Confused between CA versus CS?

The post of a Company Secretary is to act as the mediator between the company and its Board of Directors, and the CS provides guidance to the Chairman and the Directors on how to make the best use of their responsibilities under various laws. The CA course is pursued by those who wish to pursue a career in financial accounting and auditing. The admission to both the fields is mostly after graduation in any discipline, but candidates can enroll after passing their 10+2 in order to start the foundation course while candidates who have completed their graduation with 55% marks are enrolled directly.

CA course and opportunity

Chartered Accountancy Course is a professional course in the field of Accounting. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) was formed to admit the CA practitioners and to set rules for the CA course. The CA course is about financial management, taxation and accounting. As it shows, it is much broader in syllabus and hence the opportunities associated with it are wider too. CA course can help you start your own CA firm or join a firm’s financial accounting department or serve in taxation departments and so on. Candidates who have passed the course in CA can find employment in the fields of Finance, Corporate finance, Management consultancy, Tax Compliance, Change management etc.

CS course and opportunity

A Company Secretary is a professional and the major role played by him is to ensure whether the Company complies with all applicable laws and endeavors. The Company Secretary (CS) is a professional course which is conducted by The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). To become a Company Secretary, the candidates need to pass the Foundation Programme, Executive Programme, and Professional Programme. Candidates who have passed their 10+2 are eligible to apply for the Foundation Programme.  Candidates who have cleared the Executive Programme can apply for the Professional Programme. A Company Secretary can find employment in government accounts or law departments OR he can become a Managing Director or Chairman of a Company and be a part of the Board of Directors of a Company.

Key difference between CA and CS

The CA is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India while a CS is a member of The Institute of Company Secretaries of India. A person can become CA after passing exams conducted by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and a candidate person can become a CS only after passing exams conducted by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. A CA may also appear before various appellate authorities of direct and indirect tax departments like The Commissioner of Income Tax, Income Tax Appellate Tribunal etc and defend his client like a lawyer but a CS cannot do so. The CA would have good aptitude skills with concentration ability, figures, a systematic and careful way of working, and good skills in analyzing. For becoming a Company Secretary,  candidates requires a proficiency for law and management, the ability for good communication to deal with many types of people, and the capacity to fit in the corporate environment.