The advert on the official Garda Síochána website says that joining the force will change your life – and there’s less than a month left until the latest application window expires.

It will also, they say, change the lives of others. They explain that from the moment you join An Garda Síochána, it will be a mix of challenges, rewards, new skills, and new friends.

The recruitment campaign states that your personal impact on people and the community will give you a sense of achievement like nothing else, and it ends with the line: ‘Being a Garda is a tough job. But it’s a job worth doing.’

The latest recruitment campaign aims to entice around 200 new recruits into training every four months.

While no exact figure has been publicly announced for this specific campaign alone, the force is continuing a major expansion drive with recruit classes of around 200 trainees entering the Garda College every 11–12 weeks.

The broader Government campaign states that it hopes to increase the force to 15,000 officers by the end of the year.

So, if you are considering a career change, or you are finishing formal education this year and joining the Gardaí is something you have thought about, then it’s important to know what is involved.

The age range has been expanded, and you must be between 18 and 49 years old and of good character to qualify.

Recruits must be nationals of a European Union Member State; or
a European Economic Area State, from the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland or the Swiss Confederation.

Also, under the International Protection Act 2015, people who are officially declared refugees or have been granted subsidiary protection by the state, and who have one year of continuous residence in Ireland, can apply to join the force.

According to the official Garda website, as a trainee, you will undergo the Foundation Training Programme, incorporating the training required to perform the role and functions of a Garda efficiently and effectively.

The Garda trainee programme incorporates a Level 7 Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Applied Policing, accredited by the University of Limerick, containing three phases of training.

Once you have completed phase one of the training course, you will become a sworn-in member of An Garda Síochána and will begin a two-year probationary period.

Trainee Gardai will receive an allowance of €354 per week for the 36 weeks of training, which will rise to the first point of the pay scale (€ 39,194 pa) as the probationary period begins.

Accommodation and food are provided while resident in the Garda College in Templemore, County Tipperary, from Sunday to Friday.

As of 1st February 2026, the pay rises incrementally to €60,333 per annum after 8 years.

Probationer Gardaí will be assigned to work the core shift roster (12-hour), which attracts additional allowances.

So if this sounds like the job for you, the time period to apply is due to expire on June 3, and you can apply here