Okay, there is nothing known as “Afterword” in my blog as I’ll keep posting something or the other that’ll be of help 😀 So, I am in Bangalore now and tomorrow is my reporting at TCS, Innovator Building, ITPL in Whitefield! 😀 I don’t have any kind of liking for the place. I just gave it as my second preference because I didn’t have a better second choice! 😛
Whitefield is your typical IT park type thing with lotsssssss of big, glassy buildings around 😛 At this time, it’s hotter than Trivandrum, I think! And it’s drier too!! If your posting is in Bangalore, make sure you bring an umbrella and a thick body lotion 😐 So, today evening, we went to a mall here called Cosmos Mall, roamed about the streets looking for a beauty parlour and finally my friends and I had Strawberry Milkshake (with real strawberries) and Onion Dosa for dinner! 😀 This is the first time in my life where I am having strawberries like grapes!! I just meant that they are abundant here! 😛
One thing I would like to stress upon is safety! Girls, if you have your posting in Bangalore, it’s not safe to return to your PG at 10 pm! Even with friends! Unless you have a huge group with male associates too! I just saw an instance of that! So, it’s a good thing to be safe and sound! 😀
Btw, the PG I got has big, spacious rooms, Wi-Fi, a small and cute LCD TV in each room and a good bathroom! The negative points are that the cupboards are smaller than my Peepul Park Hostel in Trivandrum and the PG is located in a deserted place 😐 But…….this is the best PG we girls got for Rs. 5500 (including food)! 😛
BOYS: Finding a decent PG for you in Whitefield, Bangalore is a tough thing! -_- If you can manage crappy PGs, it’s way better! 😀
GIRLS: If you have Bangalore as posting, then you have PGs in abundance! 😀 You can write a comment here if you need one and you might just get a good place to stay in! 😛
TO THE GENERAL POPULATION: It’s better to do some research about the place you’ll be going to! Especially, if the place is completely new to you. While you are still in ILP, Google some cheap, budget-friendly lodges and hotels in the place, different TCS offices, their distances, PGs, fare rates, restaurants, Domino’s outlets etc. TCS reimburses your hotel and some travel money, if you get 2nd/3rd/no preference. As far as I know, TCS reimburses (returns the money you’ve spent) Rs 3000/- hotel fare, as Rs 1000/- per day. You can confirm this with your accommodation admin in ILP. Then plan your trip accordingly.
In this way, you can be better prepared for what’s ahead of you! 🙂
Zim's Life in TCS Trivandrum! 
hey , i’ll be in Bangalore for my summer internship. where can i find good pgs for just two months with reasonable price. can you help me out.
@mama- That depends on where you are! 😀 If you are in Whitefield,you’ll get numerous PGs every now and then.
sir, can you please tell me if tcs gives us our 1st preferred location?what are the chances of sending me back to noida or gurgaon? and what are the kind of projects being taken up in tcs-noida and gurgaon?
Chances are high that you’ll get your 1st preference. But, you might get your 2nd or 3rd preference depending on where there are projects or where resources are needed. That means, you may have any one of the 3 locations or something different! TCS Mumbai has lots of projects and people might get Mumbai even if they didn’t have it as any preference. TCS keeps your choices in mind but ultimately decides according to the projects and requirements 🙂 And yes, TCS Mumbai has mainly support and maintenance projects. Or, you might be given training on a new framework or language. As a fresher, you’ll be placed in mostly maintenance.
i want to know about the projects in gurgaon and noida? i cannot relocate due to some personal problems. is there any solution?
Then you’ll have to talk to the Resource Management Group (RMG) about your problem. During ILP, you’ll have to talk to your supervisor. If your reason is genuine enough, with proof, they’ll consider your case. And the projects in TCS are mostly maintenance and support. As per my friends, presently Gurgaon has projects like Ultimatix Tech Support team, troubleshooting for clients etc. And as for Noida, my friends didn’t get allocated to any project yet but one of them is allocated to a training in some framework.
hi..Is it true that girls get their first preference of location?
No, my dear. As a girl who got her 2nd preference and many others who got their 2nd/ 3rd/ no preference at all, TCS doesn’t fix preferences according to the gender. If you’ve heard something like that, well it isn’t true, just coincidence. You should be ready to go anywhere. That’s what they expect! 🙂
Hi… thanks for this wonderful work of yours…
I have my ILP @ chennai from July 23. Is it necessary for making any preparations for accommodation or will it b provided from day 1 by TCS… 🙂 🙂
TCS will provide accommodation from 2 days before joining till 2 days after you finish your ILP! 🙂
Actually i m also writing the civil service exams like UPSC and KPSC (Karnataka), so i would prefer Bangalore as a place of joining so that i can go for coaching classes.So, is there any chances of getting my choice of place of joining.
For your ILP, I’m sorry but you’ll have to comply with what TCS gives you! You can’t choose your ILP center. But, if you have given your 1st preference of posting at Bangalore, you’ll get it after completing your ILP! 🙂 You’ll know your posting location on the 2nd day of your ILP after the PAT exam!
Does our location of posting depend on the performance in PAT Exam ?
No. It has all been decided!
I got my JL stating dat i hav to report at a certain office in chennai for my ILP.But,I hav heard that I may or not be there for my entire ILP n hav chances to be changed by TCS.Location change is not a problem for me.What worries me is the accomodation..We are looking for a room near d office mentioned in my JL.If,I am posted then to some far off places.it ll be terrible…I hope You understand..Do have ane Idea abt this???
During ILP, TCS provides accommodation no matter where you go! If you have to look for accommodation, I bet it won’t be that bad. But TCS usually provides it during ILP. So relax! As for the SA, complete means your full name with initials expanded. If you follow the guidelines, your SA won’t get rejected. That’s very rare. If in case it gets rejected, TCS gives you time to correct it. Don’t worry about it!
Hii..Can u please tell me the importance of PAT EXAM and how to prepare for it??
PAT exam is just a formality to see how much you know about the subjects and how much Aspire participation you have. It is not that important but try to have a good exam by preparing well! 🙂 please read my post on ILP ASPIRE to know how to prepare for it!
i lyk ur post..
i hv a qstn…..my 1st preference is kolkata, bt if i dnt get kolkata as my posting, wat r d ways and chances dat i can cum back 2 kolkata..?
The chances are zero unless you have a valid medical reason (yours/parents) which has to approved by the TCS doctor, coz Kolkata doesn’t accept transfer cases other than medical reasons or other significant reasons in which your presence is absolutely necessary. But, I’ve heard that you get an option of transfer after two years. Other than that, you can swap with someone from Kolkata, which is highly improbable. You can also ask your friends or seniors in TCS Kolkata (who’s already in a project) to recommend you to their Project Manager and see if they have a vacancy!
I have a question…I got my ILP locations as pune which was my second preferred location. Are there any chances that i would get it as my joining location as well…my first preferred location is bangalore.. Is there any way i get bangalore coz i don’t want pune due to some personal reasons..
I think chances are greater that you’ll get Bangalore. Even if you’re not that lucky, you can always swap locations with someone who’s willing to come to Pune! 🙂
hello, I had a doubt …heard ppl saying dat if ur ILP location is same as one of ur preferred location the chances for a person to get the ILP location as a permanent job is high…for example if a person’s second preference is hyd and his first preference is bnglr…so the chances of getting hyd is high..is it true???…and can we ask for the change of place on medical terms ??? or they dnt even accept dat.
I had my 2nd preference as Bangalore and 3rd preference as Hyderabad. I got my 2nd preference. It all depends on the requirement of trainees. And all that is myth! ILP location is solely decided by TCS. Only the preference of your posting location is considered. You can ask for a transfer either by valid medical reason (yours/ parents) or a swap with someone who’s willing to exchange! 🙂
Great doing Zim.. Having one doubt.. I am at ILP -pune now.. It will be over on sep 3.. My family is in Tamilnadu.. I have to lookafter them..Since Pune is my base branch, I planned to swap to Bangalore.. I got one person who is willing to swap from pune to bangalore.. She s also a fresher.. She got the permission from her RMG… What I have to do to get my RMG approval for swapping..??( I already conveyed this to HR but she is not hearing my words)
You have to talk to your RMG! All these are handled by them. Swapping is a good option for changing locations. They cannot refuse a swap! 🙂
This is Akshay here. I have my ILP starting from 23 August in Chennai. I have the following phrase in my joining letter.
“Your ILP location would be the same as your base branch as far as possible and hence ILP would be conducted as a non-residential program at this location. You are advised to make own arrangements for accommodation and transport at the training location. Travel expenses to the location of ILP will not be reimbursed.”
Does this mean that my posting location will be Chennai itself ?
Yes. That’s what your JL says. You can call up your ILP coordinator and confirm the same.
hey zim i read my service agreement and it says something regarding a FD of 50,000…. can u please explain me on that. r v supposed to deposit it beforehand?
If you can’t find a surety, you need to deposit Rs. 50,000 bond money in the joint account between TCS and you. On completion of 2 years, this sum will be refunded. Note that this is only if you aren’t able to arrange a surety!
okay thanx…… i have few more queris regarding service agreement. please consider…
1. agreement says- this agreement made at mumbai, now wat place am i supposed to fill coz i dont stay in mumbai.
2. wat is the start date for ILP? is that the same as joining date?
3. after getting the agreement ready, by whom is it supposed to b signatured, by a notary or by magistrate?
I’ll ask you to go through the Service Agreement guidelines first! This pdf is available fpr download along with the service agreement in the Nextstep website. Even then if you don’t understand, I’ll help you out! 🙂
Hello, i have a question here…i had mailed to TCS ppl requesting them for a particular post ILP location because of serious medical reasons…this is the mail i got in return
Hi,
Thank you for connecting with us on ILP Support
Your posting could be at any of the TCS centers based on business requirement and not on personal requests. This posting will be decided by TCS on successful completion of your ILP training.
Thanks & Best Regards
TCS Careers Servicelines – (ILP Support)
Tata Consultancy Services
Mailto: ilp.support@tcs.com
Toll Free No.: 1800-209-3111
@ Your service from Monday to Friday – 8 AM to 8 PM
Website: http://www.tcs.com
So does it mean that a person cannot get his preferred location even if he has a medical reason?? is there any way out??
You cannot decide your location now. 1st,you can talk to your supervisor after joining ILP. If verification fails there, you’ll have to wait till you complete your ILP and talk to your resource management group (RMG) in your posting location. If you have a medical reason, the doctor will verify the documents. You also have options of swapping with someone who’s willing to come to your location.
i joined ilp tvm on 3rd sept..have got my posting location as chennai,which was not in my preference list..is there any way i can change it..i have serious medical reasons…and how is the java testing stream???..thanks in advance…
You have to talk to your supervisor and provide medical documents. If they accept, your location will be changed, If not, you’ll have to try that in Chennai RMG, who you’ll be reporting to. Hopefully, you’ll get transferred!
Java Testing is ok. Don’t worry! 🙂
On what basis,will the stream(testing,development etc) in which we will be working decided?
Your stream in ILP is random and solely decided by many factors! As for testing or development, you’ll come to know that in your base branch after ILP. The kind of project that is available will be communicated by your RMG and you may have to face interviews to get into projects!
hi! Could you please tell me the PG’s for women at whitefield banglore? ! I have been posted to banglore and have to report on 8th Oct ..
There are many! Bigfield Residency near Cosmos Mall (opposite cafe coffee day lounge) is the best! other than that, there’s bhavana PG, Ramu PG etc etc 🙂
hi ranjani.. i will come to bangalore tcs soon.. share your experiance .. it will help me to gain more confident.Already i gain confident only by this zim’s blog.. thank u zim.. 🙂
hii zim 🙂 great going!! i hv got my posting at bangalore in java stream..the pg at whitefield has single or twin sharing arrangement?? also pls mention the cost for both.. we have our joining around jan..please suggest other options of accomodation too 🙂 thanks!!
PGs have all the kind of arrangements you want. 2-bed, 3-bed and even 4-bed is available! Cost ranges from 4500 (4-sharing) to 5000/5500 (2 or 3 sharing) and often 6000+ for twin sharing in some PGs. If you’re sure about staying here for more than a year, a group of friends can also rent a flat! But, getting a good PG is much better because there are a lot of expenses of an apartment. Go for it if you can afford it! 🙂
Hey zim, just curious to know from you since you are working in tcs already, m sure Bangalore has a lot of people on bench, so I was wondering which among the two places ie Chennai and Hyderabad have a Oracle functional application project? For that matter which is the best place to get this kind of a project since I’ve been trained on oracle application supply chain function. I am yet to join ilp in kolkata but it would be good if I get an oracle application project, please let me know so I can have a mutual exchange done later to increase my chances.
You have to ask your base branch’s RMG about this. They know where and what kind of projects are available. Then you can initiate a transfer.
Hi Zim,
i got kochi as my base location which was not in my preference i wanted Bangalore and i have valid medical reasons of my parents is it possible to change from kochi to bangalore, if Possible please say me how to do and whom to consult it ll be great help to me.
Talk to your supervisor and present the documents. If this doesn’t work, you can talk to Kochi RMG after ILP.
Hi Zim,
Thank u soo much for ur informations. i want to know about the PAT exam. could u please tell something about that?.
Please read my posts: ILP Aspire and PAT, STREAM ALLOCATION 🙂 It’ll answer most of your questions 🙂
hello ZIm,
My name is ARPIT and i am still waiting for my joining letter. Also as of now i din’t get my ILP location. MY college comes under C grade category and i was recruited in TCS from my college in GOA.
can u tell me approx . when i will get my ILP centre and JL??
Also I wanted to ask whether TCS takes any projects that include digital system designing and languages like VERILOG, VHDL, etc as I have specialisation in digital systems and belong to Electronics & telecom branch???
I was a bit worried becoz Programing languages like JAva n all we have not studied in our course…..We only studied c and c++. Also as an Electronics engineer what job profile i am likely to get in tcs?
ALso whether there is any department that deals in networking ???? If yes wat’s the job type there?
And lastly with your experience in tcs …can i see TCS , a long term working company 4 me?
waiting 4 a reply 4m u………..
1) Getting the JL and ILP center is completely up to TCS. You may have to wait for 7 months or even a year! It all depends.
2) TCS has VLSI and all but only RMGs who manage projects can give you news on that.
3) Knowing a programming language like JAVA is a must for performing well in ILP. If you know C++, that’s also good. It will help you learn JAVA faster.
4) Development projects in Telecom domain deal with networking. Again, your domain will be randomly allocated during ILP, ie. Banking, Telecom, Insurance etc.
5) Lastly, you can stay in TCS for years and see yourself being a Associate consultant or an IT analyst. It’s definitely worth it coz TCS doesn’t kick out employees that easily!
hi zim its nice to land in ur blog and it is very helpful for freshers like us who got their offer letters from tcs recently…i got my offer letter last month…the salary structure is given there…can u please tell the salalry(amount) structure during the ILP and post ILP..also i mentioned my post ilp location as kolkata,mumbai,pune respectively…what are the chances that i get kol bcoz i relaly dont want to be here in kol as i heard that max are in bench here….thnx in advance 🙂
During ILP, if you are provided accommodation, 3k will be deducted. You get 17-18k without the deduction. After ILP, your salary will vary after 20k only and settle at around 22k. If you have house rent tax exemption and food coupons tax relaxation and all, the salary will vary slightly.
Chances are that you might get Mumbai if you are lucky. Mumbai has the highest number of projects.
thanx Zim……
You know you really doing a great job on this blog……I am sure you might have also felt the same like we freshers are doing now when you were eagerly waiting for a call from TCS but had no clue when u wer joining TCS…….!
I really appreciate that……….atleast some one like you is taking pain to reply patiently to all of us….and being our TORCHBEARER in a totally new world ……Thanx again..really…..
However, I wanted to ask one more thing that Only mech people are given EIS stream or even Electronics people can get it?
And I have not done my NSR registration as of now…will it affect on my JL.?….though i wil be going in a day or to for registration…..
And also i just wanted to ask if you dont mind that how much waiting period you have faced to get your ILP and JL? and during this time wat wer you doing at your place……..and also wat is your engg stream?
Thanx again…waiting 4 ur reply!
regards
arpit
Thanks! 😀 As for your queries, I have a friend who is in Mechanical stream and got JAVA stream in ILP. So did other people who did Electronics and Telecom..It totally depends on TCS 😦 As for NSR, do it immediately. There will be provisions for NSR registration after joining, but why wait? My branch is Information Technology. I got my JL 5 months after I left college..and after JL, more 3 months till joining. I sincerely followed Aspire and revised the subjects during this time 🙂
Would you suggest me to take JAVA oriented course meanwhile as i am totally unaware of this language though i know C++ a little?
Also , how long will the ILP go …i mean how many days i have to go through ILP ?
& the salary I will get during ILP ?
What work (i mean type of job) i will be assigned in IT/ITIS/Java/EIS streams? and also how difficult or easy is it to switch from one stream to another after a given period of time?
My salary after joining ?
also one thing i would like to ask you…….
I am also placed In a Company called as IVP with salary of 48000.p.m. And the joining is in jan.
With your present experience in TCS , if you were in my place wat you would have chosen…….?
This Company IVP is a HEDGE funds oriented company and is also badly reputed for company employees and throws them out with one month notice any time even within service agrrement tanure though they pay u heavily even as a fresher.
looking of Advantages and disadvantages of TCS …what do u suggest?
1) Many of my non-CSE friends have a SCJP certification. You just have to take JAVA coaching, take the examination, pass it and voila! You have a certificate!
2) JAVA is also an object-oriented language like C++. If you know C++, Java will be much easier.
3) Salary during ILP (excluding HRA) will be somewhere around 17-18k. After that, it’ll settle after 20k, at around 22-23k, depending on your tax exemption.
4) IT is core technical. ITIS is infrastructure. EIS is enterprise and all. Don’t have much info about it. But you’ll get it in TCS site. IT is best and if you have any other stream, I think changing can happen after 2 years.
5) Frankly, TCS might not have a big pay package for freshers but it sure gives you a feeling of security. If you’re in a project, you can work hard and make your way towards success. But, getting projects is difficult. For that reason, a lot of time is wasted on bench and a lot of people regret joining TCS. That is why choosing a proper posting location is very important. Eg. Mumbai is a good place to start. It always has projects.
Lastly, I would like to say that whatever happens, TCS doesn’t fire you that easily. You never have to worry everyday about losing your job. Later, gather some experience and move on to a better company or be a senior in TCS. On the other hand, if you are sure that you can cope up with the work pressure in IVP and can give what it takes to stop them from firing you, go for it!
zim,
thanks for guiding me. I do hough have few more questions….
first will I get an ASpire mail and then my joining letter?
after getting aspire mail how long i have to wait for attending ILp? and after completion of ILP do i have to wait again for my JL?
all this process will take how much time?
secondly i have given my first preference as hyderabad and second as pune….what is the status of projects in these cities?…..are people on bench in hyderabad and pune? or do they have projects?
and lastly…you suggested me to take up a java course….shall i go for any coaching classes on java …or shall i do some well known certified course on java? how much approx do i have to expense on such a course…..? you talked about SCJP certified course …how to go about it to take admission in it?
i left up my college in july and now its november….already 4 months……and you said you got your call letter after 5 months….and then 3 months for joining …so if you take 8 months waiting time on avg i will be joining TCS in march ready to work in some project?…..m i right….?
and btw wat was your college grade…..? mine is C grade…..but i saw some c grade college people getting JL in october itself…..y this discrimination?
1) First, you’ll get the Aspire mail. Then your joining letter. Usually, you’ll have to wait for 3-4 months after Aspire mail. At least, that was my case.
2) After completion of ILP, you’ll report to your base branch’s RMG who’ll allocate you to projects. Projects will require clearing interviews.
3) Pune has projects. Not much of a good condition in Hyderabad.
4) Take an SCJP-oriented course. There are many centers that teach you JAVA for clearing SCJP. Also, SCJP by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates is the best book available. Get the details at- http://deepjava.com/faq.jsp?cat=SCJP. You don’t have to force yourself to get a certification. The advantages of getting a certification is that you get JAVA as the stream of your choice (ILP will be easier for you) and going a long way, it’ll help you get easily into projects.
5) Mine was a B grade college. It is said that C grade colleges get their joining late. In some cases, people have even waited a year for their joining. But, I’ll advise you not to waste your time and utilize it instead. It’ll help you very much!
hello zim,
Thanks for guiding me…….actually it is difficlt for most of all c grade cole students now to wait at hme doing nothing but studying…….parents , relatives , neighbours , etc asking again n again for staying at home………convincing them that yes TCS wil surely send me the joining….keeping them all convinced..really difficult and at the same tym keeping my own patience and no other option to have trust in TCS….that yes they will send me the jl………lets hope all goes good….by that tym i m searching 4 some part tym….!
wat do u say zim?
I understand how family and relatives keep asking about JL and project and all. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to make them understand! 😦
no worries……long live TCSers and long live TCS…:)
thank you so much 4 clearing my doubts and sharing your experience.
hello,,,
i m in hyd ilp, my releasing dates are 7th dec,
i got Bangalore as my base location and i have to report on 12th dec, 2012, it was not in my preference, i mean in all the 3 preference i dnt have Bangalore, i need to go kolkata, its urgent as i am planning for my marriage, so is there any chance of getting kolkata after i report to Bangalore rmg,,
You can take leave. Transfer can happen after you get married by showing your marriage certificate! Anyway, please talk to the RMG to know more!
whats about the project status in bangalore.. Give me some tips about bangalore tcs project and their working style
hello zim , one of our friend in this blog mentioned that.. project level in bangalore is poor..? is it so zim… mostly they will do projects in what stream?.. waiting for ur reply.. 😦
hey zim,
i got my JL ,27th march hyderabad………..hyderabad was the first of my choices i.e, it was my base branch and my ilp is scheduled in hyderabad itself….wil i get accomodation der by tcs?
Usually, if ILP center and base branch are same, you won’t get accommodation.
so if i don’t get the accomodation what will be my salary? will the HRA get deducted or not?
I don’t have an idea about that. I think your HRA won’t be deducted.
I am a DT selected off campus from Delhi. I didn’t fill any form regarding base location priorities.
Can you please tell me how they are going to allocate the base branch to direct trainees.
when i ll get the form???
I think they’ll send you a mail regarding the location preference. Preferences have to filled online.
When they will send the mail…my ilp is on 26th dec…..
Check nextstep. Better, call up the ILP helpline and ask them. If you’ve missed, they might tell you the link or whatever form you need 🙂 Two of my ILP batchmates missed submitting their preferences and both of them got Mumbai as location.
hey my preferred locations are kolkata, bangalore and hyderabad.. and i really want bangalore as my permanent location.. can you tell me what is the chance of getting bangalore? though i will be getting my ilp dates in 2013 😛 i still would like to know 🙂
btw i have a non CS/IT background and i am doing MCA.. will this have any contribution in my preferred location ?? but as a MCA student i know java, c++ and all.. (you said that java trainees usually don’t get kolkata.. :P)
JAVA trainees get Kolkata but rarely. And getting the 2nd preference is maximum if you have filled up location preferences late. If you still get Kolkata as location, you can easily get a transfer.
Hii,
I got Mumbai as my base location.but i want my base location get chnged from Mumbai to Delhi because of my personal problems that is my father was expired and my family needs my presence.I approached HR of my ILP,but his response is not positive. Plz help me what can i do so that i will get Delhi as my base location.
I’m sorry to know that you are another victim of transfer refusal 😦 You can swap with a person from Delhi or get a project in Delhi through a source first.
hi,
my base location is bangalore, which was my third preferance, will i get accomodation and travel allowance? does tcs privides accomodation or we have to arrange on our own?