DISCOVER THE PUBLIC SERVICE, IRELAND’S LARGEST EMPLOYER
TEACHER AND GUIDANCE
COUNSELLOR RESOURCES
Here, you’ll find everything you need to support your students in exploring the public sector and the careers they can access - all in one section. This suite of newly adapted resources includes a wealth of teachable moments for TY, LCA and LCVP classes to help demystify the public sector in a fun, convenient and engaging way.
HOW IT WORKS
Each lesson plan focuses on a specific topic in relation to careers in the public sector and includes:
- Classroom PowerPoint Slides
- Teacher Lesson Guidelines
- Student Worksheets and activities
- Teacher Worksheet Answers (where relevant)
- Download Teacher Resource Guide
We recommend using the ‘Introduction to the Public Sector’ lesson plan to get you started. From here, you can use as many or as little resources to suit the needs of your class. You can download our Guide to Resources here for an overview of the lesson content.
As part of the lessons, you and your students will explore various careers in the public sector that can be applied to The Pitch, an exciting video challenge, where students promote public sector careers as a diverse and interesting career path to their fellow students, while also being in with a chance to win some amazing prizes!
All lesson plans are available to download below.
TRANSITION YEAR GROUPS
We understand different classes will have different learning objectives and timescales. For TY groups we would recommend that students could use this site for self-directed learning about the public sector. Students can then work individually or in groups to enter The Pitch Schools Advertising Challenge as a fun way to demonstrate their learning – as well as the opportunity to win cool prizes too, of course.
We understand different classes will have different learning objectives and timescales. For TY groups, we would recommend that students use this site for self-directed learning about the public sector. Students can then work individually or in groups to enter The Pitch – The PublicJobs.ie Schools Advertising Challenge as a fun way to demonstrate their learning – as well as the opportunity to win cool prizes too!
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THE LESSON PLANS
INTRODUCING THE
PUBLIC SECTOR
As an introduction to the public sector, students will explore the public and private sector, sub-sectors within the public sector, and how to use CareersPortal.ie to search for public sector roles.
CAREER PATHWAYS IN
THE PUBLIC SECTOR
In this lesson, students will learn about entry points to career paths, the progression pathways and hierarchies within the civil service, and will ‘deep dive’ into a public sector role.
LOOKING AT
THE CAREER LADDER
In this lesson, students will learn how to identify what the career ladder is and relate qualifications, training, experience and interests to it.
MEET JACOB
In this lesson students will summarise the information from the previous lessons using a real life example and interact with video footage of a public sector employee, who shares their story.
MEET JULIANA
In this lesson students will summarise the information from the previous lessons using a real life example and interact with video footage of a public sector employee, who shares their story.
If you have any feedback on how we can improve, or if you have any questions, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
THE PITCH - THE PUBLICJOBS.IE SCHOOLS ADVERTISING CHALLENGE
NOW LIVE!
Once students have a level of confidence around the public sector and the career opportunities available, we would love to see this learning put into action. The Pitch Challenge is a fun competition whereby students can tap into their creativity whilst learning 21st century skills. The challenge will involve creating a video pitching the public sector as a diverse career path to their fellow students. Teachers and Guidance Counsellors can discover more about The Pitch by signing up for our mailing list where we’ll keep you up to date with key dates and information.
FEEDBACK
We’d love to hear your feedback on our resources. Let us know what you love or what you would like to see added. You can directly email us your feedback, or if you would like to contact us about the Pitch, we are available at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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“It’s the culture of the school”
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“There is great work in it”
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“You are probably ahead of the times”
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“Great range of resources on offer which is a joy for teachers!”
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“The resources are fantastic”
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“I love, love, love what you sent! It’s fabulous”
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“It’s about time”
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“I found everything to be extremely helpful”
TEACHER FAQs
4. What are the Civil Service Grades?
The civil service grades, from Clerical Officer to Secretary General, relate to seniority and pay scales as opposed to specific roles and duties. Almost all private sector roles exist in the civil service, your grade determines your level of seniority within the organisational structure from operational activities up to senior leadership.
