The Civil ServiceReal Careers,Real Opportunities

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Wh

at’s

in

th

is b

roch

ure

? About the Civil Service 3

Personal & Career Development 4 - 5

Equal Opportunities 6

Céard faoin nGaeilge? 7

Healthy Work/Life Balance 8

Organisational Structure 9

How do I apply? 10

Careers Store / What kind of job should I apply for? 11

Clerical Officer 12 - 13

Executive Officer 14 - 15

Administrative Officer 16 - 17

Third Secretary 18 - 19

Professional and Specialist Posts 20 - 21

Government Departments / Offices - Contact Details 22 - 23

The Civil Service consists of overthirty different organisations whoprovide services for and onbehalf of the Government. Ourrole is vital to the economic andsocial life of Ireland, implementingpolicies and delivering service tothe public. The everyday lifeissues that the Civil Service dealswith change constantly, resultingin developments and expansionwithin the organisation to providea better service to our customers.And that's why we need you! Todo this work we need to add newtalent to our team - committed,ambitious individuals with aninterest in progressing servicesdelivered to the public in Ireland.

Although the Civil Service dealswith a broad number of areas, itsprimary goal is to provide

services to the public. Thisinvolves working with the government, implementing policies and services, and helpingin the drafting of new policies.Some of our work involves directcontact with the public, and otherwork involves research. Maybeyou see yourself as someone whowould like to work providing customer services, or maybe youwould feel happier working inhuman resources or dealing withaccounts. No matter what you areinterested in, it is very likely thatthere are many jobs in the CivilService that would appeal to you.

If you are thinking about what acareer could offer you, there isevery chance that the CivilService could provide you withwhat you want.

I'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE CIVIL SERVICE....

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Ab

ou

t the C

ivil Service

PERSONAL & CAREER DEVELOPMENT

A career in the Civil Serviceopens up many opportunities foryou. There's a scheme that supports employees to studypart-time, by refunding fees forcourses seen as relevant to thejob, and giving exam and studyleave. Self development is verypositively encouraged within theorganisation. Under thePerformance ManagementSystem (PMDS), the Civil Serviceis committed to addressing thetraining and development needsof every Civil Servant.

Our organisation can offer youthe opportunity to work in anarea that interests you. We valueyour skills and abilities, and willaim to place you in an area thatsuits your individual talents and

interests. There is also anestablished transfer system thatwill allow you, after a period oftime, to apply for a similarposition in a different departmentor office.

A career in the Civil Service is nota static thing - mobility is a keyfeature of the organisation. Thisconstant movement, with peoplecoming in, moving up andmoving across, means newopportunities are always arising.The Civil Service is a progressiveorganisation that embraceschanges arising in people's day today lives. It is a leader with regardto flexible working arrangementsand family-friendly policies.

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Many departments have socialclubs and sports teams, whoactively encourage new talent tojoin. In addition, the team natureof public service work results ina happy, friendly workingenvironment. Moreover,management encourage theviewpoints and participation ofjunior and senior members ofstaff through groups such asPartnership, whereby staff aregiven a forum to raise issues andimprove their own work situation. One of the mostnotable aspects of the CivilService is the internationaldimension, with embassies andconsulates throughout the worldrepresenting Ireland abroad. Theinternational dimension alsoincludes the EuropeanParliament in Brussels,

to which many Civil Servantstravel representing various topicson behalf of the IrishGovernment.

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Person

al & C

areer Develo

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EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

We regard equality ofopportunity as one of our coreorganisational values. We havemade significant progress inencouraging persons withdisabilities to compete for CivilService positions.

We are committed to reachingthe Government objective that3% of Civil Service positionsshould be filled by persons withdisabilities.

All recruitment drives are open toeveryone who meets theeligibility criteria. In addition, wehold recruitment drivesexclusively targeted at peoplewith disabilities.

We make every effort to providefacilities and equipment necessaryto enable people with disabilitiesto participate in our recruitmentdrives.

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Tá sé de cheart ag gachsaoránach gnó a dhéanamh leRanna Rialtais trí Ghaeilge nó tríBhéarla. Ciallaíonn sé sin gogcaithfidh dóthain daoine abheith ar fáil sa Státseirbhís chunan tseirbhís seo a sholáthar dochustaiméirí.

Is féidir le daoine a dtugtarcuireadh chuig agallamh dóibhagus muid i mbun earcaíochta agcumas iad féin a chur in iúl gohéifeachtúil i nGaeilge agus imBéarla a chur á mheas, másmian leo.

Bronntar marcanna breise ardhaoine a mbíonn ar a gcumasiad féin a chur in iúl gohéifeachtúil sa dá theanga agus

d'fhéadfadh sé sin céim níosairde a bhaint amach dóibh sanord fiúntais i gcomórtas.

CÉARD FAOIN nGAEILGE?

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Céard

faoin

nG

aeilge?

HEALTHY WORK/LIFE BALANCE

The Civil Service is a recognisedleader in the development offlexible working practices.Flexible working time is availablein most GovernmentDepart-ments. Job-sharingfacilities and other atypicalworking arrangements may beavailed of to enable employees topursue further education or forpersonal reasons. Term- timeallows Civil Servants to take 10 or13 weeks unpaid leave during thesummer to match workingarrangements with schoolholidays. Creche facilities areavailable in some locations for thechildren of Civil Servants.

Also, after working in the CivilService for a particular period oftime, employees can apply for a

career break. Caroline Clarke,a Higher Executive Officerworking in the PublicAppointments Service (dealingwith recruitment to the CivilService) explains the benefit ofthis scheme: "...to have that option withoutgiving up your job is really nice.To know that if you go out of thecountry for six months/a year -you can have anything up to fiveyears - you know that there is ajob there when you comeback...."

Because the Civil Service valuesits employees, they are givenpermanent contracts if theycomplete their contract periodsatisfactorily.

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ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

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Organ

isation

al Structu

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Secretary General

Assistant Secretary

Principal Officer

Assistant Principal

Administrative Officer

Executive Officer

Clerical Officer

Higher Executive Officer

Staff Officer

xx

xx

xx

xx xx

xx

cc

cc

cc

HOW DO I APPLY?

• Check our website. All ourjobs in the public service areadvertised onwww.publicjobs.ie

• Call into our careers store

• Respond to our newspaper advertisements in the nationalpress.

Check out our websitewww.publicjobs.ie to viewcurrent vacancies across a widerange of Pubic Serviceorganisations and apply for thesepositions on-line. In addition, youhave the facility to indicate yourinterest in vacancies that mayarise in the future so that you canbe notified by email or text alertand invited to apply.

Among the other services offeredare: • Information on the Public

Appointments Service

• Career information including profiles of people working at different levels across the Public Service

• Interview hints andtechniques

• Sample Questions from arange of selection tests

• Hints and Tips for the test session

• Links to the websites of awide range of public serviceorganisations

• Answers to a range of frequently asked questions.

We are expanding the range ofservices available onpublicjobs.ie to allow candidateshave an opportunity to booktests and interview times on-lineas well as expanding thetwo-way messaging service withcandidates.

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If you're interested in PublicSector careers, check out thePublic Appointments ServiceCareers Store: 26-30 AbbeyStreet Upper, Dublin 1.

This ultra-modern facility is anexcellent way to find out moreabout Civil Service and PublicSector careers. A dedicatedteam is available to meet newvisitors and will answer anyquestions you have. Otherresources include interactivemulti-media facilities and aseminar room where specificcareers will be showcased.

What kind of job should Iapply for? The Civil Service is alwayslooking for new talent, peoplewho are interested in adding their skills to one of the largest

teams in Ireland. We have jobs or career opportunities at alllevels. The following pagesdescribe some of the differenttypes of jobs.

CAREERS STORE

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Careers Sto

re

CLERICAL OFFICER

This is the first step into anexciting career in the Civil Service.Clerical Officers work in alldepartments in Ireland, providingvital input to the team through arange of general office duties.Promotional opportunities areavailable to all Clerical Officerswhen they are made permanent.Clerical Officers need a goodgeneral standard of education anda customer focused attitude.

How do I apply for the job?We advertise in the mainrecruitment pages of the nationalnewspapers and on our websitewww.publicjobs.ie

After applying, you will be giveninformation about the selectiontests telling you where and whenthe tests will take place and whattypes of questions will be asked.If you are successful at the testyou may be invited to attend foran interview. Should you be successful at interview andoffered a post, we will try toaccommodate your own interestsand wishes as best we can.

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My name is Lisa Foran and I startedwork as a Clerical Officer in the CivilService six years ago. My first jobwas with the Public AppointmentsService where I worked as part of ateam responsible for recruitingPrison Officers. The work involvedplanning and arranging all aspects ofthe ongoing interview programme:scheduling applicants for interviewand notifying them of the date andtime, liaising with interviewers andensuring they had all the correctpaperwork. After the interviews Iissued results and organised medicalexaminations for those who weresuccessful. I was in daily contact notonly with applicants, but with thegeneral public, answering theirqueries. My other main dealingswere with other civil servants,particularly those in the human

resources area of the Prison Service. The Civil Service offers manyopportunities to staff. Apart fromfamily friendly work practices, thereare also benefits like flexible workinghours, career breaks, staff mobilityand a refund of fees scheme forthose who wish to pursue furtherstudies.

To gain more experience, I took theopportunity in 2003 to transfer tothe Department of Transport. I amnow working in the Minister’sConstituency Office which acts as alink between the Minister and hisconstituents. Here I am part of ateam who is in constant contact withconstituents and involved withissues they raise with the Minister.

The Minister for Transport’s office isparticularly busy and has seen anumber of major initiatives in recentyears. The opening of the Luas in2004 was very exciting and one ofthe highlights of my time in theMinister’s office. The fact that theGreen Line from Sandyford to St.Stephen’s Green passes through theMinister’s constituency only servedto add to the occasion. The work inthe Minister’s office is very variedand exciting and in many regardsvery rewarding.

Overall, from my experience, thework in the Civil Service is bothinteresting and challenging - butbest of all, is the great team spirit.

LISA FORAN Clerical Officer, Department of Transport

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Clerical O

fficer, Dep

artmen

t of Tran

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EXECUTIVE OFFICER

A trainee management role,Executive Officers perform afirst-level management role in alldepartments. This encompassesboth project management andafter initial training, staffmanagement. Executive Officerscan apply for promotion after aspecified period of time.

To apply, you need to meet oneof the following criteria: • Recognised Degree

Or

• Successful Leaving Certificate (or equivalent examination) result in Maths and Irish and/or English andone of the following:

1. Have passed 1st year examinations of a course leading to a recognised degree.

2. A certificate/diploma or otherqualification obtained following a NCEA recognisedcourse that lasted at least twoyears

3. Professional Examination 1, or equivalent of a recognised accountancy body

Or

• Successful Leaving Certificate (or equivalent examination) in Maths and Irish or English with a minimum of grade C in five Honours subjects.

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My name is Paul Dunphy. I amworking as an Executive Officer inthe International Section of theDepartment of Education andScience since May 2003. I had noexpectations about working for thisDepartment as I knew next tonothing about it. I soon found theInternational Section to be extremelyinteresting, challenging and lively.

I am involved in non-EU work. Muchof my time is spent organisingprogrammes for visitingeducationalists and coordinating theDepartment’s response to requestsfor information from otherdepartments or internationalorganisations. Other work mayinvolve paying invoices andmanaging accounts; answeringParliamentary Questions or requests

for information under the Freedom ofInformation Act; or replying torepresentations being made to theMinister. I find there is a lot of varietyin my job, I am given some autonomyand am expected to use my initiative.

The career prospects are excellent.Positions within this Department andin international organisations arecontinually being advertised. There isplenty of opportunity for promotionand training and a performancemanagement and trainingprogramme is in place where eachyear you look at the business plan inyour area, you examine the skills youare going to need to perform yourjob, discuss these with your managerand agree what training you require.

After two years, you may be allowedtake a career break of up to fiveyears, or you may apply to transfer toanother Department. While startingsalaries may seem low by graduatestandards, the non-pay aspects areexcellent.

PAUL DUNPHY Executive Officer, Department of Education and Science

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Execu

tive Officer, D

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ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

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Administrative Officers play acrucial role in policy formulation(through critical analysis, researchand policy drafting) for a widerange of governmental areas.Administrative Officers can also beinvolved in drafting briefingmaterial for Ministers. This role isan excellent opportunity forhonours graduates to begin working in the Public Sector. To apply, you need a first or second class honours degree.

I completed my degree inManagement Science andInformation System Studies in TrinityCollege, Dublin in 2002. Afterattending the annual CareersInformation Day, and obtaininginformation on the graduate entrypositions, I decided to apply for thepositions of AdministrativeOfficer/Third Secretary. I did theaptitude tests, was successful andsubsequently called for an interviewfor Administrative Officer.

I commenced work in the GenderEquality Section of the Departmentof Justice, Equality and Law Reformin January 2003. Although initiallyapprehensive about the unexciting,old-fashioned reputation that isoften attributed to the Civil Service, Isoon discovered that the job was

actually highly dynamic, progressiveand forward-thinking.

I am involved in work both nationallyand internationally. For example, Iwas Secretary to the ConsultativeGroup on Male/Female WageDifferentials who recently presentedtheir Report to Government.Internationally, the work has rangedfrom attendance at a two weekmeeting of the Commission on theStatus of Women at the UN to theco-ordination of material formeetings of the EU Ministers forSocial Affairs. I enjoy participating ina team which often involves workingwith colleagues from Ministries inother EU countries. I have beeninvolved on particular projects andevents, such as logistics planningand financial controlling of

conferences and seminars. Theposition is very varied in terms ofday-to-day work and this diversityhas given me the opportunity to gaingreat experience particularly as thisis the first job I have had sincegraduating from college.

Many opportunities lie ahead. Theseinclude a transfer to anotherGovernment Department for a yearin order to further broaden myexperience. The AdministrativeOfficer is a trainee managementposition, in that the level and qualityof work allows you to develop yourpotential and provides forprogression to a more seniorposition, the next step beingAssistant Principal.

KATE MURRAY Administrative Officer, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform

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Ad

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istrative Officer,

Dep

artmen

t of Ju

stice, Eq

uality an

d Law

Refo

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THIRD SECRETARY

As the first step in a career withinthe Diplomatic Corps, ThirdSecretary is a very special one.Third Secretaries initially work inthe Department of Foreign Affairsbefore travelling to an Irishembassy or consulate where theywill work for a number of years.

There are many different projectsand areas of work within ForeignAffairs, from dealing with Irishtourists’ issues abroad to acting asan Irish Representative in variousformal functions. This role is anexcellent opportunity for honoursgraduates with a particular interestin foreign affairs to begin a careerwithin the Diplomatic Corps.

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My name is John Gilroy. I studiedEnglish and Philosophy at undergraduate level, and completed aMultimedia MSc in 2002. I began mycareer as an Executive Officer, inForeign Affairs and after six months,was lucky enough to be offered theposition of Third Secretary, followinga further open competition throughthe Public Appointments Service.

Currently I am working inDevelopment Cooperation Ireland(DCI), the Government of Ireland’sprogramme of assistance todeveloping countries. Within DCI, Iam in the Multilateral UN Policy unit.This section is responsible amongother things for managing Ireland’soverseas development assistance(ODA) which is contributed to UNagencies such as UNICEF. An important part of my day to daywork here in DCI is keeping up todate with international developments

in areas ranging from climate changeto monitoring Ireland’s progresstowards meeting the UN MillenniumDevelopment Goals. There is a constant demand to prepare materialfor political briefs or speaking notes,which sometimes can have tightdeadlines. The positive aspect of thisis that you learn very quickly on thejob, and get a broad understanding ofwhat’s going on, not just in your sec-tion, but across the Department.There are also great opportunities totravel. I have attended a number ofinternational conferences in my timehere, from a meeting on HIV/AIDS inDublin to a trade conference in Brazil,with trips to the EU and the UN inBrussels and New York along the way.

Development Cooperation Ireland isjust one section prospective ThirdSecretaries could work in. Othersections such as Political, Anglo-Irish,Protocol, all offer completely

different challenges, and I hope to getan opportunity to experience all ofthem during the course of my career.In some ways a career as a ThirdSecretary is a vocation rather than ajob, with long hours and extensivetravelling regularly impacting on mydomestic life. I’m hoping to be sent onmy first posting abroad with theDepartment in the coming months,which will be another great opportunity for me to broaden myhorizons and experience life in othercountries.

While the Third Secretary grade is atraining one, the level of responsibilityand autonomy can be quite high.Thereare constant opportunities for furthertraining provided by the Department,with a wide range of language classes,as well as management, presentationskills, public speaking, everything anaspiring diplomat could possiblyrequire.

JOHN GILROY, Third Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs

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Th

ird Secretary, D

epartm

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f Foreign

Affairs

PROFESSIONAL AND SPECIALIST POSTS

Opportunities for almost allprofessional and specialist rolesexist within the Public Service for both graduates andnon-graduates.

These include:

• Engineers

• Planners

• Architects

• Accountants/Auditors

• Medical Consultants

• Psychologists

• Nursing Staff

• Legal Staff - Solicitors, Barristers, Law Clerks

• Paramedical staff - Dental Surgeons, Environmental Health Officers, Pharmacists, Community Welfare Officers.

How do I find out aboutProfessional/SpecialistPosts in the Civil Service? We advertise different jobswhen they arise in the mainrecruitment pages in the nationalpress and on our websitewww.publicjobs.ie.

You should check out the currentvacancy page on our website regularly. If a suitable vacancy isnot currently listed, you can register your interest in a range of opportunities which maybecome available in the future.

Call into our Careers Store or ringour Office at: 01 - 8587400 tofind out more.

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DAVID O’CONNOR City Architect, Fingal County Council

My name is David O’Connor. I amthe County Architect in FingalCounty Council. My responsibility isto advise the County Council, theCounty Manager and the SeniorExecutives of the Department of theirarchitectural responsibilities.I provide new housing and CivicBuildings for the County Council.I help the council formulate spatialstrategy into the future.

I entered the Public Service initiallythrough answering advertisements inthe paper like everybody does. Beingan Architect I entered at a particularlevel that was commensurate withmy experience at the time. But within12 months I was promoted to amiddle management role within theorganisation. I then found myselfwithin a sector to do with housingbut was able to push the boundaries

out within that and found myselftaken out of that particular sectionand brought in to do development.

I actually found myself shapingstreets and districts and I was anxiousto find out more about how thatwould work. I went and made apresentation to my managers andthey allowed me, on specialarrangement, to do a third leveldegree. So I got a degree inConservation within the PublicService supported by them.

It informed me about what I wasdoing in a new way. It would havebeen virtually impossible for me totake that sort of time out within theprivate sector.

I always felt that there was a biggerissue involved in architecture. I had

become strongly involved in my ownarchitectural profession and felt thatthere was a lot that could be done toinfluence public opinion, and influ-ence policy in general. I found that itsfar more effective to do that fromwithin the Public Service. You canproduce results. You find yourselfinfluencing people that otherwisewould not have architectural adviceand pushing out the boundaries ofmy own profession particularly, and Isuppose the most concrete influenceof that is the building we are sitting innow because it really is an expressionof pushing it to its limits.

It’s a very green conscious building,it’s a model of how the public serviceshould present itself to its people.

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City A

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DDeeppaarrttmmeenntt WWeebb SSiittee TTeelleepphhoonnee NNoo LLoo--CCaallll TTeell..Government Websites can be acessed/visited from www.irlgov.ie

Department of Agriculture & Food www.agriculture.gov.ie (01) 607 2000 1890 200510

Department of Arts, Sport & Tourism www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie (01) 631 3800 1890 383000

Office of the Attorney General www.attorneygeneral.ie (01) 661 6944

Central Statistics Office www.cso.ie (021) 453 5000 1890 313414

Department of Communications,

Marine & Natural Resources www.dcmnr.gov.ie (01) 678 2000 1890 449900

Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs www.pobail.ie (01) 647 3000 1890 474847

Office of the Comptroller & Auditor General www.audgen.gov.ie (01) 603 1000

The Courts Service www.courts.ie (01) 888 6000

Office of the Data Protection Commissioner www.dataprivacy.ie (01) 874 8544

Department of Defence www.defence.ie (01) 804 2000 1890 251890

Department of Education & Science www.education.ie (01) 8896400

Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment www.entemp.ie (01) 631 2121 1890 220222

Department of the Environment, Heritage

& Local Government www.environ.ie (01) 888 2000 1890 202021

Department of Finance www.finance.gov.ie (01) 676 7571 1890 661010

Department of Foreign Affairs www.foreignaffairs.gov.ie (01) 478 0822 1890 426700

Department of Health & Children www.dohc.ie (01) 635 4000 1890 200311

Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform www.justice.ie (01) 602 8202 1890 221227

Land Registry www.landregistry.ie (01) 670 7500

Office of the Ombudsman www.ombudsman.gov.ie (01) 639 5600 1890 223030

Public Appointments Service www.publicjobs.ie (01) 858 7400 1890 449999

Office of Public Works www.opw.ie (01) 647 6000 1890 213414

Office of the Revenue Commissioners www.revenue.ie (01) 679 2777

Department of Social & Family Affairs www.welfare.ie (01) 874 8444

Department of the Taoiseach www.taoiseach.gov.ie (01) 662 4888 1890 227227

Department of Transport www.transport.ie (01) 670 7444 1890 443311

Valuation Office www.valoff.ie (01) 817 1000 1890 304444

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Chapter House,

26/30 Abbey Street Upper,

Dublin 1,

Ireland.

Áras na Caibidle

26/30 Sráid na Mainistreach Uachtarach,

Baile Átha Cliath 1,

Éire.

Tel: 353-1-858-7400

Fax: 353-1-858-7500

Email: info@publicjobs.ie