Career in IAS

What Are You Looking For In A Career?

An average educated person aspires for three things Position, Respect and Security. If you re looking for the same, then the civil Services is the right choice as it assures all these in a relatively short span of time.

Civil Services As A Career:

The Civil Services of India have always conjured up visions of fantasy and glory f or many a youth and numerous parents who keeping entertaining ambitions and dreams of their children blossoming into I.A.S and I.P.S. officers. The Civil Services considered as one of the premier services, offer an attractive and challenging career to the ambitious, the aspiring and the talented, with a wide variety of jobs having relatively greater sphere of authority and power than any other services in India.

What Are the Civil services?

Higher Civil Services under the Central Government are classified into All India services and Central Services. The All India Services comprise the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police service and the Indian Forest service. These Services are named so because they are common to both central as well as the state Governments. The Central Services constitute those services which work for the Central Government and comprise services like the Indian foreign Service, Indian Revenue Service, Indian Customs & central Excise Service, Indian Railway services, Indian postal Service, Indian Information Service etc.

Indian Administrative Service (I.A.S):

The Indian Administrative Service is considered to be the premier service in India and offers an attractive, challenging career. The members of the I.A.S. serve the state Governments or the Central Government and assist them in the administration of the country. Members of this service hold various administrative posts like District Collector, Heads of Departments, Heads of Public Enterprises at the state level etc. They can also be posted on deputation to the Central Government to the various posts.

Indian Police Service (I.P.S):

The Indian Police Service is primarily concerned with maintenance of Law and Order in the country. This is the premier uniformed civil service in the country. An I.P.S officer works for both the Central and State Governments. He serves the State Government in various capacities ranging from Assistant Superintendent of Police at the beginning of his career to the Director General of Police (who is the head of the police force in his state) at the stage of retirement. He can also serve the Central Government in various organizations like the Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Central Bureau of Investigation, Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) etc.

Indian Foreign Service:

The Indian Foreign Service is a Central Service and the premier diplomatic service of our country. Members of this service, primarily represent the country in the international arena. The service offers immense exposure to different political, social, ethnic and cultural milieu. An I.F.S officer can be posted in 160 odd Indian Embassies and Missions abroad. They can also be deputed to institutions like United Nations, UNESCO, World Bank, SAARC, etc. Back home, they can be posted in various parts of the country as Passport Officers.

Indian Revenue Service (I.R.S):

This service deals with the matters concerning Income Tax. The members of this service, begin their career as Assistant Commissioners of Income Tax and may rise to the level of Chief Commissioners of Income Tax.

Indian Custom and Central Excise Service:

The members of this service man the Customs and the Central Excise Departments. They begin their Career as Assistant Collectors of Customs/Central Excise and may rise up in the hierarchy to the level of Chief Collector of Customs.

Other Services:

There are various other services like the Indian Railway Services, the Indian Postal Service, the Indian Information Service etc., which deal with various functional areas.

How To Achieve These Coveted Positions?

Entry into these services is through a combined, competitive examination held on an All India basis. The allocation of services depends upon the rank achieved by the aspirant and his / her preference. To appear at the Civil Service Examination one has to be a Citizen of India, between the age group of 21-30 years and must hold a degree from any recognized university.