Company Secretary (CS)
This is a professional course which is being offered by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), a statutory body set up by an act of parliament of India in 1980. This is a highly respected and most rewarding career in Indian Commercial and Corporate Law field. One can become CS by passing prescribed examinations and by undergoing 21 months training along with IT skill assessment. All medium to large sized Indian companies need CSs in their key positions. One has options to be a highly paid employee in a managerial position of companies or be an independent consulting company secretary.
Required Skills and Aptitude
Business acumen, Analytical skills and Interest in theoretical knowledge are the basic requirements. Keen to know and involve more into laws and byelaws, habit of updating what is happening around, including the changing rules and regulation affecting business as a whole and business specific laws. Dedication and focus more on particular areas for a longer time is a prerequisite.
Eligibility Criteria
+2 Pass (12th pass)
Entrance Examination
There is entrance examination conducted by ICSI to get admission to CS course:
- One have to write CS Executive Entrance Test (CSEET) to get admitted to this course
- Direct entry without entrance test only to those who hold CA & CMA Final pass certificate.
Job Profiles
In Private sector, you may find the following top positions:
- Capital Markets Compliance Manager
- Company Secretary as per Companies Act
- Corporate Governance Department Manager
- Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
- Highest admin positions in Companies
- Representation before courts
- Risk Control Manager
- Secretarial Department Head
- Various high posts in companies in Legal department
In the Government Sector: No CSs prefer to work in the Government sector, since there is no promising direct entry. Again you have to go through the competitive exams like PSC and UPSC for which Degree or PG is the qualification. But semi government and autonomous bodies offer good positions and pay for CSs.
You may open your own office and start practicing as an independent Company Secretary. Your statements and signature will have value as per various laws of the Government of India. If you are an expert, major business units will appoint you as an independent Company Secretary and advisor on legal affairs.
Top Recruiters
All prominent companies and multinational companies in India offer jobs to CS degree holders, because it is a legal position very essential in every company. They recruit CS from the open market apart from campus placement.
Below given are some of the companies participated in latest campus placement:
- Apollo Tyres,
- Artemis Medicare Service Ltd
- Ascot Hotels & Resorts Pvt Ltd
- AST Telecom Solar Pvt Ltd
- Axis Trustee Services Ltd
- Easternn Silk Industries
- Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd
- Emami Group
- HT Media,
- Lifelong Meditech Pvt Ltd
- MPPL
- Omifin solutions Pvt Ltd
- Railtel Corporation of India
- Rajdhani Flour Mills Ltd
- Ramtech Industries Ltd
- Terai Tea Cop Ld
- Vedanta Industries,
- VISA Steel Ltd
- Vodafone
- Yes Bank
Institutions
Institute of Company Secretaries of India – ICSI ( https://www.icsi.edu/ ) is the only body authorised to grant and regulate this professional degree in India.
ICSI has branches in all major cities in Kerala and all over India who will give all the support to get you registered for this course and to train you for examination. You may also find private coaching centres in cities. There are examination centres in all the major cities in India
Questions & Answers
Q) Can we join CS after studying streams other than commerce in +2 ?
A) Sure, you can study CS after taking any stream in +2. But there is an entrance test.
Q) I heard that CS is very tough? Can I pass it?
A) Yes, it is tough and theory based. All the Industrial and commercial laws to be studied along with many other business related subjects. But it is achievable.
Q) Are there any universities offering CS?
A) No. only the ICSI can offer this. You may find branches of ICSI in all major cities in India and private tuition centers in all cities.
Q) Does this institute offer placements?
A) Yes, the institute has a placement cell, which coordinates with the companies for the placement drives. The placement drives are held from time to time at key locations like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bangalore etc.
Q) How many companies have participated in the last placement drive?
A) In 2019, a total of 71 companies participated in the placement drive. A batch of 178 students participated in the last placement process. Out of which 120 students have secured their jobs at top-notch organisations. This is the trend every year.
Q) What was the highest salary package offered to CS Graduates?
A) The highest salary package offered for a fresher was Rs 7 Lakhs PA.
Q) What was the average salary package offered to fresh graduates?
A) The average salary package offered was Rs 3.5 Lakhs PA whereas, the lowest salary package was Rs 2.5 Lakhs PA.
Q) In which fields does this institute offer placements?
A) The CS institute offers placements in various areas, including Secretarial Department, Risk Management, Corporate Governance & Corporate Social Responsibility, Capital Markets and many more. Please refer to the job profile section above.
Q) Who were the top recruiters of previous years?
A) A lot of companies participated in the placement drive during the immediate past. List is already given above. Every year there is campus placement.