About Loco Pilot
A Loco Pilot is a person who is responsible for driving the trains and ensuring the proper maintenance of trains during transit. It is a senior-level post in the Indian railways and no candidate is directly hired for the post of a Loco Pilot. Instead, Indian Railways conducts an entrance exam to hire Assistance Loco Pilots who can then be promoted to the Post of Loco Pilots and to more senior-level positions.
The job responsibilities of an Assitant Loco Pilot (ALP) include helping the Loco Pilot in running the train smoothly. An ALP does this by performing several key activities such as ensuring the proper functioning of the locomotive, carrying out minor repair activities in the train, checking for signal changes, communication with the other railway officials etc. It is very important for a Loco Pilot to carry out his / her duties responsibly as the safety of thousands of passengers depends on it.
Assistant Loco Pilots are hired as Group ‘C’ personnel through an exam conducted by the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB). Becoming a Loco Pilot in the Indian Railways is a very interesting career choice as it is a government job. The post ranks high in terms of job security and offers good pay as well as additional benefits. However, it is considered to be a tough job and requires high stamina, good endurance and an attentive mind.
Eligibility to become Loco Pilot
Candidates who are applying to become an Assistant Loco Pilot must keep themselves updated with the recruitment notification issued by the Railway Recruitment Board. Candidates must also ensure that they satisfy the eligibility criteria before applying for the recruitment exam for Loco Pilots. The details regarding eligibility have been provided below.
Nationality for Assistant Loco Pilot
A candidate applying for the post of Assistant Loco Pilot can be of the following nationalities.
- A citizen of India.
- A subject of Nepal.
- A subject of Bhutan.
- A Tbetan refugee who arrived in India before 1st January 1962 for permanently settling in India.
- A person of India origin who migrated from selected countries for permanently settling in India.
Academic Qualification for Assistant Loco Pilot
- Candidate must have passed Class 10th / High School / Matriculation / SSC examinations or equivalent from a recognized board.
- Candidate must have completed any of the following courses:
- ITI course from an institute recognized by NCVT or SCVT.
- Diploma in Engineering in any of Electrical / Electronics / Mechanical / Automobile Engineering streams from an AICTE-recognized institute.
- Act Apprentenship course
Age Limit for Assistant Loco Pilot
- Candidate must be between 18 and 28 years of age to be eligible for the Assistant Loco Pilot post.
- Age relaxation is provided to reserved category candidates (SC / ST / OBC / PwD / Ex-Servicemen etc.) as per the norms issued by the Government.
Entrance Exam for Assistant Loco Pilot
Candidates are required quality the entrance exam conducted by RRB to qualify for the post of Assistant Loco Pilot. The entrance exam is a Computer-Based Test (CBT) and is conducted in the following three stages.
- CBT 1: 75 questions, 60 minutes
- CBT 2:
- Part A: 100 questions, 90 minutes
- Part B: 75 questions, 60 minutes
- Computer-Based Aptitude Test (CBAT)
Only the candidates who qualify in one stage are called for the next stage of ALP recruitment.
Medical Fitness for Assitant Loco Pilot
- Medical verification is conducted of all candidates who qualify the CBAT.
- Candidates must be physically fit and have good vision as specified under the different medical standards of RRB ALP.
Types of Job Roles Loco Pilot
An Assistant Loco Pilot may be promoted to senior positions in the Indian Railways after gaining certain years of experience. Given below are the job profiles of an ALP in increasing order of seniority.
- Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP)
- Senior Assistant Loco Pilo (Sr. ALP)
- Loco Pilot (LP)
- Power Controller / Crew Controller / Loco Fireman (Loco Supervisor)
Employment Sector/Industry for Loco Pilot
Indian Railways is the only recruiter of Assistant Loco Pilots (ALPs) in India. The Railway Recruitment Board is responsible for conducting the entrance exam and the subsequent document verification and medical fitness test for the recruitment of ALPs. The number of vacancies for ALPs is announced by RRB in its recruitment notification. Currently, there are 27,795 vacancies for ALPs in India. This is subject to change as per the notifications issued by the board.
Pay Scale/Salary of Loco Pilot
The pay scale for Assistant Loco Pilots is between Rs. 5,200 and Rs. 20,200. On top of this, a Grade Pay of Rs. 1,900 and several allowances are added to calculate the total salary of an ALP. An ALP is entitled to the following allowances:
- DA (Dearness Allowance)
- House Rent Allowance (HRA)
- Transport Allowance
- Running Allowance (a fixed amount per 100 km of travel)
- Night Duty Allowance
On average, the starting in-hand salary earned by an ALP in India comes out to around Rs. 35,000 per month.
Books & Study Material to Become Loco Pilot
|
Book |
Author / Writer |
Publisher |
|
Railway Assistant Loco Pilot and Technician |
Arihant Experts |
Arihant Publications |
|
Lucent's General Knowledge |
Dr. Binay Kamra |
Lucent Publications |
|
General Science for RRB Junior Engineer, NTPC, ALP & Group D Exams |
Disha Experts |
Disha Publications |
|
Lucent's General Science |
Ravi Bhushan |
Lucent Publications |
|
A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning |
R S Aggarwal |
S Chand Publishing |
Pros of becoming a Loco Pilot
- Excellent job security.
- Good salary and growth prospects.
- Respectable job.
Cons of becoming a Loco Pilot
- Lots of travelling involved.
- Requires a lot of stamina as work shifts can last for 3 days.
- On-field job requires you to stay away from home.
Career as a Chartered Accountant
About Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountancy is regarded as the core of all business, small or big. The responsibilities and work of chartered accountants involve financial planning, accounting, taxation and auditing. A career as a chartered accountant is not only challenging but also rewarding. The career prospects for chartered accountants are exciting. In other words, chartered accountancy is the first step to other rewarding careers in fund management, investment consultancy and finance. Institute of Charted Accountants of India (ICAI) is responsible for conducting CA course. Over the last few years, the qualifications required to become a CA has undergone various changes with ICAI upgrading the syllabus and curriculum as per the changing business scenario as the globe.
Eligibility to become Chartered Accountant
The minimum qualification required to pursue ICAI CA course is Class 12. The candidates who have passed Class 12 can take up CPT course. Common Proficiency Test (CPT) is the beginning stage to start a career in Charted Accountancy. The second stage is IPCC (Intermediate) and the last stage is CA Final.
Subjects Combination: Students from Commerce, Science and Arts stream in Class 12 can register for CPT.
Eligibility:
- Students can register for CPT after Class 10. However, they are eligible to take up CPT exam only after clearing Class 12.
- Students from Arts, Science and Commerce streams in Class 12 are also eligible to register for CPT course.
- After clearing CPT exam, the candidates can enroll into ICAI.
- Qualifying CPT is a gateway to register for Accounting Technician Course (ATC). Candidates who had formerly registered for IPCC can enroll for ATC.
- Candidates must score at least 100 out of 200 marks in CPT to apply for IPCC (Integrated Professional Competence Course).
- Candidates must score at least 40 marks in each subject and an aggregate of 50% or above to clear IPCC.
- Scoring 60 marks and above in any subject will exempt you from reappearing for that particular subject in case you fail the course and plan to give the exams again.
- Clearing IPCC exam is a gateway for the candidates to do an internship of three years under a certified CA. The Articleship is an opportunity to learn how accountancy is handled by an experienced Chartered Accountant.
- During the final six months of three-year Articleship, the candidates can appear for CA Final course exams.
- Finally, the candidates who clear CA Final exam and featured in All-India merit list will be awarded the designation of Chartered Accountant.
Types of Job Roles Chartered Accountant
Auditor: Auditors are external professionals who are invited or sent to companies to examine their finances to make sure that the accounts of the companies are accurate. Most companies appoint internal auditors.
Accounts Clerk: Accounts clerk is responsible for recording certain types of financial transactions. The major focus of accounts clerk could be on accounts payable, accounts receivable, billing or payroll.
Business Services Accountant: The responsibility of business services accountant is to provide business and tax services to clients. Some of the other duties of these accountants include keeping track of depreciation of assets, generating financial statements, preparing tax returns and advice & guidance on financial strategies.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO): CFO is a senior-level executive who is responsible for enterprise’s financial well-being and success.
Cost Accountants: The responsibility of cost accountants is to monitor and analyse the company’s cost of materials, processes and products. They also provide advice to the management of the company on the most effective options to streamline and manage costs.
Financial Controller: The major responsibility of the financial controller is to work closely with executive management teams, and play a vital role in the running of businesses.
Tax Accountant: Tax accountants specialise in taxation. The responsibility of the tax accountants is to handle audits, tax returns and final audits for corporations or individuals.
Employment Opportunities for Chartered Accountant:
Chartered accountants are the most sought-after professionals in India. There is more reputation for CAs in India is due to the rigorous training imparted to them. The demand for qualified and skilled CAs in India has been constantly increasing, and the profession did not witness any downward trend in the recent years. Over the last three to four years, the demand for CAs has been increasing by 10%-15%.
Chartered Accountants can find employment in the following areas after attaining the necessary skills and qualifications: -
- Public and Private Sector Banks
- Public Limited Companies
- Auditing Firms
- Stock Broking Firms
- Finance Companies
- Investment Houses
- Legal Firms
- Patent Firms
- Portfolio Management Companies
The qualification of CA is globally recognised, and the industry outlook for Chartered Accountants is indeed bright.
Top Recruiting Agencies for Chartered Accountant:
The following are some of the top companies that recruit Chartered Accountants in India: -
- KPMG
- Indian Oil
- Deloitte
- EY
- Sri Guru Kripa
- SS Kothari Mehta & Co.
- Bhatia and Bhatia Chartered Accountants
- Real-time Taxsutra Services
Pay Scale/Salary of Chartered Accountant
A Chartered Accountant in diverse sectors earns a very good salary. Most companies pay more for highly skilled and experienced Chartered Accountant. The average salary structure of Chartered Accountant is detailed below.
|
Job Profile |
Starting Salary per annum (in INR) |
Mid Level Salary per annum (in INR) |
Senior Level Salary per annum (In INR) |
|
Chartered Accountant |
Rs. 3,50,000 |
Rs. 7,00,000 |
Rs. 12,00,000 – 24 lakh |
|
Accounts Clerk |
Rs. 1,50,000 |
Rs. 2,07,000 |
Rs. 3,50,000 |
|
Business Services Accountant |
Rs. 1,50,000 |
Rs. 2,08,000 |
Rs. 3,50,000 |
|
Chief Finance Officer (CFO) |
Rs. 2,00,000 |
Rs. 4,00,000 |
Rs. 6,00,000 |
|
Cost Accountants |
Rs. 1,50,000 |
Rs. 2,34,000 |
Rs. 4,00,000 |
Note: The above figures are an estimate and may vary from individual to individual and company to company.
Books & Study Material to Become Chartered Accountant
Here is the list of top books that students can refer to prepare for CA CPT, IPCC and Final exams.
- Mercantile Laws by PPS Gogna or PC Tulsian
- Fundamentals of Accounting – CPT by MP Gupta and BM Agarwal
- Quantitative Aptitude by PN Arora
- General Economics by SK Agarwal or Deepashree
- Taxation by Singhania
- Costing and FM by Padhuka
- Accounting by PC Tulsian
- Auditing by VK Agarwal
Pros of becoming a Chartered Accountant
- Chartered Accountants are paid higher salaries.
- CAs enjoy tremendous respect in organisations and society.
Cons of becoming a Chartered Accountant
- Stressful job as responsibilities are enormous.
- Regular update of knowledge is must without which the career may lead to stagnation.