Tuesday, 7 March 2017

Administrative Officer (AO) in Insurance VS Probationary Officer (PO) In Bank

Insurance AO or Bank PO ? Which is the better one ? The fuel never runs out from this topic and its always up for debate.

Banks prompts people for loans and deposits whereas Insurance as the name suggests makes you feel secure. Fundamentally the two jobs are different. But their examinations have striking similarities viz a viz paper pattern, difficulty level, syllabus etc. This has enabled the large exodus of banking aspirants to insurance sectors.
Let us now take a closer look at both the profiles:

Administrative Officer  VS Probatiomary Officer  #1: Job 



As an Administrative Officer , you are required to do administrative work, this would include the following
Formulating new schemes, inspecting policies
Managing and filing claims, client interactions
Coordinating with other departments, provide assistance
Perform any work specified by department head or administrative Officer.

Probationary Officer : Job Profile

As a Bank PO you are expected to:
  • Provide services to customers
  • Enhance business of the bank
  • Handle cash activities at the bank
  • Manage Clearance of Payments
  • Manage accounts of customers
  • Official communication
Administrative Officer  VS Probationary Officer  #2: Work Pressure

AO is a lower level managerial post. After joining you are allotted one/several department and the onus for getting the work done lies on your shoulder. You are taught human resource management, finance, project planning and execution. Scope of work includes underwriting, policy servicing, Marketing, IT, Actuarial, Investment, Audit, etc.
PO’s work includes General Banking, Administrative Task, or any other task bestowed by the senior management from time to time. As a PO in SBI, you will undergo rigorous training to understand the nitty-gritties of Banking and trained for accounting, marketing, investment, billing, finance, human resources, forex, agriculture banking,general banking.
Work pressure wise the only differentiating factor is Customer Engagement. As a PO you have to interact/bring in new customers, however as an AO you are not expected to do that.

Administrative Officer VS Probationary Officer  #3: Working hours

Insurance sector follows a 5 day work week pattern, enabling you to party/utilize the weekend for productive tasks.
All Banks, including SBI have recently started a new policy according to which, 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month are declared holidays.
This means you miss out on two free holidays in a month and 24 holidays in a year. This is a huge difference when compared on an annual basis, you get close to a month off while working for Insurance as compared to Banks.

Administrative Officer  VS Probationary Officer  #4: Transfers

Both AO and PO are public sector jobs, making transfers a necessary evil in this comparison.
The transfers mostly take place every 2-5 years.In both Organisations, transfer is on the basis if seniority/promotion.
The plus point with Insurance AO is that most branches are in city as compared to Bank (which are also located in rural areas). So if you are an AO, you will spent most of your time in cities with a decent lifestyle.

Administrative Officer vs Probationary Officer  #5: Salary

As a PO , you will receive Rs. Rs.30 – 35,000/ month.
As an AO , you will receive Rs. 38 – 42,000/ month.

Administrative Officer  vs Probationary Officer #6: Perks and Benefits

AO provides the following benefits:

  • Defined Contributory Pension
  • Special Allowance for passing Actuarial Examination
  • Gratuity
  • LTC,
  • Cash Medical Benefit
  • Group Mediclaim
  • Group Personal Accident Insurance
  • Group Insurance
  • Vehicle Loan (2-wheeler/4-wheeler) as per rules.
  • Banks provide the following perks:
  • Contribution Pension Scheme/New Pension Scheme
  • Medical Aid for self (100%) and for family (75%)
  • LTC
  • Home Travel Concession/ Leave Fare Concession
  • Concessional interest rates for Housing/Car/Personal Loans
  • So , as per this criteria, both the posts are approximately equal.

Administrative Officer  vs Probationary Officer  #7: Future Growth

Promotions in Bank happen every 3-5 years in the following scale:

  • AO
  • ADM
  • DM
  • ZM
Promotions in Banks happen every 3-5 years in the following scale:

  • Bank PO
  • Assistant Manager
  • Branch Manager
  • AGM
  • GM
Insurance Administrative Officer vs Bank Probationary Officer #8: Final Verdict

Thus both have their own pros and cons. If you look from salary and personal life and work angle, it is certainly insurance AO which is better than Bank PO .
Now you may get the clear idea about  Administrative Officer Job in Insurance .Now u can decide whether need to go for it .  All the best !!!

Now u can decide whether need to go for it . If your decision ' Yes , I want job in Insurance sector' then , dont forget to apply for upcoming  NEW INDIA ASSURANCE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER EXAM 2017.

  New India Assurance Recruitment 2017 – Apply Online for 984 Assistant Posts

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