Life in the Indian Foreign Service

-Abhay K.

Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is unlike any other Civil Service such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) or the Indian Police Service (IPS). An Indian Foreign Service officer spends most of his/her time abroad ( two-third of his/her career) and only one third of career in India at the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) in New Delhi.

After joining the Indian Foreign Service, for which one has to be generally at the top of the ranking order in Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) of India, one is sent to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussorie for training for a period of three months where he/she is known as Foreign Service Probationer/ Officer Trainee. 

After completing three months of training, comprising training in multiple disciplines including a foreign language, horse riding and trekking in theHimalayas, a Foreign Service Probationer/Officer trainee moves to the Foreign Service Institute located in New Delhi for further training.

At the Foreign Service Institute in New Delhi, which is located on Baba Gangnath Marg near Jawaharlal University (JNU) campus, a Foreign Service Probationer undergoes training for a year in modules of International Relations, Indian Foreign Service Pay, Leave and Compensatory Allowances (IFS-PLCA) Rules andForeign Trade. One also travels to  the neighbouring South Asian countries or the United Nations to understand the functioning of an Indian mission. An officer-trainee undergoes attachments with the Army, Navy and the Air Force, with the district and the state administration as well as the corporate sector. 

Indian Foreign Service: Positives & Negatives

The Indian Foreign Serivce (IFS) is the most selective and exclusive of all the Civil Services in India, taking in less than 40 candidates each year. Trainees have to undergo three years of training before serving in
Indian missions abroad and in the Ministry of External Affairs. The service was set up in September 1946 and the first batch of officers recruited through the Civil Services examination of the UPSC joined the service in 1948.

Abhay K. (IFS 2003) shares his own views on positives and  negatives of the Indian Foreign Service along with career highlights, family expectations and his advice for those preparing for the IFS in his 2012 interview to MYOD along with the former foreign secretary Salman Haider










"I LOVE MY JOB"- Abhay K.

Foreign Service: A Poem by Abhay K

Diplomat Magazine publishes Abhay K.'s poem titled "Foreign Service". Diplomat is a foreign affairs magazine that provokes intelligent discussion from the heart of the Diplomatic community in London. This 65 year old magazine provides a unique insight into the minds of the most prominent world leaders and governments. Diplomat’s mix of high quality analysis, political commentary on world affairs and interviews with Ambassadors make it essential reading for the diplomatic community and those working in foreign affairs. Please click below to read the poem

Foreign Service 

by Abhay K. 

Foreign service is a journey

And all the diplomats merely travellers

They have their wits and talents;

And one diplomat assumes multiple roles

His career spread over many grades. At first the probationer

Learning and unlearning at the institute

And then the shy third secretary, with his briefcase

With curious look, rushing like a bee

Earnestly  to the boss's cabinet. And then the first secretary,

Ever engrossed in work, with his laptop 

Still unsure of his place. Then the counsellor

Full of strange note-sheets and growing graveness in looks

Risk averse, long hours at work, 

Conscious of reputation, quick temper

Seeking new authority 

Among the seniors and subordinates. And then the minister

With a paunch, receding hairline

With squint look and harsher commands

Full of jargon and clichés

So he gains perfection in officialese. Then plenipotentiary and extraordinary ambassador

Into the linen and lace-less shoes

With reading glasses and daily jogs

Trying to fit into his old suit, 

Then superannuation. Last  journey 

queuing up to enter the Foreign Office   

That ends this glorious journey

Then second probation-hood, flowing with wisdom

Free of protocol, briefs, talking points, telegrams, free of everything.

Shashi TharoorVerified‏@Shashitharoor Amusing and insightful take-off on Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage" summarizing diplomatic careers, by the MEA's Abhay K@abhayk_

The Civil Servant's Tale

The Civil Servant's Tale by Abhay K. is a must read for all Civil Services Aspirants. A candid and inspiring story of a diplomat from Nalanda to New Delhi.
                                                       - Founder UPSCPortal.com

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