CO 2026, Top 3 but placed in batch 4
Hi everyone,
I recently completed my interview for the Clerical Officer campaign and retained my original OOM from Stage 1 (I am in the top 3).
I am in a quiet county with historically low movement, but being placed this high on the panel gives me some hope. However, I’m confused about how the interview batching works: despite being in the top 3, I was assigned to Batch 4 for my interview.
I reached out to PublicJobs to ask if anyone ahead of me had been called for clearance yet or where the panel currently stands, but the response was fairly vague. They just confirmed that no one has been called for clearance so far.
A couple of questions for anyone familiar with how PAS/PublicJobs manages these panels:
How are interview batches formed? Does being in Batch 4 mean there are a dozen candidates being processed ahead of me?
Realistic timeline: Given that no one in the county has been called for clearance yet, is there any realistic chance of movement or a call for Garda clearance over the next few months, or is it strictly a waiting game until a local department requests a headcount?
Would appreciate any insights or similar experiences with quiet county panels! Thanks in advance.