Indian Foreign Service (IFS)- IFS Over IAS | Positives and Negatives

IFS is the best service if you like to represent our countries in Global Forums, want to serve as an Ambassador or likes travelling.

Is it mean IAS is useless? No. IFS and IAS have completely different operations but all IAS and IFS officers have one goal to serve the nation. So, what are the advantages of taking IFS?

There are actually multiple advantages of IFS, many of which you won’t find in IAS.

1.    Firstly, it gives you a balanced work and allows you to lead a good life. But usually in IAS, you have to do a lot of work when you are posted in districts, this makes it quite hard, to lead a balanced life.

2.    Secondly, you will get a chance to represent our country in global platforms, like UN, WHO, WTO, etc. It will make you feel proud when you represent your country.

3.    IAS will give you a diversity to work but only for 12–15 years when you are at district. But as an IFS officer, you will be continuously shaping India’s Strategic, cultural , political interests and will be working on forging relationships with other countries.

4.    You will get a chance to meet Global leaders, highly qualified people and it will help you to grow as a person.

5.    IFS salary structure is higher than that of IAS.

If you have watched the Airlift movie, you would have seen the role of IFS Officer in ensuring that the Indian Nationals safely evacuate from Kuwait.

Image Source: quora.com

But is that it? What are the negative sides of IFS? Let’s talk about them too.

1.    They can be posted anywhere in the world. It may be a developed countries or an underdeveloped or it might be a war-torn country.

2.    Since, they are posted to different places after few years, that’s why, they have to lear different culture, different language, everytime. Sometimes, when they are just learning the culture of one country, they are posted somewhere else.

3.    Sometimes, IFS officers has to gather intelligence information or do lobbying. And this can turn risky.

4.    Sometimes, they life can be under threat after a sudden coup or change in power in the country where they are serving.

5.    An IFS officers serve a large amount of times outside India which means they don’t get a chance to meet with their friends and family, so easily.

Still Confused? Try to figure out what you like, if you are not craving for media attention, want to represent India, likes travelling, want to serve the nation, then choose IFS. If not, then look which service provides you the things which you want.