The Company Secretary is an in-house legal expert; a compliance officer of the company. Career as a Company Secretary is not only prestigious and financially rewarding but also carries with it a high degree of job satisfaction. After 10+2, you can enroll for Company Secretaries course which consists of Foundation, Executive and Professional programs. Admission to the CS Course is open throughout the year, while examinations are held twice a year in June and December. TheCompany Secretary Course (CS course) is by correspondence/distance learning with provision for optional oral coaching classes. There are three stages to be pursued to qualify as a Company Secretary. Foundation programme is of 4 papers for 10+2 pass students; executive programme of 8 papers. After qualifying the executive and professional examination, students re required undergoing practical and modular training to become qualified Company Secretaries. In order to facilitate students, e-learning portal elearning.icsi.edu is available for the Company Secretary Foundation Programme and Executive Programme. Company Secretary Course is not only prestigious but is financially rewarding also.
The institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) is a premier national professional body imparting education primarily through distance learning. It was established by an Act of Parliament (Company Secretaries Act. 1980) to develop and regulate the profession of company Secretaries in India. Head quartered at Lodi Road, New Delhi, its regional offices are at Mumbai, Kolkata, New Delhi and Chennai. Besideds 68 chapters of ICSI are located in various cities all across India. It provides postal and oral coaching and training to students to qualify as Company Secretaries. The ICSI has on its rolls over 24,000 qualified members both in employment and in practice. Nearly 1.5 lakh students are currently enrolled in the Company Secretary course.
Behind great corporate progress, the Company Secretary is a strong backbone. By virtue of integrated knowledge of multiple disciplines of law, management, finance and corporate governance, a Company Secretary is the vital link between the company and its board of directors, shareholders, government and other agencies. There are so many career institutes in India that offer courses for company secretary (CS). India Academic provides all kinds of Company Secretary career information to its visitors.
The minimum eligibility required for the foundation course for training as a Company Secretary is 10+2. Graduates or post-graduates in commerce, or any other discipline except fine arts, are allowed to skip the foundation course and enrolled directly for the intermediate examination. This exemption is also extended to those who have passed out of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountancy or the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. For better prospects one may opt for the Company Secretary course after having completed either the cost and works accountancy course of the Chartered Accountancy course or both.The Institute of Company Secretaries of India conduct examinations for different levels of competencies. Those who clear these examinations granted membership to the Institute.
Scope in India : With the onward march of globalization in India remaining unabated the corporate sector has witnessed tremendous growth. Numerous companies from diverse fields have emerged on the Indian economic scene and with it the complexities involved in the running of an organization have also skyrocketed. It is here that the role of a Company Secretary is so important to an organization or business house, since he is competent to provide sound advice on corporate, legal, secretarial, administrative and even tax related matters. While a Company Secretary can aspire to get employment opportunities in government accounts or law departments, he can become a Chairman or Managing Director of a Company or be a part of the esteemed Board of Directors of a Company. A budding and meritorious Company Secretary can hope to start his career with a monthly remuneration of Rs.20,000 - Rs.25,000. However, for an ordinary candidate, a monthly salary of Rs.10, 000 is almost guaranteed.
Scope Abroad for Company Secretary Course : Although Company Secretaries are in great demand in India, in USA, UK and other western countries the profession or the professionals do not find tailor made opportunities. This is because the Company Secretary course is based on the Companies Act 1956, which has its roots in the Indian legal and political system and does not have much relevance outside India. A qualified Company Secretary may however find employment opportunities similar to those available to Business Graduates in either USA, Australia UK or other European countries.
The headquarters of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India is situated at :
ICSI House, 22, Institutional Area Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110 003
The institute also has regional offices at Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai and Delhi besides having four regional councils and thirty six chapters in other important cities of India.
On successfully clearing the Intermediate and Final Courses a candidate is required to serve a training period of 1-2 years with a Company or under a qualified and practicing Company Secretary. On completion of a four months training thereafter the candidate becomes a member of the Institute of the Company Secretaries of India and is assigned a professional membership number and can use the suffix ACS after his / her name. A Fellow Member of the Institute who is normally a senior pro can use the suffix FCS after his / her name.