Secondment

[tb1988]

I am currently on a secondment and it is nearly at the end. We have just found out that the original post holder is not coming back. Can the department keep me or do they need to advertise the post?

It depends on their internal policy about recruitment. There's no law saying they have to advertise, but that isn't to say there isn't an company requirement to circulate opportunities internally, for example.

But if you're asking "can" the department just keep you, presumably you already know they want to do so, so an internal ad should be a tick-box exercise as far as you're concerned anyway?

I think in theory they should advertise, but in practice? Very few people cone back from secondment in my experience, and I've never seen their new permanent jobs advertised.

It's not very fair though, we're not authorising any secondments just now, and internal candidates aren't accepts for fixed term posts. If job is advertised as permanent lots of other folk could apply, who wouldn't have been able to go on secondment.

If you are doing a great job for them, and you want to stay, it would be in their best interests to keep you in post. They will find a way to keep you. They won't want to leave it dangling for too long in case you start interviewing for other roles and they end up losing you. That would just give them a whole new problem!

I would get them to confirm the process, put their cards on the table. Make it clear you want to remain in the role

I work in the public sector and we would have to advertise, although possibly only internally for a fortnight. I imagine that other/all public bodies are the same, it I am happy to stand corrected.

*be corrected.

Public sector here too and no we wouldn't advertise it, on the basis that you had applied and been through a selection process for the secondment, so it would just be a change of contract to permanent. If they wanted the post holder to stay that is.