Clerical Officer duties?

torblednam said:
The OP has written two lengthy posts and if anything I'm even more confused after the second one. It's clear as mud to me what's gone / going on; whether the OP has actually been asked to do stuff they didn't think they were signing up for, or whether they've gotten themselves all wound up over a hypothetical...

I reckon @Leper might be the man to decipher it for us...
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I spent most of my working life as a Clerical Officer. I worked in different CS Departments and even in a couple of Public Service areas. I opted out of the promotion race early on and I have no regrets going through the system in what’s now its lowest grade. I worked hard and nearly always was a trade union official (unpaid). I’ve seen the utterly ambitious and the dreadful dossers come and go. With the evidence here I feel theOP here is not the kind of person I’d like to be working with in any section.
 
Maybe the OP’s other work experience has made them wary of change. But their reaction here is a tad rude so if they are the same in RL that will be a challenge.

Certainly won’t win friends
 
ClarkCeant said:
Interesting the replies on here. I won't reply to the two most ignorant ones. This sort of question when I have seen it asked by others always a small percentage who are abusive or support abusive management styles. But anyway I am surprised I got some useful replies thank you to those that put some thought into it. I personally don't see how its acceptable that a manager can lie to you during an interview and then you have to suck it up or else you are a moaner. We used to have unions that prevented this. Anyway I think the approach to take is the one I am taking - meet them half way. Incidentally speaking of moaners, I have never heard so much moaning by people as I have heard in the public service job that I am in. Its how they deal with the abuse. The abuse is abusive management practice not necessarily abusive managers. Anyway, life is short you can say to an employer 'look I dont think this is what I signed up for lets see if we can work it out' My query was over really how does this approach work in the public service. I reckon it probably doesn't work, and you get called a moaner or seen as a problem. One thing I have noticed is that people are happy to be treated as 'temporary' clerical worker yet are so institutionalised they will do anything the employer asks!
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You appear to be a poor communicator, unruly and potentially catastrophic for team morale. I expect you'll be promoted within 12 months. Best of luck.
 
Bluecup said:
You appear to be a poor communicator, unruly and potentially catastrophic for team morale. I expect you'll be promoted within 12 months. Best of luck.
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. . . You’re probably correct on the potential promotion.
 
There is a definition of sorts here as to the role of a Clerical Office

The Role of a Clerical Officer - Career Services

careerservices.ie careerservices.ie

It is very broad and open and the first question I would ask is if your role meets the descriptions above. I'm unclear as well if you have been asked to do certain things already or are you in a panic in case you might be.?

Can they ask you to travel and do X, potentially yes?. Do they have to give you due notice, yes, Do they have to pay your expenses at the inflated Public Sector rates, yes.? key thing is what your contract says which you have signed (I presume) and read before you signed it (I presume you did as well). What was said in the interview is largely irrelevant whether you like it or not.

Public sector Unions are not going to get into a spat with management over a temp, sorry to be so blunt.
 
You don't say whether you are in the Civil Service or not. If you are a Temporary Clerical Officer then you may have been interviewed by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) - http://www.publicjobs.ie

PAS interview for all Departments so they won't be mentioning anything specific about the work you will be doing as a Temp CO.

If you are appointed as a Temporary Celrical Officer then you are usually replacing a Clerical Officer that has taken Term Time (the Summer off basically) and you will be trained in to do their work (whatever that is).

PAS have a definition of a Clerical Officer's work here - https://publicjobs.ie/en/information-hub/civil-service-career-path

Clerical Officers work in all departments and agencies of the Government, providing vital input to teams through a range of general office duties. Clerical Officers can support teams working in business areas such as customer service, finance, HR, marketing, IT, recruitment, policy, communications, and administration, amongst many other areas.

Clerical Officers need a good general standard of education and a customer focused attitude. Promotional opportunities are available to Clerical Officers when they are made permanent after passing a probation period.

What is the role?​

  • General administrative and clerical work.
  • Working as part of a team in delivering important public services.
  • Working with the latest technology to record and advance services.
  • Maintaining high quality records in a thorough and organised manner.
  • Supporting line-managers and colleagues in projects and initiatives.
  • Checking all work thoroughly to ensure it is completed to a high standard.
  • Communicating and providing a quality public service to the public/customers.

What are the requirements?​

The entry requirements for this grade would typically be a minimum of Leaving Certificate level, however you should always check the Competition Information Booklet for exact details on the particular skills and requirements for this role. You might also find it useful to look at the Clerical Officer Competency Model Framework [ PDF 2.15 Mbs ] for this level.

Salary:​

Starting salary is €27,785.

Learning and Development:​

The training and development opportunities you might experience in the Public Service depend on several things, including the specific role you have been offered, the Organisation/ Department you have been placed in, and the skills required to carry out your role. Depending on the role, as a Clerical Officer you could expect to advance your personal skills in a wide range of different ways, and you could have the opportunity to up-skill and develop yourself professionally through high-quality training programmes, mentoring and support systems, internal training initiatives, and many more – all in order to make sure you have the skills and knowledge required to succeed in a fast-paced and results-oriented role in the Civil and Public Service.
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Am I right in saying that interview notes are available to applicants if they put in a DAR?
 
DannyBoyD said:
Am I right in saying that interview notes are available to applicants if they put in a DAR?
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If there are any, yes. But it's good GDPR practice to minimise collection of / delete unnecessary personal data so are usually destroyed immediately after scoring/ranking.

Sorry OP but it is coming across as though you should get to determine what tasks you do, not your employer. he who pays the piper calls the tune. If you want to pick and choose what tasks you work on based on your wants and likes, maybe self employment is more suited to you?
 
MrEarl said:
Hello,

I think we'd all probably be better off, if this thread was closed, tbh.
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Why? There are some good answers on here? I have the information I need personally.
Leper said:
I spent most of my working life as a Clerical Officer. I worked in different CS Departments and even in a couple of Public Service areas. I opted out of the promotion race early on and I have no regrets going through the system in what’s now its lowest grade. I worked hard and nearly always was a trade union official (unpaid). I’ve seen the utterly ambitious and the dreadful dossers come and go. With the evidence here I feel theOP here is not the kind of person I’d like to be working with in any section.
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OK i will bite here. I come from private sector. You can negotiate your way out of a lot of situations.

You have stated yourself you spent most of your life working as a CO. What makes you think that you can answer my question with much authority?

I would welcome an opinion from a long haul CO but its rarely what you get when you ask. A lifer CO thinks they know everything about all work! You don't! You know everything about CO. Its very different. You only know the CO role you said it yourself! The fact you think someone that asks if they can negotiate after being lied to in an interview is someone that is not someone to work with says more about you and your kind (by that I mean low ambitious protect your own patch at any cost and that means supporting abusive management practices) than it does about me . Thank you , very informative! I have noticed how topheavy the public service is with directors and senior ranking managers who are quite honestly stupid and incompetent. I read about it before I joined but they are everywhere! Really stupid managers and a few clever ones who have their own patch, and then an army of TCOs sweating and miserable. The management - some of them, would struggle to achieve the score of moron on intelligence test!
 
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Oh I definitely think the OP should put in a DAR at this point. As a famous lady once said "they may get an education in spite of themselves".
 
scooping up goat poo at puck fair?
Handing out flyers about vat refunds at Dublin airport?
Walking the president’s doggies?
 
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ClarkCeant said:
Why? There are some good answers on here? I have the information I need personally.

OK i will bite here. I come from private sector. You can negotiate your way out of a lot of situations.

You have stated yourself you spent most of your life working as a CO. What makes you think that you can answer my question with much authority?

I would welcome an opinion from a long haul CO but its rarely what you get when you ask. A lifer CO thinks they know everything about all work! You don't! You know everything about CO. Its very different. You only know the CO role you said it yourself! The fact you think someone that asks if they can negotiate after being lied to in an interview is someone that is not someone to work with says more about you and your kind (by that I mean low ambitious protect your own patch at any cost and that means supporting abusive management practices) than it does about me . Thank you , very informative! I have noticed how topheavy the public service is with directors and senior ranking managers who are quite honestly stupid and incompetent. I read about it before I joined but they are everywhere! Really stupid managers and a few clever ones who have their own patch, and then an army of TCOs sweating and miserable. The management - some of them, would struggle to achieve the score of moron on intelligence test!
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Can’t wait till leper sees this, probably after sunset in Spain
 
ClarkCeant said:
Why? There are some good answers on here? I have the information I need personally.

OK i will bite here. I come from private sector. You can negotiate your way out of a lot of situations.

You have stated yourself you spent most of your life working as a CO. What makes you think that you can answer my question with much authority?

I would welcome an opinion from a long haul CO but its rarely what you get when you ask. A lifer CO thinks they know everything about all work! You don't! You know everything about CO. Its very different. You only know the CO role you said it yourself! The fact you think someone that asks if they can negotiate after being lied to in an interview is someone that is not someone to work with says more about you and your kind (by that I mean low ambitious protect your own patch at any cost and that means supporting abusive management practices) than it does about me . Thank you , very informative! I have noticed how topheavy the public service is with directors and senior ranking managers who are quite honestly stupid and incompetent. I read about it before I joined but they are everywhere! Really stupid managers and a few clever ones who have their own patch, and then an army of TCOs sweating and miserable. The management - some of them, would struggle to achieve the score of moron on intelligence test!
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After this post I'm beginning to wonder if this new member thread might in fact be an elaborate troll. In fact, given the consistent incoherence and lack of detail in the OP's posts, I hope for their sake (and their employer's) that it is... :oops:
 
ClarkCeant said:
Why? There are some good answers on here? I have the information I need personally.

OK i will bite here. I come from private sector. You can negotiate your way out of a lot of situations.

You have stated yourself you spent most of your life working as a CO. What makes you think that you can answer my question with much authority?

I would welcome an opinion from a long haul CO but it’s rarely what you get when you ask. A lifer CO thinks they know everything about all work! You don't! You know everything about CO. It’s very different. You only know the CO role you said it yourself! The fact you think someone that asks if they can negotiate after being lied to in an interview is someone that is not someone to work with says more about you and your kind (by that I mean low ambitious protect your own patch at any cost and that means supporting abusive management practices) than it does about me . Thank you , very informative! I have noticed how topheavy the public service is with directors and senior ranking managers who are quite honestly stupid and incompetent. I read about it before I joined but they are everywhere! Really stupid managers and a few clever ones who have their own patch, and then an army of TCOs sweating and miserable. The management - some of them, would struggle to achieve the score of moron on intelligence test!
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If I may say, you’re being a bit obnoxious and disrespectful (particularly to Leper) but you’re a human being so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and give it another go.

Unless your interview was for a very specific position, you’re more likely to have been recruited to what’s known as a generalist CO/TCO position. Having sat on interview boards for such positions, I don’t see how you could have been given specifics in terms of your eventual assignment. If successful, you get put on a panel with the potential to be assigned anywhere. That’s the deal.

While you may not like the particular position to which you have been assigned, it remains a privilege to serve the state in any capacity and this should be your motivation. If yours is a permanent position, you will have the opportunity to apply for a transfer in a couple of years. Other promotional opportunities may also arise that you could apply for.

If you intend to hang around for a while, you should refrain from commenting on the perceived stupidity or otherwise of those around you. Like it or not, you will rely on these people for support and/or recommendation in the months/years ahead.

You may not like the situation you’re in but the best advice would be to get with the programme or get out. Howling at the moon at the injustices around you is just a recipe for unhappiness.
 
torblednam said:
After this post I'm beginning to wonder if this new member thread might in fact be an elaborate troll. In fact, given the consistent incoherence and lack of detail in the OP's posts, I hope for their sake (and their employer's) that it is... :oops:
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I’m starting to think the same thing myself. Except for the elaborate bit!
 
Ye could be right.
Seems very entitled for a temp.

And extremely rude, although neuro spicy might explain that.
 
Annieindublin said:
scooping up goat poo at puck fair?
Handing out flyers about vat refunds at Dublin airport?
Walking the president’s doggies?
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I know of a lady who once had to wipe up the president’s puke but she was much more senior than CO.

I suppose it’s something to aspire to though.
 
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