Without doubt this is the most common question we are asked at GardaIP. Let’s get in to the detail.

What are the Eligibility Criteria for entry to An Garda Síochána:

To be eligible for selection as a Trainee, an Applicant must:

General

(i) Be of good character.

(ii) Be certified by a Registered Medical Practitioner (nominated by the Commissioner after consultation with the Minister) to be in good health, of sound constitution and suited physically and mentally to performing the duties of a member of the Service.

(iii) Have passed a Physical Competence Test

Age:

(iv) Be 18 years of age but not yet 35 years of age on midnight of (TBC – the dates depend on the closing date for applications when the campaign is announced)

Nationality:

(v) (a) Be a national of a European Union Member State, or
(b) Be a national of a European Economic Area State or the Swiss Confederation; or
(c) Be a Refugee under the Refugee Act, 1996; or
(d) Have had a period of one year’s continuous residence in the State on the closing date of the advertisement for the competition for the vacancy to which the admission relates, and during the eight years immediately preceding that period, has had a total residence in the State amounting to four years;
(e) Has been granted subsidiary protection, or is a family member of such a person, in compliance with the Admissions and Appointments Regulations 2013.

Education:
(vi) Have by the closing date:

(a) hold a Level 5 Certificate (Major award) on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), or
(b) hold a recognised qualification (at Level 5 or greater), deemed comparable to the above in terms of both level and volume of learning as determined by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI)

Languages:

AND
(d) Must have a proven proficiency in one language.

The Public Appointments Service may verify the validity of qualifications other than the Leaving Certificate with Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). Applicants should not contact QQI directly.

(vii) All applicants must have relinquished all previous employment prior to entry to the Garda College and may not be on a career break from any such employment upon entry.

How to Register with Public Jobs for An Garda Síochána:

Now let’s talk about the admin. This is hugely important – if you miss the announcement of the campaign you will have to wait until the following year.  Also if you submit incomplete detail it may delay your application or even disqualify you!  This is what you need to know. This detail is always set out in the Garda Trainee Notes for Applicants. The Public Appointments Service (PAS) publish this document in advance of every Garda recruitment campaign. This is what you need to know.

1. Applications should be made online to the Public Appointments Service through its website www.publicjobs.ie. It is recommended that applicants do not use a tablet / iPad or mobile device to apply. Best for you to complete this detail on a laptop.
2. To apply, candidates must have a “User Account” on www.publicjobs.ie. If you have not already done so, you must register as a ‘New User’ to create your Profile (register a New Account). If you cannot remember your profile details from before, please do not create a second profile as this could invalidate your application.
3. Candidates should not confuse registering (Creating a Profile) with submitting an application. Once you have created a Profile you must then access the Application Form, complete and submit it. GardaIP can help you prepare your Application Form.
4. Candidates must use their own valid email address. Email addresses from third parties will not be accepted and may invalidate your application.
5. Public Appointments Service will send most communication through your Publicjobs Messageboard. Check your Messageboard on a regular basis as email notifications of updates/tests issued to your Messageboard may sometimes be filtered into your Junk/Spam email folders. Check all these folders regularly. This is really important – we have had candidates contact us to say that they missed key dates for Stage 2 and even the Stage 3 Interview – they were subsequently disqualified from that years competition.

How to Apply to An Garda Síochána:

Please note that a Garda Recruitment campaign has NOT been announced for 2022 yet.  The following will prepare you for when this announcement is made. 

• Access the job posting by clicking on the ‘Garda Trainee 2022’ link (when its live) on the home page of www.publicjobs.ie.
• Click on the button ‘Apply Now’ to access the Application Form. This button is located at the end of the job posting page. You must complete the Application Form in full and click the submit button.
• Once you have submitted your application form you should return to your publicjobs account and confirm that it has been successfully submitted via ‘My Applications’.
• At this point you should consider adding www.publicjobs.ie to your safe senders or contact list within your email account to avoid not receiving emails because a publicjobs email has been blocked.
• Remember to include your PPS number when applying.

Below is a screenshot of the first page of the Application Form – there are typically 4 to 5 pages to complete in total.

Need help with your Garda Application Form? Call Noel McLoughlin today at 087 250 8958