Leisure Attendant

This competition presents an opportunity to gain employment with Tipperary County Council in the role of Part-time Leisure Attendant.

Tipperary County Council is committed to a policy of open and fair recruitment, in line with good practice, recruitment & selection standards, employment legislation and relevant circulars from the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage.

This Candidate Information Booklet is intended to provide information on the post of Part-time Leisure Attendant and the selection process and candidates are advised to familiarize themselves with the detailed information in advance of submitting their application.

Candidates should satisfy themselves that they are eligible under the Qualifications to apply for the post of Part-time Leisure Attendant.

Where a candidate provides false or misleading information or has deliberately omitted relevant information on their application form this may result in their disqualification from the competition.

Qualifications

The person holding the employment must:

a) Be of good character.

b) Be free from any defect or disease, which would render him/her unsuitable to hold the employment and be in a state of health such as, would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render an efficient service.

c) Be at least 18 years of age

d) Possess Irish Water Safety National Pool Lifeguard Award or equivalent (Level 2)

e) Level 1 Swimming Teacher Qualification desirable but not essential. Successful applicant will be expected to gain their full Swimming Teachers Qualification and instruct swimming classes.

f) National certificate in fitness or equivalent and knowledge of pool plant operations desirable but not essential.

Please attach all required Certificates with your application form.

The successful candidate(s) will be subject to Garda Vetting prior to appointment and a mandatory swim test.

Conditions of Employment

Duties

The Application Process

Once fully completed, application forms will be accepted.

Please ensure that:

The admission of a person to this competition, or an invitation to attend for interview is not to be taken as implying that Tipperary County Council is satisfied that such person fulfills the requirements.

Tipperary County Council may need to contact you during the selection process. It is important that your contact details (phone number, postal and email address) as given on your application form are correct and are accessible by you at all times.

Tipperary County Council accepts no responsibility for communication not accessed or received by the applicant.

The Selection Process

Tipperary County Council reserves the right to shortlist applications if required.

Interview may be face to face or conducted through Zoom and will be at the discretion of the Council.

Step 1: Initial Screening

In the first instance, all applications received by the latest date/time for receipt of completed applications are screened for eligibility in accordance with the Qualifications for the post as set out in this booklet.

Step 2: Shortlisting

If the volume of applicants for the position is such that it would not be practical to interview everyone, Tipperary County Council may decide that a number only will be invited for same. In this respect, Tipperary County Council provide for the employment of a shortlisting process to select a group for interview, who based on an examination of the application forms, appear to be the most suitable for the position.

Application forms will be examined against a pre-determined criteria based on the requirements for the position.

This is not to suggest that candidates not selected for interview are necessarily unsuitable or incapable of undertaking the job, rather that there are some candidates, who based on their application, appear to be better qualified and/or have more relevant experience.

It is therefore in your own best interest to provide a detailed and accurate account of your relevant qualifications/experience on the application form.

Step 3: Preliminary Interview

If, following the shortlisting process, there remains a significant number of candidates, it may be necessary to hold preliminary interviews.

The interview Board will generally consist of two members and will be of a short duration (20 minutes or so).

Step 4: Final Interview

Candidates who are successful in the shortlisting/preliminary interview process will be invited to attend for final interview(s).

Tipperary County Council will endeavour to give sufficient notice of the scheduled interview time and date to shortlisted candidates. Thereafter, it is the responsibility of the candidate to make themselves available on time and on the date advised.

Candidates who do not attend for interview on the date and time advised will be deemed to have withdrawn their application from the competition.

Expenses incurred by candidates in attending for interview, will be at the candidates own expense.

An independent Interview Board will be established by the Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council to assess the candidates shortlisted for interview.

The Interview Board will generally comprise a Chairperson and two other members, who will have expert knowledge in the relevant field.

The objective of the Interview Board is to identify candidates who best meet the objective criteria and competencies required for the position and to place them in order of merit.

Candidates who are successful in the interview will be qualified in order of merit for appointment to the post of Part-time Leisure Attendant and placed on a panel.

It should be noted that placement on a panel may not necessarily lead to a job offer.

The selection process is not concluded until such time as references have been sought and clearance checks, i.e. Garda vetting, occupational health, verification of education qualifications, mandatory swim test etc., have been carried out to the satisfaction of the Council.

Feedback

Candidates shall be notified of the outcome of each stage of the selection process at the earliest possible date.

If, following the interview, a candidate is placed on a panel they shall be informed of their position on the panel.

Details of marks attained in the interview process will be provided upon receipt of written request.

Panel Formation

A panel will be formed for an initial period of one year and this may be extended for a further year at the discretion of the Chief Executive.

The panel may be used to fill both permanent and temporary positions that may arise for its duration.

Vacancies will be offered in order of merit as per the panel.

Candidates whose names are on a panel and who satisfy the local authority that they possess the qualifications declared for the post and that they are otherwise suitable for appointment may within the life of the panel be appointed as appropriate vacancies arise.

Deeming of candidature to be withdrawn

Candidates who do not attend for interview or other test when and where required by Tipperary County Council, or who do not, when requested, furnish such evidence as required by Tipperary County Council within the specified timeframe with regard to any matter relevant to their candidature, will be deemed to have withdrawn their application from the competition.

Should a candidate decline an offer of employment, or having accepted an offer of employment relinquish it prior to commencing in the post, they will be deemed to have withdrawn their application from the competition.

References

Applicants are required to advise the names of two responsible persons to whom they are well known but not related (at least one of the referees should be an existing or former employer).

In advance of any offer of employment, Tipperary County Council reserves the right to seek both written and verbal references from current and previous employers, educational institutions or any other organisations with which the candidate has been associated.

The Council reserves the right to determine the merit, appropriateness and relevance of such references and referees.

Verification of Educational Qualifications

Prior to appointment the candidate will be required to present within a specified timeframe, the original parchment of their certificate, diploma and/or degree, and any other supporting documentation required by the Council*, to the Human Resources department in order to verify their qualifications.

• Non-Irish Qualifications must be accompanied by a determination from Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to establish their comparability against the Irish National Framework of Qualifications; overseas qualifications must also be accompanied by a translation document.

Pre-Employment Medical

Prior to appointment the candidate may be required to complete a Health Declaration and will be required to undergo a medical examination by a qualified medical practitioner nominated by the Council.

Where for any reason the cost of the medical examination is borne by the applicant it shall be refunded on appointment.

In all other cases the Council will incur the cost of the pre-employment medical.

Garda Vetting

Garda Vetting may be sought in accordance the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 and the applicant will be required to fully cooperate with this process.

Mandatory Swim Test

Prior to appointment, the Candidate will be required to undergo and pass a mandatory swim test conducted by the Pool Manager.

Canvassing

Any attempt by a candidate, or by any person(s) acting at the candidate’s instigation, directly or indirectly, by means of written communication or otherwise to influence in the candidate’s favour, any member or employee of the Council or person nominated by the County Council to interview or examine applicants, will automatically disqualify the candidate for the position being sought.

Confidentiality

Tipperary County Council, in its recruitment and selection procedures, has appropriate measures in place to protect the confidentiality of all applicants.

All enquiries, applications and other aspects that form part of the recruitment formalities are treated as confidential and are not disclosed to anyone, outside of those directly involved in the recruitment process - subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Acts, 1997-2014.

Records created, maintained and stored by Tipperary County Council as part of the recruitment and selection process are subject to a range of legislation, including Freedom of Information and Data Protection.

Tipperary County Council shall comply with the National Records Retention Policy (2001) and any other relevant records retention policies.

General Data Protection Regulation

Tipperary County Council is committed to protecting your personal data and we comply with our obligations under the Data Protection Acts, 1988 – 2018, and the General Data Protection Regulation.

Basis for Processing your Personal Information

The basis for processing your personal data is to process your application for the position you have applied for with Tipperary County Council under the Terms of the Employment (Information) Act 1994 and Human Resources Department policies and procedures.

Personal data sought for the purpose of recruitment will include your name, your contact details including email address and mobile number, particulars of education, details regarding your record of employment, details of referees and confirmation if you require an employment permit/visa/ or work authorisation.

When your application form is received, we create a computer record in your name, which contains much of the personal information you have supplied.

This personal record is used solely in processing your candidature.

You are entitled to obtain at any time, a copy of information about you, which is kept on computer.

Sharing of Information

Outside of the relevant recruitment team, the information provided in your application form will only be shared for progressing the competition for which you have applied for, with a designated short-listing and/or interview board.

If, following the competition, you are placed on a Panel and offered a position, the information provided in your application form will form part of your Personnel File and may be used for deciding the post to which you are assigned.

Furthermore, should you be offered a position and subsequently confirm your interest in the position, the information provided on your application form will be used to request service records, employment references and/or character references as required.