 2 of the selection process you will be required to verify and insome cases provide documentary evidence confirming responses provided in theQuestionnaire.

Closing date Midday Tuesday 21st February 2012

7. Sample Conditions of Service(Please note the terms shown below relate to the clerical officer role in the civil serviceand may vary depending on the organisation/agency to which you may be assigned.These are intended as indicative only. Contracts of employment will be available at timeof assignment).

Pay 379.72 per week

Candidates should note that salary will not be subject to negotiation and the rate ofremuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.

Annual LeaveThe annual leave for this position is determined by the number of hours worked.

Hours of AttendanceHours of Attendance are as fixed from time to time but will amount to not less than 41 hours perweek in the case of a full time position.

Duties

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You will be required to perform any duties which may be assigned to you from time to time asappropriate to the temporary Clerical position.

Outside EmploymentThe position will be whole time and you may not engage in private practice or be connectedwith any outside business which would interfere with the performance of official duties.

HeadquartersYour headquarters will be such as may be designated from time to time by the Head of theOffice/Organisation. When absent from home or headquarters on official duty you will be paidappropriate travelling expenses and subsistence allowances, subject to normal regulations.Sick LeavePay during properly certified sick absence, provided there is no evidence of permanent disabilityfor service, will apply on a pro-rata basis, in accordance with the provisions of the sick leavecirculars.

The appointee will be required to sign a mandate authorising the Department of SocialProtection to pay any benefits due under the Social Welfare Acts direct to the employing

Department or Organisation and payment during illness will be subject to the officer making thenecessary claims for social insurance benefit to the Department of Social Protection within therequired time limits.

8. GUIDELINES FOR DEALING WITH APPEALS/REQUESTS FOR REVIEW

The Public Appointments Service or the employing body/agency under licence will considerrequests for review in accordance with the provisions of the codes of practice published by theCommission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA). Where a candidate is unhappy with anaction or decision in relation to their application he/she can seek a review under Section 7 of thecode of practice governing the recruitment process by a person in the recruiting body (initialreviewer). Where a candidate remains dissatisfied following this initial review, he/she may seekto have the conduct of the initial review examined by a "decision arbitrator".As an alternative to the above, it is open to a candidate to seek to have the matter resolved onan informal basis, as set out below. If a candidate remains dissatisfied following any suchdiscussion it is open to him/her to seek a formal review.

Informal process: The candidate can avail of the informal review within 5 working days of notification of the

initial decision, and should normally take place between the candidate and the personwho communicated the decision (or relevant person).

Where the decision being conveyed relates to an interim stage of a selection process,

the request for informal review must be received within 2 working days of the date ofreceipt of the decision.

Where a candidate remains dissatisfied following any such informal discussion, he/she

may adopt the formal procedures set out below. If the candidate wishes the matter to be dealt with by way of a formal review, he/she

must do so within 2 working days of the notification of the outcome of the informalreview.

Formal process: Initial review: The candidate must address his/her concerns in relation to the process in writing to the

licence holder, setting out those aspects of the action or decision in relation to his/hercandidature that he/she wishes to have reviewed.

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A request for review must be made within 10 working days of the notification of the initial

decision. Where the decision relates to an interim stage of a selection process, therequest for review must be received within 4 working days.

Any extension of these time limits will only be granted in the most exceptional of

circumstances and will be at the sole discretion of the licence holder. The outcome must generally be notified to the candidate within 20 working days of

receipt of the complaint or request for review. The candidate will receive the outcome ofthe review by means of a written report.

Should a candidate be dissatisfied with the outcome of the initial review, he/she may

request a review by a decision arbitrator of the conduct of the initial review.

Review by the decision arbitratorThe decision arbitrator is appointed by the licence holder. The decision arbitrator isunconnected with the selection process and he/she will adjudicate on requests for review incases where a candidate is not satisfied with the outcome of the initial review. The decision of

the decision arbitrator in relation to such matters is final. A request made to the decision arbitrator must be received within 7 working days of the

notification of the outcome of the initial review. The outcome of the investigation must be notified to the candidate in the form of a

written report within 10 working days.Where a candidate believes that an aspect of the process breached the CPSA's Code ofPractice, he/she can have it investigated under Section 8 of the code of practice.

Informal process: The CPSA recommends that the candidate avail of the informal process to try to resolve

the matter with the recruiting body. If the candidate is still dissatisfied he/she may resort

to the formal process within 2 working days of receiving notification of the informalprocess.

Formal process: If you are requesting a formal review you must write to the licence holder, providing

details of the breach of the code of practice and enclosing any relevant documentationthat might support the allegation.

The outcome must generally be notified to the candidate within 20 working days of

receipt of the complaint or request for review. If a decision cannot be made within thistimeframe, the reviewer will keep the candidate informed of the status of the review.

Should a candidate be dissatisfied with the outcome of this review, he/she may request

a further review by referring the matter to the Commission for Public Service

Appointments in the form of an appeal of the review of the licence Holder. He/She mustwrite to the Commission for Public Service Appointments within 10 working days ofreceiving the outcome of the licence Holder's review.

The codes of practice are available on the website of the Commission for Public ServiceAppointments, www.cpsa.ie

9. Candidates' Obligations

Candidates must not:

knowingly or recklessly provide false information

canvass any person with or without inducements

interfere with or compromise the process in any way.

A third party must not personate a candidate at any stage of the process.

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Any person who contravenes the above provisions or who assists another person incontravening the above provisions is guilty of an offence. A person who is found guilty of anoffence is liable to a fine/or imprisonment. In addition, where a person found guilty of anoffence was or is a candidate at a recruitment process, then:where he/she has not been appointed to a post, he/she will be disqualified as a candidate; and

where he/she has been appointed subsequently to the recruitment process in question, he/sheshall forfeit that appointment

ConfidentialitySubject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Acts, 1997 and 2003, applications willbe treated in strict confidence.

Canvassing will disqualifyCandidates should note that canvassing will disqualify and will result in their exclusion from theprocess.

10. GeneralDeeming of candidature to be withdrawnCandidates who do not complete and submit the Questionnaire before the specified date or donot attend for any stage of the selection process as requested or do not furnish such evidenceas requested in regard to any matter relevant to their candidature, will have no further claim toconsideration.

ExpensesCandidates will be responsible for any expense incurred in connection with their candidature.

Quality Customer ServiceWe aim to provide an excellent quality service to all our customers. If, for whatever reason, youare unhappy with any aspect of the service you receive from us, we urge you to bring this to theattention of the unit or staff member concerned. This is important as it ensures that we areaware of the problem and can take the appropriate steps to resolve it.

Data Protection Acts 1988 & 2003:When your application form is received, the Public Appointments Service create a record inyour name, which contains much of the personal information you have supplied. This personalrecord is used solely in processing your candidature and should you be successful certaininformation you provide will be forwarded to the employing organisation. Where the services ofa third party are used, it may be required to provide them with information, however all

necessary precautions will be taken to ensure the security of your data. Such information heldis subject to the rights and obligations set out in the Data Protection Acts, 1988 & 2003. Tomake a request under the Data Protection Acts 1988 & 2003, please submit your request, in thefirst instance, in writing to: The Data Protection Co-ordinator, Public Appointments Service,Chapter House, 26-30 Abbey Street Upper, Dublin 1, ensuring that you describe the recordsyou seek in the greatest possible detail to enable us to identify the relevant record. A fee of6.35 should accompany your request. Certain items of information, not specific to anyindividual, are extracted from records for general statistical purposes.

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Documents

TCO 2012 Information Booklet