Wholetime Recruitment-Recruits List

[berlin09]

I have completed and passed the ADC and interview for a wholetime firefighter position and have been placed on a 'Recruits List' awaiting entry onto a recruits course.  I am aware my place on the 'Recruits List' runs out after one year and if I do not get accepted onto a recruits course within this year I will have to re-apply in the next recruitment drive.

Is anybody able to tell me the kind of criteria used to select applicants onto recruit courses i.e what is the difference between getting on a course and not.  I was under the impression that your scores at interview and ADC were taken into account and a list produced in order of scores achieved, therefore the highest marked applicant would be first onto a recruits course.  I presume different brigades have different criteria and am interested, if anyone knows, what kind of criteria is used.

I have tried speaking and writing to the personnel dept of the brigade I have applied to they have been very cloak and dagger. Even asking for feedback I received the reply they couldnt give me any because I was successful??

[rips]

berlin09,

congratulations for getting as far as you have, many do not make it this far. Unfortunately it is now pot luck, you will be in a pool of people that have reached the final stage of assessment.

It will depend on how many trainees this particular FRS require during the next year. I have heard that some FRS's will pick in order of scores and others pick from a hat.

You are just going to have to be patient to see if you get selcted for a trainee course this time round.

I would suggest you ask the FRS how many trainees they are likely to require this year. Hopefully you will be in the pick and land your self a place.

Good luck

[Cut Fire Service Pay]

I think its very unfair that if you have passed everything that you then have to wait. Its true that some brigades pick randomly and others have thier own ideas! Unfortunately this is modernisation in the fire service, too many chiefs (now know as managers).

Its very unfair that they wont even give you any real feedback. The criteria that all brigades use now is the daft PQAs, try reading them on the IPDS website, what a load of gibberish. I recently gave up an ADC for Lf crew managing director supervisor or whatever they call them now as the whole process was a farce! I couldn't get feedback either, or any that made sense!

Good luck though and keep at them

[berlin09]

Thanks for your comments Pete_P and Rips after such a rigorous selection process having a lottery for selection at the end seems to miss the point of it all!

Anyway I'll be keeping my fingers crossed and if it doesnt happen - I'll be the first to re-apply!

[rips]

berlin09 & Pete_P

What you have to remember is that each FRS must attempt to get as many people through to the final stage of selection. Once they have a list of sucesssful candidates they can then select / pick individuals for the Trainee Course. You willl be surprised how many people fail the medical, decide they don't want the job, already have joined another FRS etc, etc.

That is why there are often more people reach the end of selection than are actually required.

As I said earlier, berlin09, i hope you are one of the lucky ones that is sucessful.

With regards to the feedback, they are correct, you were successful. If and I hope you get on the course, you can ask for feedback again, but I don't see the point as you will then be in a FRS and not be required to go through the selction process again.



Pete_ P,

With regards to the ADC for Crew Manager, who on earth are you hurting by pulling out? The system is there so you have to make the most of it. I don't necessarily agree with the process, but at the moment its here so we just have to get on with it.

[Cut Fire Service Pay]

I pulled out of the system as i no longer have any faith in the fire service. I can't understand how its being run and the nonsense that we have to put up with. I just coast along now doing what I need to do to keep in the job but now have no aspirations for the future in this 'modernised' fire service , i'll be on the shop floor until retirement. Sorry to be so negative.

As goes the selection list I agree with what you say to a point but why if someone has reached the required standard do they then have to re-apply again after 12 months?

[berlin09]

The reason for having to reapply after 12 months, given by the personnel dept, is that the written tests results are only valid for a pre requisite time.  Ive been on the list for 12 months now and there is one recruits course left to be filled this year.  I actually already work for the FRS I have applied for in control (dont know if this is a good thing or bad thing mind) and am getting pretty desperate now!  I should be out of my misery by Jan/Feb though!

[fireftrm]

Why should the FRS be different to other employers? I have attended interviews, in the past, for other jobs where they say 'you did well, but we have only x jobs so we are placing you on a list' in the seond case this got me ajob three months later. This is nothing new, nothing to do with modernisation either. In my region the FRS have used such lists for years, with an annual recruitment process and a list lasting until the next one.

Pete - well done, pulling out of a possibility of you being promoted, earning more and having a better lifestyle as a result, will realy show the powers that be. Having said that your negativity would probably mean failure to achieve at the ADc so maybe that is a good reason for removing yourself from certain disappointment.

[kurnal]

The FRS is very different to other employers fireftrm.

Any other employer would be allowed to take into account their previous knowledge of loyal and skilled existing staff and would be able to take this into account at the last step in the recruitment system. Or if they were not up to the mark to be open and honest with them to maintain their morale and personal development to stand a better chance in future.

Its due to what is in my opinion PC in the name of equal opportunities. It serves nobody well, and leaves existing quality staff disillusioned.

I was present at one retained promotion interview  where the successful candidate was told by the ACO that he had given the best Crew Commander interview he had ever seen. And the ACO was right. The candidate quickly advanced and now 4 years on is  station commander in the retained service. But despite having made it into the final lottery for full time recruitment  several years running was never offered a job as a full time firefighter. Crazy.

[fireftrm]

RDS to WDS transfers are now real, so the use of the exisitng skills of our staff, of whom we already have a good knowledge, can be used. Like all other employers this would be by transfer rather than recruitment. This is happening, so no difference. Also (like all other employers) what happens in one place may not be thesame as in another.

You are right about the individual you mention, crazy. What a waste of everyone's time taking him through a process of application and testing (already an employee) and then not taking him, worse still, had they done so they would no doubt have wasted another pile of our dosh putting him through a full training course, rather than assess his actual training needs and give him only them. So a transfer process is sensible?.

[Andy Cole]

Which brigades currently accept transfers from RDS to WDS? I know there was talk of it but I've not heard of it actually happening anywhere!!

[rips]

Tyne & Wear have taken RDS into WT, as a transfer

[Andy Cole]

Is that RDS with tyne & wear to WT with T&W?

[rips]

yes Tyne & Wears RDS transferred into WT, BUT we have also had RDS from other FRS apply via the transfer route.

[Kaiser]

Nottinghamshire also do transfer from RDS to WDS but I think its only their own brigade personnel they are accepting, I know that others who were RDS have had to do the full basic training, this is because Notts RDS pesonnel were arleady familiar with the brigade ism's and the transferee training didn't have time to teach all the little things specific to Notts brigade.