CAREER IN CUSTOMS ?
Career as Customs Officials
A Customs Officer is an agent who, on behalf of the government, enforces custom law. Students who aspire to become a Customs Officer in India must appear either for the Civil exam which is conducted by Union Public Service Commission or SSC CGL. The Customs Officer handles the movement of illegal goods moving in and out of International airports of India. It is a highly respectable job yet stressful. The Customs Officer has the authority to arrest the guilty on the spot. With the GST introduction in India, many exporters use IGST credits to pay the customs duty. The government of India is making stringent policies to investigate such activities. Using ineligible documents and fraudulently utilizing the GST credits are everyday activities carried out to export goods in India. Hence, as a responsible government officer, you can stop the movement of such illegal products.
Customs Officers have to deal with the prevention of illegal goods such as drugs, tobacco, alcohol. They have to have a hawkeye to prevent smuggling in India. They are placed at International airports or ports so that they can govern the import and export of goods. They work in groups to prevent such fraudulent activities.
As and when you rise from the executive level to the senior level, you will enjoy the perks in the salary. Some of the significant perks enjoyed by Customs Officers are:
- Access across the airport: They have unfettered access throughout the airport, and very few officials have such access. They can enter the aircrafts for inspection. Unlike the other citizens, the Customs Officer get to come the International planes for free.
- Prestige and Respect: No International aircraft or ship can depart without approval from a Customs Officer. This makes the Customs Officer post highly respectful and prestigious.
- Government Vehicles: While performing duties, Customs Officer get government travel and accommodation. Sometimes, he also gets to fly free to major destination of India particularly when the International flight has domestic stoppages.
Name of Job/Role | Average Salary offered (in Rs) |
Preventive Officer | 44900 per month |
Central Excise Inspector | 44900 per month |
Examiner of Indian Customs | 52000 per month |
Assistant Commissioner | 50000-65000 per month |
Skills required
- You have to be confident with the right presence of mind to analyze and predict the truth of the situation
- Be attentive and always remember all the Indian laws about your duties and responsibilities
- Good Communication skills
- Another skill which you must develop is to work in a team, i.e., with cooperation with your co-workers
- Discipline
Future Growth Prospects and How to get there faster
The challenging part of becoming a Customs Officer is to clear civil exams that are conducted by the Union Public Service Commission or through SSC CGL examination. Based on your preparation time, you may become an officer in the Customs and Central Excise Department from 3-5 years. If you want to fast track your career, then you have a focus on clearing on government examinations as quickly as possible. Join the top institutes which offer quality education to the students aspiring to become a government employee.
Pros and Cons of Customs Officer
Pros:
- Government employees enjoy many perks such as prestige, respect, pension, etc
- Withdraws handsome Salary
- May have to travel for free based on government demands
- Gets to meet high business class people and celebrities at the airport
- They develop the ability to find out illegal products even when hidden in invisible areas
- Approves all the International flights and sea to depart
Cons:
- Stressful to deal with frauds
- Switching cities every three years
- People have a negative and fearful stigma against Customs Officers
- During high threat levels, the duty hours are prolonged
Once you have signed up for this job, switching careers may not be feasible. The position may get challenging at the time, but you will not want to quit as it is highly reputed and prestigious.
How do I get there?
Unlike other fields, you can choose any subject (science/commerce/arts) after your 10th and opt for a degree program of your choice after class 12th. You can also apply to this post after completing your B.E. or B.Tech or MBBS. You must have a minimum score of 55% from any university recognized by India or any other university as recognized by Act of Parliament under section-3 of the University Grants Commission Act of the year 1956. The MBBS students who have not yet completed their internship can appear for the UPSC Mains. They have to submit an application form attested by their concerned authority, such as the head of the department or dean of the university, that they have cleared their final exams. It must be attached to their main exam application form. During the interview round, the applicant must produce their certificate stating that they have completed the internship and fulfilled other requirements required to be awarded the medical degree.
There are four different ways in which you can become a Customs Officer:
1.Group A Level: The prerequisite is to clear the UPSC examination. You have to opt for the Indian Revenue Service, i.e., customs and central excise. You will be posted either as Assistant Commissioner of central excise or of customs department. You have to work in both departments throughout your career.
2. Group B Level: At this level, there are three different postings:
(i) Inspector of Customs and Central Excise: You can clear SSC-CGL and choose the inspector of Customs and Central excise. You will be posted as an inspector in one of the departments. You have to work in both departments throughout your career.
(ii) Preventive Officer: Clear your SSC CGL exam and opt for a preventive officer. This posting is only for the customs department, and you will be posted in coastal areas (for seas and airport). You get to wear white uniforms, and this job is regarded as the most adventurous job in the customs department.
(iii) Examiner of Indian Customs: After clearing your SSC CGL, opt for the examiner. You will be responsible for seaports and air cargo, and the post is limited to customs only.
However, you need to make sure that you do not cross the age of 30 before applying for the post.
How much does it cost?
Based on the tier of the city and coaching institute, the fees are charged for coaching you on custom duty UPSC exam. There are two levels of UPSC exams that need to be cleared followed by a personal interview. If you want to give SSC CGL, then the preparation methods are different. If you don’t have excellent communication skills, you may have to attend soft skill classes to improve your confidence and communication power.
Books and other Study Material
To clear the UPSC Mains, you will have to be thorough with class X and XII subjects. You also have to attempt at clearing the previous question papers so that you learn how to manage time and understand which questions are most important. For SSC CGL, following are some of the recommendations:
- SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam Books 2019 by Sura Publications
- Indian Polity by Laxmikanth
What if this career does not work out for me? What are the other options for a person with these credentials?
Having studied and trained for UPSC Mains and SSC CGL, you can try for different government posts (both Gazette and Non-Gazetted). However, the career of a Customs Officer is high in demand, and a person gets to enjoy this work as it requires high intellect and presence of mind.
