ICSA (The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators) is the international qualifying and membership body for Chartered Secretaries.

What is a Chartered Secretary?

Chartered Secretaries are high ranking professionals who are qualified in corporate law, finance, governance, company secretaryship and management. Highly valued by employers, they advise on the conduct of business which can include providing legal advice, managing conflicts of interest, giving accounting advice and managing the development of strategy and corporate planning. They are the key players with the skills, vision and values to take their organisations forward.

Chartered Secretaries work in a number of different careers and across a variety of sectors including corporate, not-for-profit and charity. Some work as company secretaries for FTSE100 companies earning an average base salary of over £190,000. Others have roles such as chief executive, chairman, in-house counsel, director of legal services or finance director or they work in private practice offering business and legal services.

The ICSA qualifying scheme

The ICSA Chartered Secretary qualifying scheme is one of the broadest-based professional qualifications, therefore equipping you for a variety of high-level opportunities, rather than pigeon-holing you into just one job role. Valued worldwide by employers, the highly marketable qualification is the passport to a variety of challenging, versatile and well rewarded careers in both the UK and overseas and across corporate, not-for profit and charity sectors.

The scheme comprises of two parts, each with four modules. You may need to study all eight modules or, depending on your existing qualifications, you may be exempt from some modules. The scheme covers areas such as corporate governance, corporate law, corporate administration and accountancy.

You can study via distance-learning or via one of our tuition providers. We also offer collaborative Masters courses with a number of universities. Study can be full-time or part-time and you can study whilst you are working. Some of our students work in company secretarial assistant roles whilst studying and so gain valuable experience within corporate governance as well as earning an income and gaining a professional qualification. These roles tend to have average salaries of £30,000 to £35,000.

In the current market, competition for jobs is fierce. Having a degree is no longer a guarantee of employment. A professional qualification helps you to stand out from the crowd and indicates to potential employers that you are serious about your career.

For further information about how to become a Chartered Secretary and to order an information pack visit www.icsa.org.uk/target