Northern Ireland prison service (now recruiting))

Weestones

HighburyLad wrote: »

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?

Yeh that could be a possibility! The training is six weeks in millisle!

BIGD85

I called today and was told that there is still no movement on CO positions :-(

HighburyLad

BIGD85 wrote: »

I called today and was told that there is still no movement on CO positions :-(

Did they say much D? as in to phone back at some stage or anything at all? I'm pretty certain if there is to be movement, it would be come April in the new financial year, if we're lucky and oh how I pray so, lol, we could hear just before April, If this is gonna go ahead i.e. CO roles, there's a good few who only picked that role and none of the others and including myself have yet to receive a medical, so in theory they would need to get it rolling if its to happen, the new financial year would make sense, they have the new budget in and one of the first things they do is take on new CO's, fingers crossed, been the longest wait and has felt forever lol, dont lose hope yet D

BIGD85

I was just told to keep in touch with them but no specific information was given to me, hopefully March or April brings us all some good news, I will give them another call in 3 weeks time if I still haven't heard anything.

HighburyLad

BIGD85 wrote: »

I was just told to keep in touch with them but no specific information was given to me, hopefully March or April brings us all some good news, I will give them another call in 3 weeks time if I still haven't heard anything.

I was told they will not say anything until they've been told yeah get bodies through for CO's as that could lead to a law suit if they say yeah and nothing materialises from what I have heard from serving officers and also relatives who work for the service it sounds like they need numbers pretty bad, as serving members have even stated on the forum that a good number have left since the last campaign so hopefully it's just a matter of when for the rest of us, touch wood lol

Cubacuba

I have heard 37 have left from Maghaberry alone from last years recruitment. They need lots and soon. There is a major shortage at the minute.

I emailed recruitment and was told there was no update since I emailed them lady August. Hopefully this will get moving soon!

HighburyLad

Cubacuba wrote: »

I have heard 37 have left from Maghaberry alone from last years recruitment. They need lots and soon. There is a major shortage at the minute.

I emailed recruitment and was told there was no update since I emailed them lady August. Hopefully this will get moving soon!

Hopefully, it's been such a debacle lol

chantelle101

HighburyLad wrote: »

Hopefully, it's been such a debacle lol[/quote

]It can't b much longer if theyve got the 20 hour posts done surely!!! This is driving me nuts. If they wait to april to send out medical forms etc it cud b another long wait

craydon

Hey guys! Not really been posting but still been reading and highburylad, thanks so much as usual for all your info! I'm soo fed up with waiting it's been ages but I hope it'll be worth the wait.

Also we booked a holiday way last year for the end of this coming summer, I'd assumed if I had been successful with the job that is have started long ago so it wouldn't have been a problem.

I also remembered too that at assessment centre I forgot my paper part of my driving licence and gsce certificates so I'm assuming if I'm successful they'll let me know when they need them?

Anyway, where are all you guys preferences?! I'm not too fussed but to be honest magilligan is maybe a wee bit too far to travel!

Cubacuba

I'd be hoping for Maghaberry or Hydebank. Magilligan would be too far.

HighburyLad

craydon wrote: »

Hey guys! Not really been posting but still been reading and highburylad, thanks so much as usual for all your info! I'm soo fed up with waiting it's been ages but I hope it'll be worth the wait.

Also we booked a holiday way last year for the end of this coming summer, I'd assumed if I had been successful with the job that is have started long ago so it wouldn't have been a problem.

I also remembered too that at assessment centre I forgot my paper part of my driving licence and gsce certificates so I'm assuming if I'm successful they'll let me know when they need them?

Anyway, where are all you guys preferences?! I'm not too fussed but to be honest magilligan is maybe a wee bit too far to travel!

I would probably prefer Maghaberry, I have a funny feeling from what I have heard that's where most people could be stationed, just some information that's probably just that, information, but was speaking to the informant aka my relative, and they were telling me that basically resource which is a firm like g4s was doing the job that PCO's are now doing, basically that was now to be done in house I.E. the NIPS so that's why they were taking on so many PCO's, to essentially replace those that were privately contracted, I was told that the last of the resource ladies and fellas were basically ending this week or maybe next week but they were all on temporary contracts, until they were no longer needed, if that makes any sense, it has no real baring on anything really lol but I thought I would share, I suppose it answers the question to why so many PCO's were recruited and prioritised to first for our campaign

HighburyLad

I would love to know what's involved in the training process too, for both roles, someone told me that the custody officer role is 8 weeks training as opposed to the 6 weeks for PCO?

HighburyLad

Anybody heard anything at all? I'm tempted to give them a ring again lol

BIGD85

Ive heard nothing mate, I was speaking to a friend who is in his 4 week of training and he told me that they are recruiting PCO's who will eventually become custody officers, I've heard that much I don't no what to believe. I would just rather have confirmation in the post as to whether I'm getting a job or not rather that waiting out until July when the merit list becomes void.

HighburyLad

BIGD85 wrote: »

Ive heard nothing mate, I was speaking to a friend who is in his 4 week of training and he told me that they are recruiting PCO's who will eventually become custody officers, I've heard that much I don't no what to believe. I would just rather have confirmation in the post as to whether I'm getting a job or not rather that waiting out until July when the merit list becomes void.

Oh really? Flip me, this is beyond a joke now, it will be one year come April since we applied, 1 year and still nothing, I don't know whether to just say sod this and forget about this, and move on and make peace that it's not meant to be, I'm just gutted to score relatively high and nothing to come of it, and if the ladies within the recruitment branch were nice and just gave us some insight it would least allow us to be put at peace no matter the outcome

BIGD85

I would call today but I was on to them last week, give us an update if you decided to call them.

HighburyLad

BIGD85 wrote: »

I would call today but I was on to them last week, give us an update if you decided to call them.

I'm not gonna lie I hate phoning them, I always feel I'm pissing them off, there has been maybe 1 or 2 of them that seem cool, but the rest always seem miffed when I phone, and I have literally since July only phoned them 4 or 5 times at the most lol, Im off today so I'm looking at all my letters that I received from them and the last is dated 31st of July 2013 and that's to say whilst I have been successful at the assessment centre, immediate positions are available at prisoner custody officer. This campaign was termed recruitment for Prisoner Custody Officer(PCO)/Custody Prison Officer (Custody Officer) however nobody from this campaign has been recruited for the custody officer position. Those that only picked Custody officer the same as myself, haven't received a medical or anything am I right? because I haven't done a medical nor vetting. If i'm honest I really am worried that those who only applied for the custody officer role are now in some sorta loop hole, were if they are taking custody officers from the PCO role, then we could essentially be missed out regardless of merit, I really hope I'm wrong.

Sofia2011

Hi guys, haven't had a chance to read back through all posts yet but I also applied for the job as part time PCO (court based). I got a call about a month ago being offered a position pretty much anywhere in NI apart from the area I wanted!
Have you guys heard where abouts you are on a merit list or anything like that? I never asked but was told I would be kept on a list until June should my preferred area come up.
Luckily Ive progressed through the PSNI recruitment in the meantime!

Weestones

Sofia2011 wrote: »

Hi guys, haven't had a chance to read back through all posts yet but I also applied for the job as part time PCO (court based). I got a call about a month ago being offered a position pretty much anywhere in NI apart from the area I wanted!
Have you guys heard where abouts you are on a merit list or anything like that? I never asked but was told I would be kept on a list until June should my preferred area come up.
Luckily Ive progressed through the PSNI recruitment in the meantime!

I'm the same got offered pco role couple weeks ago! I was 160esh in merit where abouts is yourself? I would def prefer psni, the way nips have been treating us! Good luck

HighburyLad

Sofia2011 wrote: »

Hi guys, haven't had a chance to read back through all posts yet but I also applied for the job as part time PCO (court based). I got a call about a month ago being offered a position pretty much anywhere in NI apart from the area I wanted!
Have you guys heard where abouts you are on a merit list or anything like that? I never asked but was told I would be kept on a list until June should my preferred area come up.
Luckily Ive progressed through the PSNI recruitment in the meantime!

Hi Sofia, aye I'm in the top 100 in the merit list but only picked for the CPO position which hasn't had any movement since we last recieved letters to say wait, back in July/August, I take it they hadn't said anything in regards to custody officers by any chance? lol, good luck also, hope you get whatever you want when do you start stones in Millisle?

Weestones

HighburyLad wrote: »

Hi Sofia, aye I'm in the top 100 in the merit list but only picked for the CPO position which hasn't had any movement since we last recieved letters to say wait, back in July/August, I take it they hadn't said anything in regards to custody officers by any chance? lol, good luck also, hope you get whatever you want when do you start stones in Millisle?

I start 10th march highburylad, go for a opening evening down in millisle tomorrow night! I rang today to speak to them about a few things, and just happen to mention about the CO role, she was nice woman now, and she said that they still haven't heard anything and to be fair she said that she'll be ringing today to complain, as they have been left high and dry and are receiving fone calls from people like us for updates!

Sofia2011

I never asked about the merit list at all. I emailed once and got a blunt reply about things being processed in order of merit but nothing else! So decided not to bother them again lol.
Thanks, im just hoping all with the other job goes ok.
Good luck to you too hope you hear soon about the job!

HighburyLad

Weestones wrote: »

I start 10th march highburylad, go for a opening evening down in millisle tomorrow night! I rang today to speak to them about a few things, and just happen to mention about the CO role, she was nice woman now, and she said that they still haven't heard anything and to be fair she said that she'll be ringing today to complain, as they have been left high and dry and are receiving fone calls from people like us for updates!

I envy you so much mate starting something new lol, well that's fair enough I know those at the recruitment branch are kinda none the wiser and are getting our grief it's just to me it's been badly advertised and processed and 8 months since the last form of contact, I was looking up on the internet and what they have done unless the do recruit custody officers is not exactly legal from what I've read etc, I suppose we have to wait til July for sure but next month it's exactly a year since the application process began, hopefully all is not lost for the rest of us lol, all the best mate and good luck!!

craydon

Isn't it June they said they'd hold the waiting list until? I am not hopeful now, I just think they will transfer pcos over to co roles because remember how many applied for both roles! But where does that leave us? I only applied for co and I'm in top 100 on the merit list. I was reading through the applicant handbook and it states again and again that those applicants offered positions available will be those highest placed on the merit list in accordance with whatever role is available. So surely the likes of those pcos who have been further down the merit list eventually transferring over to custody officers will be going against that??
I emailed the other day and she said she was sorry but there was no further information at the minute.

HighburyLad

craydon wrote: »

Isn't it June they said they'd hold the waiting list until? I am not hopeful now, I just think they will transfer pcos over to co roles because remember how many applied for both roles! But where does that leave us? I only applied for co and I'm in top 100 on the merit list. I was reading through the applicant handbook and it states again and again that those applicants offered positions available will be those highest placed on the merit list in accordance with whatever role is available. So surely the likes of those pcos who have been further down the merit list eventually transferring over to custody officers will be going against that??
I emailed the other day and she said she was sorry but there was no further information at the minute.

I contacted them there and asked and the lady did say to me she has raised the issue with senior management and told me to ring back if I hadnt heard anything in the next couple of weeks, the list is valid until July 2014 but she did say they can extend it if needed, she said she can't confirm anything but she did say there had been a number who have left the service over the past year that have not been replaced, so I'm still hoping, fingers crossed, I mean the candidates handbook says there is vacancies for the following positions, PCO and CPO which if they weren't to recruit CPO's is technically not true, so I'm hoping they stay true to their words

craydon

All of us phoning up and emailing can only be a good thing as it'll hopefully press them to get an actual answer for us! I mean come on, it was almost a year ago we applied!! Maybe they don't know themselves if or when they'll actually need us so that's why they have the waiting list?!
My only hope is your contact highburylad and what they've told you lol!

HighburyLad

craydon wrote: »

All of us phoning up and emailing can only be a good thing as it'll hopefully press them to get an actual answer for us! I mean come on, it was almost a year ago we applied!! Maybe they don't know themselves if or when they'll actually need us so that's why they have the waiting list?!
My only hope is your contact highburylad and what they've told you lol!

Same lol, all I have heard is how they need numbers now they needed more before people left and now they need even more, and others who are in the job even said on here too, so they definitely need more bodies, hopefully this wait truly pays off, I think we all deserve it even more so for holding out for so long, I'm sure there will be a few who will have moved on, I don't think we're asking for much, at the end of the day we're wanting to work in a jail lol

chantelle101

HighburyLad wrote: »

Same lol, all I have heard is how they need numbers now they needed more before people left and now they need even more, and others who are in the job even said on here too, so they definitely need more bodies, hopefully this wait truly pays off, I think we all deserve it even more so for holding out for so long, I'm sure there will be a few who will have moved on, I don't think we're asking for much, at the end of the day we're wanting to work in a jail lol

Well at least we kno theyre starting to ask questions!!! I hope its not needed to be extended lol and we will b well started by July!!

Weestones

Was down at millisle the night! Was speaking to the topboy who is in charge of the PCO's he was saying to me that in 6 months more people will be moving from the pco to co role! Leaving more positions to open again for pco! Asked about co roles he said he hasn't heard of positions opening up as they r concentrating on the pco recruitment!

chantelle101

Weestones wrote: »

Was down at millisle the night! Was speaking to the topboy who is in charge of the PCO's he was saying to me that in 6 months more people will be moving from the pco to co role! Leaving more positions to open again for pco! Asked about co roles he said he hasn't heard of positions opening up as they r concentrating on the pco recruitment!

That is not good news for us that applied only for co's!