Prison Officer Recruitment 2016

brianp20

Harryhoofer wrote: »

Is it close to portlaoise train station?

I just checked on Google maps and it's a 2k walk from the station to the training centre. That can be your warm up!

Omackeral

Harryhoofer wrote: »

Is it close to portlaoise train station?

Opposite end of the town. It's about 5 minutes in a car but probably 20 to walk.


https://www.google.ie/maps/dir/Portlaoise+Train+Station/Midlands+Prison,+Dublin+Road,+Portlaoise/@53.0354353,-7.3031467,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x485d0dccb4120fd1:0x84acdb91a9f7ec53!2m2!1d-7.3013434!2d53.0370222!1m5!1m1!1s0x485d0dad518aeb0d:0xd1246f4c6a1a567c!2m2!1d-7.2854283!2d53.0384813?hl=en

newtothis23

Omackeral wrote: »

Basically, it means you make yourself available to work those hours on your rest days. For simplicity sake, the working year is divided into quarters. So if you're on the 360 band which most start on, you'll do 90 extra hours per quarter at the AH rate.

An AH day, or recall as it's known, is typically an 8-5 shift. You are required to nominate free days which you can work. You nominate 15 days in any given quarter. When you complete your 8 hour recall (1 Hour unpaid lunch) it comes off your 90 total. When you do your next one, it comes off your 82 total and so on. You won't have to work all 15 nominated days.

It seems complex but you get the swing of it really soon and there's notice boards up keeping track of your hours. You can also look to come down a band if the 360 is too much. As stated, there's the 240 band and the 112 band. There's also a 0 band. Whatever suits you.

Thanks for that info.Can you do all 12 hour shifts for AH so you clock up your hours quicker or does IPS prefer you to do 8-5?
Id imagine with having to work one in every two weekends and AH on weekends you are due to be off there isnt too many full weekends when you are off.

Tommy61

Nice to know there's also a 0 band of AH as I have an army pension and the more I earn in IPS (assuming I get the job) the more they will abate my pension so I would actually be working for no gain. At least until I get up the payscales a bit at which point I won't be getting anything from my pension anyhow so I can do all the AH in the world.

Omackeral

newtothis23 wrote: »

Thanks for that info.Can you do all 12 hour shifts for AH so you clock up your hours quicker or does IPS prefer you to do 8-5?

Yes you can make yourself available to work on til 8PM on the day but that's depending on availability of hours. Some guys do that and prefer it that way. Yes it's a longer day but, as you say, it clocks the hours up quicker and turns out as less days in. I personally do the 8-5 and treat it like a half day, that's easy for me because I'm living in Dublin. Again, whatever works for you.

Salmon

newtothis23 wrote: »

Thanks for that info.Can you do all 12 hour shifts for AH so you clock up your hours quicker or does IPS prefer you to do 8-5?
Id imagine with having to work one in every two weekends and AH on weekends you are due to be off there isnt too many full weekends when you are off.

Just to let you know if you are rostered you will be working 8-8 mostly so will typically work 7 days out of 14. This leaves the other 7 days to do AH. If you are 8-5 you will work 10 days out of 14 so can work AH in the evenings (3 hours 5-8) or on your saturday or sunday off. It is possible to do a lot of your AH on you days off during the week while on the roster, therefore leaving your weekends intact . You wont do many AH days on a Sunday either!

newtothis23

Salmon wrote: »

Just to let you know if you are rostered you will be working 8-8 mostly so will typically work 7 days out of 14. This leaves the other 7 days to do AH. If you are 8-5 you will work 10 days out of 14 so can work AH in the evenings (3 hours 5-8) or on your saturday or sunday off. It is possible to do a lot of your AH on you days off during the week while on the roster, therefore leaving your weekends intact . You wont do many AH days on a Sunday either!

Thanks for that info.Like everyone else I'm sure, I'd be hoping to do as much of my AH as possible during the week.

newtothis23

Just thinking AH over.Im guessing most if not all of it is completed on the week you are scheduled to be off Monday,Tuesday,Friday,Saturday and Sunday because the other week you work 5/7 days already.
Monday is probably the least favourable day to do it because you have just worked Fri,Sat and Sun so you are left with Tuesday,Friday,Saturday and Sunday of that week to complete AH.

Leo Demidov

newtothis23 wrote: »

Just thinking AH over.Im guessing most if not all of it is completed on the week you are scheduled to be off Monday,Tuesday,Friday,Saturday and Sunday because the other week you work 5/7 days already.
Monday is probably the least favourable day to do it because you have just worked Fri,Sat and Sun so you are left with Tuesday,Friday,Saturday and Sunday of that week to complete AH.

You nominate two of each day and three of one to make 15 days for which you are available. Dont over think it, you'll be getting shafted for years before you fully figure it out.

Abbey90

Does anybody know for the physical in the 600m run is it beeps we have to run to or just run the full distance in the 3 minutes 30 without running to beeps

Harryhoofer

Abbey90 wrote: »

Does anybody know for the physical in the 600m run is it beebs we have to run to or just run the full distance in the 3 minutes 30 without running to beebs

Welcome to the forum. It is not a beep test. Two cones 15 metres apart 40 shuttles to be done.

Harryhoofer

This is the English version where it is a beep test..

https://youtu.be/HxTL9p-tTDI

I'm almost certain it isn't a beep test for us but I'll find out for certain later and get back to you.

Abbey90

Harryhoofer wrote: »

Welcome to the forum. It is not a beep test. Two cones 15 metres apart 40 shuttles to be done.

Thank you. That's great you just get it done as quick as you can

percy212

How many people fail that physical on average. If they are strict about what they list as requirements, surely quite a few!

Harryhoofer

percy212 wrote: »

How many people fail that physical on average. If they are strict about what they list as requirements, surely quite a few!

I'd imagine failure rates are low. It's not designed to eliminate you it's designed to establish a very basic level of fitness.. Anyone who is worried about it had months to prepare so failing it now you would have to question how committed you were to succeeding. It's incredibly basic but if your unfit maybe not so.

brianp20

percy212 wrote: »

How many people fail that physical on average. If they are strict about what they list as requirements, surely quite a few!

I can't see many failing. All you need is to be reasonably fit.

brianp20

brianp20 wrote: »

I can't see many failing. All you need is to be reasonably fit.

Has anyone actually done a trial run?

Harryhoofer

On the 20/9/16 at stage two we were all issued with the fitness requirements and warned then if your unfit you will need to buck up! That is 6 months for the top 40 odd candidates to get in shape even longer if your outside the top 40 odd. If you fail you've only yourself to blame. I personally think the fitness requirements should be even more demanding but that's just me. All front line workers should be fit and have to maintain it yearly but of course that doesn't happen.

percy212

Thanks for the info. I didn't ask for a motivational speech.

Harryhoofer wrote: »

I'd imagine failure rates are low. It's not designed to eliminate you it's designed to establish a very basic level of fitness.. Anyone who is worried about it had months to prepare so failing it now you would have to question how committed you were to succeeding. It's incredibly basic but if your unfit maybe not so.

Harryhoofer

percy212 wrote: »

Thanks for the info. I didn't ask for a motivational speech.

Well your the one fretting it so I felt the need to motivate you!

Tommy61

Best thing to do is a practice at home run, it will give you the confidence under test conditions that you can do it. Pace yourself on the shuttle run, if you go off too fast you will be in bother. " Fail to prepare then prepare to fail" and all that. It's easily passable by anyone of average fitness and remember there is no gender norming so male and female have to pass the same test.
Regardless of what the IPS staff do on the day you should ensure that you are adequately warmed up before starting yourself, ideally with a slightly elevated heart rate. You don't rev the nuts off your car from cold, do you?

newtothis23

brianp20 wrote: »

Has anyone actually done a trial run?

I did the 40 × 15 and I did it with about 20 seconds to spare on first go today and I wasn't going full pelt.I play 5 a side once a week(goals mostly) other than that no fitness work.Im not carrying any excess weight but if I can do it anyone can.
Even if someone does fail you get second chance to do it.

Tommy61

Percy if you need any help/ advice you can PM me

redmgar

what number are they up to for the interviews?

raze_them_all_

redmgar wrote: »

what number are they up to for the interviews?

its onto medicals now I believe

Harryhoofer

Interviews have been done! Top 40 have physical 8/3/17. Next 38 on the panel are at medical stage currently. Top 78 the ball is now rolling for. IPS may have gone beyond this number due to candidates failing medical but that's speculation on my part.

Harambe1

Did anybody else get the mail from public jobs just now? Im past the 100 mark in order of merit

Harryhoofer

Harambe1 wrote: »

Did anybody else get the mail from public jobs just now? Im past the 100 mark in order of merit

"Further to your application for the Recruit Prison Officer, I am pleased to inform you that you are among the group of candidates whose details have now been forwarded to the Irish Prison Service for further consideration.

Currently the initial group of candidates sent forward are undergoing the required checks e.g. references, qualifications, clearance, medicals and physicals. As you will appreciate this part of the selection process can take some time to carry out in particular, the security clearance. The Irish Prison Service will contact you at the appropriate time."

Harryhoofer

I didn't get it myself but know some who have. They are obviously struggling with numbers. That letter has reached people in the 140s plus.

raze_them_all_

I imagine the guards took a lot of numbers from them as a friend of mine was doing tests and stuff the same time as me but she started two weeks ago or so