How This Company Secretary Moved to UAE and Started His Career From Scratch

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

Back story: Why I decided to pursue Company Secretary 

After class 12th, I decided to pursue Bachelors in Accounting and Company Secretary from ICSI, India.

My interest in law made me pursue CS. So, I registered for CS with ICSI.

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

Overcoming challenges and clearing CS Exams

If you give CS exams with complete dedication and proper preparations with consistent revisions 100% focus, you can become a qualified CS from ICSI within the minimum time possible i.e 3-4 years.

My Journey was a bit big long as I took 4 years. If you want to become a CS from ICSI 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 give 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 in the 1st attempt and CS Executive exams in two attempts, one group at a time.

Next was CS Professional Exams (last level CS Exams). However, for CS Professional I decided to study only selective subjects from coaching and rest from home. I went ahead with self-study and that took four attempts to clear each group per attempt. 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 fall short on my studies because of the following reasons:

• Lack of Time Management
• Lack of Motivation because I was away from my CS friends hence missed group studies which can be beneficial in clearing doubts

My Articleship Experience In an MNC Company

After passing the CS Final Exams in Feb’16, I started with my articles. I pursued my articles in Thermax Limited, an MNC company in the business of construction and engineering based in Pune and established in more than 20 countries all over the world.

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

After completing my articles and passing all the exams, I was now a qualified Company Secretary.

Forging my own path: 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. Then 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 here (Dubai), 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 looking for better opportunities related to my profession. I kept a constant eye on job opportunities for CS professionals shared on various job portals mainly on Linkedin, Indeed, Naukri Gulf and Gulf Talent, etc.

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 differently. After 6-7 months of job hunting and loads of patience, I found the right opportunity at Jitendra Consulting Group, Dubai.

Questions I get asked most often.

"How can a CS find a job opportunity in the UAE?"

Firstly, there are no prescribed guidelines for a CS to find a job in UAE. It took me around 8 months to find the right opportunity.

You might not find the exact core CS field in the first go but if you are getting any opportunity even related to the CS field 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:

• Online career portals – Linkedin, Indeed, Naukri Gulf, Gulf Talent.
• Companies Websites – Career Pages
• Family/friends network’s references
• Reading/ updating oneself with the current openings and market conditions & available opportunities.
• Join Networking Groups for CS in Dubai: There are some networking groups for CS living in the UAE. If you are a CS from India the ICSI organizes programmes at regular intervals in Dubai inviting all CS professionals living in the country. There are many CS working and living in UAE, they are all connected over social media platforms, through email and WhatsApp groups. The same might be useful for finding jobs also.

"Company Secretary salary in the UAE?"

Wondering how much salary you will get in UAE? The salary depends on your experience in the UAE and 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.

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

There is a lot of scope for a Company Secretary in UAE. 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 UAE stock exchanges etc.
• Apart from the above, CS can work as Legal Advisor, Corporate Law expert, Due Diligence Officer, Company AML & CFT Compliance Officer, Economic Substance Law Expert, Paralegal, Company Secretary in DIFC etc.

In Conclusion…

Patience is the 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.