Northern Ireland prison service (now recruiting))

HighburyLad

Cubacuba wrote: »

This is just getting ridiculous now considering we first applied back in April.
What a complete waste of time. I have no faith that we'll be any further on in July when the merit list expires.

I can't understand why they'd waste time and effort creating a candidate pool but not know when or even if they are going to use it.

I totally agree Cuba, this whole process has been such a saga, nothing is ever straightforward, I swear lol. If nothing was to come of this I really would be going down a process to complain or something, because they're getting into the 200's now with the merit list and there is a lot of people on here like myself who placed higher than that, and are potentially not going to get a job out of this, not even a job should I say, a career. If I had known about the PCO situation I would've ticked that box, foolishly thinking I would really like the CO role so I didn't, flip me and FML lol

chantelle101

chantelle101 wrote: »

Yes older lady.pretty sharp lol. She said they hadn't any information to confirm whether they would or wouldn't b recruiting. ..but did sound to me like not recruiting cud b an option...or she was just saying that dismissively. Ughhh!! Give them a ring and see what u get....

I rang another num....they haven't had any new info since telling them to go ahead with the pco roles so basically same position as before. There hasn't been anything to say they arent taking on co positions. ...

HighburyLad

chantelle101 wrote: »

I had my heart set on this job. So annoying. Highbury mayb ur uncle could shed some light nxt time ur speaking to him

Yeah I'll ask him, honestly I was told that they need more numbers for the co role, even members of the boards here who are officers have said that so many had left and that they would definitely need more.

Cubacuba

HighburyLad wrote: »

I totally agree Cuba, this whole process has been such a saga, nothing is ever straightforward, I swear lol. If nothing was to come of this I really would be going down a process to complain or something, because they're getting into the 200's now with the merit list and there is a lot of people on here like myself who placed higher than that, and are potentially not going to get a job out of this, not even a job should I say, a career. If I had known about the PCO situation I would've ticked that box, foolishly thinking I would really like the CO role so I didn't, flip me and FML lol

Same here Highbury. I an in the 40s and would definitely have applied for pco if I had known it would pan out like this.

HighburyLad

chantelle101 wrote: »

I rang another num....they haven't had any new info since telling them to go ahead with the pco roles so basically same position as before. There hasn't been anything to say they arent taking on co positions. ...

So there is a small glimmer of hope

BIGD85

Folks I have been told by a friend who is currently serving that they are moving guys that have been employed in the PCO role for the past few years over to the PO role, could explain why they are taking on so many PCO's, so I have have basically given up hope altogether now :-(

HighburyLad

BIGD85 wrote: »

Folks I have been told buy a friend who is currently serving that they are moving guys that have been employed in the PCO role for the past few years over to the PO role, could explain why they are taking on so many PCO's, so I have have basically given up hope altogether now :-(

Damn! this sucks!

chantelle101

HighburyLad wrote: »

Damn! this sucks!

Yes I kno someone who is doing this but they were asked if they wanted to. I dont think its a case of moving all pcos into the co role and then only taking on new pcos...well I hope not anyway

HighburyLad

Okay so I was speaking to my contact, lol, and I feel a good bit better, as LittleLoki said before, a good amount of officers have left the CO position since the last campaign, upwards to 100 for various reasons, and some obvious reasons. I was told that PCO's have transferred over but this has been pretty much done and was done prior to, and during the masses leaving from the previous campaign, I was told that they have to take on more CO's once the final PCO's are taken on board, then they will take on the CO's. I sorta expressed doubt, and I was told that come the following months things will start moving for the CO front, and I was told it will be relatively quick, as the prison service expect a few of their officers to have applied for the PSNI too, and expect a few to leave, numbers apparently are sitting at around 1000 officers including governors etc, also a handful are still to leave under this early retirement scheme too, so I was told to sit tight, and i'm not trolling but this is literally what I was told from a family member who is senior level, and I have pestered the crap out of him haha, but what I have reiterated here is what I was told, the recruitment branch are the middle man and apparently are told last minute about anything recruitment wise, so they'll be told we need x amount and then they'll start getting bodies through etc. I felt a bit better about the situation after asking about it, hopefully this will restore a bit of faith that we'll get there, i'm relatively confident something will happen its just a matter of when

craydon

Thanks highburylad! It's coming up to a year since we applied for this..
Surely they can't advertise the position and not actually fill the posts with people they took from the recruitment drive. Also I'm sure it wasn't cheap with assessment centres etc! Hoping we hear soon

HighburyLad

Anybody heard any updates? even serving officers? Impatience is a pain lol, was just thinking it was August when I recieved letters to say yes you've been successful but we're taking on PCO's first and we will be in contact in due time, that was pretty much 6 months ago, it's kinda mental that they haven't heard any word in terms of custody officers, and like Craydon said it's coming up to a year come April, surely something will be issued by then, sorry folks just venting and wishing and hoping

chantelle101

HighburyLad wrote: »

Anybody heard any updates? even serving officers? Impatience is a pain lol, was just thinking it was August when I recieved letters to say yes you've been successful but we're taking on PCO's first and we will be in contact in due time, that was pretty much 6 months ago, it's kinda mental that they haven't heard any word in terms of custody officers, and like Craydon said it's coming up to a year come April, surely something will be issued by then, sorry folks just venting and wishing and hoping

Nothing here

HighburyLad

chantelle101 wrote: »

Nothing here

Damn I was hoping Chantelle you were going to say yeah we got that go ahead and they told you to tell Highburylad too lol.

chantelle101

HighburyLad wrote: »

Damn I was hoping Chantelle you were going to say yeah we got that go ahead and they told you to tell Highburylad too lol.

Lol when I seen u had posted I thot woohoo highbury must hav got forms lol

HighburyLad

chantelle101 wrote: »

Lol when I seen u had posted I thot woohoo highbury must hav got forms lol

Aw sorry my bad, I hadn't been on the forums in a few days and just wanted to post something to see if any contact had been made lol.

BIGD85

I called them today and i was told they have filled the 40 and 35 hour PCO positions. Still no word on the CO positions though :-(

Weestones

Rang them yesterday got the woman who is very helpful! She said 40 & 35 hr post are filled, and they are filling 20 hr posts and the min! And they are starting there classes start on march! She said once they finish the 20 hr posts recruiting they more than likely will start co roles!

HighburyLad

At least they're onto the 20hr PCO role now, and thanks stones for the info that's great news

HighburyLad

Was at a shindig last night and was speaking to my mate who got in the last campaign about the fact the final 20 hr PCO's will be trained sometime in March, and hoping that the CPO's will be brought in afterwards, was told that from the last campaign around 307 were recruited for the custody officer role, and around 70 of the prisoner escort service transferred over to the custody officer role, these folks apparently finished their re-training in September. Around 500 have now left under the early retirement scheme and give or take near 80 or more apparently have left the prison service as custody officers from the last campaign for various reasons.

So my pal was saying they have been told after expressing lack of numbers and man power and the increasing number of prisoners, from senior officers that more custody officers will be brought in, and with the numbers that he told me I was kinda reassured, and I was told the numbers are pretty accurate, just thought I would drop a bit of info that I was shared with, might bring a bit of hopeful reassurance to all who is patiently waiting including myself lol.

chantelle101

Sounds gd highbury. Love all ur inside info lol.

HighburyLad

Lol only thing that keeps me hopeful for this are those 2, I know there is a few who have contacted recently, but I'm gonna phone soon too as it's maybe a month since I last spoke to them, and they did say to ring back next month, I know what they will say but to see if I can get any reassurance and info lol

HighburyLad

Impatience got the better of me I phoned the recruitment line there and got a girl who said that they should be hearing sometime soon in regards to the custody officer role and she confirmed that there should be a relatively large enough intake for the role, but have not got a go ahead yet, can someone else phone and suss out if this is true I really got the feeling she was trying to spoon feed me what I wanted to hear, could be me refusing to believe until it's 100% accurate

Weestones

HighburyLad wrote: »

Impatience got the better of me I phoned the recruitment line there and got a girl who said that they should be hearing sometime soon in regards to the custody officer role and she confirmed that there should be a relatively large enough intake for the role, but have not got a go ahead yet, can someone else phone and suss out if this is true I really got the feeling she was trying to spoon feed me what I wanted to hear, could be me refusing to believe until it's 100% accurate

Hopefully we hear somthing soon! Where abouts are on the merit list highburylad?

HighburyLad

Weestones wrote: »

Hopefully we hear somthing soon! Where abouts are on the merit list highburylad?

Hopefully, top 70 mate

Weestones

Got the call today! Bad thing is it's only the 20hr post, in two minds now on what to do, in a 40hr job atm! So will be decrease in pay! Do I accept and hope to be able and get more hours or do I hold of for CO? What we think guys and gals?

HighburyLad

Weestones wrote: »

Got the call today! Bad thing is it's only the 20hr post, in two minds now on what to do, in a 40hr job atm! So will be decrease in pay! Do I accept and hope to be able and get more hours or do I hold of for CO? What we think guys and gals?

Congrats stones, I would accept the role and I would be pretty confident you would be able to get over time, holding out for the co role all depends I suppose on merit placing I don't know how far they are down the list and really what the craic is with the co front, what have they said?

Weestones

HighburyLad wrote: »

Congrats stones, I would accept the role and I would be pretty confident you would be able to get over time, holding out for the co role all depends I suppose on merit placing I don't know how far they are down the list and really what the craic is with the co front, what have they said?

I asked today whilist on the fone to them! Said still no more updates on co, but this would more than likely be the last pco that are taken on board! Yeh asked a friend that is currently a pco and he also said there Is plenty of overtime!

HighburyLad

Weestones wrote: »

I asked today whilist on the fone to them! Said still no more updates on co, but this would more than likely be the last pco that are taken on board! Yeh asked a friend that is currently a pco and he also said there Is plenty of overtime!

Yeah I say take it stones, if this is the last PCO's taken on board, and who knows what's happening with the CPO's, and this intake I would say will be the last for a good while, unless numbers were to fall dramatically for both roles, but yeah grab it and run with it, lol and all the best, could you tell us where abouts you where roughly on the merit list just so us left waiting know where abouts on the merit list they got to? Lol

Weestones

HighburyLad wrote: »

Yeah I say take it stones, if this is the last PCO's taken on board, and who knows what's happening with the CPO's, and this intake I would say will be the last for a good while, unless numbers were to fall dramatically for both roles, but yeah grab it and run with it, lol and all the best, could you tell us where abouts you where roughly on the merit list just so us left waiting know where abouts on the merit list they got to? Lol

I was 160esh! But I done my medical and everything more or less within a couple of months of finding out I was successfull but not that far up the merit list! But I hear people lower than myself that haven't heard anything on there medicals! That tells me they are in a rush for the cpo position!

HighburyLad

Weestones wrote: »

I was 160esh! But I done my medical and everything more or less within a couple of months of finding out I was successfull but not that far up the merit list! But I hear people lower than myself that haven't heard anything on there medicals! That tells me they are in a rush for the cpo position!

So they even could be up to 200 on the merit list or so by now for the PCO's I dunno even if the merit list works in that way from what I have been told, yeah your right I'm top 70 and only picked the co role and haven't recieved a medical or anything like that, and there is a few more on here like that, I reckon once you guys are trained up it will be the new financial year if they're to take on co's, do you know how long the training is for PCO?