Company Secretary or Chartered Accountant

What's better for your career, your salary, and your wallet?

Chartered Accountant (CA) and Company Secretary (CS) certification are both terms for internationally recognized auditors. CA's have a tendency to specialise in non-US GAAP and provide high-level bookkeeping and audit services to corporations and CA practices, while CS's specialise in company legislation and large corporations' business corporate governance compliancy work.

Let's discuss the difference between these and the bookkeeping certificates and which one is right for you and your careers. A Chartered Accountant (CA) is an internationally recognized qualification in accountancy that you obtain by completing a course of studies and taking an exam conducted by a Chartered Accountant Institute in your own certified state.

CA's are non-U.S. government accountants who provide accountancy detail within a company or government unit. The Company Secretary (CS) has an executive function within a company. This is not a bureaucratic assistance item usually associated with the concept of "secretary". Generally, a CS will ensure that the company and the director act within the framework of the Act.

Accountants offer bookkeeping sevices for customers in the puplic or privat sectors. Audit, tax, financial reports and operational accounts. CS serves as the main communications channel between the Company and its stockholders, such as the receipt and distribution of minutes of general stockholders' meeting. The CS performs some bookkeeping tasks in some jurisdictions, such as the management and storage of the company's accounts (e.g. investment, real estate, salary statements, insurances, taxes, etc.). The CA may also act as company secretaries.

Admission to the Wirtschaftsprüfer will take a certain amount of your own personal amount of patience depending on the location and your particular needs. Approximately 5 years on average to pass the three-stage examination and meet the professional practice standards, as most applicants spend an average of 300 hrs studying at each examination stage.

Applicants must complete a three-step examination with foundation, intermediary and CS examinations conducted by the Company of Secretary in India (ICSI). Admission costs to a CA depend on whether your employers pays for your education or not. Walking route no. 3 through Intercity Avenue costs about 5,750 - 13,900 pounds.

The simple participation in the CA examination costs about 1,000 US dollars. When you become through the Indian ICSI CS, the Foundation Program costs $70, the Executive Program and the Professional Program $116. It costs about $500 to take the CS examination. For example, in Sri Lanka, an auditor can act as Company Secretary.

Of course, if you are a CS and want to take on more bookkeeping tasks within your company or want to switch career entirely, you will need more formally -based trainings to obtain CA accreditation. It is not reasonable in most cases to obtain these two certificates. So if you are going to get a certificate, you are better off just becoming an accredited accountant.

Wirtschaftsprüfer (CA) vs. Firmensekretär (CS) - What is better? Although there may be some overlapping of tasks, the two occupational groups are very different. The auditors concentrate on bookkeeping tasks. Whilst CS may be associated with some financial reports, the main tasks are to comply with company policies and work with shareholders.

When you work for a government law office and specialise in global financial reporting and audit, you should use the term auditor. When you want to work for a large company in the area of CSR, you should look at the name of the company secretary.