Career opportunities in Chartered Accountant

There are plenty of exciting opportunities awaiting a fresh chartered accountant. While each career stream provides growth viewpoint, a careful selection of the career stream is important for meeting long-term personal aspirations and financial goals. The career selection should be done after analysis of personal strengths and improvement areas.

Course Details :

There are three levels of Chartered Accountancy Course in India. Common Proficiency Test is an entry level programme. A student can appear (CPT) after appearing in the Senior Secondary Examination. The second stage is Professional Competence Course (PCC), articled training, and 100 hours of Information Technology Training (ITT). The third level is the Final Course to which students is registered after clearing PCC. Students may also undergo General Management and Communication Skills Course (GMSC) while undergoing Final course or after that. After passing, the final examination students are eligible to enroll with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India to become Chartered Accountants.

Career Prospects :

Professional Chartered Accountants have the option to be appointed as auditors of companies. They can also serve as a management and corporate caretaker. They can also indulge in their private practice of audit and consultancy. Chartered Accounts also can take private audit as their profession. It involves verifying books and accounts and issuing certificate about the company’s financial state. The other areas of consultancy are cost accounting that includes working out cost of a particular operation as well as minimizing costs and future forecasting. Tax Management is another type of consultancy taken up by Chartered Accountants. Besides this, Chartered Accounts often indulge in providing consultancy services in the fields related to finance and accounts. They can efficiently provide services in areas like corporate law advice, project planning and finance, amalgamation and business advice.

Institutes Offering :

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India was formed for the purpose of regulating the profession of Chartered Accountants in India. The headquarters of the Institute is at New Delhi and 5 regional offices at Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, Kanpur and New Delhi. Apart from these there are 87 branches located in different parts of the country. The Institute also has 9 Chapters outside the country. The functions of the Institute are enrolment of eligible members, engagement and training of articled / audit clerks, conducting examinations, granting or refusal of Certificate of Practice etc.

Remuneration :

Chartered Accountancy is a profession where income is quite high be it public, private sector or own consultancy firm. Salaries of C.A. employed in public or private sector companies vary depending upon qualification and experience. Average salaries at junior level are Rs.10,000/- to Rs,15,000/- per month while a senior most C.A. can expect to get Rs.50,000/- to Rs.60,000/- per month in domestic markets. In abroad salaries may go up to Rs.5,00,000/- per month. Chartered Accountants who are engaged in consultancy and private practice are also earning handsome returns depending upon the numbers and kinds of clients they have.