Careers in the Civil and Public Service

Last updated: 20 Jul 2023, 14:54

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Who are we?

Publicjobs.ie is the primary online gateway for graduate opportunities in the Irish public service, and is run by the Public Appointments Service.

The Public Appointments Service is the centralised provider of recruitment services for the civil and public service, and operates the comprehensive recruitment website www.publicjobs.ie. The Public Appointments Service also provides recruitment services to Local Authorities, the Health Service Executive, An Garda Síochána and many other public bodies.

Graduate Opportunities in the Public Service

The public service is vital to the economic and social life of Ireland, and the services delivered by the public service directly influence people’s lives. As a result, whether implementing policies, delivering crucial services or managing resources, the public service offers the possibility of diverse work opportunities for graduates with a range of expertise, interests and talents.

The most common entry-level graduate roles in the public service include positions in junior management, policy analysis and other specialist roles. There are also positions available for people with language skills and/or an interest in international relations.

The key entry level grades for graduates in the civil service include Executive Officer, Administrative Officer, Third Secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, and other professional roles such as Trainee Auditor with C&AG, Statistician, Graduate Economist, Legal Researcher and many more.

Investing in your Learning and Development

It has become clear over recent years that the success and efficiency of the public service begins with our people, and that the development of individual employee skills will be vital to ensure the continued advancement of the public service.

As a result, there have been a number of excellent initiatives put in place recently to facilitate the development of graduate entrants, including the new Civil Service Graduate Development programme (in collaboration with the IMI). Excellent CPD supports are now also in place for graduates entering professional streams such as economists in the Irish Economic & Evaluation Service (IGEES) and Trainee Auditors.

While different, these development programmes similarly offer new graduate employees the opportunity to up-skill through high-quality, structured training programmes, team projects and other development supports, with the intention of preparing new entrants for their given role while also providing a solid and valuable foundation for their future careers.

Other benefits of joining the public service

  • Making a Difference: Working in the public service offers the chance to see your hard work have a tangible public impact. Whatever strategy or policy you might be working on, you’re openly encouraged to make a difference;
  • Diversity of Experience: The public service offers the possibility of a challenging but enjoyable career. Every department and public body is different, but each offers the possibility of exciting, meaningful work;
  • Career Progression: The public service has a clearly delineated grade-structure which offers ambitious employees clearly structured paths when looking to climb the career ladder;
  • Work/Life Balance: Though a career with the public service requires hard-work, there are also progressive policies in place to facilitate work/life balance.

Graduate opportunities in the public sector

To find out more about these challenging & rewarding opportunities, check out our graduate dedicated website by clicking the link below.

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