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How to get into Indian Coastal Guards?

Though most of the aspirants aiming for a career in defence target armed forces such as Army, Air Force, Navy and also paramilitary forces, they often miss out the opportunities in Coastal Guards.

Coastal guard jobs often go under the radar, and general public is also less aware of the work done by Coastal Guards. In this article, we are going to shed some light on this branch of our defence net.

Table of Contents
  • What is the function of Coast Guards?
  • Types of Jobs in Indian Coast Guard
  • Should you join Coast Guard or not?

What is the function of Coast Guards?

Indian Coast Guards perform a lot of essential duties, both in peace time and war time. Some of these responsibilities and functions have been enlisted below:

  • Coast Guards are responsible for safeguarding the coasts of India – against illegal immigration, smuggling, terrorism related activities, etc.

  • Safeguarding and inspecting the islands near the coasts, especially the ones that are uninhabited and can be used as launching pads by terrorists and other anti-national elements.

Types of Jobs in Indian Coast Guard

There are two major types of entries in Indian Coast Guard:

  • Officer level Entry – To become officers in Indian Coast Guard, such as General Duty Officer, Pilot Navigator Officer, Technical Officer, Law Officer, etc.

  • Sailor level Entry – For example, Navik and Yantrik entries.

Let’s learn about them in a little more detail.

Officer level Entry

The lowest officer level rank is that of Assistant Commandant and you are eligible to apply in this post only, i.e. it is the entry level job to become an officer in Indian Coast Guards.

  • Officer General Duty – You must be a graduate, between 21 to 25 years of age. You must have had Maths and Physics in class 12th, i.e. you must be from PCM stream. As of now permanent commission is given only to males. Women can only join for short term, i.e. there’s a separate Women Short Service Appointment for girls. But things can change in future.
  • Pilot Navigator Entry – This job is only for males as of now. You must be a graduate, between 19 to 25 years of age. You must have had Maths and Physics in class 12th, i.e. you must be from PCM stream.
  • Commercial Pilot Licence – This is a short service option for males and females. You must have cleared 12th class, and must be in between 19 to 25 years of age. You also need to have a current Commercial Pilot Licence.
  • Technical Entry - This job is only for males as of now. You must be an engineering graduate, between 21 to 25 years of age. You must have had Maths and Physics in class 12th, i.e. you must be from PCM stream (obviously all engineers are from this stream only).
  • Law Entry - This job is for males and females alike. You must be a law graduate, between 21 to 30 years of age.

If you fulfil the above criteria, you can appear in Indian Coast Guard Assistant Commandant Exam. It’s conducted at all-India level once in a year. It’s conducted in offline mode, i.e. with paper and pencil. There are three stages in this entrance exam:

  • Stage 1: Candidates are shortlisted for the second phase on the basis of the marks obtained in graduation degree.
  • Stage 2: Shortlisted candidates have to give a Pre-exam. Objective test is conducted, wherein you will face Mental ability (i.e. Reasoning) questions and also Picture Perception and Discussion Test. This is like the exams that you face in the first day of SSB in any armed forces recruitment.
  • Stage 3: Candidates who qualified the previous stage can now appear in the Main exam. Here you will have to face Psychological tests, Group Tasks and Interview (just like Armed forces SSB).

It’s obvious that apart from passing the entrance exams, and fulfilling the other criteria mentioned earlier, candidates must also pass some basic minimum physical standards (height, weight, eyesight, etc.) and medical tests.

Note

To get your first promotion, you may have to wait around 5-7 years.

Now let’s learn about the Sailor level Entry.

Sailor level Entry

There are three types of jobs that are filled through this entry:

  • Yantrik – You must be between 18 to 22 years of age. You must have done a three-year diploma in Mechanical, Electrical or Electronics & Communication after 10th. You must also fulfil their physical standards of height, weight, eye-sight, etc.
  • Navik (General Duty, GD) - You must be between 18 to 22 years of age. You must have passed 12th class with Maths and Physics.
  • Navik (Domestic Branch, DB) - You must be between 18 to 22 years of age. You must have passed 10th class.

For all the above Sailor level jobs, a single exam is conducted.

  • There will be an objective type written exam. You will face questions from Maths, Reasoning, English.
  • Once you qualify the written exam, there will be some physical tests too, such as running, push-ups, etc.

Those who qualify the above two stages need to give an initial medical exam. Those who are deemed fit will give their final medical exam at INS Chilka.

Note

For more information, you may visit Indian Coast Guard’s Official Recruitment Website.

Should you join Coast Guard or not?

Well, if you like Navy then you will like Coast Guard job too. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do you like sea life and adventures?
  • Are you willing to spend most of your working life near the coasts?
  • Are you willing to spend most of your life in South or Western India? (Obviously, there’s no coast or sea in Northern India)

If your answer to the above questions is a resounding Yes, then think no more. Just fill-up the online application form of Coast Guards and live the dream.

Is the Indian Coast Guard a military force or a paramilitary?

There are three types of armed forces in India:

  • Military – They are led by military officers (i.e. from Army, Air Force, or Navy) and come under Ministry of Defence (MoD), e.g. Gorkha Regiments, Rajputana Rifles, etc.

  • Paramilitary - They are also led by military officers, but these do not come under Ministry of Defence (MoD). For example, Assam Rifles comes under Ministry of Home Affairs, Special Frontier Force comes under R&AW, etc.

  • Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) - They are led by IPS officers and they come under Ministry of Home Affairs, e.g. BSF, CRPF, NSG, etc.

Now, Indian Coast Guard does not fil well in any of the above categories. Let’s see why.

  • Just like Indian military, Indian Coast Guard comes under Ministry of Defence.

  • However, it is not led by Indian military officers or IPS officers. (Though in war time Navy can take over its operations.)

So, we can say that Indian Coast Guard is a maritime armed force. It’s somewhere in between military and paramilitary. It is definitely not a paramilitary force. But it’s also not a full-fledged military force either.

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