How your selection of firm for articleship training can shape your career and success.

Seven things to ponder before selecting best firm for articleship.

How to Choose a CA Firm for Articleship

Articleship Training has been referred to as a career shaping Period in CA Student’s life and it will shape and determine your success rate –  so choosing best articleship training becomes paramount important in shaping your career.

Today we are going to discuss you How to choose CA firm for Articleship. 

• Majority students have a tendency to treat the articleship training as a roadblock in becoming CA. However, the fact is that this 3 years training makes you smart and a competent chartered accountant. As during the articleship period, the life of a CA student gets completely changed. He has to face countless challenges, gets infinite opportunities, and turn into a true professional.
• There is always a difference between theory and practice. There is a lot of difference between reading Income Tax from books and doing the Income Tax work of a client. Similarly, there is a lot of difference between reading Audit book and doing audit work of a client.
• CA course is designed in such a manner that you get an opportunity to know both i.e. Theory and Practice. This really makes you a Perfect CA.
• Simply speaking, don’t ignore articleship training.

But before selecting the firm for training

• Firstly, make a goal.
• Confirm what do you want to do in future.
• Study and search areas where you want to make career – that should be based on your likability as well as growth opportunity, 

keeping these things in mind we would divide the CA firms in 3 broad categories i.e.

(1) Big firms,

(2) Medium firms and

(3) Small firms.

Each of these firms have their own advantages and disadvantages. Please remember that you will not find all great things at one place. Let’ understand them carefully, so that you can take an proper decision.

Joining Big Firms :

Big firms are those where you have multiple CA partners, CA employees, huge number of article clerks, the business of the firm is spread across the globe.

The most famous big 4 firms by the name are – E&Y, Deloitte, KPMG and PWC. There are other big firms also having their offices in various cities.

Major benefits:

• These firms will pay you a very good amount of stipend ranging from ` 10,000 per month to 25,000 per month during the tenure of articleship. It means, those who want financial help should join these firms.
• You will get to learn a corporate culture in these firms.
• These firms are known for their meticulous planning and execution skill. You will learn how to talk, how to dress, how to write, how to present yourself and so on.
• It will groom your personality.
• You will get an opportunity to travel India and sometimes abroad. Those who love travelling may give preference to these firms.
• There is a high degree of specialization in these firms. It means, you will either be placed in Statutory Audit Department or Internal Audit Department or Direct Tax Department or Indirect Tax Department or Transfer Pricing or Project Financing etc. In short, you will become a specialist in one particular field.
• If your objective is to get a job in the corporate world after becoming CA, then this is a clear choice. If you want to settle abroad in future, then also you may join these firms.

The drawbacks is that:

• your time schedule would tight.
• Work pressure is higher and you are left with little time for study.
• You won’t get leave as per your choice, you will be discouraged to attend college and classes. In this case, you should prefer external degree for graduation.
• And due to Departmentation  – you may become expert in one field but if you are planning for your own practice then it may not work for you, because setting up practice requires good knowledge of all different fields.

Best suitable if you want to peruse JOB after CA. As at the time of placement, one who has done articleship from such big firms gets preference over other candidates

Joining Medium Firms :

Medium firms are generally the partnership firms. These firms may have 3 to 4 partners, few CA employees and 25 to 100 articles. These firms have one head office and few branch offices in other cities.

The peculiar features are :

• These firms have few corporate clients, few educational trusts, some large business clients and small individual clients as well.
• The stipend will be neither too high or too low.
• In these firms also, you get to learn variety of things. +
• There is a personal touch with the boss. There is a homely atmosphere plus some touch of corporate culture.
• There will be occasional outstation visits also. In busy season,
• There will be a huge work pressure and sometimes there will be a relaxed schedule also.
• There is some scope for flexibility, some scope for attending college and tuition’s etc.
• It combines the pluses and minuses of Big firms as well as Small firms.
• If you are in a confused state of mind about joining big firm or small firm, then prefer medium firm.
• The best thing is you get to learn verity of things and from all different fields, more flexibility and personal touch.

If you are not sure about whether you will start your own practice in future or you will join a job, then this option is the best.

Joining Small Firms :

The peculiar features are :

Small firms are generally the sole proprietorship firms. These firms generally operate from one place only and have a local office in your city.

• These firms have a local client base and they handle variety of work of small clients. You can develop personal relationship with those clients.
• Stipend amount is very low. These firms will pay basic minimum amount as prescribed by ICAI.
• In these firms, you get to learn many things.
• There is a personal touch with the boss.
• There is a homely atmosphere, flexible timings, no work pressure, very few outstation visits etc.
• If you do not love much travelling, you want home food daily, relaxed routine, want to attend college and coaching classes, you should prefer this option.

If you are interested in starting your own practice after becoming CA, then this is the best option.

Also consider following things when you go for interview or selecting firms for articleship training.

First and foremost thing bear ion mind that as much as you need them, they (CA firms) also need and require good people- so understand your own value.

Office timing and Working Hours –

• One of the most important point you have to consider while joining a Firm for articleship.
• Usually, the principal informs you of the normal working hours of an office at the time of your admission to say “9 to 5” or “10 to 6”…
• But you can talk with the employees working there about the normal working hours of the office and whether the principal use to get the articles to work overtime and if yes then take an approx idea.

Talk About Preparation Leaves –

• Confirm the leave policy and how much time will be given for final exam preparation.
• CA Articleship is important but clearing CA Final is more important. Without CA degree, you will not be called as Chartered Accountant.

Stipend and other facility –

• Know the minimum stipend And confirm the stipend paid by firm, 
• Confirm their travel policy as well as other HR policy and know any special terms are there.

Outstation Audits. 

• Check whether outstation audits are there?
• predetermine your comfort level for outstation audit and and be clear at the time of discussion about your preference.

Discuss the Work-

• Check what are the different types of work that firm is dealing.
• Get client portfolio.
• Confirm whether you will be given choice to choose different field or department after sometime or is it fixed?

Office Infrastructure –

• Who says that only learning is important and the environment doesn’t? Studies prove that the environment surrounding us impacts our learning.
• The students who join the firm where the infrastructure does not match their standard will have to suffer later. Hence, before joining the CA firm, visit their office at least once.

Transfer policy & Industrial training

• Check the transfer policy of the firm.
• what are the conditions for taking transfer- would employer be ready to give you easy transfer ?
• Also consider what kind of industrial training they provide.

To find out honest answers to the above questions, I recommend you do the following:

1. Prepare a questionnaire based on the above list and ask the same from the interviewer during the interview itself.
2. If possible wait around in the CA’s office till lunchtime and meet up with the Articles working there, ask them about the true nature & state of the firm. They will surely give you an honest answer.
3. Delay filing form 102, 103 & 112 with ICAI, don’t file these forms for a month or 2 (pay the late fees), once you file these forms the contract will bind you with a lot of restraints. If you don’t find the firm in order then, simply leave, if you do, then feel free to submit the form.

 Hope this helps

Best of Luck !