Indian Coast Guard (ICG) : Job Prospects & Career Options

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The Coast Guard has a dedicated and professional team of officers who operate ships and aircrafts for safeguarding county's maritime interests in the Indian EEZ. Indian Coast Guard offers various job opportunities to the young and educated youth of the country. One can enroll in Indian coast guard as Officers or Yantriks (technicians) or Naviks (sailors).

Officers are appointed in the Coast Guard in one of three branches, as either General Duty officer/ General Duty (Pilot / Navigation) or Pilot officer, Technical officer and Law officers.

General Duty Officer Branch : General Duty Officers Branch is the operational branch of the Indian Coast Guard. Command of Ships at sea can only be exercised by officer of the General duty branch. The general duty branch officer operate weapons, sensors and perform the command function which demands a wide sphere of knowledge of your equipment. The safety of the ship and men, maneuvering of the ship in war and in peace time operations are the major responsibilities of the general duty officer.
Pilot/ Navigator Officer Branch : Indian Coast Guard operates fixed wing aircraft from shore Air stations for surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone. In addition, helicopters are embarked on Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessels to provide local surveillance and perform Search and Rescue mission at sea. Operating these aircrafts at sea is challenging task and will bring your special skills to the fore. As an officer of the Pilot branch, one will have the opportunity to serve both in the shore Air Stations along the coasts of India, as well as embark ships.
Technical Officer Branch: Modern ships and aircrafts are abounding with advance technology and machinery. The Technical branch officer is responsible to keep all these equipment serviceable. They will get the opportunities to work in shore jobs in Coast Guard repair organisations. Technical officers are usually required to have an Engineering background.
Law Officer Branch : Law officers act as legal advisers to their respective commanders. They also prosecute and defend cases filed by or against the Indian Coast Guard.Presently, there is one law officer posted in each of the four Regions.The Law Officers in Indian Coast Guard have a strength of 10 at present including two lady officers.The legal Branch in the Indian Coast Guard is headed by a Deputy Inspector General(DIG), who is designated as the Chief Law Officer(CLO)

Women in Coast Guard:

Women are appointed in Coast Guard only as officers in General duty, General Duty (Pilot / Navigation) and General Duty (CPL Holders, Short Service entry) branches. Women officers are posted in non sea going appointments. Unlike the other Armed Forces, women officers in Coast Guard have the option to serve till superannuation, except for CPL holders and General Duty branch- Short service appointment. The selection process for women is similar to that of male candidates.

Yantriks :

The Yantriks are backbone of Coast Guard and are responsible for operating and maintaining the machinery and equipment fitted on Indian Coast Guard ships and aircrafts. Diploma holders in Mechanical Electrical, Electronic and Aeronautical branches of engineering can join in coast guard as yantriks.

Naviks :

Young dynamic male candidates with 10+2 qualification can join in Naviks (General Duty) branch and can specialize in various streams namely (a) Seaman; (b) Communication; (c) Mechanical Engineer; (d) Electrical; (e) Aviation.
Candidates with 10th qualification can join in Domestic branch of Naviks as Cooks and Stewards.