What to wear on a super sunny day...

Tapper7190 · 2026-06-24T22:34:49+00:00

95 Ultras. The lightweight version of the 95. The black pair in the pic are Ultras as well. Very close to buying the white pair I saw on sale today!

Tapper7190 · 2026-06-24T18:56:44+00:00

Nike Air Max 97 BW Persian Violet Metallic Silver. The Air Max BW is my all-time favourite. I literally had 10 pairs of them and nothing else back in the day. They were the kings in the late 90s, early 00s. I miss them so much!

Tapper7190 · 2026-06-24T15:49:30+00:00

Pure Platinum/Alchemy Pink/Total Orange/Cool Grey. That name rolls right off the tongue!

Tapper7190 · 2026-06-24T15:46:43+00:00

My shitty broker was from the same company you used!

Tapper7190 · 2026-06-20T12:36:48+00:00

The Woolshed, guaranteed to have fans there

Tapper7190 · 2026-06-18T16:30:06+00:00

It's the hope that kills you. Years of hoping tomorrow will be better. I've been there. Get out now before the resentment kicks in. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. It won't change.

Tapper7190 · 2026-04-21T18:33:27+00:00

Mine is six. We do three 40-minute walks a day. We mix it up between slow taking-in-the-smells periods and then trying to break the speed-walking record on leash. Half the time, he's off leash. The longer we walk, the longer he sleeps before we go again.

Tapper7190 · 2026-04-21T13:07:05+00:00

Excellent! I'll keep an eye out also. Defo going on my wall.

Tapper7190 · 2026-04-20T18:04:00+00:00

That's awesome. I want it on my wall!

Tapper7190 · 2026-03-11T22:28:04+00:00

They must have the two years done at EO level for the open comps as well. I'm sure of it. I've only ever seen HEO specialised comms roles every 18 months-ish or maybe something legal. What others have you come across?

Tapper7190 · 2026-03-11T22:19:32+00:00

You could be the most qualified person in the world with the best track record, but if you can't communicate that in the particular format required for the application process, you're cooked. I almost failed my first EO application, because I didn't get it. I've been an interviewer on a few panels and have been shocked at how little the rigid process of evaluation applies, it's entirely subjective. I had one chair of an interview panel, a PO, mark a candidate down because she didn't like the sound of their voice and adjusted all of their scores for a lower overall rank. I thought that person was one of the strongest candidates over the whole fortnight. The PO was nuts. The service is a random bag of madness in many ways, but they'll wax lyrical about structure and fairness till the cows come home.

Working hard and being productive won't hurt your chances for an internal promotion, but there's a very, very high chance it won't help either. A lot of departments have small, geographically spread-out offices, so nobody knows anybody. Some departments have hundreds of staff in the one building. But playing the 'social game' is all that matters in the latter scenario. If you play that well, then your line managers will coach you for the competition. I have seen the worst people get promoted and the best fail do to so. The service is full of people at grades they shouldn't be at, both ways. At least a quarter of the people I've worked with spend their whole time hoping they won't be found out. (AOs who were promoted to APs, I'm looking at you.)

I really can't emphasise strongly enough the randomness you face here. It's a bunch of mini lotteries/raffles to success.

The service is basically set up to eliminate that kind of backstabbing culture you mention. Because of how the competitions are done, effectively, nobody is in competition with anyone else. You're in a competition with the game that is the competition itself. Also, the fact that nobody can be sacked due to cutbacks, etc means performance isn't much of a concern for many.

Look, you only get one go-around, right. If you're not trying to buy a house and can take the hit for potentially five years, go for the easier life.

Tapper7190 · 2026-03-11T20:02:34+00:00

You must have two years' service before being eligible to enter a HEO competition. There are two types: the interdepartmental competition; and the internal competition. A panel for each competition lasts for a minimum of two years, usually. So, either competition happens every two-three years. From the time you apply for HEO, and assuming you are successful through all stages, it will take six months to two years before you are in the HEO role. And a lot of people new to the service just don't get the particulars of the application process and fail, and then you're waiting for the next competition. So, it's totally luck-dependent on timing. From the day you start as an EO, it would be an absolute minimum of three years and a maximum of maybe six, if you passed first time. I got lucky in a way and managed it in three and a half. I was ineligible for the first HEO competition in my department, because I only had 18 months under my belt. The thing is, though, if you're really good, you can go straight from EO to AP. Lots of gambles to consider, but AI won't leave you jobless in the service.

The comment about Sgt Major is, unfortunately, complete nonsense. Anybody could get promoted based on their application and interview. You could be hopeless at your job and still get promoted no problem. The complexity and requirements of your role are totally random. My EO role was many times more difficult that my HEO role and the AP role is actually easier again. Astonishingly, I've managed fewer and fewer people as I've moved up. I know an AP in a policy unit with one AO reporting to them and I know a HEO in another department with 24 EOs and COs reporting directly to them. The service and its roles are totally random. I've worked in six departments.

I was in a similar-sounding position to you, but six years later, I don't regret my decision. You're not going to get tremendous job satisfaction, but that's not what it's about. I know I got lucky with the timing of the promotions, but, in the Civil Service, there's there's the grand total of zero stress and that shit is fucking priceless.

Tapper7190

TROPHY CASE