Foreign Postings
 

Assalam o Alaikum !

I want to know that is it a favour type of thing or every FSP gets posted abroad after a spesific period of time ?
My second question is what is the actual salary of a Third Secretary ? I am asking because some are saying it is $1700 + $450 entertainment allowance and $2500 for apartment, but a PSP serving officer said that it is $3000.

Regards

Dear Basit

Every FSP officer gets foreign postings. That is waht their services is about. After completion of STP at Foreign Office, every FSP officer servces in FO Isl for approximately a year, serving at a regional dest as an AD.

After that they get first expediton abroad in form of language courses. Each officer is allocated a certian language. For about a year the officer stays abroad for the language course. After the completion of langaue course the official appointments start. As a general practice, an officer get appointed for 3 yrs in a foreign steaination, 3 yrs in aother foreign destiantion and then back in FO Isl for about 1-2 yr. That is how it keeps happening till you retire.

The exact salaries vary, as every third secretary gets a basic salary, an amount for rent, plus entertainment allowance. So, the basic would be almost same whereas the other two would vary a little accoring to the station. A third secretary would have and average of about 3000 Dollars approximately all together.

please tell me
 

what is salary of consul/ First Secretary and what,s BPS?

[QUOTE=hassanshariq;480478]Dear Basit

Every FSP officer gets foreign postings. That is waht their services is about. After completion of STP at Foreign Office, every FSP officer servces in FO Isl for approximately a year, serving at a regional dest as an AD.

After that they get first expediton abroad in form of language courses. Each officer is allocated a certian language. For about a year the officer stays abroad for the language course. After the completion of langaue course the official appointments start. As a general practice, an officer get appointed for 3 yrs in a foreign steaination, 3 yrs in aother foreign destiantion and then back in FO Isl for about 1-2 yr. That is how it keeps happening till you retire.

The exact salaries vary, as every third secretary gets a basic salary, an amount for rent, plus entertainment allowance. So, the basic would be almost same whereas the other two would vary a little accoring to the station. A third secretary would have and average of about 3000 Dollars approximately all together.[/QUOTE]

Yep while most of what you are saying is close to how it happens let me add in some bits.

This is how it goes, CTP, STP, AD at MoFA for approximately 1 year ( provided that you clear your FPOE in the first attempt), otherwise this could be extended by a few months. Most officers go for language training after that approximately 9-12 months depending on the language (except for Chinese which is 2 years roughly). You come back to HQ after that and stay put for anything between 4 months to a year and then get your first posting, which is for 3 years. You come back after that and serve for a year or two in HQ and then off you go for consecutive postings 3+3 years and then back again for 2-3 years and off again and so on and so forth.

The salary has various components, i.e the basic salary equivalent to your pay scale + foreign allowance (which forms the bulk of your salary abroad and this varies from Station to Station, depending on how expensive the place is) + entertainment + sumptuary allowance (in certain places) so a third secretary ends up getting anything from 2200 dollars to 3200 dollars a month, take home so to speak.

You do not get the money for rent in your account, rather the mission pays for the residence u rent for yourself directly and the rent has to be within the defined ceilings for your grade. (The ceilings are quite practical and you end up getting a very good place in it usually) But the officer will not get part of the rent even if u find a very cheap place, because rent works directly. So lets assume the rent ceiling of a thrid secretary is 1800 dollars in say Egypt and there are 2 third secretarys and one rents the place for 1750 dollars and the other finds a place for 1200 dollars, it would not have any effect on the amount of money they are getting and their salaries would be the same, the second guy would just end up living in a cheaper place and saving the government some money :) [allegedly may i add]. In addition to this your medical insurance/bill is completely covered and so is the case for your wife and kids when you are POSTED and not a trainee, as per the rules.

The type of extras you may get over and above this really varies from place to place and ambassador to ambassador, but the above are the fundamentals that every third secretary is entitled to under the rules. Hope this helps.

Thanks a lot sir for sharing this useful information with us. I am really glad and coming to know that in this crucial era of dishonesty, misrepresentation and anarchy, there still exists a reasonable lot of helpful and kind people like you. Thanks a lot again !

Regards

Service bond in fsp.
 

Hi , I am a beginner , recent grad of BBA and appearing for CSS 2013.

Can someone please tell me what is the service bond in FSP cadre?

Thank you.

[QUOTE=basitfarooq;504329]Thanks a lot sir for sharing this useful information with us. I am really glad and coming to know that in this crucial era of dishonesty, misrepresentation and anarchy, there still exists a reasonable lot of helpful and kind people like you. Thanks a lot again !

Regards[/QUOTE]

Glad to be of help. I hope that things work out for you and everyone.

@ Jetpack2

From what i can recall the service bond is for 5 years including your CTP and STP duration, but applies only after you pass your FPOE.

[QUOTE=Emoemar;504300]Yep while most of what you are saying is close to how it happens let me add in some bits.

This is how it goes, CTP, STP, AD at MoFA for approximately 1 year ( provided that you clear your FPOE in the first attempt), otherwise this could be extended by a few months. Most officers go for language training after that approximately 9-12 months depending on the language (except for Chinese which is 2 years roughly). You come back to HQ after that and stay put for anything between 4 months to a year and then get your first posting, which is for 3 years. You come back after that and serve for a year or two in HQ and then off you go for consecutive postings 3+3 years and then back again for 2-3 years and off again and so on and so forth.

The salary has various components, i.e the basic salary equivalent to your pay scale + foreign allowance (which forms the bulk of your salary abroad and this varies from Station to Station, depending on how expensive the place is) + entertainment + sumptuary allowance (in certain places) so a third secretary ends up getting anything from 2200 dollars to 3200 dollars a month, take home so to speak.

You do not get the money for rent in your account, rather the mission pays for the residence u rent for yourself directly and the rent has to be within the defined ceilings for your grade. (The ceilings are quite practical and you end up getting a very good place in it usually) But the officer will not get part of the rent even if u find a very cheap place, because rent works directly. So lets assume the rent ceiling of a thrid secretary is 1800 dollars in say Egypt and there are 2 third secretarys and one rents the place for 1750 dollars and the other finds a place for 1200 dollars, it would not have any effect on the amount of money they are getting and their salaries would be the same, the second guy would just end up living in a cheaper place and saving the government some money :) [allegedly may i add]. In addition to this your medical insurance/bill is completely covered and so is the case for your wife and kids when you are POSTED and not a trainee, as per the rules.

The type of extras you may get over and above this really varies from place to place and ambassador to ambassador, but the above are the fundamentals that every third secretary is entitled to under the rules. Hope this helps.[/QUOTE]

Emoemar bhai, Do you have any idea about how much salary an ambassador or UN rep gets while posted abroad? I am trying to figure out the maximum salary one can get in Foreign Service. Reason being that I'm comparing UN's salary structure with our FSP's salary structure. Please if you or anyone have any info regarding this, help me out. Thank you.

Does anyone know if the salaries given to people in the Foreign Service are tax free? I believe they have to pay taxes to the country they are assigned to or am I wrong? I am asking because if tax has to be paid then it is difficult to survive on $2000 a month in big cities like London and Tokyo.

[QUOTE=talalz3;518771]Does anyone know if the salaries given to people in the Foreign Service are tax free? I believe they have to pay taxes to the country they are assigned to or am I wrong? I am asking because if tax has to be paid then it is difficult to survive on $2000 a month in big cities like London and Tokyo.[/QUOTE]

as far as i have studied a bit about the privileges of ambassadors and members so they are exempted from taxes so brother dont be afraid . :) hope im right kindly senior rectify me if i m wrong.

[QUOTE=leonidis;518894]as far as i have studied a bit about the privileges of ambassadors and members so they are exempted from taxes so brother dont be afraid . :) hope im right kindly senior rectify me if i m wrong.[/QUOTE]

A distant cousin of mine is currently posted in the US of A but my question remains unanswered. I believe some sort of tax has to be paid.

Hi. Is it true newly passed css officers get only rs.10000? Isn't it a little too less? Ten thousand is what my father pays the our driver. How much do ambasadors get paid?

[QUOTE=Omarzoo;519428]Hi. Is it true newly passed css officers get only rs.10000? Isn't it a little too less? Ten thousand is what my father pays the our driver. How much do ambasadors get paid?[/QUOTE]

are u living in the era of 1990s???? now in the training one gets 25k net with free boarding and lodging.............and after training if we take PSP(ASP) then he gets approx 50k on average and up to 70k in hard areas............plus a deSIGNATED HOUSE , PLUS 4 OFFICIAL BODY GUARDS , PLUS A 3 DOOR LAND CRUISER WITH BLUE LIGHTS AND A DRIVER.

just compare it with the private sector............a person taking 1 lakh net salary is not coming close to an ASP. i am saying this because i have seen the private life sector.........your opinion may differ.

[QUOTE=Omarzoo;519428]Hi. Is it true newly passed css officers get only rs.10000? Isn't it a little too less? Ten thousand is what my father pays the our driver. How much do ambasadors get paid?[/QUOTE]

Yes they used to get paid Rs. 10000 more than ten years ago. And when you clear CSS I will give you the exact figures an ambassador makes. So you needn't worry ;)
Not to be rude or anything, but if you want to enter the Civil Service then you better start working now, because it seems you need to improve your grammar a bit.

Yeah thanks guys. So how much do the new css officers actually make (those who join the forgien service.) while they are in pakistan. I'd really appreciate the help. And talal bhai bta do ambassoder ka bhi :p

[QUOTE=Xing Lee;518562]Emoemar bhai, Do you have any idea about how much salary an ambassador or UN rep gets while posted abroad? I am trying to figure out the maximum salary one can get in Foreign Service. Reason being that I'm comparing UN's salary structure with our FSP's salary structure. Please if you or anyone have any info regarding this, help me out. Thank you.[/QUOTE]

To be honest i do not have precise knowledge on the subject but i can make some educated guesses.

In purely monetary terms, ie the salary / income coming into your bank account i am sure the UN guy would get more but there is a big difference between the two. An ambassador is generally given a whole host of additional perks that a private organization or an international body like UN might not be able to give. For instance people working for UN also get some immunities under the Vienna Conventions but an ambassador of Pakistan is generally an important person, politically speaking. Then again UN might or might not pay for your kids / parents etc (i have no idea) while the govt. of pakistan does so. I am sure you can understand the gist, the benefits for an ambassador might be in non-tangible or non-apparent terms so if you were to do a pure salary to salary comparison the people working for INGOs and Int' Organizations would be better off financially but people working for the government would have a different set of non-tangibles. Please keep in mind this is just conjecture on my part so anyone can add to this / correct it :)

Personally, go for which ever appeals the more to you and where you believe you can be a better fit / would help with what you want from your career and life. FSP is not an easy choice but if it is a result of a well thought out plan / decision, a fulfilling one. End of the day it depends on the person, if you are good enough you will be able to make place for yourself wherever you go. Best of luck.

I want to ask that if a Third Secretary is having $2000 dollars as salary, is this amount adequate if one is posted anywhere but Russia or Japan, and if one's family is also with him ?

Regards!

Nobody is willing to reply ?

[QUOTE=basitfarooq;537440]I want to ask that if a Third Secretary is having $2000 dollars as salary, is this amount adequate if one is posted anywhere but Russia or Japan, and if one's family is also with him ?

Regards![/QUOTE]

In one word yes. It is adequate anywhere in the world, if you define the word adequate in a reasonable manner. Would you be able to afford luxury cars or penthouses? No. Would you live comfortably and enjoy a decent standard of life? Yes. Would you be able to save a lot by the time you come back? Depends on how lavishly or not you lived.

2000 dollars get you good food, decent car, decent to nice clothes and some savings. Considering that your medical insurance and rent and school fees for children are already being taken care of by the govt.

Thanks a lot sir for your kind response !

You have always been a great help to me.

May Almighty shower His blessings upon you and the people who belong to the same upbringing and mindset (AAMEEN)

I have taken the current Competitive Exam and my first preference is FSP. I was asking such questions because a number of my family members are working in DMG or PSP, and ofcourse, they readily accept their course of action as the most esteemed one in terms of big banglows, bullet proof cars and a handsome security, infront of which FSP appears a peanut to them:mad:

So, my last question is, Is a third secretary given furnished residence and flagged car or one has to establish the same on one's own?

The answer would make me fell my grounds firm on my decision.

Thanks a lot once again.

Regards!

[QUOTE=basitfarooq;548268]

So, my last question is, Is a third secretary given furnished residence and flagged car or one has to establish the same on one's own?

![/QUOTE]

is that on one`s own or on one own? :mellow:

[QUOTE=basitfarooq;548268]Thanks a lot sir for your kind response !

You have always been a great help to me.

May Almighty shower His blessings upon you and the people who belong to the same upbringing and mindset (AAMEEN)

I have taken the current Competitive Exam and my first preference is FSP. I was asking such questions because a number of my family members are working in DMG or PSP, and ofcourse, they readily accept their course of action as the most esteemed one in terms of big banglows, bullet proof cars and a handsome security, infront of which FSP appears a peanut to them:mad:

So, my last question is, Is a third secretary given furnished residence and flagged car or one has to establish the same on one's own?

The answer would make me fell my grounds firm on my decision.

Thanks a lot once again.

Regards![/QUOTE]

Thank you for your kind wishes and you are most welcome.

As for your question and from what limited knowledge i have, this is how it works. The govt. pays for your house, i.e rent, up to the bracket allowed in your pay scale. Mostly, the ceiling for such a rent is sufficient and people end up finding great places in that amount. The amount also varies by station, for instance it would be higher in New York as compared to say Cairo. As a third secretary you would be able to find a two bedroom place around Washington for e.g. which is considered Very Good here. As for furnishing, you have to do it yourself but you are paid for that. Either you can get a container of your furnishings booked to the port of your destination and the government pays for it or instead you can claim 70% of the cost of that freight and buy furniture on your own once you get to your place of posting, as per my understanding. Clarifications are welcome.

Flagged cars are only authorized for Heads of Missions and Consulates under the Vienna Convention, with some exceptions made for Charge de' Affairs and heads of trade missions etc. So as a third secretary you will not get a flagged car, but what would happen under most circumstances is that you would be able to register your car under a Diplomatic number plate if you so desired. Your property (your car here) is covered under diplomatic immunity enjoyed by the person and property of the representative (diplomat). You will have to purchase it on your own, or if the head of mission allows you so, you may use the embassy car(s). In large missions the latter is not likely to happen, but buying a car in some of these countries is not as expensive as back home (due to the duties we have) but then again car pricing is subject to markets in the individual country e.g in USA you can get a second hand equivalent of our civic for as low as 8-10 thousand dollars but in places like Singapore it is practically impossible where owing to laws car prices are multiplied up to ten fold due to a tax such as CVT.

Best of luck in your endeavors and may Allah guide you and help you.

hello..i m farhana ..i m doing bba...so have u chosen any subject from bba??

About group selection
 

Which deparment has more incentives either Foreign service or DMG...Please do response to this question...I have no idea regarding this...Any suggesstion would be meaning ful... Thank you

[QUOTE=Maria Yaseen Qureshi;573828]Which deparment has more incentives either Foreign service or DMG...Please do response to this question...I have no idea regarding this...Any suggesstion would be meaning ful... Thank you[/QUOTE]

In the traditional sense DMG, otherwise it is a very subjective thing.

Sorry i didnt get it...What do you mean by traditional sense?

[QUOTE=Maria Yaseen Qureshi;578694]Sorry i didnt get it...What do you mean by traditional sense?[/QUOTE]

By that i meant the way we usually look at incentives.
- More horizontal mobility
- Better facilities, e.g drivers, cars, house etc
- Better networking within the domestic power circles etc
- Social status within the traditional social structure
- Better promotion prospects
etc etc

Non traditional would be
- Exposure to the outside world
- Personal development opportunities, e.g languages, training, qualifications (debatable)
- Possibility of changing careers by joining IGOs etc
- Possible business / professional networking opportunities that may not be available to those serving domestically.
etc etc

The first set would be for DMG the other for FSP. In my opinion of course.

I haven't read the whole thread, so apologies. I just came across this website and this particular thread. I've got some queries and they're related to Foreign Service and so I hope you'll be able to help as your profile mentions that you're working in Foreign Service.

I'm currently doing my undergrad course in the UK. I've heard a lot about FSP and I'm really interested in it. I'll be graduating in 3 months inshallah. The problem is if I come back to Pakistan and prepare for this exam really well, what is the probability that I'll actually get into FSP?

Would I've an edge over others because of my foreign degree, or it doesn't matter as long as I can score well? Are there any quotas for women? I went through the CSS website but it wasn't of much help.

Thank you very much.

[QUOTE=Emoemar;578701]By that i meant the way we usually look at incentives.
- More horizontal mobility
- Better facilities, e.g drivers, cars, house etc
- Better networking within the domestic power circles etc
- Social status within the traditional social structure
- Better promotion prospects
etc etc

Non traditional would be
- Exposure to the outside world
- Personal development opportunities, e.g languages, training, qualifications (debatable)
- Possibility of changing careers by joining IGOs etc
- Possible business / professional networking opportunities that may not be available to those serving domestically.
etc etc

The first set would be for DMG the other for FSP. In my opinion of course.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=stillserenity;579403]I haven't read the whole thread, so apologies. I just came across this website and this particular thread. I've got some queries and they're related to Foreign Service and so I hope you'll be able to help as your profile mentions that you're working in Foreign Service.

I'm currently doing my undergrad course in the UK. I've heard a lot about FSP and I'm really interested in it. I'll be graduating in 3 months inshallah. The problem is if I come back to Pakistan and prepare for this exam really well, what is the probability that I'll actually get into FSP?

Would I've an edge over others because of my foreign degree, or it doesn't matter as long as I can score well? Are there any quotas for women? I went through the CSS website but it wasn't of much help.

Thank you very much.[/QUOTE]
The result of the exam and, subsequently, the group a candidate is allocated upon succeeding in the exam depends solely on the score and does not depend on one's degree/university etc. If you finish in the upper quartile i.e. the top 25%, chances are that you may be assigned to the FS.

aoa evry body i am new member so need ur hepl plzz tell e is it possible to underline the origional subject matter while precise writing???????
:thinking
2ndly tell me about essy its lenth, order n structure...:con

Thank you so much for this useful information

[QUOTE=stillserenity;579403]I haven't read the whole thread, so apologies. I just came across this website and this particular thread. I've got some queries and they're related to Foreign Service and so I hope you'll be able to help as your profile mentions that you're working in Foreign Service.

I'm currently doing my undergrad course in the UK. I've heard a lot about FSP and I'm really interested in it. I'll be graduating in 3 months inshallah. The problem is if I come back to Pakistan and prepare for this exam really well, what is the probability that I'll actually get into FSP?

Would I've an edge over others because of my foreign degree, or it doesn't matter as long as I can score well? Are there any quotas for women? I went through the CSS website but it wasn't of much help.

Thank you very much.[/QUOTE]

I suppose a response has already been given, but just to elaborate.

You degree does not per say influence the group you land in, but the impact it may have during you interview (assuming you make it that far) can be debated. (Perhaps it may help you in your spoken expression, or maybe the panel may pick some things that they believe to be suitable qualities for a prospective FSP. Again this is purely subjective and a lot of conjecture on my part).

Probability of getting in depends on your performance in the exam and your domicile. So to be safe you need to be within the top 20% or so positions within your domicile to stand a decent chance of allocation. But there are no guarantees.

Yes, there is a women's quota equivalent to 10% of the seats in each occupational group. The rules governing these seats and their fractions (which determines which group / domicile gets a seat for that year) are listed as part of the FPSC rules for CSS. You may find a copy of these at the FPSC website.

@ Maria Yaseen

You are welcome.

Cheers.

Salary of officers while working in pakistan
 

A.O.A everyone

can u tell me what is the salary of a foreign service officer working in Islamabad and what perks does he get? I mean does he get the same salary perks and privileges as those officers serving abroad?

[QUOTE=mk85;801698]A.O.A everyone

can u tell me what is the salary of a foreign service officer working in Islamabad and what perks does he get? I mean does he get the same salary perks and privileges as those officers serving abroad?[/QUOTE]
He has a regular 17 grade salary & no particular perks & privileges.