How to Join RAW: Application, Career, Eligibility, Salary of RAW Agents and officers

How can I join RAW? This question will for sure hit your mind as the process of RAW recruitment is not similar to other recruitment held in India.

Research and Analysis Wing or RAW is the secret Intelligence service of India. It is a wing of those heroes who work stupendously to safeguard our national security without getting much acknowledgment. You may call it a mystery division that reports directly to the Prime Minister Office. It plays a vital role in tracking the activities of the enemy of our nation and keeping us safe. A lot of young students in our nation want to serve the nation by becoming RAW agents. Through this post, we will throw light on the work done by this secret service and how you can join RAW in India.

Highlights of RAW Jobs 2024

The general highlights of Research and Analysis Wing RAW Jobs in India are given in the following table.

Also Check How to Join IB

Different Posts in RAW

There are various posts on which a candidate can work in RAW and serve the nation. The descriptions of some of the posts are as follows.

Field Officers

The field officers or ground officers are the backbones of RAW. A field officer has to work in the most difficult circumstances. Such officers are also included in the RAW from police administration, intelligence offices, military administration, and other departments.

Analyst

It is an office desk job at RAW India. However, it is also a very difficult job full of immense responsibility. Analysts play a vital role in helping Field Officers in whatever way possible. Analysts also help the organization in making planning and strategies.

Check process to join NIA

Experts

RAW also hires specialists from various fields in order to tackle any kind of situation. RAW can offer you great opportunities if you are a cyber expert, a ninja computer programmer, or a person with any other expertise.

Director of RAW

The director of RAW has huge responsibility regarding Indian securities on its shoulders. That’s why you need to be very highly qualified in order to get this post. Mostly, directors are selected from India Police Services (IPS) and other 1^st grade officials in Indian Government divisions.

Duties of a RAW Officer

You should know that there is no fixed job description of RAW Agents or Field Officers. It is a secret job, they have to do the task assigned to them. Some of the important duties of Raw Agents and officers are as follows.

• To keep a watchful eye on the enemy activities and inform authorities about the same.
• Monitor what’s happening around the country and predict what can be a threat to national security.
• Prevent and eliminate threats to India’s national security without India and outside.
• Ensure security of prominent Indian leaders in India and in foreign countries.
• RAW agents also play a role in the security of world leaders visiting India.

How to Join RAW as an Officer in India?

A lot of enthusiastic candidates in India want to become RAW Agent to serve the nation. However, it is not that easy. Check out the following points to understand the complete recruitment process of RAW.

• Initially, RAW used to hire trained offers from the external wing of the Intelligence Bureau (IB). It is also used to recruit officers from the Indian Armed Forces, Police and Indian Revenue Service.
• Now, RAW has its own service cadre (Research and Analysis Service), it absorbs talent om other Group A Civil Services, under the Central Staffing Scheme.
• Class 1 officers going under the foundation course at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration are interviewed by Raw at the end of the course. Candidates are then inducted into RAW on the basis of Psychological tests and interviews.
• Apart from this, jobs at RAW are also offered to those who clear the UPSC examination.
• In addition to this, lateral deputation is also done from the Officer corps of Armed Forces or Group A Civil Service Officers

Also check- Process to join PARA SF Indian Army

General Eligibility criteria for RAW Agents

We have compiled some general eligibility criteria to become a RAW Agent.

• The candidate should be a citizen of India.
• Candidates must not have any criminal background.
• Applicants must not be drug addicts.
• Candidates must possess good education from a reputed University and should also have a grasp on one foreign language at least.
• Candidates should be ready to travel to any part of the country with a short period of notice.
• Applicant should be real what actually he is.
• Those who are applying should not tell their friends and family.
• The officers looking to get into RAW should have 20 years of experience.

Training of RAW Officers

 RAW Agents and officers have the job of very high responsibilities. This is the reason why they have to undergo rigorous training. The training of Raw agents can be classified into the following two parts.

Basic Training – The basic training lasts for only 10 days only. During this period, they get familiarised with the real world of espionage and surveillance. In the basic training, aspirants also get basic information on scientific knowledge, space technology, information security, geostrategic analysis, financial and economic topics, and energy security.

Advanced Training – Once the agents are done with their basic training they are shipped to Field Intelligence Bureau (FIB). This a long training that takes 1 – 2 years. During this training, an agent gets to know the survival methods to stay alive and carry missions in cold territories, jungles, and so on. They are also taught how the real world of espionage works. In the training, they are shown the methods to penetrate the defenses of an enemy country and avoid getting caught. The Raw officers are also trained to face cross-examination of the enemy and hide the secrets if caught. The use of high-tech gadgets is also taught to the agents so that they can contact pre-existing agents in the area or territory.

How difficult is it to become a RAW agent?

RAW is not everyone’s cup of tea. You need to have some special qualities to join Research and Analysis Wing. Some qualities that an individual must have are as follows.

• Your communication skills must be fantastic.
• Candidates with diverse cultures and backgrounds are preferred so that they can interact with different people easily.
• You must have exemplary self-management skills and a high level of maturity. You must have to capability to judge the situation quickly and take action to avoid risk.
• Self-motivation and a zeal to achieve the target under pressure and the adverse condition is also important.
• Professionalism and personal integrity of the highest order are necessary so that you can go through tough training and complete crucial missions.

Life Style of RAW Officers

The lifestyle of raw agents is quite different from other government officers. Some of the basic things that make a RAW agent different from the others are as follows.

• They don’t share their real identity even with their close friends and family.
• Many a time, they have to interact with morally corrupt and greedy officials to extract information from them.
• Field officers have to follow the leads so that they can get the information. Sometimes, this puts them in various kinds of danger.
• You might think the life at RAW HQ is safe. Yes, it is true. But, the officers working at the headquarter also have immense responsibilities. They are often blamed for intelligence failures. Even if their colleague is arrested they have to delete his record and disown him.
• Many a time, even government disowns secret agents if they get caught in a foreign country.
• Even when a security agent dies during his duty he doesn’t get the military honour or medal.
• Secret Agents saves a lot of lives of countrymen working behind the curtain without getting much acknowledgment

Salary of RAW Agents and officers

There is not much information available in the public domain regarding the perks and salaries that RAW agents get. According to some unofficial sources on the internet, it is estimated that they get Rs. 80000/- to Rs. 130000/- per month.

Frequently Asked Questions