Civil Service Transfer

[Sponge]

I was unsure where to place this thread, but as I already have an application I've put it here.

Does anybody have any experience, directly or otherwise, of the Civil Service Transfer process?

I'm already a civil servant, can I transfer into the Traffic Officer Service?

Due to the safety critical nature of these roles and the very different competencies they require, we are unable to facilitate transfers into the service. You would need to be successful at application stage and pass the assessment centre. Once you were offered a role you would then be treated as a civil service transfer.

Source

I'm already a Civil Servant, with 10 years service, a member of the PCS and in the 'Classic' Pension Scheme. I'm wondering how switching Agencies within the DfT would work. Will it be straight forward, with little input from me? Will I lose out, or indeed gain, compared to new entries? Will my 'time served' just continue? WIll my pension stay the same?

[conedoff]

I did it from the highways to another department, your pension and contributions stay at the same percentage levels, just carries on as it is, theres no worries on that front.

To transfer to the Highways is different though, you cannot do a straight departmental transfer, but have to go through the interviews, asessment days etc to compete with everyone else.

Could be though that if you are on a higher wage than TO's or room staff that your pension payments as a percentage could be lower and your final pension would be as well

[Sponge]

When I said I have an application already, I wasn't being very clear. Sorry. I've already passed the assessment centre and I'm on the waiting list, awaiting a job offer.

As a TO, my wage would be higher than what I'm on now. About 25% higher.

[Haywain]

PM sent

[Race Track]

As existing CS, some of your T&Cs will come across with you. For example, if you have more than 30 days annual leave allowance, this right will transfer across. Your pension is a straight move, the only thing that changes is your employer details and the employer contributions (sliding scale based on your salary). Your sick record doesn't come with you. Since you are existing CS, you don't have to serve a probation, although if you fail your training/designation you can be sent back to your original department (and not neccessarily your previous post/job!). Your "time served" also continues, not that this means anything.

Other than that, there isn't much else. All the T&S/Special leave policies are pretty much the same throughout departments.

[Asap]

On past experience of C/S servants who have transferred in (somehow )

If you have 10 years or whatever you should be on top rate if it is a level transfer (T/O seems to be equivalent to about E/O rate, but if you are upgrading/promtion sort of thing from AOish equivalent i think you start bottom rung of the new grade or a minimum differential upgrade, (thinks it's around 25%ish sos ) (And unlikely to move off it for years in TOS )

Best chatting to a long term C/S or H/R they generally know all the scams

[Sponge]

As existing CS, some of your T&Cs will come across with you. For example, if you have more than 30 days annual leave allowance, this right will transfer across. Your pension is a straight move, the only thing that changes is your employer details and the employer contributions (sliding scale based on your salary). Your sick record doesn't come with you. Since you are existing CS, you don't have to serve a probation, although if you fail your training/designation you can be sent back to your original department (and not neccessarily your previous post/job!). Your "time served" also continues, not that this means anything.

Other than that, there isn't much else. All the T&S/Special leave policies are pretty much the same throughout departments.

This would be great, but I'm led to believe that despite my current role/service within the CS, I will effectively have to quit my current job and serve the same 12 months probation as everybody else, as TO is a 'safety critical' role.

Your comments about annual leave are interesting. My leave is recorded/used in hours (we work 12hr shifts) and I currently get 366hrs per year (due to my length of service and when I started). Which in reality equates to 30.5 days. (Official definition is: 366 hours per annum (33 days, plus 10.5 public/privilege days = 43.5 days equivalent = 366 hours) but that's never made sense to me.) Is this more than a new TO gets?

Edit: Found this.

What holiday entitlement will I receive?

We offer 222 hours of annual leave with an additional 10 and a half public and privilege days (divided as 8 public and 2 and a half privilege). The Traffic Officer Service operates 24/7, 365 days a year, which naturally includes Bank Holidays and weekends. However if you work on a Bank Holiday you will be entitled to a day back in lieu as part of your public holiday allowance.

How many hours do you use up when taking a days leave?

[slabber]

I believe it's 7 hours 56 minutes.

[Tricky]

When I moved from another department, HR did everything for me and it went through with the only complication being the month I moved, when my previuos department assumeing the HA was now paying me, and the HA believing I was working a month behind and was expecting them to pay me. Result was no pay for 6 weeks!!!!!!!!!

Apart from that no problems, pension comes over and your years are counted for your final salary percentage. My leave was the same so no problems there. I still did a full years "probation", but I would say having read the relevant pages of the CS handbook, it could be challenged I think. But not an issue if you are a good boy/girl.

[Sponge]

I believe it's 7 hours 56 minutes.

If we call it 8 hours.

222/8 = 27.75 days, but I'm guessing the actual figure is 28 days.

+ 10.5 = 38.5 days

Is that right?

Edit: I've just checked my staff handbook:

because public and privilege holidays - 10.5 days per year - are not statutory rights for civil servants, these will count towards the annual minimum as well as the “normal” annual leave. The 24 day (28 from 1 April 2009) entitlement in the regulations can, therefore, be made up of the 10.5 public and privilege holidays plus 13.5 days (17.5 from 1 April 2009) of “normal” annual leave.

Things like this should be explained during the application process. But discussing pay, holidays, etc, seems to be frowned upon in such circumstances.