South Eastern Railway Scouts & Guides Recruitment: Apply by 6 October 2026

South Eastern Railway (SER) released this recruitment notification on 1 September 2026 on its official website. As per Employment Notice No. RRC/SER/S&G Quota/2026-27, online applications for the Scouts & Guides Quota open on 7 September 2026 and close on 6 October 2026. This recruitment is for candidates who hold an active Scouts or Guides qualification and want a stable government job with Indian Railways.

South Eastern Railway is recruiting for a total of 10 posts under this quota — 2 in Level-2 (Group ‘C’) and 8 in Level-1 (erstwhile Group ‘D’). A full level-wise and division-wise breakdown follows below. Level-2 posts are based at SER Headquarters, Kolkata, while Level-1 posts are spread across the Adra, Chakradharpur, Kharagpur and Ranchi divisions. Candidates should check all details in the article below.

Information verified from the official South Eastern Railway notification No. RRC/SER/S&G Quota/2026-27 dated 1 September 2026.
Last verified: 7 September 2026.

South Eastern Railway is recruiting 10 Scouts & Guides Quota posts through Notification No. RRC/SER/S&G Quota/2026-27 — 2 in Level-2 (Group ‘C’) at SER Headquarters, Kolkata, and 8 in Level-1 (erstwhile Group ‘D’) across the Adra, Chakradharpur, Kharagpur and Ranchi divisions. The last date to apply online is 6 October 2026 at rrcser.co.in. Only candidates holding the prescribed Scouting or Guiding qualification are eligible, and selection is based on a written test combined with marks for verified Scouts & Guides achievements.

Quick Summary of South Eastern Railway Scouts & Guides Recruitment

About South Eastern Railway

South Eastern Railway (SER) is one of the zones of Indian Railways, with its headquarters at Garden Reach, Kolkata. It operates across parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha through its Adra, Chakradharpur, Kharagpur and Ranchi divisions. The Railway Recruitment Cell (RRC) attached to SER handles recruitment for Level-1 and Level-2 posts within this jurisdiction, including quota-based recruitment such as this one for candidates with a Scouts & Guides background.

Scouts & Guides Quota Across West Bengal and Jharkhand

South Eastern Railway’s Scouts & Guides Quota spans two states. The Level-2 posts sit at SER Headquarters in Garden Reach, Kolkata, reachable from anywhere in West Bengal through the city’s existing road and rail network. The Level-1 postings are in railway divisional towns — Kharagpur, a major junction on the Howrah–Chennai main line, and Adra in West Bengal, alongside Chakradharpur and Ranchi across the state border in Jharkhand. Candidates from smaller towns in West Bengal and from neighbouring Jharkhand can reach these postings through the existing railway network.

This is added context, not part of the official notification. Confirm with the hiring office: unlike a typical Railway Group ‘C’ or Group ‘D’ recruitment drive that draws a very large general applicant pool, this quota is open only to candidates who already hold a documented Scouting or Guiding record, which narrows the field of applicants considerably compared to open Railway recruitment.

Important Dates

Candidates are advised in the notification to register and submit their application well before the closing date, since heavy website traffic near the deadline can cause login or submission delays. If your age needs checking against the 1 January 2027 cut-off, the Age Calculator can work this out quickly.

Vacancy Details and Salary

The notification does not give a full pay-matrix salary range for either level — only the Grade Pay figures shown above are stated. This quota is open to candidates of all communities; no reservation has been earmarked under this recruitment, though category-wise age relaxation still applies as detailed below.

Eligibility Criteria

Level-2 (Group ‘C’) — 2 Posts

• Passed 12th (+2 stage) or equivalent with not less than 50% marks from a Government-recognised education board, council or institution. The 50% requirement is not insisted upon for SC, ST, ESM and PwBD candidates, or candidates holding a higher UGC-recognised qualification.
• OR — 10th pass from a Government-recognised board plus a National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) or ITI certificate approved by NCVT. A Diploma in Engineering is not accepted as an alternative under this route.

Level-1 (Erstwhile Group ‘D’) — 8 Posts

• 10th pass or ITI or equivalent, or a National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) granted by NCVT. This is the site’s lowest-qualification entry point in this notification — see the site’s 10th pass jobs tag for similar openings.

Scouts & Guides Qualification (Mandatory for Both Levels)

In addition to the educational qualification above, every applicant — for both Level-1 and Level-2 — must also hold:

• A President Scout / Guide / Rover / Ranger award, or a Himalayan Wood Badge (HWB), in any section; and
• Active membership of a Scouts organisation for the last 5 years, supported by a Certificate of Activeness in the notification’s Annexure-A format; and
• Attendance at two events at National level or All Indian Railways level, and two events at State level.

Candidates without this Scouting/Guiding qualification are not eligible to apply, regardless of their educational marks.

Age Limit (as on 01.01.2027)

Additional relaxation applies for specific categories: serving Railway employees with at least 3 years’ continuous service get a maximum age of 40 (UR), 43 (OBC) or 45 (SC/ST) for either level; widows, divorced women and women judicially separated but not remarried get a maximum age of 35 (UR), 38 (OBC) or 40 (SC/ST); persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD) get a further 10 years on top of the above; Ex-servicemen get relaxation equal to service rendered plus 3 years (minimum 6 months’ service required); and Course Completed Act Apprentices applying for Level-1 get a maximum age of 33 (UR), 36 (OBC) or 38 (SC/ST), plus relief for time spent in apprentice training, up to 3 years.

South Eastern Railway Scouts & Guides Recruitment – Selection Process

The selection process for South Eastern Railway Scouts & Guides Recruitment runs in two stages, followed by document verification and a medical exam. There is no interview.

1. Stage-I: Written Test / CBT — 60 marks. 40 objective questions (40 marks) plus one essay-type question (20 marks), in a bilingual (Hindi/English) format, covering Scouts and Guides organisation and activities plus General Knowledge. Duration is 60 minutes, with one-third of the marks deducted for every wrong objective answer. The minimum qualifying score is 40%.
2. Stage-II: Marks on Scouts & Guides certificates — 40 marks, split across four heads: participation in National/All Indian Railways events (up to 10 marks), participation in State-level events or rallies (up to 10 marks), specialised Scouts/Guides courses at National, State or All Indian Railways level (up to 10 marks), and participation in District rallies (up to 10 marks). The first two certificates in each head only meet the minimum eligibility bar and score no additional marks; extra certificates earn the additional marks shown in the notification.
3. Document verification and medical examination. Candidates are shortlisted for document verification up to five times the notified vacancies, based on combined merit. After the Recruitment Committee’s recommendation, candidates are sent for a medical fitness exam at a Railway Hospital in a 1:1 ratio to notified vacancies, and must be declared medically fit for the post offered.

One practical note from the notification: candidates appointed as Clerk-cum-Typist under Level-2 must acquire typing proficiency of 30 words per minute in English or 25 words per minute in Hindi within two years of appointment.

Application Fee

• UR / OBC / EWS candidates: ₹500, of which ₹400 is refunded to candidates who actually appear in the written test.
• SC / ST / Ex-Servicemen / PwBD / Women / Minorities / Economically Backward Classes: ₹250, fully refunded to candidates who actually appear in the written test.
• Payment is online only, through internet banking, debit card or credit card. Bank service charges are borne by the candidate.

Candidates must select their refund preference — the same account used for payment, or a separate beneficiary account — within the application form itself. If this option is not selected, the refundable portion of the fee will not be paid out under any circumstances.

How to Apply

1. Visit the official website www.rrcser.co.in and open Railway Recruitment Cell → “Online/E-Application for Scouts & Guides Quota / 2026-27” → New Registration.
2. Enter your name, father’s name, date of birth, community, email address and mobile number. A registration number and password will be sent to your registered email/SMS.
3. Log in using the registration number and password, and complete the application form.
4. Upload your photograph, signature, Left Thumb Impression (LTI), and self-attested certificates for educational qualification, date of birth, and Scouts & Guides achievements, plus category certificates where applicable.
5. Fill all mandatory fields, preview the form carefully, and submit. A Unique Application Number will be generated — note it down for future reference.
6. Take two printouts of the completed application form.

Candidates who wish to apply for both Level-1 and Level-2 must submit separate applications with separate fee payments for each level. Applications sent by post or received directly at the RRC/SER office will not be entertained.

Documents to Keep Ready

• Photograph: colour, passport-size, white or light background, 35mm x 45mm (or 320×240 pixels), JPG/JPEG at 100 DPI, sized 20–50KB. It must be a professional studio photograph taken on or after 1 September 2026 — mobile-phone or selfie photographs may lead to rejection. The site’s Photo Signature Resizer can help fit both the photo and signature to these exact limits before upload.
• Signature and Left Thumb Impression (LTI): black ink on white paper, within a 50mm x 20mm box, JPG/JPEG at 100 DPI, sized 10–40KB.
• Self-attested educational qualification certificates and mark sheets.
• Self-attested Scouts & Guides achievement certificates, including the Certificate of Activeness (Annexure-A format).
• Proof of date of birth: birth certificate, or 10th class certificate/admit card/mark sheet showing date of birth.
• Category certificates where applicable — SC/ST certificate (Annexure-I), OBC-NCL certificate plus self-declaration (Annexure-II and IIA), EWS income certificate (Annexure-VI), EBC income certificate (Annexure-VII), PwBD disability certificate (Annexure-III/IV/V), or Minority community declaration (Annexure-VIII).
• On the day of the written test: the e-call letter, an original valid photo ID (Voter Card, Aadhaar/e-Aadhaar, Driving Licence, PAN Card, Passport, or employer ID for government employees), and 4 passport-size photographs.

Important Links

Should You Apply?

This recruitment suits one specific group: candidates who have spent years actively involved in Scouts or Guides at the district, state or national level, and who can prove it with certificates in the exact formats the notification asks for. For anyone without that documented record, this quota simply isn’t accessible, regardless of academic marks or age — the Scouting/Guiding qualification is mandatory, not preferred.

For those who do qualify, the trade-off is scale: only 10 posts are on offer nationally, in fixed locations that candidates cannot choose — Level-2 selections go to Kolkata, and Level-1 selections are assigned to one of four specific divisions. There is no option to select a preferred posting. Against that, the written test itself is comparatively light (60 minutes, General Knowledge and Scouting-related questions) and worth less than half the total score, with the remaining marks coming from a candidate’s existing certificate record rather than fresh preparation. This makes it a realistic route for candidates with a strong Scouting background but limited time to prepare for a full competitive exam, though it will not suit anyone hoping to enter Railway service through open competition instead.

FAQs

What is the last date to apply for South Eastern Railway Scouts & Guides Quota 2026?

The last date to apply online for the South Eastern Railway Scouts & Guides Quota 2026-27 is 6 October 2026, through the official website rrcser.co.in. Applications open on 7 September 2026.

Who can apply for SER Scouts & Guides Quota Recruitment 2026?

Candidates who meet the Level-1 or Level-2 educational qualification and hold a President Scout/Guide/Rover/Ranger award or Himalayan Wood Badge, with 5 years’ active membership and the required National/All-India-Railways and State-level event certificates. Candidates without the Scouting/Guiding qualification are not eligible, regardless of educational marks.

What is the salary for SER Scouts & Guides Quota Level-1 and Level-2 posts?

The notification states Grade Pay of ₹1,900 for Level-2 (Group ‘C’) and ₹1,800 for Level-1 (Group ‘D’) posts under the 7th CPC. A full pay-matrix salary range is not mentioned in the official notification.

Is South Eastern Railway Scouts & Guides Quota recruitment held every year?

This is added context, not part of the official notification. Confirm with the official website. South Eastern Railway has released a Scouts & Guides Quota notification in recent years, but the number of vacancies and the exact timing have varied from year to year, and not every RRC zone opens this quota every cycle. Candidates should check rrcser.co.in directly each year rather than assuming a fixed schedule.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I am Sandeep Khati, the founder of India Job Alerts. I hold a B.Tech in Computer Science from JGEC (2010). My career began as a Systems Engineer at TCS, and I have been active in the digital publishing space since 2011, starting with the launch of SearchDarjeeling.com and my work as a web developer and designer at Darjeeling Informatics.

Launched in April 2025, India Job Alerts is my most focused project to date. I am dedicated to publishing verified government and PSU job notifications for candidates in West Bengal, Sikkim, and across India. To guarantee accuracy, I personally cross-check every post against official notifications before publishing. Know more

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