Irish Civil Service Grades: Roles, Pay and Preparation

Irish civil service grades describe the scope of the role: CO supports delivery, EO handles independent and supervisory work, AO is a graduate policy route, HEO manages a team or function, and AP leads a business area. This page is the role and pay overview. Exact salary, eligibility and assessment conditions come from the current competition booklet.

Applying from outside the civil service? Our plain-English civil service glossary explains grades, reporting lines and workplace terms. Read it alongside the guide to all 18 Irish government departments to become familiar with the setting of the scenarios. Use the facts and instructions in your own assessment rather than assuming a particular internal procedure.

For choosing and explaining your evidence at the right level, use the guide to grades and capability expectations. For entry rules, use the eligibility checklist. These pages answer different questions; neither replaces the overview or your official competition record.

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The four main grades at a glance

Irish civil service grades explained simply: CO is the entry point, EO is the main promotional step, HEO is the mid-management layer, and AO is the graduate stream that runs alongside the internal ladder.

Grade	Full title	Eligibility source	Starting salary (approx.)
CO	Clerical Officer	Current competition booklet	~€31,495
EO	Executive Officer	Current competition booklet	~€38,419
HEO	Higher Executive Officer	HEO 2026: qualification route + 3 years’ relevant management	€60,029
AO	Administrative Officer	Current qualification route	~€40,768

Salary figures are published on the publicjobs.ie career path page and reflect Forsa scales effective June 2026. Scales run to LSI2 (long service increments) over time - always check the current competition booklet on publicjobs.ie for exact figures, as they update with pay agreements.

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Clerical Officer (CO): the widest open door

CO work includes administration, records, processing and public-facing support. Open, temporary and permanent CO campaigns can have different requirements and terms. Check the qualification, citizenship, age and appointment conditions in the current booklet. The CO competition guide explains the preparation questions to ask.

Choose assessment practice from your invitation. Numerical, verbal, checking and categorising skills feature in official CO familiarisation resources, but another campaign’s timer or navigation rules do not establish yours. The worked numerical examples teach the calculation methods; the official invitation establishes any time limit.

Being placed on a panel does not guarantee appointment. The booklet sets its lifetime, location arrangements and clearance conditions. A panel position is different from a job offer.

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Executive Officer (EO): where most people focus their energy

EO responsibilities can involve independent casework, coordination and supervision. People can enter through open competitions or progress through applicable promotion routes. Read the current booklet for the eligibility route that fits your record; a degree is not a universal requirement for every EO campaign. The EO competition guide covers preparation in more detail.

Use the formats in your official instructions. Our verbal practice develops passage-based reasoning; our judgement practice uses original workplace scenarios with ranked responses. These describe PSP practice, not a guarantee of the battery or timer for your competition.

After a sample, identify what needs work: reading the evidence, setting up a calculation or explaining your workplace judgement. Try one free sample before choosing a plan.

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Higher Executive Officer (HEO): an open route in 2026

Open HEO competitions are rare, and promotion from EO through an interdepartmental or internal competition remains a common route. The open HEO 2026 campaign requires at least three years of relevant management experience and starts at €60,029. Its booklet confirms an online assessment stage but does not name the test types. The familiarisation material sent to invited candidates will be definitive. The HEO 2026 campaign guide covers the application, eligibility and published timeline.

HEO 2026 applications have closed. Existing candidates can use the HEO preparation hub to organise their submitted evidence and choose practice from the official invitation. For senior responsibilities, see Assistant Principal preparation.

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Administrative Officer (AO): the graduate entry route

AO is commonly a graduate route into policy, research and analysis. The applicable competition defines its qualification level, classification, subjects or other conditions. The AO competition guide gives preparation context; verify entry conditions and selection stages in your own booklet.

The dated salary comparison above is a starting-point illustration, not a current offer. Follow the published scale and appointment terms for the vacancy you apply for. For preparation, gather one real example of analysis and explain the evidence, your decision and its result. The capability-level guide helps you judge the scope.

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Match your preparation to the invitation

Use the competition’s actual assessment instructions. Original practice should teach a transferable method; it cannot predict your questions or replicate the selection process. Publicjobs test advice links official familiarisation material. Keep that alongside the candidate-specific invitation.

For HEO, open the preparation hub and choose the named assessment. For AP, use the senior practice and capability routes. Interview preparation has a separate purpose: build examples from your own experience.

Who this is for

Ciara is already a CO and going for the EO. She needs realistic SJT practice in the ranked format, and she needs her numerical scores to be strong enough to rank well, not just pass. The CO vs EO comparison covers exactly what changes between the two assessments.

Daniel is a graduate who has not been through publicjobs before and does not have anyone at work to ask. He needs to understand which grade he is even eligible for - the civil service eligibility guide is the right starting point - then practise all three sections before his first competition.

Orla has already been placed on a panel but is now facing the competency interview before she is called forward. The public service interview preparation page is where she should go next.

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How to start

The free taster at the free taster gives you a sample of the SJT and numerical sections with no card required. It takes about ten minutes and gives you a realistic sense of where you stand before the real competition opens.

If you want the full practice bank - all sections, all grades, with detailed explanations - see the pricing page. Premium is €39 a month and can be cancelled when the competition stage is over. A 90-day Competition Pass is also available for €89 once when one competition is likely to run across several stages. The civil service test prep cost guide explains how to compare free, monthly and fixed-window options.

Check publicjobs.ie directly for current open competitions, exact eligibility conditions, and the official information booklets. Those booklets are the ground truth on timing and format - and they are worth reading end to end before you start practising.

Sources and update record

4 October 2026: distinguished the grade/pay overview from the capability-level guide and linked assessment preparation. Salary figures above describe the dated June 2026 comparison, not a new verified pay schedule. Check the official civil service career path and current competition booklet for your entry scale and date.