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What is Articleship?
Articleship is a mandatory two-year training programme that every CA aspirant has to undergo under a CA aspirant. If done right, this 2-year articleship can skyrocket your career (and in many cases, your life). In the past 5 years, having mentored 80,000+ CA aspirants, there is one thing we cannot emphasise more: take your articleship experience seriously.
To help you choose from the best articleship firms in India and encourage CA students to make this opportunity one of the most memorable moments of their lives, led to the creation of this blog.
ICAI Criteria to Apply for CA Articleship
Candidates pursuing Chartered Accountancy must meet the ICAI criteria to apply for a CA articleship.
- Aspirants must have cleared both groups of exams in CA Intermediate.
- Direct Entry Route: Students should obtain at least 55% marks for Commerce graduates. Candidates from other streams require 60%.
- Candidates should have completed a four-week Integrated Course in Information Technology and Soft Skills (ICITSS)
How Can A Good Articleship Shape You?
Your career as a CA begins with your articleship training. Compared to other applicants, your career scope is expanded by your practical experience and specialized topic knowledge.
Practical training instils a disciplined attitude towards hard work. Your articleship training helps to shape who you are as a person.
- If you get the opportunity of a client-facing position, it will help in the development of your decision-making and problem-solving abilities. When dealing with complex financial problems, a chartered accountant’s problem-solving skills help in risk identification and mitigation. Additionally, it will give you excellent learning possibilities.
- You encounter a lot of people during your two years of articleship, including clients, coworkers, and seniors. Your personality is shaped by meeting others who share your interests and passions. However, it is also advantageous for networking.
- A person’s leadership skills are also improved by rigorous training, managing a team, and managing clients.
Types of CA Firms in India
CA firms in India are generally categorized based on their size, which can influence the type and depth of training articles receive.
- Big 6: Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG, BDO and GT are known as Big 6 firms. Typically, large companies would require you to work in a specific field exclusively during your articleship. Therefore, if you have already chosen your domain, one of the Big 6 might be your best choice.
- Large and Mid-sized CA Firms: These firms work with large corporations and SMEs and offer a balance of hands-on experience and exposure to larger projects, providing a broad range of services in auditing, tax consultancy and advisory.
- Small Firms: Any local CA firms in your area fall under this category. These small firms generally focus on indirect tax, income tax filing and audits.
Also Check: How to Get Articleship in Big 4
Choosing the Right Articleship Firm
There are quite a few points to consider while planning your career path and here are a few important ones you should keep in mind:
- Future Plans: Before applying for an articleship, set a career objective first. Ask yourself a question. What do you want to do after becoming a CA? As a CA, you may choose to work in Audits or Taxation. Students who want to pursue jobs generally go for big firms to gain expertise in a particular field whereas the students who plan to start their own practising firm may prefer to do articleship in small or mid-sized firms.
- Research company’s background: Before applying for articleship, you must research the domain that the particular company works on. During the articleship, you can choose domains like statutory audits, internal audits, forensic audits, direct tax, indirect tax and so on. Exploring all domains should be a part of your articleship, but it is important to choose a particular domain. Researching the firm’s clients may also help you get the direction you are looking for.
- Non-dummy articleship: A dummy articleship will not add any benefits to your career if you want to establish your career in CA. All companies have a higher preference for students who have done proper training and have practical working experience.
- Firms with more partners: Firms with more partners offer exposure to diverse client portfolios. It will provide a better mentorship experience and a wide range of industry exposure. At the same time while picking the right articleship firm, consider choosing the firms that audit listed companies. Auditing listed companies will provide you with insight into business regulations.
India's Top 10 CA Firms
Securing an articleship at the Top 10 CA Firms is a dream for many students. Below is the list of the best articleship firms in India along with the services they offer and the stipend they may offer:
| Company Name | Services | Monthly Stipend* |
|---|---|---|
| Deloitte | Audit & Assurance, Consulting, Risk Advisory, Financial Advisory and Tax, Sustainability and Climate | 16 – 25K |
| KPMG India | Tax Advisory | 10-25K |
| PwC India | Audit and Assurance, Tax, Legal Consulting, Managed Services, Deals | 16 – 25K |
| EY (Ernst & Young) | Audit & Assurance, Consulting, Risk Advisory, Financial Advisory and Tax, Sustainability and Climate | 10-25K |
| Grant Thornton | Assurance, Consulting, Tax, Risk, Digital and Technology Transformation | 7.5-10K |
| BDO India LLP | Assurance, Tax, Advisory, Business Services and Outsourcing | 10-15K |
| RSM & Associates | Internal audit and risk advisory, Tax Services, Domestic and International, Corporate advisory & structuring, Financial process outsourcing, IT systems assurance and IT solutions, Consulting services, Company law and legal advisory, GST, Advisory And Compliance | 10-15K |
| SS Kothari Mehta & Company | Audit & Assurance, Tax & Regulatory Services, Business Advisory, Accounting & Business Support, IT Risk Advisory | 5-12K |
| Sahni Natrajan & Bahl (SNB) | Internal Audit, Business & Management Audit, Management Consultancy, Tax Advisory, Accountancy | 9-12K |
| T.R. Chadha & Co | Audit & Assurance, Business Advisory & Internal Audit, Book Keeping and Outsourcing, Domestic Taxation & International Taxation, Goods & Service Tax | 5-10K |
Read also: Minimum Monthly Stipend Approved by ICAI for Articleship
*Please note the monthly stipend is an approximated range. Actual stipend amount offered during articleship may differ.
How to Apply for an Articleship?
Students can use several methods to find articleship opportunities:
- Online Job Websites: Top CA firms post their articleship vacancies on various online job platforms like LinkedIn and Naukri.
- Company’s Careers Webpage: All top companies post their vacancies on their ‘Career’ web pages. So, visiting the official website is one of the ways to find articleship opportunities.
Check out these pages for your reference:
- Articleship through Connections: Employee Referral works the best as the existing employees are the first to know about an articleship vacancy and can directly send the candidate’s resume to the concerned HR representative.
- Walk-ins at the Firm: Walk-in interviews are recruitment drives where firms set a specific date and time, allowing candidates to appear without going through the usual pre-screening or scheduling processes. This method is common for firms looking to fill positions quickly or access a wider talent pool
- Community Channels: Joining communities and groups on WhatsApp and Telegram can help with additional information about articleship opportunities. These communities are run by mentors who wish to help students on their articleship journey.
Conclusion
Your career path as a CA is determined by several factors, including domain competence, client exposure and work environment. Choosing the best articleship firm in India not only shapes your technical skill but also builds your professional network and enhances your ability to handle real-world challenges.
Remember, this decision lays the foundation for your journey as a successful Chartered Accountant, so take your time and research thoroughly to crack the code for the interview.
