Life After SSC CGL: ASO in CSS vs ASO in MEA Which is Better?

By Ashwini Shivhare|Updated : December 7th, 2021

Life After SSC CGL, ASO in CSS vs ASO in MEA: In this article, we would be comparing two of the most reputed and the most sought after jobs by the candidates after clearing SSC CGL, i.e. Assistant Section Officer in Central Secretariat Services (ASO in CSS) and Assistant Section Officer in Ministry of External Affairs (ASO in MEA). We would be comparing important aspects like Eligibility criteria, salary structure, Job Profile, Job Location, Promotion etc.

Read Full Article

ASO in CSS vs ASO in MEA: Which is Better?

ASO in CSS vs ASO in MEA: Eligibility Criteria

Parameters	ASO in CSS	ASO in MEA
Age Limit	20 to 30 Years Candidate must have been born not earlier than 2nd January 1991 and not later than 1st January 2001 for SSC CGL 2020-21 Recruitment	20 to 30 Years Candidate must have been born not earlier than 2nd January 1991 and not later than 1st January 2001 for SSC CGL 2020-21 Recruitment:
Education Qualification	Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from a recognized University or equivalent	Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from a recognized University or equivalent

ASO in CSS vs ASO in MEA: Salary Structure

The pay scale of an Assistant Section Officer in the Central Secretariat Service (CSS) ranges from Rs. 44900 to 142400 with grade pay of Rs.4600 in addition to permissible allowances by the Central Govt. As per the 7^th Pay Commission, Assistant Section Officer in Central Secretariat Service (CSS) would get a salary of around 60,000/- pm initially (can be varied a little as per place of posting).

The pay scale of an Assistant Section Officer in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) ranges from Rs. 44900 to 142400 with grade pay of Rs.4600 in addition to permissible allowances by the Central Govt. As per the 7^th Pay Commission, the Assistant Section Officer in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) would get a salary of around 66,000/- pm initially (can be varied a little as per place of posting).

Parameters		ASO in CSS	ASO in MEA
Pay Level		Level-7	Level-7
Pay Scale		Rs 44900 to 142400	Rs 44900 to 142400
Grade Pay		4600	4600
Basic pay		Rs 44900	Rs 44900
HRA (depending on the city)	X Cities (24%)	10,776	10,776
	Y Cities (16%)	7,184
	Z Cities (8%)	3,592
DA (Current- 17%)		7,633	7,633
Travel Allowance		Cities- 3600, Other Places- 1800	Cities- 3600, Other Places- 1800
Gross Salary Range (Approx)	X Cities	66,909	66,909
	Y Cities	63,317
	Z Cities	57,925

Good News | Good News | Good News

SSC Success Batch: A comprehensive 10 Months Foundation Course (English Batch)

SSC सफलता Batch: A comprehensive 10 Months Foundation Course (Hindi Batch)

ASO in CSS vs ASO in MEA: Job Profile

Job Profile of ASO in CSS

The job profile of an Assistant Section Officer (ASO) in the Central Secretariat Service (CSS) is quite important as it serves as the backbone of administrative work and provides permanent bureaucracy and functionary staff in the Central Government of India. The work of a CSS officer is primarily a desk job.

Major duties performed by Assistant Section Officer (ASO) in Central Secretariat Service (CSS) are:

To maintain and nourish the important links between the Parliament and the Central Secretariat specifically when it is related to handling the parliamentary questionnaires and assurances of government’s bills.
To file work, put up a new matter, apply rules or any past precedence, draft communication and coordinate with other sections.
Formulation and monitoring the implementation of policies and ensuring continuity in the policies laid by the Government of India.

Job Profile of ASO in MEA

The job profile of an Assistant Section Officer (ASO) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is quite important as the work responsibilities revolve around Indian diplomacy and how other countries take up matters.

Major duties performed by Assistant Section Officer (ASO) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) are:

To assist the IFS officers in their day-to-day work.
To do the file work and noting drafting, and communication with the head office in India.
To plan and examine documents to be signed between the nations.
To file and other works related to various MoUs to be signed by ambassadors and ministers.
To coordinate between various offices of consulates as well from Headquarters at Home Nation.
To promote friendly relations with the receiving state & with its people, including NRI/PIO.

Training Details of Assistant Section Officer (ASO) in Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)

At the time of joining, there will be no immediate training. However, to get a foreign posting, you have to compulsorily undergo 30 days of training (spread over small modules) as well as a foreign language test.
The Foreign language proficiency test is mandatory to get the foreign posting.
Training is hectic with a lot to learn in a brief period of time for effective working.
Training takes place at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), JNU, Delhi.

ASO in CSS vs ASO in MEA: Job Posting/Location

Job Posting/Location of ASO in CSS

Assistant Section Officer in Central Secretariat Service (CSS) will get posted in Delhi only. Candidates will not be transferred anywhere else in India. However, they might go on deputation for a limited time to Regional Headquarters.

Job Posting/Location of ASO in MEA

Assistant Section Officer in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) most of the time gets posted in Delhi (at Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan). Candidates also get the opportunity to work in foreign offices. Outside India, the below locations are given to the ASO in MEA, which is further divided into 5 categories – A+, A, B, C, and Hard C:

Foreign Countries Categories	ASO MEA Posting Foreign Locations
A+ (Super Category)	New York, Toronto, Washington DC, Wellington, Geneva, etc.
A	London, Paris, Madrid, Mexico City, Tokyo etc.
B	Chicago, Warshaw, Zurich, Sydney, etc.
C	Thimpu, Kuwait, Bangkok, etc.
Hard C	Kabul, Damascus, Kandhar, etc.

ASO in CSS vs ASO in MEA: Career Growth

As an Assistant in other Ministries, you will have the following career path

Section Officer (in 5-7 years)
Under Secretary
Joint Director
Director
Joint Secretary

If you want to get a promotion to Section officer (Grade pay- 4800) within 5-7 years; you have to pass Inter-Department Test which is conducted by the UPSC. Otherwise, it would take 10-12 years to get the promotion. Promotion in CSS is pretty fast. The reason being there is no direct recruitment at upper functionary i.e. Under Secretary, Deputy Secretary.

Career Growth of Assistant Section Officer in MEA: It takes around 10 to 12 years for an ASO in MEA to get promoted as Section Officer. However, the officer on clearing departmental exam can take the first promotion in 4 to 5 years. The graph below enlists the promotion scale of Assistant Section Officer in MEA