This Company Secretary from India started his career from scratch in the UAE

• Do you want to find Company Secretary opportunities in the UAE?
• In this article, Moiz Ali, a CS is sharing his journey and the strategies he followed to find an opportunity in the UAE.

Backstory 

After class 12th, I decided to pursue a Bachelor’s in Accounting and Company Secretary qualification from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), India.

My interest in law made me pursue the same.

In my opinion, students who are interested in Law especially various Corporate Laws and Compliances should consider pursuing this qualification.

Overcoming challenges and clearing CS Exams

If you take Company Secretary exams with complete dedication and proper preparations with consistent revisions and 100% focus, you can qualify within the minimum time possible i.e. 3-4 years.

My Journey was a bit long as I took 4 years.

If you want to become a CS you need to complete the following:

• CS Foundation
• CS Executive
• CS Final
• One year of Articleship

I moved from my hometown (Neemuch) to a bigger city (Indore) so I could get access to better coaching.

I would stay in the city for a few months, complete my coaching, and move back home to prepare and take the exams (by studying from home I could save on rent and other expenses).

I did this for both CS Foundation, CS Executive exams & CS Professional Exams.

I cleared my CS Foundation on the 1st attempt and my CS Executive exams in two attempts, one group at a time.

Next was CS Professional Exams (last level CS Exams). However, I decided to study only selective subjects from the coaching center and rest from home. I went ahead with self-study and that took me four attempts to clear each group.

Finally, after almost 2 years of studies, I cleared my CS Final exams.

Self-study is generally very effective but I made a few mistakes. I analyzed my mistakes and realized I fell short in my studies because of the following reasons:

• Lack of time management
• Lack of motivation. I was away from my CS friends and hence missed group studies which can be beneficial in clearing doubts

My Articleship experience in an MNC  

After passing the CS Final Exams in Feb 2016, I started with my articles.

I pursued my articles with the Pune-based Thermax Limited, an MNC focussed on construction and engineering which is present in more than 20 countries.

It was a great experience as I learned a lot and am still very grateful to my mentors and colleagues who supported me throughout my articles.

In 2017, I finally qualified as a Company Secretary.

Working in India and later moving to Dubai

I worked in India for some time after qualifying as a Company Secretary. However, I was not very happy with the opportunities coming my way and the growth.

So, I decided to move to Dubai and find a more rewarding job related to the CS profession. This was in March 2018.

When I landed in the UAE, I realized that there were very few opportunities for a newly qualified CS without UAE experience. So, I remained patient and started working as an Accountant and VAT Assistant in a trading company in Dubai.

I simultaneously kept an eye on job opportunities for CS professionals shared on various job portals, mainly on Linkedin, Indeed, Naukri Gulf, and Gulf Talent.

I went through a pretty tough time where I had zero support but complete faith in God kept me going through the most difficult period of my life.

In fact, I had even considered moving back to India but fortunately, things worked out. After 6-7 months of job hunting and loads of patience, I found the right opportunity at Jitendra Consulting Group, Dubai.

Here are the questions I get asked most often.

How can a Company Secretary find a job in the UAE?

Firstly, there is no set timeline to find a job in the UAE. It took me around 8 months to find the right opportunity.

You might not find the exact core CS job role in the first go but if you are getting any opportunity even related to it then ideally you should grab that opportunity to excel in your career in the UAE.

Do wait for months to find that ‘perfect job’.Eventually, with time and experience, the right opportunities will come your way.

Just like everyone else you can use the:

• Online career portals – Linkedin, Indeed, Naukri Gulf, Gulf Talent.
• Company Websites
• Family/friends, network references
• Reading/ updating oneself with the current openings and market conditions & available opportunities.
• Join networking groups of CS in Dubai: ICSI organizes programs at regular intervals in Dubai inviting all CS professionals living in the country. Many Company Secretaries working and living in the UAE are connected over social media platforms, such as Facebook and WhatsApp groups. The same might be useful for finding jobs also.

What’s the scope of a Company Secretary in the UAE?

There is a lot of scope. You can consider:

• Business set up – Company incorporation in various jurisdictions such as Mainland, Freezones, and Offshore, Legal Advisory Services, Arbitration Services, Company Law & Federal Law matters consultancy services.
• Drafting of contracts, deeds, and various agreements in line with UAE laws.
• Compliance Officer in big corporates and listed companies in the UAE stock exchanges.
• Apart from the above, CS can work as a Legal Advisor, Corporate Law expert, Due Diligence Officer, Company AML & CFT Compliance Officer, Economic Substance Law Expert, Paralegal, and Company Secretary in DIFC.

Company Secretary’s salary in the UAE?

The salary depends on your experience in the UAE and your knowledge.

It also depends on your communication skills. If you understand Arabic it can be an added advantage.

In my opinion, a CS fresher should expect at least AED 4,000 to AED 7,500 plus benefits, just to gain some experience and move ahead in the right direction.

Bigger companies might offer higher salaries so it all depends. If you have a few years of experience in your home country, you can expect a higher salary.

Wrapping up…

Patience is key.

Keep looking and the best is always waiting for the one who pushes their limits.

What’s yours will find you if you show persistence and patience.

Now It’s Your Turn!

Are you a Company Secretary looking for an opportunity in the UAE? Or Someone who’s working In UAE?

Please share your thoughts in the comment section. I’d love to hear from you.

You can also connect with Moiz Ali on LinkedIn Here.