# Applied for permanent position - offered fixed term contract



## Ceist Beag (5 Jun 2012)

I recently interviewed for a permanent position and today have been offered the  position but it was offered on a 3 year fixed term contract, not a permanent position. Obviously this changes things for me but has anyone ever been in a similar position and negotiated it around to to either change the offer to a permanent position or get a clause included to guarantee a permanent position after the term subject to personal performance or such? To me it seems like a one sided offer in that I take all the risk in leaving a permanent position to be paid permanent rates but could be out of a job after 3 years with no entitlement to anything.


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## Guns N Roses (5 Jun 2012)

Is the job offer in the Public or Private Sector?


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## Ceist Beag (5 Jun 2012)

Guns N Roses said:


> Is the job offer in the Public or Private Sector?



Public Sector.


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## WindUp (5 Jun 2012)

I didnt think the public service were abe to offer permanent positions at present  - They're hands might be tied


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## mandelbrot (5 Jun 2012)

WindUp said:


> I didnt think the public service were abe to offer permanent positions at present - They're hands might be tied


 
But surely that's been the case since 2008/09, and they therefore should have known when advertising the post that it would be Fixed Term rather than permanent...


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## Guns N Roses (5 Jun 2012)

Ceist Beag said:


> Obviously this changes things for me but has anyone ever been in a similar position and negotiated it around to to either change the offer to a permanent position or get a clause included to guarantee a permanent position after the term subject to personal performance or such?


 
In the current economic climate you have zero chance to negotiate terms with a Public Sector Job Offer. If you don't accept the offer as is, they will offer the position to the next person on the panel instead.


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## Guns N Roses (5 Jun 2012)

mandelbrot said:


> But surely that's been the case since 2008/09, and they therefore should have known when advertising the post that it would be Fixed Term rather than permanent...


 
Not necessarily. It's common practice to fill Temporary and Fixed Term Contracts from panels created from Permanant Interviews.


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## Guns N Roses (5 Jun 2012)

Ceist Beag said:


> To me it seems like a one sided offer in that I take all the risk in leaving a permanent position to be paid permanent rates but could be out of a job after 3 years with no entitlement to anything.


 
It's up to you to decide if you want to take that risk. 

I myself left a permanent job in the Private Sector to take up a 6 month Temporary Contract in the Public Sector when I orginally applied for a Permanent Post.I subsequently left that Pernament Job to take up a Temporary Post in a different department.

However that was during the height of the Celtic Tiger when the risk of being out of work was low.

The reality is that there are plenty of other people on the panel who are willing to take the risk or don't have to take the risk as they are unemployed..


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## Complainer (5 Jun 2012)

It would be very unusual for a position to be advertised as permanent, but then set as fixed term. Was it advertised on publicjobs.ie or another website? Was there any reason given for the change from permanent to fixed term?


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## Ceist Beag (6 Jun 2012)

Thanks all for the comments. The job was advertised on IrishJobs.ie as permanent. The lady in HR is to get back to me on why I am now being offered a fixed term contract rather than a permanent position but the comments from Windup and G&R might explain that in terms of the current moratorium on hiring in the public sector. I'll wait until I hear more on that but I was keen to get a sense of what options I have if they do come back confirming that this is the offer on the table. The company is a statutory corporation so I presume that means they operate under this public sector moratorium?


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## Complainer (9 Jun 2012)

Ceist Beag said:


> t the comments from Windup and G&R might explain that in terms of the current moratorium on hiring in the public sector.


Not really. The moratorium has been in place since 2008, so there is really no excuse for any public body not knowing about it. 


Ceist Beag said:


> The company is a statutory corporation so I presume that means they operate under this public sector moratorium?



AFAIK, commercial semi-state bodies like Bord Na Mona are not subject to the moratorium. Is it a commercial body like BnM or Dublin Port or Dublin Airport Authority? Or a statutory agency?


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## Ceist Beag (11 Jun 2012)

Thanks Complainer, it is a commercial body. They have come back to me today clarifying the position is being offered to me as a permanent position. They didn't state if that was simply a mistake on their part or a change after I questioned it but I don't really care now that I received the clarification!


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## Complainer (11 Jun 2012)

Ceist Beag said:


> Thanks Complainer, it is a commercial body. They have come back to me today clarifying the position is being offered to me as a permanent position. They didn't state if that was simply a mistake on their part or a change after I questioned it but I don't really care now that I received the clarification!



Congrats - good news all round.


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