To ask if anyone works for the Council?

[Tiredandcantbebothered1]

Wondering if it's just as good/better to work for than the Holy Civil Service.

I know the CS recruitment is supposed to be fair and transparent, my colleague has been doing the AO role via agency there for nearly 2 years, and has just been rejected for the permanent role, not even getting an interview because she got a 3 in the personal statement.
She's a top performer in the team and has had a few awards and such but can't be hired permanently?

Local Council seems to have very similar benefits and the hybrid and flexi as options too. Hopefully the recruitment process is a little faster too, it sounds to be judging from the job advertisements.

I'm just fed up with how ridiculous the Civil Service is. My old EO manager apparently was an AO then just got asked if he wanted to do the EO role? I haven't heard of this otherwise, I know there's no such thing as being promoted based on performance or length of service, you have to apply.
I'm there on agency too but things like EOIs are not open to us. Contract is supposed to end in just over 2 months, none of us know if we're being kept on and they're keeping it all very vague so I'm now applying for whatever I can.

Sorry for anyone who isn't familiar, AO is an entry level grade, EO next one up/junior management, EOI- expression of interest.

I work for a council. The recruitment process is still slow as the right to work and DBS checks can take ages. Holiday and sickness benefits are excellent but obviously you are as vulnerable to terrible bosses as anywhere

Because the recruitment process is so slow (still waiting to hear if I've got an interview for roles I applied for mid-May) there's no guarantee I could have something lined up for end of Sept. It's my own fault for going through agency..they seemed to keep however majority of agency staff on or offer FTAs but it's just our luck they're now talking about cuts.

Thanks for your answer. I've got a DBS on the update service but I know some places don't let you carry one over and want their own one done..

It can take three months from interview to start date (though a month of that would be notice which you wouldn't have)

Generally you have much more dealings with the general public in local government.
You also have much closer contact with Councillors than you do with Ministers. And MPs.

You have to provide your own tea/coffee, milk and mug. And probably the kettle too.

Moral isn't great.

No freebies, gifts etc

Yes, 4 months from offer to start date (2024)

Thank you.
I'm based in Liverpool so I'm also looking at Sefton, Wirral, Knowsley and Halton which will hopefully mean more options.

The trouble with the CS recruitment process is its a box-ticking exercise- it doesn't really matter if you know the job inside out and are brilliant at it, it's more about whether you have the right techniques for writing the personal statement and demonstrating specific competencies/skills at interview. If you have permanent civil servants who can help with the applications its well worth asking for support becuase the rigidity of the system means that getting through recruitment processes is a skill in its own right. There are also a LOT of applications being received for external posts at the minute too- I think AI means its easier to write personal statements quickly so more people are applying (though the obviously AI generated ones will usually be weeded out in the sift as they won't be specific enough).

Have never worked for a council but in the sector I specialise in they are chronically underfunded and the council people I meet dont tend to come across as dynamic and ambitious. However they do seem to have great terms and conditions and it must vary hugely depending on the team and area you're working in.

I had an Enhanced DBS on the update service (relating to children). The council needed an Enhanced one for me to work with vulnerable adults. They wouldnt accept mine so I had to wait 4 months! 🤕

They said due to GDPR they wouldnt be able to look at it when my role related to adults, not children.

There will be variation across councils and even teams within councils.
The recruitment process is slow at my LA.
Interviews are meant to be competency based, real examples, what happened, what you did, what result was etc.
However not all managers follow this.
Jobs are advertised based on core behaviour very non specific and then managers ask role specific questions that if you had prepped for interview based on job description you wouldn't be expecting!! As really managers are looking for something else that isn't really indicated in generic core behaviour adverts they have to put out.
There are bad and good managers and teams wherever you go.
There is definitely bias/favouritism in my team.
Different LAs also have different terms and conditions, pay scales etc there are plans for merging local councils with district councils and forming unity authorities so this is now very apparent. So you can't necessarily make sweeping judgements re terms and conditions, flexible working etc.
Oh and there's constant restructure, usually every 2 years.
And we are on our 4th email/ customer relations system in as many years!
Pay rises are small- always below inflation and often non existent , no incremental pay increases at my LA.
Anyway it doesn't sound great where you are so do apply for other jobs.
Most LA roles do usually offer flexible working, all have reasonable pension schemes although newer pension schemes are nowhere near as good as they once were and most offer above statutory minimum annual leave, sick pay and maternity benefits.
However I have family in banking and private sector jobs that get a more generous staff benefits than I do!

I work for a county council, the leave is really good & we have an extra 5 days a year after 5 years service. We also have flexi leave which can be used for 2 days off a month. Pension is good and sick pay/mat leave is good. I work in a fast growing department and there is lots of room for promotion and growth. I have a permanent contract which means my job is pretty much guaranteed for life.

I’ve worked for County Council, Local Council, and now CS … much prefer the CS.
i also recruit into CS, we are struggling to find candidates of the right calibre. We don’t do box ticking, we read what people write down.
a few tips from me: stop using “we” and “us” and more “I” .. I am interested in what you have done, not your team; be clear about your role in things, did you Lead, where you consulted etc: Keep things relevant (I’m not interested if you like walking and reading good books): Keep referring back to the JD/PS

I've worked for about 5 or 6 different councils and speed of recruitment has varied.
However none have been as drawn out as the current HEO role I've accepted with CS.
Closing date for applications was March if that gives an indication of the pace...I've no start date.

I've worked in LG for a long time. One thing I would mention is if you don't have kids, you'll be at the bottom of the list when it comes to holidays, flexible hours etc. The family friendly policies obviously attract those with young kids but for the rest of us we're first on the list for early starts, late finishes, being expected to attend meetings during our lunch hour as people on compressed hours forget we 9-5 with an unpaid lunch hour in the middle etc. I work a ridiculous number of hours for free and working from home means I'm sometimes contacted at the weekend which its not in my job description. Basically there are a lot of CF managers in LG.

It also seems very difficult to sack useless workers, the types that go off sick for 6 months, come back on a phased return then are off again for another 6 months as soon as their sickleave resets. The dead wood can really drag a team down.

Thank you all

I don't know if that is always true. My DH (we have young children) works for council and he does loads of unpaid overtime, gets called in in the evenings to meet with councillors, who sometimes don't bother to show, or bring their children who scream through council meetings, and he is expected to keep presenting on a complex topic. When be asks to take time off if our children are sick, appointments etc the response is "can't your wife do it'? Definitely expectation on him as a man that he can keep going regardless of having children, whereas the women in the team are prioritised for time off, even ones who don't have children.

There is a huge EDI agenda, which whilst not wrong, sometimes promotes less able candidates based on gender in particular - big push for women at the top, which as a women I support, but only if their skills are at the right level. My husband wasn't even allowed to go for a job recently, as it was 'earmarked' for a women, and the new employee doesn't have the necessary skills and knowledge, and he is doing her job plus his.

Yes , getting rid of people who for whatever reason cannot do the job, is pretty impossible, sane as in nhs where i work. Cycles of sick leave, phases return, reduced duties and sick leave when challenged are common.

I never knew some places wouldn't accept the update service. I presume it's dependent on the nature of the environment you would be working in - local government/prisons etc???

Yes my experience in LG from observation echoes the poster who said re sick leave. Ejecting under performing staff is an experience in itself.
To be fair I've been lucky with the teams I work in re flexibility and hours etc.

Agree with the comments re. CS recruitment. It’s definitely a game playing exercise in that being the best at your job, overperforming, doing extras etc doesn’t get you in or promoted, it’s not about who is the best worker it’s plainly and simply about who can write the best story to hit the competencies.

Having just been successful in attaining a job with CS I think your comment has made me go 'ouch '.

I honestly found it the most difficult interview I'd ever gone for and left absolutely convinced I'd been unsuccessful.

Congratulations on your new job! The interviews are brutal with some now also requiring 20-25 min presentations with very little prep time, they are really tough.

It just is now more so a story telling exercise on who can sell themselves the best, and a lot of people sadly find it difficult to do that as they feel they are bragging when actually you NEED to be your own biggest & loudest cheerleader in those interviews. Multiple times this year alone I’ve watched members of staff who I know are brilliant at what they do, highly regarded by colleagues & their managers, apply for promotions that truly they should have walked into with both eyes closed and leave unsuccessful because despite being the absolute best fit for the job, they didn’t get the song & dance right on the day.

My LA hire on short term contracts quite often, with some permanent positions

Yes it's strange, well I had a DBS child and adult workforce, and a school told me they couldn't accept it because they could only accept a child only?

There is one job going which pays about 18k more than I earn currently, something I've never even been close to earning. I actually have the qualifications they want and meet all of the PS, however it's a maternity cover?
Should I still try?