This CA article assistant got her legal transfer after a 10 month battle. Encourages interns to stand up for what is right.

• Hi, I am Ishita Jindal, a CA Finalist who was registered for her articleship with a Delhi-based Mid-Sized firm.
• But due to some unforeseen circumstances, I had to relocate.
• That’s when my most miserable 10 months started.
• The firm refused to give me the transfer despite my relentless pleading. Here’s how I overcame the hurdle.

CA Final student being denied a transfer

I am just another 21-year-old studying to be a Chartered Accountant at The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).

For the unversed, anyone who decides to become a CA from ICAI has to do mandatory training aka articleship for a period of 3 years at a CA Firm. 

I started my articles at a mid-sized firm in Delhi.

All was going well and I enjoyed working even though I was compensated a measly INR 3K stipend as an article assistant. I was there to learn so money did not concern me.

However, in the first year, I had to shift from Delhi to Gurgaon with my family (the distance between the two is over 40 km one way). Like anyone in their right mind, I decided to opt for the transfer scheme provided by ICAI and move to another firm close to my place.

However, the CA firm clearly ignored a rightful plea for a transfer!

I was in a really dark place and had constant anxiety ever since the firm denied my request to give the transfer. I had invested 4 years of my life in the quest of becoming a Chartered Accountant and now my future was unclear.

Honestly, I had no support for a while. No one had any solution to my problem.

I had to push through every day. I felt a new level of rage every morning which became my driving force.

After months of no help or solution, I decided to voice my thoughts on LinkedIn. And to my surprise I received an outpour of support, some sympathized with me, others motivated me to fight and a few asked me to reconsider my decision to post something like this on LinkedIn.

After those 10 agonizing months, I am glad to inform everyone that my transfer request was approved because of The Institute Of Chartered Accountants Of India, for which I am extremely grateful.

Here’s what I did to get the transfer

I filed Form 120 at The Institute Of Chartered Accountants of India in September 2022.

The Form can be filed by an article assistant if their principal refuses to give them a transfer to another firm, despite having a valid reason.

The processing time for this form is 3 months, which makes it unattractive but it was my last resort. My form was finally processed three months later and the transfer request was approved… A real sigh of relief!

When I think of it now, it wasn’t easy one bit. There were times when I felt I would have to postpone my CA Final attempt or even worse be stuck in this situation. I even considered dropping out of the Chartered Accountancy course for a brief period of time. 

Fortunately, my parents stood by me and encouraged me to do what was right.

Stand up for yourself

I should let you know that the lawyer of my previous firm is after me and filing complaints against me. They “advised” me to save my career by stepping down and keeping quiet.

A lot of people involved in the process officially or otherwise encouraged me to not go through with such radical measures.

People also told me that nobody will be willing to hire me after this, but that is the beauty of being a professional, we have the power to create opportunities for ourselves.

I would advise my peers to do a proper assessment of the firm they choose to work with. We are always taught to assess a person before we engage with them so why not do that while choosing a place to work?

We CA articles often do not come forward against the issues in our industry but I advise people to speak up and voice their concerns.