27 September 2013
Company Secretary, Career as Company Secretary:

A company secretary is a top level employee in a company whose responsibility is to ensure that the company adheres to all the legalities set by the government therefore advises the directors on various policies and operations of the company. To have a company secretary has been made compulsory by a Government Act for large companies. Since the boost in economy in the recent years many companies have grown tremendously and new companies have emerged. Therefore the need and scope for company secretaries has also increased tremendously over the years. To become a company secretary one needs to do a professional course under the The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI).
The work and importance of a company secretary in a company is immense. The functions performed by a company secretary are varied like planning strategies, handling finance, legal and administrative operations. The company secretary also handles the sales taxes and the excise, labour and corporate laws. Basically a company secretary is the chief administrator in a company. Whenever a new operation or project is undertaken by a company a company secretary is responsible for ensuring that it is in tune with Government laws and policies. A company secretary has to be updated with changes and amendments in the laws, financial practices and other such things for effectively performing the duties. A company secretary also plans the corporate meetings and records the various decisions taken by the management.
The minimum educational qualification to apply for a company secretary course is 10+2. The course has three stages which are Foundation, Intermediate and Final. Foundation course is open for those who have only done 10+2. Those with graduation or a pass in final exams of ICWAI or ICAI can directly apply for the intermediate stage. After doing the Intermediate course and clearing the exams one goes into the final stage. To become a company secretary a candidate needs to be a member of Institute of Company Secretaries. For that one needs to clear the final stage by passing the examinations, gain practical experience and do the required training. A company secretary needs to have very good Communciation skills, excellent command over English, analytical mind and ability to explain things to the directors and decision takers in the company. Job prospects for Company Secretary are quite good and the scope for growth is also there. Remunerations offered are really good for company secretaries with salaries starting from Rs. 20,000 per month.