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Company secretary

chartered secretary
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Administration, business and management
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Career outlook for company secretary

Average UK salary

£35,880

Currently employed in Scotland

800

"LMI for All" supplies our salary and employment status information. "Oxford Economics" supplies job forecasts and employment figures. Due to COVID-19 the jobs market is constantly changing. Some of the information may not reflect the current situation.

What's it like?

You would make sure that your company and its directors follow company law and meet financial regulations.

You’d be the company’s named representative on legal documents. You’d need to keep up to date with company law and work closely with lawyers and auditors.

You’d explain the financial and legal responsibilities to senior staff in the company.

You would:

  • Keep records up to date, such as lists of directors and shareholders
  • Send company information to official bodies, like Companies House or the Stock Exchange
  • Organise and take minutes of annual general meetings and board meetings
  • Prepare annual reports
  • Manage share option schemes and pay out dividends
  • Advise directors and board members about their legal responsibilities

Depending on the size of company you might also be responsible for the work of accounting and finance such as payroll, budget and internal audits.

You might also oversee health and safety requirements and manage the property used by the company.

Working conditions

Hours

In a full-time job you would typically work standard office hours Monday to Friday. Part-time work is also possible. You may sometimes work extra hours to meet deadlines, or attend evening meetings.

Environment

You would be mainly office-based, but may travel to some meetings.

UK employment status

Full-time

29%

Part-time

64%

Self employed

7%

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Here are some of the skills needed for this job. Sign in to see how your skills match up.

  • Verbal communication
  • Written communication
  • Problem solving
  • Working with numbers
  • Attention to detail
  • Developing a plan
  • Managing resources
  • Time management
  • Motivating others
  • Negotiating

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Getting in

Entry requirements for courses can change. Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.

Foundation Apprenticeships

Choosing a Foundation Apprenticeship as one of your subjects in S5 and S6 can help you get a head start with this type of job.

You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification (the same level as a Higher) plus valuable work placement experience and skills you can't learn in a classroom.

Interested? Find out what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.

Qualifications

Many entrants to this role have a degree or professional qualification in business, law, accountancy or public administration (SCQF level 9/10/11).

To be a company secretary in a public limited company, you must, by law, be a qualified advocate, solicitor or accountant, or a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA). 

To be a company secretary in a private limited company you do not require formal qualifications but most applicants to this role have at least a relevant higher level certificate, diploma or a degree (SCQF level 8-11) together with several years’ relevant work experience.

Useful subjects

  • English (required by most courses and employers) 
  • maths (required by most courses and employers) 
  • Administration
  • Business
  • ICT
  • Languages
  • Social studies.

You will also need

To become a company secretary you must complete the Chartered Secretaries Qualifying Scheme (CSQS).

This is divided into two levels. Your entry point into the CSQS will depend on your previous qualifications. There are entry points for those with no qualifications as well as for those with a wide variety of certificates, diplomas, degrees and professional qualifications. 

You will also need relevant business experience.