Mauritius Civil Servants Must Get Approval for Side Jobs, Tutoring or Home Businesses

A teacher giving private lessons after school. A civil servant running evening karate classes. Someone baking cakes to order from home, or selling handmade crafts in their spare time. These everyday side activities are now back under the spotlight in Mauritius, following a new government circular reminding public servants that they need official approval before engaging in any form of outside employment. **What the circular says** The circular, addressed to ministries, government departments, and public bodies, reaffirms a rule that already exists in the **Code of Ethics for Public Officers** and in the Human Resource Management rules governing the public service: civil servants must obtain prior authorisation from their employer before taking on any professional activity outside their main government role. Critically, the rule applies *before* the activity begins — not after the fact. **What counts as 'outside employment'?** The scope is broader than many civil servants may realise. Under the Code of Ethics, outside employment is not limited to a formal second job. It can include: - Part-time or occasional paid work - Running a business or trade - Practising a profession independently - Offering consultancy or advisory services This means a teacher offering two or three hours of private tutoring a week, a government employee selling home-cooked food on order, or an officer instructing fitness classes in the evenings would all technically fall under this requirement. **Why does this rule exist?** The rationale behind the rule is to prevent conflicts of interest, protect the integrity of the public service, and ensure that a civil servant's outside activities do not interfere with their official duties or bring the government into disrepute. Mauritius's public sector employs tens of thousands of people, and maintaining clear ethical boundaries is seen as essential to good governance. **What this means for public servants** For many Mauritian civil servants — especially teachers, who commonly supplement their income through private tutoring — this circular serves as a reminder that informal arrangements may not be compliant with their employment conditions. The key question now is how strictly these rules will be enforced, and how transparent and accessible the authorisation process is in practice. The circular does not appear to introduce a blanket ban on side activities. Rather, it insists on the procedural step of seeking approval. Whether requests are routinely granted or refused will depend on individual ministries and departments. Public servants who are unsure about their situation are advised to consult their Human Resources division or refer to the Code of Ethics for Public Officers, which is administered by the **Public Service Commission (PSC)** — the independent body responsible for recruitment and discipline in Mauritius's civil service. Source: ION News