Eo1 nics

I don’t think anyone actually plans or means to end up in the Civil Service, it just kind of happens. It’s a decent place to work mostly, with the exception of a few departments. Hopefully you get placed soon and somewhere favourable. I live very close to my office and work from home full time, so I’m not sure if I will take my offer, especially if it is a move back to Benefits. Id have to turn that down

Reply 81

Priddel

7

Original post by CollyWobbles45

I don’t think anyone actually plans or means to end up in the Civil Service, it just kind of happens. It’s a decent place to work mostly, with the exception of a few departments. Hopefully you get placed soon and somewhere favourable. I live very close to my office and work from home full time, so I’m not sure if I will take my offer, especially if it is a move back to Benefits. Id have to turn that down

TBH I'm 36 years in the silly service and am still trying to work out what I want to do. As you say benefits sucks and I've had 33 years of them so far. Yes WFH for me is less frequent I'm on a 50/50 split currently but would take 3 years more pain if it boosts my pension 😜 Yes I'm not their preferred demographic of under 35 years of age and yes the current application process is designed to put my age group off and it succeeded as only 10% of applicants were over 50 but there's always one and it looks like I'm it🤣 I suppose the next big thing will be when people on here start getting placed let's just hope it's before the end of the summer. My current office has vacancies all currently filled by TPs so staying is probably going to be an option but not my preferred one😂

Reply 82

Priddel

7

If anyone is interested as I've said earlier my merit position was 114f. I only applied for posts in the Belfast area and HR confirmed today that I'm 80th on the list for that area.

Reply 83

Sarahflint

5

Original post by Priddel

If anyone is interested as I've said earlier my merit position was 114f. I only applied for posts in the Belfast area and HR confirmed today that I'm 80th on the list for that area.

Merit position is 33f. So then do i have to send an email to HR asking were I am in the areas I applied for?

Reply 84

Priddel

7

Original post by Sarahflint

Merit position is 33f. So then do i have to send an email to HR asking were I am in the areas I applied for?

Yes that's what I had to do only took a couple of days for a reply

Reply 85

Sarahflint

5

Original post by Priddel

Yes that's what I had to do only took a couple of days for a reply

Thank you sharing information.

Reply 86

Priddel

7

More info from the latest FOI request about vacancies at EO1 in NICS

304 in total 223 in Belfast 37 in L/Derry 11 in Craigavon 10 in Coleraine 3 in Omagh 6 in Newry 4 in Ballymena 4 in Cookstown and 6 in Dungannon

These are the areas 1to9 you would have been asked to apply for when you made the application and as you can see if you excluded Belfast you might be waiting some time even if your merit position is good

Reply 87

CollyWobbles45

7

It probably wouldn't have bee the wisest idea to exclude Belfast from chosen areas as Belfast is where the majority of the jobs are. I'm going to send a few emails to senior mgmt today to try and get an idea as to what is going on, or not going on, and timescales. I think they will need to make a decision soon whether to freeze recruitment or not. It would make sense to freeze it now and review in 6-12 months. I would prefer to freeze it now and then reopen if and when we get back up on our feet, rather than keep it open and lift 1 or 2 people off it every month. Clarity would be good, and for existing Civil Servants on this forum, don't be afraid to ask your Director what is going on, they will be able to be straight with you, unless you work in DfC. Unfrotunately DfC staff will more than likely not have access to their Director

Reply 88

Priddel

7

Agreed but 34 people have in my case also I'm sure there are ones ahead of me on a SO or DP list which I don't think gave you an area option, so when everything starts to move it could move quickly except if like me you work for DfC🤣

Reply 89

CollyWobbles45

7

Original post by Priddel

Agreed but 34 people have in my case also I'm sure there are ones ahead of me on a SO or DP list which I don't think gave you an area option, so when everything starts to move it could move quickly except if like me you work for DfC🤣

I'm on the SO list, but much higher up on the EO1 list. I'll probably get offered an EO1 post first, but it will be vacant once i get my SO offer. If the eo1
offer is to a department like DfC, i might not even take it. Its not worth it for me. I'm TP'd to EO1 already and would see this as a major step backwards if i had to go back to Benefits. There will inevitably be other candidates who don't take up their offers. Especially the Derry ones that get offered Belfast

Reply 90

EDFC2021

7

Anyone know anything about what is happening re. Budgets? I work in DFC and received an email this afternoon which was fairly grim

Reply 91

CollyWobbles45

7

Haven't heard anything apart from what everyone already knows. What did the email say? Our Department is not is great nick at the moment. A lot of projects are being abandoned and lots of cancellations all around. I just hope people realise the amount of damage the so called "big political parties" are doing to this country when they go to vote next week. I've worked in NICS for 14 years and never remembered it this bad

Reply 92

Gerrypauls

4

Seen that myself, redeployments stood out like a red flag and i am going hazard a guess there will be a freeze on recruitment and we will just sit in limbo for a while. Hard to get motivated now in civil service after the pay offer and now potentially no avenue for promotion and better salary it is seriously depressing

Original post by EDFC2021

Anyone know anything about what is happening re. Budgets? I work in DFC and received an email this afternoon which was fairly grim

Reply 93

Focuspoint

5

If you had an interview from Feb....rest assured that you going to get a reply

Reply 94

EDFC2021

7

Original post by CollyWobbles45

Haven't heard anything apart from what everyone already knows. What did the email say? Our Department is not is great nick at the moment. A lot of projects are being abandoned and lots of cancellations all around. I just hope people realise the amount of damage the so called "big political parties" are doing to this country when they go to vote next week. I've worked in NICS for 14 years and never remembered it this bad

It mentioned possible redeployments etc.

Reply 95

EDFC2021

7

Original post by Gerrypauls

Seen that myself, redeployments stood out like a red flag and i am going hazard a guess there will be a freeze on recruitment and we will just sit in limbo for a while. Hard to get motivated now in civil service after the pay offer and now potentially no avenue for promotion and better salary it is seriously depressing

Yup not a good position to be in. My department has a meeting tomorrow afternoon, everyone is feeling anxious about it.

Reply 96

Will TW

1

HRC still haven’t given me my place on the merit list. Got 180 in total in the interview anyone want to hazard a guess where about id likely be on the list?

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 97

Priddel

7

DfC have about 600 vacancies of which about 400 are in benefits so any department with a surplus of staff can expect to be redeployed to us. Have also been told no new staff other than to replace ones currently there who retire or leave and the staff levels of 31st March 2023 will be maintained for the next year. So if it was vacant then it will stay vacant😡 Also no VES so forget early retirement. Have to say it looks dire and just wait for the other departments announcements DFC only has a say on what it does with 10% of its budget the rest is ring fenced and must be spent as a legal requirement so with less staff we have longer waiting times as 75% of the staff vacancies are public facing 😱

Reply 98

Gerrypauls

4

Original post by Priddel

DfC have about 600 vacancies of which about 400 are in benefits so any department with a surplus of staff can expect to be redeployed to us. Have also been told no new staff other than to replace ones currently there who retire or leave and the staff levels of 31st March 2023 will be maintained for the next year. So if it was vacant then it will stay vacant😡 Also no VES so forget early retirement. Have to say it looks dire and just wait for the other departments announcements DFC only has a say on what it does with 10% of its budget the rest is ring fenced and must be spent as a legal requirement so with less staff we have longer waiting times as 75% of the staff vacancies are public facing 😱