Stages to Qualify as a Company Secretary
Please note, a candidate needs to clear three stages to qualify as a Company Secretary, and these are:
- Foundation Course
- Intermediate Course
- Final Course
These are the three levels included in the courses on company secretaryship. The details are as follows:
Foundation Course
The minimum eligibility to gain entry into the Foundation Course is a pass in the 10+2 examination or its equivalent in any stream. The course duration is 8 months.
Intermediate Course
A pass in the Foundation Course Examination of the ICSI, a Graduation degree, a Master's degree, or a pass in ICWAI or ICAI allows entry into the Intermediate Course. The course duration is 9 months.
Final Course
Once you pass the Intermediate Course, you automatically become eligible for admission to the Final Course. Upon passing the Final examination of ICSI, you will need to undergo practical training, after which you will be completely eligible for the Associate Membership of the Institute.
Company Secretary Training
1. The Training Orientation Programme (TOP) is for 5 days and is done before the commencement of training.
2. This is followed by training for 15 months after the candidate has passed the Intermediate Examination or Final Examination.
3. There is practical training for 3 months after passing the Final examination, for those who have been exempted from undergoing the 15 months training.
4. There is training with the Registrar of Companies (ROC), Stock Exchange, financial or banking institution for 15 days.
5. The Secretarial Modular Training Programme (SMTP) is conducted after the candidate has passed the Final Examination and completed the training requirement. It is for 15 days.
6. Depending on the practical experience of the candidates, they can be exempted from training completely or partially.
Company Secretary Course Institutes
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, Mumbai, and Delhi.
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-month 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 professional, can use the suffix FCS after his/her name.
Regards,
Anita