Career as a Company Secretary

A company secretary is a senior position in a private sector company or public sector organization. As CS can be Classified as three Categories for Certification on  CSeet, CS Executive, and CS Professional Programme.

To Chose the profession in Company Secretary you should complete these 3 stages.  There will be regular examinations which are conducted by the Specified institutes all over India. Then you can be awarded the certification in CS Course

Candidates who seek lucrative jobs in the corporate world can get a great start after pursuing the Company Secretary is a lucrative course in the commerce domain and is one of the most popular career choices amongst commerce students. However, students of all fields can apply for the company secretary course.

The company secretary course is offered by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). It is a distance learning course that was started to regulate the profession of a Company Secretary. With the right mix of academic programmes and practical training, the programme opens up great opportunities in the corporate sector. Find out the details of the course below.

Aspirants willing to pursue the Company Secretary course have to undergo different programmes and 24 months of practical training in order to get the company secretary credentials. Following are the programmes that one has to pursue in the company secretary course:

• CSEET Programme
• Executive Programme
• Professional Programme
• Management Training

Company Secretary (CS) Eligibility Criteria

• After Class 12: Students applying for the Company Secretary Course after 10+2 will have to register for the Foundation Programme to start with. Students of science, commerce as well as arts can apply for the course.
• After Graduation: If candidates seek Company Secretary course after graduation (except fine arts) they can apply to CSeet level Programme and continue with this Profession.

Company Secretary Admission Process:

CSEET Programme:

• If you want to appear for the CSEET exam which held in different months , you must apply for the registration from ICSI official website.

Executive Programme:

• Candidates who have registered for up to May are eligible to appear for any one module of the executive exam in December. Whereas, students who have registered up to November can appear for either of the modules in the month of June next year.
• You can appear for both the modules of the Executive exam in December if you register before February of the same year.
• If you wish to appear for the modules in June, you must apply for the executive programme latest by the month of August of the previous year.

Professional Programme:

• If you wish to appear for all the modules of the Professional exam in December, you will have to register before the end of February the same year.
• However, if you wish to appear for all the modules in June, you must apply before the end of August of the previous year.
• It is also possible to appear for single modules of the CS exams in December if you apply before the end of May the same year.
• You and also appear for the single modules in June if you apply before the end of November the previous year.

CS Career Options and Job Prospects

After passing all requirements of the Company Secretary course, the candidate is registered with the ICSI as an Associate Member of the Institute and can use the ‘Associate Company Secretary’ credentials before his or her name. Candidates can be sponsored on request and be offered lucrative jobs or indulge in private practices.

Candidates can also apply for jobs through the official website of the institute and job vacancies will be displayed on the website. Campus interviews are also conducted for candidates after they have completed the 15-month training. Candidates can also pursue a Ph.D. after completing their courses.

Company Secretaries are essential resources of the corporate world and are therefore offered excellent salary packages. A fresher can expect a salary package varying from Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh per annum. With experience, the salaries can also go up to Rs. 20 lakh per annum and more, depending on the type of company.

Company Secretary Requirements:-

• One needs to be dedicated and hardworking.
• Should have intensive knowledge of accounting, auditing or financial analysis, legal aspects of taxation, etc.
• Need to work hard with commitment and honesty.
• Should have the agility of mind and adaptability to follow difficult time schedules.
• Special kind of knowledge and training needs to be achieved by undergoing course by ICSI.

Courses & Duration

• Foundation Course – 8 months
• Intermediate/Executive Course – 9 months
• Final/Professional Course – 15 months

This course is a corporate professional course. The foundation course involves the business environment, entrepreneurship , management, communication, ethics, economics and accounting.

This executive programme comprises of the company law, commercial law, tax law, general law, securities law and accounts & audit practice.

In the final level of this course, the student involves the company secretarial practices, financial & treasury management.

In the final module of the programme. The CS has the opportunity of choosing option for any one specialization like:

• Banking Law and Practice
• Capital, Commodity and Money Market
• Insurance Law and Practice
• Intellectual Property Rights – Law and Practice
• International Business-Laws and Practices

Salary

“Most of the qualified company secretaries are awarded with attractive salary packages in both sectors”.

Salary depends on the capability of the candidates or the company policy and however on the market reputation of the employer firm. The ICSI has signed the MOUs with various foreign colleges and the universities. You may go the abroad and get higher salaries.

In India, a fresher can get 3-5 lakh per annum.

“Company secretaries working in international companies earn even higher salary”.