What we look for
- Hands-on RC formwork, falsework, shuttering carpentry or steel fixing (Doka, Peri, Aluma, table forms, traditional timber; forming columns, walls, cores, slabs, beams, stairs).
- Reads structural/formwork drawings and sets out the works accurately and to tolerance.
- Leads and coordinates formwork crews, plans pour cycles, and manages labour on site.
- Ensures formwork is safe, plumb and to tolerance; follows method statements and site safety.
- A steady record in the trade — sustained employment rather than scattered short stints, and jobs seen through to the finish.
Questions you'll be asked
These are the questions the application form asks. You do not need to answer yes to every one — they tell us where your experience actually sits.
- How many years' experience do you have as an RC formwork foreman / chargehand / Supervisor
- What size crews (teams) have you managed
- Which formwork systems have you used? Please list the brand names and types where possible.
- Which elements have you formed? (columns, walls, slabs, lift cores, beams, stairs)
- Do you hold a formwork, shuttering or carpentry trade qualification, from any country? (e.g. an apprenticeship, QQI / City & Guilds, SENAI Carpintaria, ITI Carpenter, TESDA NC II Carpentry, or your own country's equivalent)
- Can you set out and work directly from structural / formwork drawings
Qualifications that help
None of these is essential, and a qualification from any country counts.
- Formwork / shuttering or carpentry trade qualification from any country
- Safe Pass or equivalent site safety card
We assess English at around CEFR A2 for this role — enough to follow instructions and raise a problem with the person you work for. That is our own standard, not an Irish legal requirement; there is no English test in the permit rules for this job.
The work permit
This role is eligible for an Irish employment permit. The job normally has to pass a 28-day Labour Market Needs Test — the employer runs that, advertising the role with JobsIreland/EURES and on a second jobs platform for 28 unbroken days. Either you or the employer can be named as the applicant on the permit itself; on our placements it is the employer. Either way the cost is not yours to carry: under section 55 of the Employment Permits Act 2024 an employer cannot take the permit fee, recruitment costs, or travel money they have already paid you out of your wages, or ask you to pay any of it back. Doing that is a criminal offence.
Salary thresholds and any quota are set per occupation and move during the year, so we confirm the current position for your exact role with DETE before an employer advertises — rather than quote you a figure here that could be out of date by the time you read it.
How long it takes
From an employer offering the job to you starting work, in our experience the realistic timeline is 6 to 8 months if you need an entry visa — the Philippines, for example. From a country that does not need an entry visa, such as Brazil, allow about 4 to 5 months. That covers the 28-day Labour Market Needs Test, DETE permit processing, the visa and travel. DETE processes applications in date order and publishes its current dates; we do not quote a figure that could be out of date by the time you read it.
If you are already living in Ireland on a permit, the position is different — tell us on the form and we will explain where you stand.
Apply
The application takes about ten minutes. You will be asked about your experience, and you can upload a CV and record a short voice clip so we can put you forward properly.