What Is It Like To Pursue An Articleship With A Chartered Accountant?

Chartered accountants are highly skilled professionals who manage the financial affairs of an individual or an organisation. Chartered accountants are also responsible for budgeting, taxation, suggesting business strategies, giving financial advice, and auditing. It is one of the most sought after professions in the Indian job market due to the rising number of businesses and start-ups.

Job security and lucrative pay are a couple of more reasons to choose chartered accountancy as a profession. The world has entered a new phase of progress, countries run and thrive on businesses, businesses involve finances, and whenever we talk about finances, we are talking about chartered accountants. But, the road that reaches you to the destination of becoming a chartered accountant is not an easy one.

Apart from clearing the Foundations, Intermediate, and Final exams conducted by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), you are required to complete the mandatory 3 years of articleship under a chartered accountancy firm. Articleship is treated as an internship in CA where you get an in-depth understanding of your subjects and their practical application.

Students might find it challenging to pick and choose the right firm that suits their interests. The firms that give you the right kind of exposure, guidance, stipend, and ample amount of time to prepare for your examinations are the best.

Also Read: Nailing Your Internship Interview: FAQs And Tips To Answer

Here we have CA Aishwarya Mathur from Jodhpur talking about her articleship experiences or commonly known as CA internship.

While pursuing a degree in commerce, I realised that I really enjoyed my subjects. I had this feeling to do my best in this field. I knew that the best in commerce is becoming a CA. Once I had finalised my goal it was all about going after chasing it.

I did well in CPT. The next step was finding the right kind of articleship. I live in Jodhpur. It's a small town. Words travel fast here. I asked a few of my relatives to help me find an internship in a CA firm. There are online resources such as websites, Facebook groups, and job portals that give you information regarding the availability of articleship with firms.

I started my articleship under the CA Chandra Shekhar Gang after getting suggestions from my friends and family. The most important reason for choosing the right articleship is getting time off to prepare for the exams.

As a CA student, there is a constant pressure to find the right balance between the articleship and studies. We need to prepare for exams while learning and applying practical knowledge at work. The most important thing, and quite amazing too, is the availability of online classes.

I would start my day with accounting classes from 6:30 am to 8:30 am. My articleship timing started from 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM, Monday to Friday. Post articleship, I would have a series of online classes on subjects such as accounting, GST, audit, direct tax, law, costing, and finance. Weekends were meant for studies and revision.

I learnt a lot of things during my CA internship. The most important thing for me was the GST-related understanding. My boss was kind enough to let me take leaves for studying when I needed them the most. I suggest everyone should get an in-depth understanding of Direct Tax while you’re learning under the mentorship of a CA. It can help you greatly during examinations.

It was during my articleship that I learned the importance of friendship. A few of us would pool in the money that we needed to get a pen drive for all the important classes from our coaching centre. We would complete our syllabus without any pressure of attending the classes at a specified time. It helped us to learn at our own pace, repeat the lectures if we wanted to and fast-forward if we already knew the material.

We would try and get together and study during the weekends. It helped us to keep track of our learnings. All of this was possible because of choosing the right kind of articleship.

Also Read: Preparing For The First Day Of Your Internship

Challenges

There was no pressure from outside. The environment was quite supportive. My seniors were also supportive. People were ready to explain things if I had the urge to learn. It all comes down to an individual. That is the biggest challenge is to be self-motivated. You’re completely on your own to study, manage articleship, and clear the exams.

After that, one has to practice time management and self-discipline. There is hardly any time for socialising or celebrations of any kind. I had to make peace with things that most people were celebrating or having a good time during festivals and holidays whereas I have to complete my syllabus during this time. But, all of it is worth it when you finally clear your exams. The respect that you get makes you happy.

After reading about Aishwarya’s experience of articleship under a CA, one can understand what it takes to become a successful CA. You have got to be ready to put in the hard work. To be ready to learn from your seniors who are willing to teach you. The most important aspect of articleship is learning the theoretical aspect of your subjects and then applying it directly under the mentorship of your CA. This helps you in mastering your subjects.

Self-discipline is the key to motivating yourself while pursuing this career. Allow yourself enough time for self-study and revision. Keeping your friends close helps you to get through the articleship and studies. Be ready to put in the hard work and you shall succeed in all your endeavours in life.