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The Public Appointments Service (PAS) has now announced a competition for Irish language speaking Clerical Officers in the Civil Service for 2018.

This competition is open to fluent Irish speakers and to people who are capable of doing their work through the Irish language. The competition is open until 3pm Thursday, 16 August 2018.

Joe McHugh, T.D., Minister of State for the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands welcomes this competition and has urged applicants from all over the country to apply for the competition, particularly those who would be interested in working through Irish.

Minister of State McHugh said:

It is evident that there is demand for the provision of Irish language State services to the same standard as the services provided in English. Therefore, this competition aligns with the overall objectives of the Official Languages (Amendment) Bill 2018, which is currently being drafted, that 20% of the new recruits to the Public Service will be Irish speakers, that every public office based in the Gaeltacht will operate in Irish and that the public organisations will be able to meet the demand for services in Irish from the public.”

My Department is working with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and with the Public Appointments Service to promote this competition that is aimed exclusively at Irish language speakers. We hope that other competitions, at various grades, will be organised for Irish language speakers in future.

This competition follows the EPSO competition for Irish language translators in the institutions of the European Union in Brussels and Luxembourg which was launched by me last week, and it is another example of the number of employment opportunities that are available to the Irish language community. More than 30 language planning officers will be recruited in the coming years also as part of the language planning process which is currently under way. This surge in Irish language employment will boost the status of the language, especially among younger people, as they become aware of the opportunities that are and will be available to them to use their language in their workplace.

Note to Editors

Clerical Officer in the Civil Service
Applications for these posts, which will be located in Ireland, will be welcomed from people who speak fluent Irish and who are capable of fulfilling their duties through Irish.
Further information is available at:
https://www.publicjobs.ie/en/index.php?option=com_jobsearch&view=jobdetails&Itemid=263&cid=90455

Competition for Irish Language translators in the Institutions of the European Union
Applications for these posts in the European Union may be made at https://epso.europa.eu/apply/job-offers/competition/3264/description_en
The competition is open to university graduates, including those who will graduate this summer. Applicants must be proficient in Irish and must have a good knowledge of at least two other official languages of the European Union, one to be English, French or German.