Career Option in Civil Services

A. Field description

Text Box:  Civil services deals with public administration and refers to those branches of public service that are not legislative, judicial, or military. The administrators are selected based on competitive examination, which are conducted in various countries as a way to achieve, through merit system, an effective, rational public administration.  Civil services examination was established in the United States  with the 1883 Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act. Currently, a written exam is only required for a minority of US civil service positions; merit is evaluated by examining factors such as education and experience. 

B. Education Guide
Education Details & Eligibility

Graduates in any discipline from a recognized university, and candidates having professional and technical qualifications recognized by the government are also eligible.  Those who have appeared in the final year but do not have the result can also apply but they would have to produce proof of passing the exam with their application for the Main exam.

Nationality

For the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service, a candidate must be a citizen of India.
For other services, a candidate must be either:

  • A citizen of India, or
  • A subject of Nepal, or
  • A subject of Bhutan, or
  • A Tibetan refugee who came over to India with the intention of permanently settling in India
  • A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.
Age Limit

Candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years on the 1st August of the year in which the examination is being held. The upper age limit may be relaxed upto 35 years for SC/STs and up to 33 years for other backward classes.

Personal Attributes

The aspiring candidates are expected to have keen interest in General Knowledge and are supposed to have a good amount of interest in current affairs. Regular and detailed reading of a good national newspaper, a standard competition magazine and a basic book on general knowledge is the essential pre-requisite. Another important point is efficient time planning

C. Job Opportunities and Job Roles

Civil Service Exams are held for selection of candidates for the various services and posts given below:

Indian Administrative Service Indian Foreign Service Indian Police Service

India P&T Accounts & Finance Service,
 Group A

Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group A

Indian Customs and Central Excise Service, Group A

Indian Defense Accounts Service, Group A

Indian Revenue Service, Group A

Indian Ordnance Factories Service, Group A

Indian Postal Service, Group A

Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group A

Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group A

Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group A

Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group A

Posts of Assistant Security Officer, Group A in Railway Protection Force

Indian Defense Estates Service, Group A

Posts of Assistant Commandant, Group A in Central Industrial Security Force

Indian Information Service (Junior Grade), Group A

Posts of Deputy Superintendent of Police Group A in the Central Bureau of Investigation

Central Secretariat Service, Group B (Section Officers’' Grade)

Railway Board Secretariat Service (Section Officers' Grade)

Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group B

Customs Appraisers' Service, Group B

Pondicherry Civil Service, Group B


Some of the job openings/Departments available based on the scores secured are:

Junior Officers, Major official positions, Senior Officers, Junior Administrative Grade, Selection Grade, Additional Secretary

D. Approximate Salary Range

The salary can be from Rs.12, 000 to Rs.26, 000 for starters and increases with experience and knowledge.

E. Related Links

www.civilservice.in introduces a revolutionary concept in the preparation of civil service preliminary examination.

Web site link:  http://www.civilservice.in/

Other Civil Services/Government Career Option Archive