Prison Officer Recruitment 2016

Shane88

raze_them_all_ wrote: »

yeah i think the start date got moved back to april/may so not much to do

Any ideas why that was?

raze_them_all_

Shane88 wrote: »

Any ideas why that was?

I think everyone just assumed it was January like the guards but if our medicals wont be till January, give a few weeks to get them all done, then results you are looking at feb/march before offers then a few weeks to sort out being in Portlaoise?


Oh for anyone who had to order their actual leaving cert, any idea how long it takes? I used the one that said provisional and it's not the one required so had to order it online

user123456789

raze_them_all_ wrote: »

I think everyone just assumed it was January like the guards but if our medicals wont be till January, give a few weeks to get them all done, then results you are looking at feb/march before offers then a few weeks to sort out being in Portlaoise?


Oh for anyone who had to order their actual leaving cert, any idea how long it takes? I used the one that said provisional and it's not the one required so had to order it online

A
bout 5 working days

Golf mad 6178

Shane88 wrote: »

Any ideas why that was?

The starting date was put back due to the time it is taking to get security clearance for the now paso's that where due to start training at the start off November, but the will not start training now until the end off January or the start off Febuary,
This has put the RPO start date back as the new Paso's are required to replace the 30 odd Pasos who currently work in the prisons that came off the 2008 RPO panel, the will be the first group off RPO's to start training, The should start training at the start off April,
At the minute it looks like 25 off them will be in the first group with whatever is left doing their training with the first 15-20 off the new RPO panel, So it could be May before the first off the new panel will start their training,
So its a still a bit away before the new RPO's will get training,

sticky hurling

So how does every body feel about the interviews and report writing is the standard very high to passing these things ?

Shane88

sticky hurling wrote: »

So how does every body feel about the interviews and report writing is the standard very high to passing these things ?

I done the interview a few weeks back and to be fair it was grand. The board that were interviewing me were very friendly and kept the interview/conversation flowing so there was no awkwardness at all. I was in there for 35 minutes and it flew by. I'm not sure how the report writing is scored. I'm know for the Garda one you only need to score 50% to pass it so I reckon the scoring for PO report writing is similar. Into December now so Not long till we hear back anyway!

raze_them_all_

Feel pretty good about the report writing only missed a partial thing for one person. Group exercise I feel was good, interview is hard to gauge as you never know

sticky hurling

How did ye write yer reports I didn't go to any courses before I did mine so I kinda just wrote it as I gathered the info is there a proper way that it should of been done ?

Harambe1

sticky hurling wrote: »

How did ye write yer reports I didn't go to any courses before I did mine so I kinda just wrote it as I gathered the info is there a proper way that it should of been done ?

You do not need a course to write the report. You are only supposed to write down the facts in any professional report writing capacity. No 'I think' No 'I feel' No 'Personal Emotion'. Just the information as you viewed it layed out on the page.

sticky hurling

Oh right I phoned them this week and they said they hope to have results out Monday 5th dec i was told that you have to have it in paragraphs tho is that the case because if it is I'm screwed 🙈

Harambe1

sticky hurling wrote: »

Oh right I phoned them this week and they said they hope to have results out Monday 5th dec i was told that you have to have it in paragraphs tho is that the case because if it is I'm screwed 🙈

I don't recall writing mine in paragraphs to be honest. Think of the fact that you got through the online, the sit down tests and you have done a report writing, group exercise and interview.

I think that they would be inclined to look more importantly at the interview and as long as you contributed to the group exercise to a satisfactory level im sure the paragraphs thing wont be as big of a deal as you imagine. Just breathe man, we are all in the same boat. I really want this too!

sticky hurling

Haha i know im panicking it was all a blur to be honest. I felt the interviews were ok im paraniod about the report writing because i heard most people go down on that im open to corretion on that though.

sticky hurling

But i dont think these people look more so at one thing than another from dealing with them in the past i know that you must meet the score in each section doesnt matter if you brilliant at one

howarethings30

I'm confident of passing report writing and group exercise but I made a mess of interview.I can have no complaints though people interviewing me were sound and fair.

sticky hurling

How did you structure your report if you dont mind me asking?howarethings30

sticky hurling

Also they asked me flexibilty in the interview and it wasnt listed.

howarethings30

From what I remember I used paragraphs when I wrote about different people in video.

Golf mad 6178

Have any off you guys ever been in a prison or have any of you arranged to try and visit one to see what its like and maybe get to talk so some officers to see what the say its like?

sticky hurling

Golf mad 6178 wrote: »

Have any off you guys ever been in a prison or have any of you arranged to try and visit one to see what its like and maybe get to talk so some officers to see what the say its like?

I have been in a few with the Garda reserve mountjoy limerick and portlaoise mountjoy is like the film in the name if the father reall old the part I saw anyway I remember seeing the Union Jack imprinted into the steel partitions from one floor to another apparently the bought it from and english prison years ago. Let's be honest here folks it's a dangerous job dealing with al sorts with a radio and a pair of handcuffs 😂

Leo Demidov

sticky hurling wrote: »

I have been in a few with the Garda reserve mountjoy limerick and portlaoise mountjoy is like the film in the name if the father reall old the part I saw anyway I remember seeing the Union Jack imprinted into the steel partitions from one floor to another apparently the bought it from and english prison years ago. Let's be honest here folks it's a dangerous job dealing with al sorts with a radio and a pair of handcuffs 😂

You'll be unlikely to have a radio and less likely to carry cuffs within the prison.

Harryhoofer

Interviews have finished. Results are being compiled currently, should be late next week or early the following week just rang Chapter House. I personally found the group interview the trickiest, my group were extremely quiet and didn't say much, that exercise is the best way to determine your personality. The report writing once you got the bones of the story accurate and made no assumptions you should be ok there too, a minimum score is required on all three tests to pass. The interview is the key test, they are generally nice to everyone but that means nothing, what you say means everything. I personally feel age and work experience are big factors for this job. Being extremely young with little life experience is a major negative for this job, but that's just my take on it.

howarethings30

I have three friends who are prison officers.All three joined pretty much straight from school and PO was their first full time job but that was at height of boom.
I agree with above life experience etc has to be of benefit over having none

sticky hurling

yes in the group interview i think if you are with a quiet group and take the lead and try bring others into the convo you should score highly how many did they take to interview?

howarethings30

Shouldn't be too long before we get interview results..someone posted PAS said it could be today..another poster maybe late this week,either way hopefully sooner rather than later.

sticky hurling

howarethings30 wrote: »

Shouldn't be too long before we get interview results..someone posted PAS said it could be today..another poster maybe late this week,either way hopefully sooner rather than later.

I just rang there and met a very helpful girl she said that they called the top 600 and that it was closer to 500 with people not turning up and that they are hoping to have the results out in the nxt week or two

howarethings30

sticky hurling wrote: »

I just rang there and met a very helpful girl she said that they called the top 600 and that it was closer to 500 with people not turning up and that they are hoping to have the results out in the nxt week or two

Thanks for that info,appreciated.

Harambe1

In fairness when I was waiting on the online results I emailed the Public Appointments service and a girl responded and said it would be "next week" at lunchtime and I got them at 4.30pm that day. They could realistically arrive any day over the next 2 weeks

Harryhoofer

sticky hurling wrote: »

I just rang there and met a very helpful girl she said that they called the top 600 and that it was closer to 500 with people not turning up and that they are hoping to have the results out in the nxt week or two

The top 600 passed stage one after stage two it would have been far less than that taken to interview. For 120 jobs it's generally a one in three chance so I'm guessing 400 for interview provided they turned up. It clearly said on our email after stage one the top 600 go through to stage two. No way were 600 interviewed at stage three.

Harryhoofer

Rang chapter house again. It will be end of the week now or early next week. There won't be anything like 120 positions available immediately the guy told me. So according to your panel number that will determine when you are likely to be called.

raze_them_all_

Afaik it's 3 sets of forty being called