Company secretary
Company secretaries make sure that directors follow company law and finance rules.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
In this role you could:
- prepare yearly company reports
- control share option schemes and pay profits
- provide legal advice to directors and board members
- deal with other professionals like lawyers and auditors
- send company information to Companies House or the Stock Exchange
- keep up to date with policy, legal and statutory requirements for the business
Working environment
You could work in an office.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could become a company's chief executive or managing director.
You could also work freelance as a consultant or a part-time company secretary for several smaller businesses.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- administration skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- to be flexible and open to change
- excellent written communication skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Restrictions and Requirements
To be the secretary of a public limited company (PLC), you'll need to meet the requirements of the Companies Act 2006. You can get more information about this from the The Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland.
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- training with a professional body
You'll need a foundation degree or degree in a relevant subject like:
- business
- law
- accountancy
- public administration
You'll also need relevant business experience in areas like:
- pensions or insurance
- personnel
- accounts and credit control
- purchasing
- office management
You could get valuable work experience during your studies by doing a placement year or summer internship.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- at least 1 A level, or equivalent, for a foundation degree
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
More Information
You could start by doing a higher national diploma in business management or law. Then you can apply to join a company as a trainee company secretary.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a higher national certificate or higher national diploma
More Information
You may be able to become a company secretary by doing a Governance Officer Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship.
You might also get into this type of work by completing a Solicitor Level 7 Non-Degree Apprenticeship.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
More Information
You can take professional qualifications offered by The Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland to become a company secretary.
You'll begin by doing the Chartered Secretaries Qualifying Scheme, which starts at foundation level. You can join at a more advanced level if you already have a relevant qualification, for example in law.
Professional and industry bodies
You can join The Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland to:
- get professional recognition
- find training opportunities
- make industry contacts
Further information
You can find out more about how to become a company secretary from The Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland.
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This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.