As as soon as a layman hears the word secretary, the first image that is formed in his mind is that of somebody who takes notes from the boss, obeys the order of the top management, and serves beverages to visitors. However, a Company Secretary is somebody totally different from this image. He/she is somebody who is recognized as the key managerial personnel along with the CEO, CFO, and managing director. Now that the world of industries and companies have become so competitive and the fight of becoming the world’s leading economic and industrial firm has strengthened, making a career as a Company Secretary is extremely lucrative.
Here in this article, we will include all the important aspects of how to become a Company Secretary, what is the procedure followed, and other related queries.
Who is a Company Secretary?
A company secretary or commonly abbreviated as a CS is a senior position in a private sector company or public sector organization. The company secretary responsible for the efficient administration of a company particularly with regard to ensuring compliance with statuary and regulatory requirements and for making short the decisions that the board of directors take are properly implemented along with suggesting ways to create the financial reports, the ways of conducting business, of developing corporate strategy and dealing with situations that involve a conflict of interest. They are experts in corporate and securities law.
Roles and responsibilities of a Company Secretary
The position of a Company Secretary is an important one in the functioning of a business and is a multi-disciplinary profession that is supposed to be doing multiple tasks. Given below is a list of roles and responsibilities of a Company Secretary:
- It is the CS that access the vital link between the company and its Board of Drectors, government, shareholders, and regulating authority.
- It is the duty of the CS to advise the board of directors on their governor practices and compliance of the norms of corporate governance.
- The CS should regularly ensure the board of directors follow a legal procedure and their work is regularly reviewed
- Incorporating secretarial services of the office like that of promoting and incorporating of companies, the maintenance of secretarial records and arranging the boards or general meetings, come under the responsibility of a CS
Advantages of becoming Company Secretary
Being a company secretary comes in with a lot of advantages which are as follows –
- One gets a professional designation on completion of the course.
- There is no stress of meeting deadlines. The work is administrative in nature, however, there is no time constraint.
- The work of a Company Secretary has become easier with the help of the latest technology.
- A company Secretary can work at any time as per his/her own convenience. This leads to higher job satisfaction.
Ultimate guide on how to become a Company Secretary
The basic eligibility to undergo exam for company secretary to complete the 10 + 2 or equivalent and then you can go forward to undergo the various stages that are required to pursue a Company Secretary, which are:
- Foundation Programme
- Executive Programme
- Professional Programme
In case a student wishes to join a CS course after completing the graduation then skip the Foundation Programme.
Given below is a complete list of subjects that are covered in various stages of a CS course which will help you in knowing how to become a Company Secretary:
1.Foundation Programme (4 Papers)
- Business Economics
- Fundamentals of Accounting and Auditing
- Business Environment and Entrepreneurship
- Business Management, Ethics, Laws and Communication
2.Executive Programme (7 Papers)
Module 1
- Tax laws and practice
- Company law
- Cost and Management Accounting
- Economic and commercial laws
Module 2
- Company Accounts and Auditing Practices
- Capital Markets and Securities Laws
- Industrial, labour and general law
3.Professional Programme (9 Papers)
Module 1
- Secretarial Audit, Due Diligence and Compliance Management
- Advanced Company Law and Practice
- Corporate Restructuring, Valuation, and Insolvency
Module 2
- Ethics, governance, and sustainability
- Financial, treasury, and forex management
- Information technology and systems audit
Module 3
- Drafting, Appearances, and Pleadings
- Advanced Tax Laws and Practice
- Electives ( Choose 1 from 5 options)
- Intellectual Property Rights – Law and Practice
- Intellectual Business – Laws and Practice
- Banking Law and Practice
- Insurance Law and Practice
- Capital, Commodity and Money Market
Cut off dates for CS exam in India
ICSI conduct the CS exam annually in December and June. The basic requirement for becoming a company secretary is to qualify the foundation as well as the executive level of this exam. Given below is the list of the tentative cut off dates for CS exam December in June session every year:
| Level | December exam session | June exam session |
| Foundation | March 31 | September 30 |
| Executive | Both modules : February 28
Single Module : May 31 |
Both Modules : August 31
Single Module : November 30 |
CS course application process
There is a basic procedure that need to be followed if one wants to become a Company Secretary. Given below is the list of all the documents that are needed to apply for the CS course:
- Latest passport size photograph
- Signature of the candidate
- Secondary school certificate that is issued by the CBSE or ICSE as the date of birth proof
- Consolidated mark sheet of Higher Secondary Certificate exam from CBSE or ICSE
- roll number is given by the education board if appearing for HSC or its CBSE/ICSE
- Copies of passing certificate along with the mark sheet for B.com, M.com or CA students
- Medical certificate
- Caste certificate except for a reservation
- Aadhar card, PAN card valid driving license or passport
Exam Fee
Foundation programme : 1200 INR
Executive programme : 1200 INR per module
Professional program: 1200 INR per module
The admission for the students to the CS course is open throughout the year and these examinations are held twice a year. The candidates are supposed to secure a minimum of 40% marks in each paper and 50% marks in the aggregate of all the subjects in one sitting and then they will be declared to have passed the three stages of the course.
The Executive and Professional exams should be completed within the registration period only. However, after the payment of the requisite fees is made the validity of the registration might be extended or renewed for a longer period so that the applicable guidelines can be fulfilled.
What is the Medium of Instruction for the CS program?
Institute of Company Secretaries of India are commonly abbreviated as ICS and the other recognized authority that govern the CS programs in different countries use English as the main medium of instruction. But now since there is an increased demand from the Central and State governments in India, Hindi and other regional languages are also given importance for the CS programs.
Below is a list of practical experience and training programs that will help us to know more about how to become a Company Secretary
- Computer Training Program: In order to seek enrollment that will help you to appear in the executive program examination, 70 hours of a Computer Training Program is required.
- Professional Development Program: The 24 hours of the PDP training can be completed at any time during the tenure of 15 months after passing the Executive Program examination.
- 15 Months Training: After clearing the executive program examination and completion of a 15 days EDP, this training takes place.
- 3 Months Training: This training is for the candidates who have cleared the professional program examination and are exempted from 12 months training program. Also, a candidate who has completed a 15 months training is relieved from the 3 months training.
- Management Skills Orientation Programme:After completing the professional program EDP and 15 months trainin, the student can go for MSOP for 15 days.
Can a CS from India work Abroad?
Along with the advent in the globalisation, the demand for Company Secretaries across various countries is also increasing. currently India is entering into a beautiful agreement with countries like the USA Singapore Malaysia Thailand Australia and many more for placements of CS professionals beyond borders.
It is important to know about the countries that offer courses for CS professionals that have them to develop managerial capabilities and analytical skills.
Some of those leading countries are:
United Kingdom
ICIS has presently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, UK. The motive of this memorandum is to give due recognition to Company Secretaries of both the countries and aims are encouraging greater and better contact between the two organizations and help the CS programs to be more accessible. ICSA is known as dumb Chartered Governance Institute that governs professionals in the UK, Republic of Ireland, the Caribbean, the Middle East, the Crown Dependencies, Mauritius,z Sri Lanka, and sub-Saharan Africa.
Australia
One can get a membership of Chartered s6ecretary, Australia from the Governance Institute of Australia that offers comparable CS courses like ICSI and then procure a job of their choice. Company Secretary in Australia is called as Governance Professional. The most remarkable feature is that the company here hires nonqualified candidates and also provides funding to them to gain the ICSA membership.
Singapore
The Singapore Association of The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators follow the system of supporting training Chartered Secretaries. The companies in Singapore make it necessary for each company to appoint a company secretary within the first six months of its incorporation.
With an increase in the number of companies all over the world, the scope for the profession has increased tremendously that also offers high salary packages and hence, it is important to know all the details that will help you in the coming the same.
