RECRUITMENT

Gheel Autism Services work within a low arousal philosophy and our values form an integral part of who we are and what we do. We employ approximately 250 people in various capacities and locations in Dublin and North Kildare and are regularly on the lookout for like-minded individuals to join the team.

Current Vacancies

So why work for Gheel?

As leaders in our field we are always seeking to raise the bar in terms of service provision and best practice. Innovative thinkers who believe that the people we support are partners in, and not recipients of their service are welcome at Gheel. If you think in a similar way this is organisation for you.

As such, we invest in staff and provide a suite of relevant CPD training courses such as Autism Awareness and Studio III training focused on further developing the skills and competencies of staff which are necessary to meet the varied and individual needs of people accessing services.

Employment Terms and Conditions

As a grant aided agency, we operate on the HSE consolidated pay scales. Salaries and incremental credit are awarded based on relevant qualifications and experience. In addition to basic salary and premium payments, we offer staff an excellent employee benefits package with generous annual leave entitlements and further education opportunities.

Gheel Employee Benefits

Training and development opportunities.
Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (operated by VHI).
Dedicated learning and development plans.
Up to 27 days annual leave.
Various leave types (conditions apply).
Paid maternity leave (conditions apply).
Competitive salary.
Pension with 7% Employers Contribution (subject to HSE funding, conditions apply)
Death in Service benefit of annual salary payment (conditions apply).
Further education scheme.
Travel (bike-to-work schemes/tax saver commuter tickets).
Option to join the Health Service Credit Union.
Welcoming working environment.
Annual increments in line with salary scale.

Staff are supported through supervision and we actively encourage reflective practice. We are dedicated to the health and well-being of employees and all new and existing staff are made aware of our EAP service and our internal BeWell (health and well-being initiative) run by our Quality and Safety Team. Gheel strive to provide an environment whereby staff are supported across the service.

Click below to view some of the editions of the BeWell monthly newsletter.

Educational Assistance Programme / Career Progression

Gheel operates a flexible Educational Assistance Programme to allow staff attain the next level in their educational development and career progression.

Once you have successfully passed the probationary period and are a permanent member of staff you may apply for funding under Gheel’s Elective Professional Training Programme. Applications will be considered for courses of all lengths, from seminars and workshops to long duration educational development courses. In instances of successful applications, a reimbursement of fees may apply.

Since 1971, Gheel Autism Services CLG has grown into a strong and continually expanding autism specific service. Gheel staff are the strongest asset and all vacancies/opportunities within the service are advertised internally and externally. We are very proud of our dedication to training and continuous professional development which has supported many members of staff to progress their careers within Gheel.

The contribution and knowledge of long serving staff members is invaluable. Their insights and experience not only benefit their peers, but more importantly, the people accessing services within Gheel. Everyone who works in Gheel are encouraged and supported with continuous professional development to create a new generation of thought and knowledge leaders.

Team Testimonials

We care about and value the opinion of staff. There are monthly staff meetings held at each location where each person is encouraged to actively participate and engage with their manager and team members on all aspects of service provision.

Recently, we reached out to all staff in the form of an Employee Satisfaction Survey and we plan to continue this on an annual basis. Some of the feedback/testimonials are listed below.

"I work in Gheel purely for the job satisfaction of working with the people I support and the long term relationship I have nurtured with them. I have had opportunities to leave Gheel and work elsewhere, but have turned these jobs down as I enjoy working in Gheel so much. I value the changes Gheel has had to make and enjoy the new challenges within Gheel"

"I am extremely proud to work in Gheel and it is a privilege to do so. I get to work with some amazing colleagues"

"I have always valued the culture within Gheel and overall I think that Gheel is a great organisation to work in"

Staff Stories – A Day in the Life

So what’s it like to work in Gheel? Check out our Staff Stories – A Day in the Life

This month’s featured employee is Stephen Carr. Stephen has been working with the organisation for the past 24 years and during that time, Stephen has held many roles including Social Care Worker, Location Manager and he is now the Regional Manager for Living Options Models within North Dublin Services.

1. What do you do?
I support the management function across Living Options Models within North Dublin Services.

2. Describe your typical working day?
My day begins with checking emails and getting back to people I meant to get to yesterday. My calendar can look very different from day to day, I may have multiple meetings scheduled or interviews. Every day, I set aside time to link in with the people we support, staff and managers to see how everyone is doing. I have administration work to complete daily and try to keep up-to-date. Most days we are planning to meet the needs of the people we support, sometimes this can be looking at person centred planning, recruitment, or strategic objectives such as aging in place.

3. What are your qualifications/background?
I completed my Diploma in Supported Employment and my BA (hons) in Social Care with the Open Training College and I have completed my MSc in Risk Management and Systems Change with TCD.

4. Tell us about your previous work experience?
I previously worked as a Social Care worker with The Irish Society for Autism and with Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children in Washington DC. I also had the opportunity to work across different models within Gheel both in direct supports and now in a managerial post.

5. What is the best thing about your job?
The people. The organisation is very much value based at its core; we work collaboratively and in partnership with the people accessing services. Every day is different, and I always learn something new or a new way of looking at something.

6. And the biggest challenge?
Resource management and the allocation of resources can be a challenge, working within budgets and trying to be innovate with what we have available to us is a challenge.

7. What advice would you give someone considering applying for a job with Gheel?
Firstly, I would say I find the work we do very meaningful and personally I derive great satisfaction supporting people to attain their goals, dreams, or aspirations. Secondly, I would say my experience with Gheel has been incredibly positive, I have had the opportunity to work alongside very dedicated colleagues to meet different tasks or issues and we manage to work together to find solutions. Along the way we always have a laugh, and the work is both challenging and great fun.

Here are Stephen’s responses to our personality pop quiz!

What is your idea of perfect happiness? I'm not looking for perfection.
What is your greatest fear? Randomly enough it's falling from a height.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Overthinking things.
What is the trait you most deplore in others? Pretentiousness.
What living person do you most admire? I struggled with this question at interview stage - pass!
What is your greatest extravagance? These days its LIDL.
What is your current state of mind? I'm staying in the moment.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Really. that's interesting.
Where would you most like to live? Portugal - Seaview a must, did I say earlier I don't like pretentiousness?
What is your most treasured possession? My dog.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? I'm overthinking this question.
Who is your hero of fiction? Deadpool.
Who are your heroes in real life? My Nan.
What is your greatest regret? Not having more regrets.
What is your motto? No comment.

This month, our featured employee is Catherine Flynn. Catherine joined Gheel as an administrative assistant in November 2019.

1. What do you do?
I provide administrative assistance and support to the Practice Team and the Regional Managers.

2. Describe your typical working day?
I first check for referrals that have been received, calls and emails to Gheel and follow-up on those. Then it’s on to admin and support which covers a wide range of items and following-up on those different items. I also assist with training coordination and training administration. Each day is very different and I really enjoy the variety that the role brings.

3. What are your qualifications/background?
I initially completed an Arts Degree in French and Spanish in UCD and then completed a diploma in HR achieving Chartered Membership of the CIPD. I am currently undertaking a Humanities Degree (Psychology Major) through DCU distance-learning and am loving it!

4. Tell us about your previous work experience?
I initially started my career in a multi-lingual technical support call centre then moving into HR where I spent the last 20 years. My career to date has mostly been in multi-national organisations across a range of sectors. In line with my current studies I decided to take a change of role and sector which allows me time to achieve balance on many levels.

5. What is the best thing about your job?
The best thing about my job is that it presents me with the opportunity to communicate and work with so many individuals across the organisation enabling me to learn more about the organisation and the services that we provide to the people that we support. I see what an amazing group of individuals we have here at Gheel!

Here are Catherine’s responses to our personality pop quiz!

What is your idea of perfect happiness? Sitting on my favourite armchair, relaxing and Heart 80’s playing in the background.
What is your greatest fear? Waking up one morning and realising that either my beloved Nespresso machine doesn’t work or the Nespresso capsules have run out.
What is your greatest extravagance? My neon yellow Nespresso machine.
What is your current state of mind? Every cloud does indeed have a silver lining.
What do you most dislike about your appearance? My frizzy hair.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? To have straight hair.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? Completing the Wicklow Half Marathon and all the training I did to prepare for it.
Where would you most like to live? Formentera, the sister island of Ibiza. The beaches and sea are just so beautiful plus it’s a very unspoiled and chilled out destination.
What is your most treasured possession? My family.
Who are your favourite writers? I love reading in general. It’s hard to pick but probably Jane Austen and Sebastian Faulks. Recently I have started reading Brené Brown and am enjoying her books!
What is it that you most dislike? When people don’t pick up after their dogs – Grrrr…
What is your greatest regret? Not pursuing my piano exams to Grade 8; I stopped at 5!
What is your motto? Don’t (procrastinate/over) think, just do it.