PA/SA job profile | SSC CHSL PA/SA job profile

PA/SA or the Postal Assistant/Sorting assistant post has the highest number of vacancies in the SSC CHSL every year. In this post, know about the PA/SA job profile of the SSC CHSL exam.

A Post Office

Contents of the post:

• PA SA Salary
• PA SA posting location
• PA SA promotion
• The work of PA/SA
• Transfer, mutual transfer, etc.

PA / SA Salary

The in-hand salary of the PA/SA post under the SSC CHSL exam is as follows:

• X City: Rs. 38,000 (approx) in X cities (higher TPTA) and Rs. 36,000 (approx) in X cities (regular TPTA)
• Y city: 36,300 / 34,200
• Z City: 32,300

The above are the approximate in-hand salaries based on the 21% DA announced by the government recently.

PA / SA Posting location or job location

The posting of the people selected as PA/SA  can theoretically be anywhere in India as this is a central government post.

The selected aspirant can be posted in locations which may range from big urban centres to small rural localities. This may seem like a challenge to many but for some of you out there, this is actually an opportunity in disguise. This is one of the only posts which are offered under the SSC CHSL exam which asks for a post preference from the candidates. this means that you can get a home posting through this post of PA/SA. What this means is, if there are enough vacancies in your home state or even home town and your marks is good, you can opt to be posted in your home state or hometown too.

PA/SA Transfers

As attractive as this may sound, not all of us will be able o get marks good enough to get home posting, therefore we need to know the other options too to get into our home town or home state. The other options are either regular transfers or mutual transfers.

• Regular transfers- After completing a minimum of 4 years in service, you can try for a transfer in your home postal circle. But this process is quite difficult as the office which you'll be posted in will have to lose a staff member (you) if they grant you that sweet sweet promotion, therefore, they are generally hesitant to grant you that promotion unless of course there are some special cases.
•  Mutual transfers- This can be availed after completing your 2 years of service after your selection as a PA/SA. What this means is, if you know someone in your home postal circle who is willing to switch places with you in the circle where you are posted, both of you can switch places. For this, you both need to be posted on the same post (there are several different types of posts in the postal department) and the category of both of you needs to be the same.

Promotion

This post of the SSC CHSL exam is famous for not having good promotional aspects. But still, I will mention the regular promotion route available in the postal department. Please note that as new notifications arise in the department, some of this information may become outdated. 

• After three years of service, you will be able to sit for the accountant exam. After clearing the exam, only your designation will change but no change will happen in your salary.
• Five years after that, you will be eligible to sit for the departmental exam for the inspector of the post. The vacancies in this post are limited and thus the notice for the departmental exam may not come even if you are eligible for the exam.
• After 10 years of service, you will be eligible for the AAO exam which is a very high post but then again, this depends on the number of vacancies.
• Overall, the vacancies in the higher ranks are very low and this makes PA/SA not that good in terms of promotional aspects.

Work

Now let's talk about the work that you'll be required to do. There are several posts under the department of posts and all have their unique features.

1. Postal Assistant in Post Office (PAPO)- They are involved mostly in letter booking work, maintaining records of letters, etc in software. Don't worry, you will get the proper training to do this work. This post also has the highest number of vacancies every year.
2. Sorting Assistant in RMS- They are involved in sorting mails in the RMS office. Shift work (night shift) may happen over here.
3. PA in Circle/Regional office- They do official document maintaining, keeping records, etc. 5 day work week is an attractive feature of this post, although the vacancies are quite low.
4. PA in Saving Bank Control Organization (SBCO)- Work is similar to the bank clerk but is more hectic and risky. Involves a lot of public dealing.
5. PA in Return Letter Office- Takes care of those letters which can’t be delivered in one go due to unreadable address, address in some other language or similar problems. Posted mostly in big cities. No public dealing.
6. PA in Foreign Post Organization (FPO)- Deals with foreign parcels/letters, both incoming and outgoing from countries outside India. The office is located in big cities.
7. PA in MMS (Mail Motor Service) – Deals with the letters in the Mail Motor which is the red coloured vehicle you may have seen, maintains their records, etc. Shift wise (only day work) happens in this post.

A Mail motor vehicle

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Also read: SSC CHSL document verification details and list of documents
SSC CHSL previous year papers