Recruitment drive for 250 prison officers with starting salary of €35k
Selection Interviews Check, Be To Department Involving Of Background Required Prehensive Written Will Physical Candidates Assessments, A Fitness Process, Justice Eligible The Tests, And Undergo Said
The Justice Minister has launched a new recruitment drive for prison officers, with salaries starting at €35,000 a year.
Helen McEntee said the Public Appointments Service was running the competition, with the Irish Prison Service intending to recruit more than 250 prison officers during the campaign.
A similar campaign last year received more than 1,800 applicants, according to the Department of Justice.
“I am determined that we grow the prison service again this year, building on 2023 with this new recruitment competition as well as the increase in the retirement age for those who wish to stay on to 62 years of age, which I announced recently,” Ms McEntee said.
The competition will remain open until September 26.
The department said eligible candidates would be required to undergo a comprehensive selection process, involving written assessments, physical fitness tests, interviews and background checks.
As well as the starting salary, new prison officers can earn operational allowances, which are 8% of their annual salary.
According to a recent parliamentary question, other costs such as training, accommodation and uniforms cost about €7,000 per new recruit.
Previously, the Prison Officers’ Association had warned recruitment had become a major problem for the Irish Prison Service.
Deputy secretary-general Gabriel Keaveny told the union’s conference last year a solution must be found “to reduce the burden of those in service”.
“Around 30 years ago, a massive recruitment campaign saw a huge intake of prison officers so we are now approaching a period where all these people will have completed their service and will be eligible to retire,” Mr Keaveny said.
“Many of our prisons are already understaffed and retirements will only serve to worsen the situation. So, we have a problem here which must be resolved, or we will have a real security issue on our hands in the immediate future.”
And, at this year’s conference, union president Tony Power said members were dealing with “dangerously overcrowded prisons”.
“It’s very clear that our attempts to highlight this issue continually fall on deaf ears," he said.
“I will continue to highlight these critical issues at the highest level in the hope that someday the Prison Service and the Department of Justice will sit up and listen and effect real change in the service.”