Career as an Indian Foreign Service Officer

There is hope that there will be more Indian Foreign Service Officers in India as there are more UPSC aspirants. Travelling to various countries and negotiating business opportunities on a global scale are required for this demanding job. Maybe you should think about pursuing a career as an Indian Foreign Service Officer.

As elitist as it might sound, a candidate for the IFS position ought to have a strong interest in global politics, a thorough knowledge of other people’s cultures, diplomatic abilities, intellectual curiosity, economies, trade, and intellectual curiosity. 

Would you be willing to represent India’s interests abroad? while having an advantageous influence on those regulations? We did our best to provide you with information on how to join the Indian Foreign Service in India.

What does an IFS Officer do?

The primary foreign ministry of India is the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), a Central Service. An IFS officer is crucial to India’s foreign policy development and establishing all diplomatic and commercial ties with other nations. To pursue a career as an Indian Foreign Service Officer, your responsibilities would include:

1. The nation’s external affairs, which include diplomacy, trade, and social customs, are overseen by an IFS officer.
2. IFS employees are responsible for creating the policies that govern India’s relations with other countries.
3. In its embassies, high commissions, consulates, and multilateral organizations speak for India.
4. In the nation where they are posted, Indian Foreign Service Officers also defend India’s national interests. They strengthen and advance the friendship between India and the particular country.
5. IFS officers take care of all diplomatic relations between India and the country they are appointed in international forums and platforms.
6. They also uphold and contribute to international economic cooperation between India and other nations.
7. They keep the Indian MEA office updated on the latest developments.

Job roles

To pursue a career as an Indian Foreign Service Officer, here are all the posts you should be aware of.
IFS, in contrast to other central services, can be divided into the following three categories.

Embassy-level:
1. Third Secretary (entry-level)
2. Second Secretary (promoted after getting confirmed in service)
3. First Secretary
4. Counselor
5. Minister
6. Ambassador/Deputy Chief of Mission/Deputy Permanent Representative/Deputy High Commissioner/High Commissioner/Permanent Representative

Consulate-level:
1. Vice Consul
2. Consul
3. Consul General

Ministry of External Affairs level
1. Under Secretary
2. Deputy Secretary
3. Director
4. Joint Secretary
5. Additional Secretary
6. Secretary

Career path to become an IFS Officer

If you want to pursue a career as an Indian Foreign Service Officer, you can take this path.

Path 1:

Finish your 10+2 in any field, but we recommend Arts as it will best prepare you for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Exams. The best option is without a doubt a Bachelor of Arts degree if you want to work as an IFS officer. 

You can take humanities courses during your graduation, including history, political science, sociology, and international relations.

A completed application form must be mailed to the Union Public Service Commission after the candidate picks up the “Application Form” and “Information Brochure” from one of the “Head Post Offices or Post Offices” spread out across the nation.

Candidates are required to take the two-paper “Preliminary Exams” in May or June.

Candidates who complete the “Preliminary Examination” are eligible to take the “Final Examination,” that is, the interview round. This is held in November.

The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration will only permit students to enrol in intensive training after they have passed the UPSC entrance exams. The aspirants join the Foreign Service Institute in New Delhi after completing their training at the academy, where they receive specialized instruction in various disciplines.

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Salary in different stages of career as an IFS Officer

Here’s a table with the salary figures for the career as an Indian Foreign Service Officer.

Designation	Salary
Junior Scale Officer	Rs. 56,100
Senior Scale Officer	Rs. 67,700
Junior Administrative Grade Officer	Rs. 78,800
Grade IV Officer	Rs. 1,23,100
Grade III Officer	Rs. 1,44,200
Grade II Officer	Rs. 1,82,200
Grade I Officer	Rs. 2,25,000

Skills to become an IFS Officer

To establish a career as an Indian Foreign Service Officer, here’s a list of skills you need to develop.

1. Analytical Skills:
   People undergoing training at the National Academy must be able to take in large amounts of information and then filter it through a logical, meaningful filter. There may occasionally be more than one approach or precedent that can be used to deal with a circumstance.
2. Communication Skills:
   Being able to speak is important because IFS officers are expected to argue persuasively in front of officials and administrators from various states and countries.
3. Creativity:
   The most successful Indian Foreign Service Officers are not only logical and analytical, but they also show a great deal of creativity when solving problems. The best course of action isn’t always abundantly clear, and it is essential to think outside the box to get around one’s opponent.
4. Judgment Skills:
   Indian Foreign Service Officers must be able to make reasonable, logical assumptions based on the scant information available to them. To identify potential areas of one’s argument that need to be strengthened against, an IFS Officer must be able to critically evaluate these judgments.
5. People Skills:
   An IFS Officer needs to be influential, well-spoken, and able to read people. This enables them to gauge the reactions of others and the objectivity of witnesses. Being approachable enables them to choose the best proposal to make to get the desired result.
6. Research Skills:
   The ability to research quickly and efficiently is crucial for IFS Officers to comprehend the state’s situation and needs and order to comprehend the state’s situation, needs, and formulate legal strategies. An IFS Officer must take in and comprehend a lot of information before filtering it down into something useful when creating official schemes.

Is IFS a good career option

A career as an Indian Foreign Service Officer is exciting, challenging, and adventurous. One will probably have the opportunity to meet exceptionally qualified people from around the world and learn new languages while getting to know new cultures. Only the top rankers in the UPSC civil services are eligible for the position because the average annual intake into the Indian Foreign Service has been between 30-35 people over the years.

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Courses to upskill as an IFS Officer

To establish a career as an Indian Foreign Service Officer, you will need to appear for the UPSC Exams. Read this section to know more about the UPSC Exam. 

1. Visit the Union Public Service Commission website to register for the Civil Services Exam.
   In the UPSC exam, there are three sections:

• Preliminary Exams.
• Mains
• Interview

2. Once you have passed the preliminary exam, take the CSE Mains Exam.
3. Enter the interview round after passing the Mains Exam.
4. Make sure you are well-prepared for your UPSC exams. Keep up-to-date with national, international, and general affairs. You’ll have to go through training after passing all three of the UPSC Exams.
5. Many elite Indian civil service organizations send their trainees to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussourie.
6. Probationers join the Foreign Service Institute in New Delhi for additional training, attachments with various government agencies, and tours both inside and outside of India after completing their initial training at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration. 
7. An IFS must complete its training in nearly 36 months.

Education qualifications to become an IFS Officer

The minimum educational requirement for becoming an Indian Foreign Service Officer is a bachelor’s degree in any subject, so keep that in mind if you’re curious about how you can pursue a career in this field.

If a candidate satisfies any of the following educational prerequisites, they may submit an application to become an IFS Officer:

• An undergraduate or graduate degree from a university is public, private, or deemed.
• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree obtained from a distance-learning university
• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree can be obtained via correspondence or distance learning.
• A degree earned at a private university, either undergraduate or graduate
• A candidate who has fulfilled the requirements for their internship but failed their MBBS exam.
• Applicants who have successfully passed their final exams for ICWAI, ICSI, and ICAI.

References

Famous IFS Officers

• S Jaishankar
• Shivshankar Menon
• Jyotindra Nath Dixit
• Syed Akbaruddin
• Nirupama Menon Rao

That’s all you need to know about your career as an Indian Foreign Service Officer. We hope this blog helped you and answered all your questions about what you would have to do as an IFS Officer, how much you can earn, and, the skills you need. Good luck!

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