Public Administration vocabulary · Civil Service and Public Personnel
Civil servant
Meaning in public administration, with examples
/ˌsɪvəl ˈsɜːvənt/nounCore term
In public administration, civil servant means: A permanent employee of a government ministry or public agency who carries out official work and is not chosen through elections or political appointment.
In Turkish: devlet memuru, memur, kamu görevlisi
How it is used
A neutral, standard term in news, job adverts and HR documents. Civil servants are recruited, appointed, promoted and sometimes transferred between departments. Senior civil servants advise ministers, while junior staff handle daily casework.
Example sentences
As a civil servant, I can't comment on political decisions, but I can explain how the procedure works.
The new rules apply to all civil servants who handle personal data.
Common collocations
senior civil servant
career civil servant
become a civil servant
civil servants' union
Related terms
civil serviceAll the permanent, non-political staff who work in government ministries and agencies, seen as one body; also the system of rules for hiring and managing them.
public officialAny person who holds a position in a public body and acts with its authority, including civil servants, appointed heads of institutions and elected office holders.
recruitmentThe process of finding, selecting and hiring new staff, from advertising a post to making a job offer.
appointmentThe act of officially choosing someone for a job or position, especially in the public sector; also the position itself.
