I am a medical student exploring my career options.
I'll be thankful if someone can guide me from their personal experience and observation about how women fit in civil services. Also, can you survive if you have no relatives in beaurocracy?
I have good career prospects as a doctor both in home country and abroad but I want to live in Pakistan and set my goals here. Civil service allures me and I need to do some serious research before I decide going for CSS.

Here are the few queries I have:

1. What are the growth prospects in PAS? If my husband lives away, how often can I leave the station to be with him? How often will I be transferred? And how long will it take me to be posted in cities? In short, if someone can draw a hypothetical timeline of promotions and transfers from the start of service to near retirement, it'll be a huge favor.
Also, do you get medical coverage? If yes, from which hospitals? And does it cover consultation fees alone or the medicines too?
Are there foreign training programs in PAS? If yes, how often officers can get the opportunity?


2. Is FSP a good choice for a woman? Let's say your husband can relocate, can he seek employment in the host country? Do your kids lose school years during transfers? During your posting abroad, how often can you manage to return to Pakistan? Is the return state-sponsored? Can your parents visit you at their own expense? Is the accommodation big enough to have guests?

Well I don't know about FSP. Other than this I do know how things work if you have got PAS and other groups like this. I have lived in this setup for whole life.
So, at first , there is a very less impact on your job if you have got your relatives as officers. It can't ever effect you negatively if you have not got realtives in civil service. But this thing only works if your family members are a part of political leadership. Or even if they are not,and you have got contacts with politicians. Then you can get posted at a place you want to. They can be your reference. But it doesn't mean that a person without approach can't have same postings. At the end ,every officer, gets posted in different places . Some get the place that they want with reference and others get it without reference. And then ,well suppose if you have got contacts in N league and they give you good post. Then once their rule ends ,and PTI come . Well then they change whole setup and you get some other post. But this thing have not got very huge impact really. For example there was a deputy commissioner in some city (I can't write city name here) , he got that position of DC because of N league (he was on a scale for getting DC post, but they can't give this post to everyone as there are less districts as that of of the officers in service). So when n league govt ended and there was a caretaker government ,he got posted as OSD ,and then after elections he got a post as a director of good government organization. Though being director of that organisation is not as powerful as being Deputy commissioner. But still that reference thing had not impacted his job. But there are some who get posted to places far away from the place where they want to do job,though they can get any lower post in that place where they want to go.
Well what I mean by it is that references i.e relatives ,friends etc don't matter a lot. At the end you are going to get what's written for you. And maybe if you want to stay at one place then you can stay at secretariat. It depends on you mostly. But there is tention associated with changing cities. Though if you are at a DC level then most of the times they provide you furnished houses ,so you don't have to take your furniture with you.
You can go to meet your husband in Sundays and with it if your DC is good ,he may give you leave for saturdays too. And most of the times they will grant you that leave. That's not a big issue.
There can be a timeline for promotions but not for posting. You can remain posted at one place for a year. And then at the same time you can remain there for 2,3 years. And at elections posts of all officers change. So we can't say really that when you will go to some other post. But more of the times as I have seen one remains on his post for like 3,4 years.
Medical coverage upto that level that if you are ill ,have got fever or any other illness. Then if the services are there in hospital of your district then they are free. Even if they are not. I don't think MS is going to charge anything. You can just call MS and tell him to arrange doctor for you. Other than this there are allowances given to you. I don't know their specific amounts. Well and they cover all those things that you have written.
Yes there are this type of trainings and they are based on equal opportunities for officers. And you can also study in any foreign uni while government will cover your expenses.
In short , don't think too much about these things. If you get PAS once then it's awesome regarding these things. But there are also tentions and lots of stress that comes with these things. But that's a part of every job not just beaurecracy. You will be dealing with political pressures etc. But it's upto you. You can also get allocated some place where there is less pressure of these things.

__________________
''Sufficient for us is Allah , and He is the best Disposer of affairs" Al-Quran

Thank you very much for your response, Mr. Muhammad Ali.
You mentioned living in the setup so this must be your direct observation. Kinldy clear a few more things for me.

1. The medical coverage is only for the LOCAL government hospital right? Let's say a CSP is posted in a rural area, he won't get his medical expenses covered at a government hospital in Islamabad?

2. Is Sunday an official holiday or CSPs work throughout the week? What are the working hours?

Sunday is an official holiday. If it's a woke burden then you will have to go to office on this day too. But I have not seen this thing really. Sunday is off officially. And related to that burden thing. Well most of the times it not any burden of work.


There all official hours. I think from 8 to 4 . But I have not seen anyone observing this time table. For example there was one DC , he used to reach office at 1 pm. And sometimes he just used to take day off. But that was for them ,when once they got to that level.


And that Islamabad thing. Well I have to confirm it. I will post it here after some time.

If you are taking about expenses like for check up and things like this then don't worry. You can get yourself chacked easily and you can get medicines even of they are not covered officially.

For example if you have to get your tests done you will call MS of that district and he will make sure that your tests are done without letting you get any tention. And that's free of cost.

__________________
''Sufficient for us is Allah , and He is the best Disposer of affairs" Al-Quran

This suggests a flexible time table. Interesting.
How many years does it take to get promoted to DC? Until then, are all postings in underdeveloped areas?
And can you educate me about the service at Secreteriat? Or if you can compare on field and secreteriat experience?

I get that one can get things done on the basis of PR but I'm more curious about what's covered OFFICIALLY. So whenever you can confirm, please let me know.

My cousin was serving in PAS then she left her job and moved to Australia. She cracked under pressure. She once told us that female officers get no credibility or respect from their male colleagues or even people serving under them.

Whatever attempt you make to make things better, it's always ridiculed by your male counterparts. No one takes you seriously as a capable officer including your superiors and there is always this negative stereotype goin on "well she is gonna get married/pregnant and will go on maternity leave". She told us this horrifying story about how one of her fellow serving officers brushed off one of her female colleague's judgment on something saying "you must be on your periods because you are getting too emotional". There is also an article about serving FIA female officers and their experience. Gives a lot of insight.

None of this is my personal experience. But as a woman who has worked in a male-dominated industry before, I can relate.
Choose wisely.

Thank you for sharing. I'll definitely look at the pros and cons before deciding to go for it.