CA articleship in India - Scope and career opportunities for practising CAs

Chartered Accountancy in India is among the first tier of courses offered across the nation. Besides, CA is one of the most challenging and rewarding professional curriculums. The value and quality of services expected from a professional CA put them among the topmost categories of professionals in India.

After completing CA-IPCC, every chartered accountant undergoes 3 years of articleship in CA firms. However, most students face the challenge of finding the best place that suits their purpose and skills. For that, it is first vital to understand what CA articleship is and how to make your way through it for the best career opportunities.

What is Chartered Accountant articleship?

It is a 3-year practical training program which allows CAs to work on practical assignments for CA firms. The diverse curriculum, along with rigorous practical training, ensures that the best qualities of an accountant are imparted to the students.

As per the present curriculum format, a candidate who has completed the first or both of the groups of IPCC examinations is eligible to start an articleship. The students undergo articleship under a practising CA or a firm.

Here is an insight into the scope and chartered accountant practice opportunities which practising CAs can look into –

Start off in the Big 4 CA task sections

The Big 4 accounting firms focus on the 4 core areas involving –

• Audit and assurance

• Direct taxes and Indirect taxes

• Internal audit and risk advisory services

• Mergers and acquisitions

Here, the candidate can choose a field based on his/her interest and decision. The Big 4’s guarantee state-of-the-art infrastructure and multi-industrial exposure. However, gaining professional admission into a CA firm not only requires a rigorous examination procedure but also a substantial financial backing.

Due to this reason, even many meritorious students fail to cope with the high expenses of education. To bridge this gap, the country’s leading financial institutions and NBFCs are offering CA loans to help aspirants successfully make their way through a CA articleship. For instance, you can avail for Loan for Chartered Accountants from Bajaj Finserv to bear this substantial expenditure and also start up a firm on your own.

Along with it, they also bring you pre-approved offers that make procuring loans quick and hassle-free. These pre-approved offers are applicable on unsecured credits like personal loans, business loans and secured advances such as home loans among numerous other financial products. You can check out your pre-approved offer by sharing a few necessary details like your name and contact number.

Big and mid-sized CA firms

Although even mid-sized firms can help a CA gain varied expertise, larger firms provide an added layer of exposure. Both exposure to global clientele and localised experience are vital expectations of a CA candidate from articleship. Mid-sized firms offer aspirants or articles the added flexibility to function in various fields as they desire during their CA articleship.

However, mid-sized firms lack multi-specialisation services. They mostly specialise in a particular area of service or operate in general. Here, articles are exposed to various levels of work, right from basic verification to finalisation – in a very short time-span. Also, a student learns to handle work independently within his/her articles’ completion. These firms might not have a ready, implemented system to conduct regular assignments. However, a CA articleship from a mid-size firm provides students with more interaction and decision-making skills.

Articleship is a crucial learning period in the career of a chartered accountant. The experience which they gain is invaluable and helps them to start a career in CA in the future. Moreover, it fosters a favourable and challenging mind-set among the students, which is crucial in their professional career later on.