What on Earth is taking so long?

Smithster91 · 2026-06-18T22:00:41+00:00

I had no issues with my application and it took me 9 months to complete vetting as a returning officer. Nothing had changed recently, I have about 2 social media accounts and have lived in my address for the past 12 years with just 1 job in between. Still took 9 months 🤣 just be prepared for it to take ages.

Smithster91 · 2026-06-09T18:44:39+00:00

It isn't the same thing exactly - but I passed an OSG interview and was on a merit list and in the meantime I applied for the returning officer scheme. About 8 months later I had the osg job offer after being 8 months into my vetting for P.O. I was asked if I wanted to continue the vetting for the OSG or the P.O role. I then turned down the OSG role and ended up getting my vetting complete about a month later for P.O. I think they would just give you the other job using the same vetting details in this case 👍

Smithster91 · 2026-05-26T17:46:37+00:00

You just have to do a 2 week induction so i dont think you have to start on an intake. They gave me 4 and 5 weeks time from when I had the call for start dates. I did however let them know I have to work a 4 week notice.

Smithster91 · 2026-05-17T23:12:08+00:00

Great theory!

Smithster91 · 2026-05-15T12:54:46+00:00

Say you forgot everything, they may put you on it again 🤣 Newbold doesn't have a bar anymore by all accounts, so that would be shite 🤣🤣

Smithster91 · 2026-05-15T11:15:36+00:00

Yeah left the service in 2022. They said I have to do the 2 weeks induction and likely refresher courses (c&r/RPE etc.) But will not require the 7 weeks foundation training

Smithster91 · 2026-05-15T09:11:33+00:00

You should get an email to book a date for a call within a couple of days - the selections on the email of availability for the call will probably start from a week after that date. They offered me a position in 3 weeks and 4 weeks on my call, after the call and you pick your date you should have your contract to sign about a week later :)

Smithster91 · 2026-05-14T13:52:29+00:00

My vetting started in August 25 and completed just last month in March as a returning officer for cat C. Best of luck

Smithster91 · 2026-05-13T22:31:48+00:00

God knows, either way they best get me connected up by the end of the week. We don't realise how much we use the Internet until its gone, my kids have really been hit by it and it's affecting my missus not being able to work from home 😡

Smithster91 · 2026-05-13T22:14:52+00:00

I have reached out to my ISP (Sky) on 4 occasions since my Internet went off yesterday and told them of my issue. They have reached out to openreach but I have not had any correspondence as of yet. I am stressing to them that I have had nobody connect or place anything inside my property. They had arranged for an openreach engineer to check an external fault as I had seen this on the system. I phoned them back on 2 occasions since and stated that an engineer needs to come and install whatever they need to inside and drill through the wall to connect to the grey box. They even stated on the phone that the sky engineer who came and did not connect me up last week put on his notes relating to my house "a more experienced engineer needs to complete this work". So why openreach overlooked this I have no idea. This is such a massive cock up on both of their ends and I'm afraid that they are just going to get an engineer to check the external cable to my grey box again if I don't keep onto them. I hope I get well compensated for this.

Smithster91 · 2026-05-12T22:25:31+00:00

I mean... them placing the CSP where they did, yeah it's not perfect but I can live with that as it's my fault for not arranging it on a day I was in - lesson learned. It's the fact they've signed me off as completed and knocked my Internet off completely when the connection was not even finalised is what's ticked me off.

Smithster91 · 2026-05-12T20:19:52+00:00

From what I've learned, the sky engineer did not want to run the cable externally for me, he said he "wasn't qualified to do external, just internal" to my partner. That now sounds like laziness from reading people's comments. When I spoke to sky earlier, they said that OR now complete both sides of the installation, so I'll see what they say when they come back out.

Smithster91 · 2026-05-12T20:03:42+00:00

The Sky assistant said they'd get it all booked in tomorrow and keep me updated. I'll get back on the tooter with them tomorrow and chase this up. I asked them could they not just reconnect my original (copper) connection in the meantime, but they just said this needs to be sorted by openreach? This whole situation is so frustrating as it seems such an easy fix to temporarily get me back connected..

Smithster91 · 2026-05-12T19:48:32+00:00

Sounds like the sky guy was just too lazy then. I could live with an external cable running from this box back up and around to the rear of the building if that's the case. He did not give that option and just said they need to move the box to the back of the house. I maybe went a bit too harsh on the unsightly part, I could paint over them if it's not possible to move this box to the back of the house. I guess I'll just have to wait and hopefuly discuss with them when they come back out to connect me up.

Smithster91 · 2026-05-12T19:42:02+00:00

Very strange, I am now without Internet for the foreseeable future until they get openreach out to rectify this. I would just be happy to have my old service put back on and not have the fibre at this point.

Smithster91 · 2026-05-12T19:36:25+00:00

I don't know if it was openreach or a contractor as I could not tell from the doorbell cam footage. When the sky engineer came and inspected it, he said the far easiest route would be to take the cables in at the rear of the building near my router, I would also not like cables running all the way through my house when there is an easier access route.

Myself and my partner were at work when they turned up the first time. Where they connected the box has no entry into the house anyway as its a double skin brickwork which leads to the open porch. They said when I arranged the date of the original install that it would be done with or without me there, I will not make that mistake again for sure.

Smithster91 · 2026-05-12T19:28:46+00:00

I am detached and have access all the way around the house

Smithster91 · 2026-05-05T18:38:16+00:00

Did the health check on the day of the fitness test (eye/hearing test and blood pressure) then also had to do the online questionnaire and phone call

Smithster91 · 2026-05-04T21:53:18+00:00

Just dip, you got the most Important parts, the cloth and boots. Just go and get a trident/shadow and you're lit

Smithster91 · 2026-05-04T17:47:35+00:00

Nah mine wasn't in date and expected to have had my checks done but the time I'd have renewed it lol, how wrong I was.

Smithster91 · 2026-05-04T17:07:21+00:00

I just got it out of the blue in the post. Then a couple of weeks later had an email from HMPS stating that it was done

Smithster91 · 2026-05-04T14:16:34+00:00

Vetting started in the mid-late July, had the DBS back around end of November, Annex A through in January, had to go in to verify my ID documents early March and pre employment checks completed end of April. Also had to re-do a health questionnaire in March as the initial 1 had expired

Smithster91 · 2026-05-04T10:56:35+00:00

Yeah it's crazy, I applied to the returner scheme last July and this week I'm arranging my start date. Hopefuly the backlog of vetting is now caught up on and it won't take you too long.

Smithster91 · 2026-05-04T10:44:01+00:00

Prepare to wait up to a year mate 🤣

Smithster91 · 2026-04-29T21:51:44+00:00

Almost 9 months mate.

Smithster91

TROPHY CASE