Articleship Training Practical Internship under CA Course - Overview 

The ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) imposed a mandatory requirement of Three years articled training under Chartered Accountancy course in India. The unique requirement of practical training/articled training is instrumental in shaping a well-rounded professional and also ensure that students have an opportunity to acquire on-the-job work experience of a professional nature. Such a practical training... 

    - Inculcates a disciplined attitude for hard work. 

    - Develops necessary skills in applying theoretical knowledge to practical situations. 

    - Provides exposure to overall socio-economic environment in which organizations operate. 

    - Develops ethical values. 

When to Commence Articleship Training in Chartered Accountancy ?

i. Foundation Route students can commence after completing Integrated Course on Information Technology and Soft Skills (ICITSS) and passing either or both groups of Intermediate Examination.

ii. For direct entrants coming through Graduation and Post-Graduation route, the practical training commences immediately after registration in Intermediate Course and completion of four weeks ICITSS.

iii. Students who have passed Intermediate level Examination of the Institute of Companies Secretaries of India or the Institute of Cost Accountants of India can commence only after completing ICITSS and passing either group or both groups of Intermediate Examination.

How to commence Articleship Training in Chartered Accountancy ?

Students can commence articled training by submitting Form 103 and an agreement on training is to be entered with Principal in Form 102. The entire period of practical training can be served with a practicing member or it can be served partly with a practicing member and partly in an approved industrial establishment as an Industrial Trainee. The period of such industrial training may range between 9-12 months during the last year of prescribed period of practical training. Only students of Final course are eligible for industrial training.

Eligibility and other conditions for undergoing Industrial Training under CA Course

i. An articled assistant who has passed the Intermediate (IPC) Examination / Professional Competence Examination/ Professional Education (Examination - II) or Intermediate examination can serve as an Industrial trainee in any of the financial, commercial, industrial undertakings as may specified by the Council or such other institution or organization as may be approved by the Council from time to time.

ii. Articled assistant before proceeding for Industrial Training has to intimate his principal atleast three months before the date on which such training has to commence.

iii. Period of Industrial Training may range between minimum of nine months to maximum of twelve months during the last year of prescribed period of practical training.

iv. The Industrial Training shall be received under a member of the Institute. An Associate who has been a member for a continuous period of at least three years is entitled to train one industrial trainee and fellow is entitled train two industrial trainee at a time, whether such trainees are articled assistants or audit assistants.

v. An agreement of training is to be entered in the approved form i.e. Form No. 104

vi. On satisfactory completion of industrial training, the principal has to issue service certificate in the approved form i.e. Form No. 105.

Permission to pursue other courses of study including guidelines on working hours 

Under Regulation 65 and Regulation 78 of the Chartered Accountants Regulations, 1988 an articled/audit assistant cannot take up any other course of study or training, whether academic or professional, without prior permission of the Council. The permission may be granted to an articled/audit assistant, for pursuing one additional course of study at a time during the period of practical training on submission of request in the prescribed form. 

i. During the working hours, the articled assistant is not permitted to attend college/other institutions for pursuing any course including graduation. Accordingly, college timings of such course should not be such (after taking into account the time required to commute) which clash with the normal working hours of the articled training.

ii. To ensure that the working hours do not clash with the graduation or any other course, if any, pursued by the articled assistant, each articled assistant shall be required to obtain specific permission from the ICAI for pursuing graduation or other course as permitted under the Chartered Accountants Regulations by submitting Form No. 112, within one month from the date of joining the college or course to the ICAI. 

iii. The Certificate in Form No. 112 indicating college timings etc. shall be counter-signed by the concerned Principal of the college with the seal and stamp of the College and also indicating the telephone number/s and full address of the College. 

iv. In case a student does not comply with the above requirements or violates any of the above guidelines, his/her articleship period shall not be recognized. 

Various Regulations applicable to Articleship Training

Regulation 60: Working hours of an Articled Assistant 

“Subject to such directions as may be issued by the Council, the working hours of an articled assistant shall be 35 hours per week to be regulated by the Principal from time to time”. 

Regulation 65: Articled assistant not to engage in any other occupation

“Without the previous permission of the Council, obtained on application made in the approved form, no articled assistant shall, during the period of his service as an articled assistant, take any other course of study or training, whether academic or professional, or engage in any business or occupation.” 

Monthly Stipend to Articled Assistants

Regulation 54: Secondment/Exchange

In order to expose the trainees at large to multi-disciplinary work and variety of business situations, the arrangement of secondment has been provided in the Regulation 54. The procedure relating to secondment enables an articled trainee to gain practical experience, in areas where the Principal may not be in a position to provide the same, in the office of another member in practice on the basis of a mutually agreed arrangement.

Secondment is allowed with the consent of the articled trainee from one member to another member who is entitled to train articled trainees in his own right or to a member in industry who is entitled to train industrial trainees. The member to whom the trainee is seconded is not entitled to train more than two such trainees on secondment at a time. The aggregate period of secondment cannot exceed one year. The Council may permit secondment with more than one such member provided the minimum period of secondment shall be four months. Where an articled trainee is seconded to a member in industry, the total period spent in industry including the period of industrial training should not exceed one year. 

During secondment the member with whom the articled assistant is seconded shall be required to pay the stipend and is responsible for imparting training and maintaining records and also required to forward the records to the principal on completion of period of secondment. The principal is required to include particulars of the secondment in the report to the Council under Regulation 64. 

Regulation 54A: Part of Practical Training Outside India 

Regulation 54A contains a provision whereby a Principal can depute an articled assistant not exceeding six months to any member outside India who is eligible to engage and train such trainees under the bye-laws of an institution or body, etc. set up in the respective country under the relevant Statutes. 

It may be noted that in such cases, no Deed of Articles need to be executed for such training nor any intimation be sent to the Institute in this regard. Further, the Principal shall include the particulars of such training in the Report to the Council in terms of Regulation 64. Hence, it is an excellent opportunity for articled assistants who are undergoing training in India to get exposure outside India as well. 

It is not necessary that articled assistant is deputed only to a member of the Institute located in that country. In fact, articled assistant can be deputed to any member of that country's accounting institution or body set-up under the relevant statute provided such member is entitled to train articled assistants (by whatever name called) in that country.

Source- www.icai.org