Civil Service Recruitment

Polarbeary

I'm not sure I would recommend the Civil Service either but I suppose it depends where you work.

I started off a few years ago in one department as an AA and was basically told "we don't really see you moving up here" so basically my face didn't fit. I got fed up of that within 18 months and moved out of London and became an EO (executive assistant and office manager) at an MoD department instead.

Madbags

My partners been with DWP for around 5 years now. She hates it, moans all the time. She's not even motivated for promotions or anything and is constantly on about leaving.


Yes the benefits are good, we get cheap insurances, cinema tickets, the flexi time is good, the pensions etc. but I am always saying that's not comparible to actually being happy in your jon. I'm happy to pay extra for all of those things if she'd be happy.


I guess some people just love it or hate it. I've heard more of the latter though from almost everyone I know who has or does work for the DWP specificlaly.

sooty&sweep

Thanks all, you've confirmed what I thought.

I do want a job but I do also want to be happy & enjoy it !

I am over qualified for the role but I'd be happy to go in at a lower grade if there would be decent opportunities for development & promotion which doesn't seem to be likely.

I have got other options that I'm looking at so I think I'll pursue those.

Cheers

Jen

Voyager2002

sooty&sweep wrote: »

I am over qualified for the role but I'd be happy to go in at a lower grade if there would be decent opportunities for development & promotion which doesn't seem to be likely.

The Civil Service is actually very serious about staff development: there is a whole suite of on-line training materials (some of which are pretty good) that you can study during working hours -- so long as the workload permits this!

In my office (NOT DWP) there were several examples of AOs being able to do EO jobs for a few weeks or months to cover for people who were away: this experience then enabled them to get appointed to permanent EO positions. I remember one AO who did this and eventually moved to a high-paying EO position as part of a minister's private office: in fairness, she had entered with an MA in Law so was perhaps over-qualified for an AO position!

TELLIT01

Voyager2002 wrote: »

The Civil Service is actually very serious about staff development: there is a whole suite of on-line training materials (some of which are pretty good) that you can study during working hours -- so long as the workload permits this!

And therein lies the problem. Theoretically staff can access on-line training, but the pressure of work (in DWP at least) is so great that anybody who tries to is frowned upon because others have to cover their workload. The individual is then accused of not being a team player because they are putting their own interests above that of the office.
I believe it is true of all DWP offices that there is supposed to be 1 hour per week set aside for 'Communication meetings'. If the time isn't needed for any formal session, the time is supposed to be used for personal development. Not in the office I worked in it wasn't. Comms meetings rarely happened, and if they did we had to get straight back to processing because of the workload.
There may well be good areas of the Civil Service to work in. From my experience DWP isn't one of them. I've spoken to many former colleagues since retirement and, almost without exception, the opening line from them is "You got out at the right time. It's far worse now than when you left" and I haven't been gone that long.

Darksparkle

Madbags wrote: »

My partners been with DWP for around 5 years now. She hates it, moans all the time. She's not even motivated for promotions or anything and is constantly on about leaving.


Yes the benefits are good, we get cheap insurances, cinema tickets, the flexi time is good, the pensions etc. but I am always saying that's not comparible to actually being happy in your jon. I'm happy to pay extra for all of those things if she'd be happy.


I guess some people just love it or hate it. I've heard more of the latter though from almost everyone I know who has or does work for the DWP specificlaly.

What insurances?

TELLIT01

Darksparkle wrote: »

What insurances?

I'm guessing discounted insurance etc through union membership, but could be wrong.

Madbags

TELLIT01 wrote: »

I'm guessing discounted insurance etc through union membership, but could be wrong.

Yes, you are correct. Discounts through PCS Union with LV.

TELLIT01

Madbags wrote: »

Yes, you are correct. Discounts through PCS Union with LV.

Discounted doesn't automatically mean cheapest. I seem to remember when I checked the LV price, even discounted, it was dearer than I could get the same cover elsewhere. That was just a one-off example of course.

littleblue735

I work for MoD and they are the better paying Dept I would say. I've been here seven years and only just got promotion and that was chance as my post got upgraded to a higher grade, I still had to reapply and interview for the job I've been doing for three years.
IMO there is limited chance of promotion unless you are willing to relocate, and training is non existent here. Once youre in you can apply for internal posts after a probation period, not sure on current regs sorry.

All our Terms and Conditions are being eroded so I would advise not joining especially if you are overqualified for the post.