Statement of Service for Students

Our purpose

The purpose of the Careers Advisory Service is to facilitate students and recent graduates of the College in making and implementing informed decisions about their future career and achieving their own objectives in a context of contribution to the community and society at large.

What we offer

In order to achieve this purpose, students can expect the following services to be provided:

Individual guidance meetings with the careers adviser with responsibility for your course. [In the case of students in the faculty of Health Sciences, students in the Associated Colleges of Education and students pursuing night degree courses a limited advisory service is provided but all other services of the department are available to them]. Discussions with advisers are confidential, impartial and non-directive.
A careers education programme of workshops and training events on career choice, further study, job search and recruitment processes as well as time out.
Assistance with obtaining career related summer vacation work through the VACWORK programme.
A Personal Development Programme designed in conjunction with academic staff and operating in selected disciplines.
A careers information centre with online access and containing up to date reference and take away materials on different careers, further study options in Ireland and overseas, employers and job hunting. A range of assistive technology is available in the Careers Service, which enables disabled students to access careers information.
Organised recruitment and information activities.
Vacancy and other information relating to opportunities with employers or course providers. This information will be made available through e-mail and at the careers website.
Psychometric testing with individual feedback for which there is a fee.
Videotaped practice interviews with a careers adviser for which there is a fee.
Vocational guidance software (Prospects Planner, Pathfinder) accessible on the web, in the Careers Information Centre and through the College PC network.

Further details can be found in the Careers Service Guide, in the editions of Options, which are published for Senior Fresh, Junior Sophister and Senior Sophister students and for graduates and at the careers website.

Many of these services can be used by any Trinity College graduate, subject to individual arrangements being made and to availability of staff and information. In certain cases a charge may be made for these services.

How to contact us

Website: www.tcd.ie/Careers
E-mail: careers@tcd.ie
Telephone: (01) 8961721/(01) 8961705 Fax: (01) 6793295
Location: 2nd Floor, 7-9 South Leinster Street, Trinity College, Dublin 2

Opening Hours

During Term: 9.30am - 5.00pm, Monday - Friday
Vacation: 9.30am - 12.30pm & 2.15pm - 4.30pm, Monday - Friday

Although the Careers Service is open throughout the year there may be a reduced service outside of term and when the Careers Information Centre is being updated.

What you can expect from us

You will be encouraged to adopt a self-help approach both by the careers advisers and in your use of the Careers Information Centre. We are, however, there to help you in making the transition to whatever stage comes next. This may mean, for instance, giving you advice on the best way of structuring your year off.

You are entitled to expect that the Service will be staffed by competent and appropriately qualified staff who will help you in a friendly, courteous and professional manner and that the activities of the Service will contribute to your:

Awareness of your skills, interests and the factors that motivate you.
Awareness of appropriate employment or study opportunities.
Effectiveness in making career decisions and acting on them.
Ability to market yourself effectively to employers or course directors.

What we can expect from you

Engaging in career planning can be a time consuming process and you do need to take particular care when you research information to ensure that it is accurate and that you comply with deadlines. The Service is entitled to expect that you will:

Have spent some time prior to a meeting considering the areas you wish to discuss and identifying what you would like as an end result.
Take responsibility for making your own decisions, researching your career choices and taking action to realise your career goals.
Treat with respect the staff with whom you come into contact and the materials made available for you and others to use.
Keep appointments and arrive on time and telephone or send an e-mail if for any reason you have to cancel.
Adhere to the codes of practice referred to below and in particular that you will be professional in your dealings with third parties such as employers.
Keep us informed as to your availability for employment, further study etc.
Participate in any surveys undertaken by the Service.

How we can act on your behalf

We can act on your behalf by:

Building and maintaining relationships with prospective employers of graduates in Ireland and abroad by attending careers events organised by companies, by visiting companies, meeting with representatives of companies in the Careers Service, attending presentations given by companies for students, producing an employer newsletter, offering a range of services to employers to advertise vacancies and requesting feedback from them on their recruitment process. We also advise employers on suitable times for presentations and interviews.
Organising sign up sheets for presentations and skills sessions organised by employers and collecting completed application forms for some employers by a specified closing date. In some cases we draw up schedules of interviews for employers.
Ensuring that recruitment agencies that contact the Careers Service to advertise opportunities have genuine vacancies and are not simply building a database of potential candidates.
Developing and maintaining contacts with alumni of the College.
Working with the gradireland to produce and update a range of sector career guides, the gradireland and Postgradireland directories and the gradireland website.
Working with academic departments to incorporate transferable skills into the curriculum.

How you can help us improve the service

We canvas your opinions through regular on campus surveys and through a special survey following graduation. We use this information in reporting to Council and to Board and as part of our annual planning process to improve the services that we provide and to ensure that we conform to AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services) quality standards.

A comment box is also provided in the Careers Service should you wish to suggest any improvements to our services.

If at any stage you are not happy with the quality of our services please contact the Director, Sean Gannon (sean.gannon@tcd.ie or telephone 8962556). There is also a formal complaints procedure in place.

Codes of practice and standards

As a member of AGCAS the Careers Service is committed to promoting equality of access and treatment in education, employment, training and guidance regardless of race, religion, gender, disability, marital status, social class, age or sexual preference. Staff in the Service also work to the following codes and standards - the College's Equal Opportunities policy, the Student Charter and Quality framework, the Careers Service Code of practice for students with disabilities and the code of practice in relation to graduate recruitment jointly agreed by AGCSI, IPD, IBEC and USI. Copies of these codes and policy documents are available on request.

Limitations of our service

Full access to the facilities in 7-9 South Leinster St may not be possible for all students (especially those who are mobility impaired) due to the location of the office. In those circumstances the staff will try to ensure that all relevant services are made available in an alternative location.
Due to space limitations there is restricted access to the Careers Information Centre and it may not always be possible to facilitate employer fairs or interviews on campus.

Students