An average educated person aspires for three things Position, Respect and  Security. If you re looking for the same, then the civil Services is the right choice  as it assures all these in a relatively short span of time.

 Civil Services As A Career:

 The Civil Services of India have always conjured up visions of fantasy and glory f  or many a youth and numerous parents who keeping entertaining ambitions and  dreams of their children blossoming into I.A.S and I.P.S. officers. The Civil  Services considered as one of the premier services, offer an attractive and  challenging career to the ambitious, the aspiring and the talented, with a wide  variety of jobs having relatively greater sphere of authority and power than any  other services in India.

 What Are the Civil services?

 Higher Civil Services under the Central Government are classified into All India  services and Central Services. The All India Services comprise the Indian  Administrative Service, the Indian Police service and the Indian Forest service.  These Services are named so because they are common to both central as well as  the state Governments. The Central Services constitute those services which work  for the Central Government and comprise services like the Indian foreign Service,  Indian Revenue Service, Indian Customs & central Excise Service, Indian Railway  services, Indian postal Service, Indian Information Service etc.

 Indian Administrative Service (I.A.S):

 The Indian Administrative Service is considered to be the premier service in India  and offers an attractive, challenging career. The members of the I.A.S. serve the  state Governments or the Central Government and assist them in the  administration of the country. Members of this service hold various administrative  posts like District Collector, Heads of Departments, Heads of Public Enterprises at  the state level etc. They can also be posted on deputation to the Central  Government to the various posts.

 Indian Police Service (I.P.S):

 The Indian Police Service is primarily concerned with maintenance of Law and  Order in the country. This is the premier uniformed civil service in the country.  An I.P.S officer works for both the Central and State Governments. He serves the  State Government in various capacities ranging from Assistant Superintendent of  Police at the beginning of his career to the Director General of Police (who is the  head of the police force in his state) at the stage of retirement. He can also serve  the Central Government in various organizations like the Central Reserve Police  Force, Border Security Force, Central Bureau of Investigation, Intelligence Bureau,  Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) etc.

 Indian Foreign Service:

 The Indian Foreign Service is a Central Service and the premier diplomatic service  of our country. Members of this service, primarily represent the country in the  international arena. The service offers immense exposure to different political,  social, ethnic and cultural milieu. An I.F.S officer can be posted in 160 odd  Indian  Embassies and Missions abroad. They can also be deputed to institutions  like United Nations, UNESCO, World Bank, SAARC, etc. Back home, they can be  posted in various parts of the country as Passport Officers.

 Indian Revenue Service (I.R.S):

 This service deals with the matters concerning Income Tax. The members of this  service, begin their career as Assistant Commissioners of Income Tax and may  rise to the level of Chief Commissioners of Income Tax.

 Indian Custom and Central Excise Service:

 The members of this service man the Customs and the Central Excise  Departments. They begin their Career as Assistant Collectors of Customs/Central  Excise and may rise up in the hierarchy to the level of Chief Collector of Customs.

 Other Services:

 There are various other services like the Indian Railway Services, the Indian  Postal  Service, the Indian Information Service etc., which deal with various  functional  areas.

 How To Achieve These Coveted Positions?

 Entry into these services is through a combined, competitive examination held on  an All India basis. The allocation of services depends upon the rank achieved by  the aspirant and his / her preference. To appear at the Civil Service Examination  one has to be a Citizen of India, between the age group of 21-30 years and must  hold a degree from any recognized university.