Moving from private employer to public sector

I have left a job in the private sector and will be starting in the public sector in the coming months. Can I use the the cash in my old private DC pension fund to purchase "notional service" from the public pension fund?

A lot will depend on which part of the public sector you intend moving to.

The public sector is very big and runs the spectrum all the way from the ESB to the civil service.

Some public sector organisations no longer offer DB pensions to certain categories of now entrants.

It'll be dept of educatoion. primary school teaching.