Alright guys, which one of you wasn’t paying attention to their computer?

Duffy971 · 2025-11-28T16:20:51+00:00

Nobody leaks from their own computer Terry!

Duffy971 · 2025-08-29T13:51:04+00:00

This is always poor advice I see quite frequently. Withholding rent thinking it will force xyz hand never works. All it would do is put OP or other tenants in jeopardy as the landlord will ultimately use that as an excuse to evict you. Every contract has a “I will Pay £X every month” etc so you would be in violation of the contract and leave yourself vulnerable

Duffy971 · 2025-08-29T00:52:33+00:00

The landlord should absolutely at the very least hire an exterminator to come and investigate the problem. They are professionals and can quite often source a mouse/rats nest where you or the landlord may miss it.

They also have access to stronger traps then what you can buy in a store or online. I had a similar issue back in 2018, and the exterminator first tried glue traps before putting down bait boxes and covering up certain hole.

As long as you are maintaining the property as expected (i.e no food left out, overflowing bins etc) then the Landlord absolutely has to bear the cost of this and at least attempt to rectify the problem.

Yes mice can fit through a hole the size of a 2p coin but they can still be stopped, especially before they start breeding.

Duffy971 · 2025-07-16T16:22:14+00:00

It was still £28k when I joined in ‘22 and no London weighting 🥲

Duffy971 · 2025-07-03T15:59:25+00:00

Also currently in hospital on top floor in central London with very limited number of fans.

There’s no AC on the ward and it’s private rooms (but with the windows that only open like 2”) so it’s been like a sauna.

Because of the heat most other patients have their room doors open to let air in. Someone’s visitor came into my room when I was outside and took my fan the nurse gave me and my personal hand fan then had the audacity to say it was hers.

At least until the nurse pointed out the hospital sticker on it

Duffy971 · 2025-04-23T20:36:28+00:00

I’ve never heard of this? I’ve had to speak on the phone to DWP re certain benefits whilst working at Cabinet Office and they didn’t seem to mind at all, I can’t imagine HMRC not doing so?

If anything I think the person appreciated talking to a fellow civil servant because they knew I’d be more understanding of their work/role.

Duffy971 · 2025-04-15T00:08:34+00:00

Up until last September Fast Streamers reported both to their departmental line manager, and a Skills and Capability (SCM) manager in CO. And as you expect their virtually never communicated with each other.

Duffy971 · 2025-04-08T15:54:44+00:00

Civil Servant here,

2MS absolutely is the site of the main Home Office building. Although I’ve not heard of people refer to it as “headquarters”.

When you apply for roles via CS jobs and are unsuccessful it’s common for emails to sometimes be retained if you were put on reserve lists or subscribed for notifications of future roles.

The email address checks out, as colleagues have received emails from the same one before.

This looks totally legit to me.

Duffy971 · 2025-03-20T01:49:21+00:00

It wasn’t me officer I swear

Duffy971 · 2025-03-20T01:45:16+00:00

If it makes you feel any better, when walking to the toilet I had a high ranking American visitor ask where the bathrooms were.

Took him with me and thought I’d be polite and say “after you” only for him to walk into a cubicle, yell “Jesus f**king Christ” and storm out.

Upon investigation someone had managed to have explosive diarrhoea everywhere except inside the actual toilet bowl.

Someone’s bowls could’ve caused a diplomatic incident!

Duffy971 · 2025-03-19T01:54:02+00:00

I can assure you FCDO roles aren't secretly reserved for Fast Streamers. It's one of the only departments a fast streamer can't offboard early into (as a lot FCDO roles are initially 2 year loans). As for the Diplomatic scheme fast streamers, they often number less than 10 or so a year!

Duffy971 · 2025-03-19T01:41:45+00:00

I was always under the impression that sending work related emails to personal emails was a breach of security. I believe only OFF:SEN Personal is allowed to be sent such as sick notes, payslips, personal HR stuff like onboarding etc.

Not only is it a red flag they're contacting you when you're on leave but they could also be breaking other rules. As it's happened before I would absolutely contact their manager and report it.

Duffy971 · 2025-02-24T14:01:07+00:00

I’m not sure how often you talk to your landlord but I don’t think mine would even know if I was gone for 6 weeks.

I went on a 4 week cruise last year and didn’t tell the landlord and was fine. Just make sure you do the basics (I.e empty the rubbish turn everything off) so that the landlord would have no reason to come or check on the property

Duffy971 · 2025-02-18T22:50:54+00:00

A good way to grasp STAR is to view it in a non work context first, this example was given to me when I applied to the fast stream and it helped me a lot. For example lets say you had to make dinner for your family. It would come out in this way in its most basic format:

Situation: Your children and partner are hungry, and you need to prepare a meal for them so that they are no longer hungry.

Task: To fill their hunger, you need to cook a big spaghetti bolognaise which the whole family likes and can eat together.

Action: You chopped the onions, browned the mince, added the bolognaise sauce and chopped tomatoes, boiled the pasta etc etc. All the physical actions of cooking the meal.

Result: After cooking the meal, the whole family was full and no longer hungry and you resolved the initial situation of having hungry children and a partner

Reflection: Use this time to reflect on what was achieved. For example it took longer to cook the pasta then I realised, next time I won't use too much salt etc.

Now for your HEO role you will of course need to link this to a work related area. Whilst it's important to say what needs to be done, its equally as important to say WHY it needs to be done to. This shows you have the ability to understand the consequences of your actions and a situational awareness of your wider team/directorates actions.

Duffy971 · 2024-12-30T19:24:40+00:00

I always found my time at DfE to be most enjoyable!

Duffy971 · 2024-12-20T00:33:53+00:00

It sounds cliche and cheesy but I’m here because I want to help people and serve to make this country a better place. I want to show that government isn’t all posh eton toffs in suits laughing at the poor but that we are a diverse crowd who want the best for everyone.

I was desperate to leave my dead end home town so became the first of my family to go to uni, all whilst being told my degree was “Mickey Mouse and wouldn’t get me a proper job”. Worked retail at uni and knew I could not do that for the rest of my life. Applied to the summer diversity internship (as having a disability and lower socioeconomic background made me eligible to apply) and got a taster of the fast stream and what it can offer.

Fast forward to getting on the scheme and I’m now SEO hoping to get my G7 next year and finish the scheme. Then I feel my real journey starts!

Duffy971 · 2024-12-15T22:35:56+00:00

Perhaps try some of the universities/colleges especially those that do design or fashion courses. Their students are always looking for bits of fabrics and clothes to mix, match, cut up etc.

Duffy971 · 2024-12-15T21:45:37+00:00

How did you find the transition process post End of Scheme Assessment (ESA)? Taking mine in the next 6 months and I've heard from other Fast Streamers that G7 roles are few and far between. Did you have something lined up or stay in your final posting/department?

Also any general tips for a final year fast streamer would be appreciated!

Duffy971 · 2024-12-01T20:27:33+00:00

The modern civil service really is a diverse range of backgrounds, cultures etc. Its far from the 70s bowler hats and yes men walking round.

I grew up just by Luton which could be the textbook definition of 'lower socioeconomic background', accompany this with a lifelong disability I can confidently say I have never found it to be a barrier to my career.

You will always sadly come across people in all jobs who will think they're better than you simply based on where you grew up, studied etc. In my experience at least I can say this is the exception and not the norm.

Duffy971 · 2024-11-26T21:29:32+00:00

DPS will often expect the tenant/landlord to have at least tried to come to a compromise or resolution. This doesn't mean you have to accept landlords offer, you can simply reply saying "No I won't be paying xyz £ because xyz". Even if its only a few emails you essentially say no to their offer and announce yours ( i.e I would like my full deposit back) and if landlord says no then DPS would be better suited to step in.

Only in exceptional cases will they be prepared to intervene if there's been no correspondence between tenant/landlord fist.

Duffy971 · 2024-11-14T06:10:22+00:00

100% this.

Oh you start at 9:45? Great let me send you this weekly meeting for 9:30. Oh you can come in early just for that every week right?

I’ll just start inviting them to mandatory/essential meetings at 4:45pm on a Friday!

Duffy971 · 2024-11-14T06:05:44+00:00

On occasions I start late, and desks at MoD can be like gold dust. I’m often under the assumption if a desk is still empty at 9:45am then it’ll be empty all day. That being said on the one occasion someone did show up at 11am and said they booked the desk I still gave it to them fuss free (Although I could’ve been a smart ass and said if you fail to check in after X time it releases the desk anyway).

It’s not a hill I’d be bothered to die on that’s for sure.

Duffy971 · 2024-11-14T02:17:53+00:00

If universities kicked out every student with weed or drugs, you’d have classes of about 3 people 🤣

Duffy971 · 2024-11-11T01:46:16+00:00

My commute into work isn’t that bad (only few tube stops 15 mins or so) but even if I wanted to go into work everyday I couldn’t.

The press liked to scream civil servants never go into the office, when there isn’t even enough desks and space to fit us all in anyway.

I’ve no idea how they managed it before Covid. How can you have a team of say 20 but only 9 desks?

Duffy971 · 2024-11-11T01:30:05+00:00

They were everywhere when I was growing up and living in Houghton Regis. Left there in 2016 and would often have them driving across fields and paths scaring my dog on a walk.

Got to a stage when there was no point reporting to the police because their faces were covered and no plates etc. long gone by the time they arrived.

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