IES or Indian Engineering Services is one of the most prestigious job profiles within the country. It is conducted via a UPSC-organised national level examination, known as Engineering Services Exam (ESE) or IES entrance exam. The selection process is tough because there are about 2-3 lakh applications across the various engineering streams and out of those, only 500-1000 end up becoming an IES officer, after the long-drawn process and tough competition. Therefore, as the competition suggests, there must be a lot of benefits associated with becoming an IES officer.

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IES Officer Job Profile

An IES officer is expected to fulfil the Techno-Managerial tasks set to be accomplished by the Central Government. The ultimate objective of an IES officer should be to provide service to the country, using his/her technical brainpower. The following are the range of organisations (known as Cadres) that recruit through the IES exam: -

1. Central Power Engineering Services
2. Indian Telecommunication Service
3. Indian Navy Armaments Service
4. Border Roads Engineering Service
5. Central Engineering Service for Roads
6. Central Water Engineering
7. Geological Survey of India
8. Indian Ordnance Factory
9. Indian Supply Service
10. Defence service engineering corps
11. Central Electrical and mechanical service
12. Indian Army Engineering Service

There is no confirmation regarding the Indian Railway Services being a recruiter through this Exam in the coming future.

IES officer Recruitment Process

There are three stages of recruitment for an IES Officer: -

1. The Preliminary Exam.
2. The Mains Exam.
3. Interview or Personality Test.

We shall be looking at each stage one by one.

Preliminary Exam

The preliminary exam (or Prelims) is basically divided into two sections:

1. General Ability (GA),
2. Engineering Branch Section.

The Prelims Exam Pattern is as follows:

The candidates who clear the Prelims Exam are eligible to appear for the Mains Exam.

Mains Exam

The Mains Exam Pattern is as follows:

The candidates who clear the Mains Exam are eligible to appear for the Interview.

Interview (Personality Test)

The interview is more focused on the personality of the candidate, rather than the technical knowledge he/she possesses. It is of 200 marks, and the overall selection of the candidate is done based on the aggregate of the marks obtained in the written exams and the interview.

IES Officer Salary (Basic Pay) Structure

There is a wide range of categories of a person serving as an IES Officer, with regular promotions as per the following given table. It is an important point to note that the pay scale of an IES officer is the same as any other Civil Services. The 7th Pay Commission governs the pay scale and the benefits of an IES officer. Due to the 7th Pay Commission, there is a vast difference between the previous salary structure, where the Officer used to get an in-hand salary of INR 42,000 earlier now gets an in-hand salary of INR 55,135.

IES Officer Allowances

The various set of allowances that an IES officer is entitled to are as follows: -

1. Residential Quarters or HRA, depending upon whether the officer takes up the quarters provided or manage his/her own accommodation.
   The HRA is subject to the city where the officer will be posted, classified as
   1. Class A Cities (Metropolis) - 30% of the Basic Pay;
   2. Class B Cities (Big Cities) - 20% of the Basic Pay;
   3. Class C Cities (Smaller Cities, Towns and Villages); 10% of the Basic Pay.
2. Dearness Allowance, depending upon the inflation rates, to fulfil the requirements of the daily household for the Officer.
3. Leave Travel Allowance/ Tour Allowance, as an additional incentive.
4. Official Vehicle, for the purpose of official works, while travelling to sites or for meetings, seminars, etc.
5. Gratuity, to honour their service.
6. CGHS medical facility, to cover the medical expenses.
7. Provident Fund, to serve as a monetary help after retirement.
8. Personal Assistant, to assist in the official duties.
9. Peon, for helping in the official work.
10. Leave Encashment, in case, leaves are pending at the end of the year.
11. Driver, to drive the official vehicle.
12. Domestic Servant, to provide household help so that the officer can focus on official duties in a better way.

Career Growth, Opportunities and Promotions

• The candidate is selected first as an Assistant Executive Engineer or Assistant Director.
• 3-4 years of service makes him/her eligible to get promoted as an Executive Engineer or a Director. But, this duration may vary, depending upon the performance of the candidate, during service.
• Completing around 13 years of service makes him/her eligible for promotion to Joint General Manager or Chief Engineer of level 2.
• After around 20 years of service, the promotion can be for the post of Chief Engineer or AGM (Additional General Manager).
• Completing 30 years of service means the officer will now be eligible to serve as a Senior General Manager.
• The last promotion will be after completing 34 years of service when the officer will be promoted to Managing Director or Chairperson.