New Garda recruitment campaign underway

A new recruitment drive for An Garda Síochána is underway.

The latest Garda recruitment competition opened on Thursday last and will run until 3pm on Thursday, October 9.

The competition will be conducted by publicjobs on behalf of An Garda Síochána. Candidates can apply at www.publicjobs.ie.

Prospective candidates are being urged to consider the variety of roles that can be pursued within An Garda Síochána and the active nature of the role that means post holders are not typically desk-based and get to work on their fitness as part of the job.

The costs of training to become a member of An Garda Síochána compares favourably with the costs of third level education. Garda Trainees are paid €354 per week for the 36 weeks of training in the Garda College and graduate with a Level 7 Bachelor of Arts Degree in Applied Policing accredited by the University of Limerick. Food and accommodation is provided free while resident in the Garda College.

Those who successfully complete their training come out to a guaranteed, full-time public-service pensionable job, where they start on a salary of €38,694 which rises incrementally. Garda Trainees will be assigned to work the core shift roster (12 hours) which attracts additional allowances, and will have the opportunity to work on overtime.

An Garda Síochána needs a diverse workforce that reflects the country’s population, and encourages applicants aged between 18 - 49 from all backgrounds to apply.

At the most recent attestation of Garda Trainees, 26 of the 154 that attested were born outside the state including Belarus, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, and Romania.

In addition, the competition is open to people up to the age of 50. In the last recruitment competition which took place in February 2025, 42% of applicants were aged 30 and over.