NEW 2020 Assistant Principal Officer Competition

Forthebuzz

Wonder will we get any update next week on possible stage 1 dates?

Adman13

Hi all, good to find this thread. I saw this competition close to the deadline and applied for the Irish stream. Is it that a certain percentage of all the jobs must be filled by people with Irish - so you're applying to all the same jobs as everyone else? Or are you confined to jobs in a separate specific stream?

mariagirl

Hi, Ive applied for the AP 2020.. This is the first time I have applied dor AP...just wondering can anyone who applied in 2018 remember the name of the test provider for the aptitude tests and if the use of a calculator was permitted during the numerical reasoning tests. Im going to practice a few tests!

dee75

mariagirl wrote: »

Hi, Ive applied for the AP 2020.. This is the first time I have applied dor AP...just wondering can anyone who applied in 2018 remember the name of the test provider for the aptitude tests and if the use of a calculator was permitted during the numerical reasoning tests. Im going to practice a few tests!

Can't remember the name of the test provider, but you can definitely use a calculator

Bob Cratchit

dee75 wrote: »

Can't remember the name of the test provider, but you can definitely use a calculator

I think it was SHL

prettyboy81

Yes, SHL.

lucat

Adman13 wrote: »

Hi all, good to find this thread. I saw this competition close to the deadline and applied for the Irish stream. Is it that a certain percentage of all the jobs must be filled by people with Irish - so you're applying to all the same jobs as everyone else? Or are you confined to jobs in a separate specific stream?

They're all separate streams.

Cheeseplant

Forthebuzz wrote: »

Wonder will we get any update next week on possible stage 1 dates?

I hope so.. I feel like it would be wise to use this time to prepare but yet can't seem to get into it. Of course, I'll be kicking myself when they issue the preparatory material and date for assessment!

Forthebuzz

Friend who is also in the comp emailed to see if there was any update on stage one and got the following response

"The competition will proceed, however due to the Covid 19 crisis, dates for Stage 1 of the selection process have not been finalised"

ammg

Just got a message from Revenue re AP Tax Specialist - online assessment to be completed by May 18th

Forthebuzz

ammg wrote: »

Just got a message from Revenue re AP Tax Specialist - online assessment to be completed by May 18th

Was closing date for that much earlier than general AP?

ammg

Forthebuzz wrote: »

Was closing date for that much earlier than general AP?

2nd April

BMHOPE

I think 10 days, they were both extended with the lockdown, but the PAS was a later date. Completely different application forms, as I was hoping to copy and paste, but it was not possible.

ammg

BMHOPE wrote: »

I think 10 days, they were both extended with the lockdown, but the PAS was a later date. Completely different application forms, as I was hoping to copy and paste, but it was not possible.

Did you apply?

BMHOPE

Applied for both, sure might as well, have to practice apptitude tests over next few days. Does not look like current panel will move in regions, so will keep trying till I get there eventually. Unless there is a moratorium after this. Just hopefully we stop losing lives to it and the country and it's people gets a chance to recover.

Cheeseplant

BMHOPE wrote: »

Applied for both, sure might as well, have to practice apptitude tests over next few days. Does not look like current panel will move in regions, so will keep trying till I get there eventually. Unless there is a moratorium after this. Just hopefully we stop losing lives to it and the country and it's people gets a chance to recover.

There have been plenty if whispers about this in our Dept. Snr Management expecting it. Hopefully not.. although it's unlikely anything would happen until after Gov formation. Likewise for any pay implications

caviardreams

Cheeseplant wrote: »

There have been plenty if whispers about this in our Dept. Snr Management expecting it. Hopefully not.. although it's unlikely anything would happen until after Gov formation. Likewise for any pay implications

I wonder if the 2% public sector pay increase on 1st October will now be scrapped?

Cheeseplant

caviardreams wrote: »

I wonder if the 2% public sector pay increase on 1st October will now be scrapped?

Might come in as pay talks won't have started. the latest pay deal is up to the end of this year AFAIK. My union rep said no further pay talks will happen until new gov is formed. Guess the 2% might come and then taken away in the next round of pay talks?? Really can't see us getting and keeping it in the current circumstances, and honestly, I wouldn't feel good about it either.

Connected99

I am curious to know would most of you be HEO grade applying for this competition?
and are EO grades also applying?
Thanks!!

Brera

Cheeseplant wrote: »

Might come in as pay talks won't have started. the latest pay deal is up to the end of this year AFAIK. My union rep said no further pay talks will happen until new gov is formed. Guess the 2% might come and then taken away in the next round of pay talks?? Really can't see us getting and keeping it in the current circumstances, and honestly, I wouldn't feel good about it either.

There was something in the paper about this last week. Talk of carrying out a review and that the pay increase couldn’t really go ahead. There was a quote from Fianna Fáil saying that there shouldn’t be any cut and the pay increase could possibly go ahead as we’re frontline workers etc. So it will be interesting to see how this plays out. My guess is nothing will happen for a few months until a new government is formed.

There a lot of people planning to retire who had been waiting for the increase so they may hold out now. The longer they stay the less places becomes available for the rest of us - lol

Anonire

Brera wrote: »

There was something in the paper about this last week. Talk of carrying out a review and that the pay increase couldn’t really go ahead. There was a quote from Fianna Fáil saying that there shouldn’t be any cut and the pay increase could possibly go ahead as we’re frontline workers etc. So it will be interesting to see how this plays out. My guess is nothing will happen for a few months until a new government is formed.

There a lot of people planning to retire who had been waiting for the increase so they may hold out now. The longer they stay the less places becomes available for the rest of us - lol

If they pay rise is scrapped maybe they will leave sooner. I don't think the Oct pay rise will be scrapped.

ammg

Anonire wrote: »

If they pay rise is scrapped maybe they will leave sooner. I don't think the Oct pay rise will be scrapped.

It would be a bitter pill to swallow for those of us who have continued on as normal!

Cheeseplant

ammg wrote: »

It would be a bitter pill to swallow for those of us who have continued on as normal!

True but I'd prefer to see the 2% deferred than back to 2011 paycuts!! Would feel sorry for the healthcare staff
as they are very much frontline and they deserve a reward not a cut. The rest of us can go without.. and I say that as someone is very much involved in Covid work and would very much like another 2%!

Aglomerado

Connected99 wrote: »

I am curious to know would most of you be HEO grade applying for this competition?
and are EO grades also applying?
Thanks!!

I'm a fairly recently appointed HEO. But I have also gone for AP as an EO. While I failed the interview, I took a lot from the experience. But it's not impossible for an EO to jump to AP, I know at least two who have.

Brera

Connected99 wrote: »

I am curious to know would most of you be HEO grade applying for this competition?
and are EO grades also applying?
Thanks!!

Currently an EO. It’s difficult but not impossible to go from an EO to AP. If I don’t get it I will at least learn from the process, which I can use at a later date.

AprilMayJune

Currently a HEO but regional. Definitely more opportunity for eo to ap in Dublin.

ParkRunner

Cheeseplant wrote: »

True but I'd prefer to see the 2% deferred than back to 2011 paycuts!! Would feel sorry for the healthcare staff
as they are very much frontline and they deserve a reward not a cut. The rest of us can go without.. and I say that as someone is very much involved in Covid work and would very much like another 2%!

Back the there was deferred payrises due under Towards 2016, and the paycuts, pension levies etc. Dark days. The economy will need stimulating so I can see some sense in keeping the 2%. Politically it will be hard to maintain but if the country is re-open by September it might just get over the line

BMHOPE

As an Eo I was placed on AP panel for the regions but did not get an offer yet, I need to improve my order of merit to have any chance really. I was since promoted to HEO but made the AP panel before the HEO competition began. So it is possible alright, I have been told though that it's harder to get a high placing in the interview as the management experience at appropriate level is harder to prove.

lucat

BMHOPE wrote: »

As an Eo I was placed on AP panel for the regions but did not get an offer yet, I need to improve my order of merit to have any chance really. I was since promoted to HEO but made the AP panel before the HEO competition began. So it is possible alright, I have been told though that it's harder to get a high placing in the interview as the management experience at appropriate level is harder to prove.

I'm an EO & a team lead. I'm also on the board of a charity so I'm hoping the corporate governance experience I've got from that will help too.

Brera

ParkRunner wrote: »

Back the there was deferred payrises due under Towards 2016, and the paycuts, pension levies etc. Dark days. The economy will need stimulating so I can see some sense in keeping the 2%. Politically it will be hard to maintain but if the country is re-open by September it might just get over the line

A lot depends on how the unions react. A lot of people, myself included wouldn’t mind under the circumstances losing the 2%. But trying to implement cuts would be a different story.

I can’t see a new government annoying the unions and having to deal with the possibility of industrial action, especially if we have the threat of a second wave with the virus.

If they honour the agreement it makes trying to achieve another deal which reflects the current economic situation much more likely and they can try to drive further ‘reform’ with that.

Plus as you said the economy will need some stimulating.