Company secretaries and administrators — SOC 2020 4214
Company secretaries (excluding professional/chartered company secretaries) file and maintain company records, translate notes and dictation into typewritten form and perform other clerical tasks within commercial organisations.
Also calledChartered secretaryGovernance officerCompany administratorResident secretaryAssistant secretaryCorporation secretaryand 1 more titles
Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office
Who does it
ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
57%aged 55 or over
34%hold a degree
91%women
Age of company secretaries
Age profile of company secretaries
n/p
n/p
34%!
35%!
22%!
25–3435–4445–5455–6465+
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publishShow as table
25–34
Not published
35–44
Not published
45–54
34% (small sample)
55–64
35% (small sample)
65+
22% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Highest qualification held by company secretaries
Degree or equivalent!34%
Higher education below degree!7.1%
A levels or equivalent!18%
GCSEs or equivalent39%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with cautionShow as table
Degree or equivalent
34% (small sample)
Higher education below degree
7.1% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent
18% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent
39%
Other qualifications
Not published
No qualifications
Not published
Main employers: construction of residential and non-residential buildings (6%), accounting, bookkeeping and auditing activities; tax consultancy (5.6%), plumbing, heat and air-conditioning installation (4.7%), other specialised construction activities nec (4.4%).
How to get in
Hold a degree
34%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 39%
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work
Routes in
You can get into this job through:
University
You could study for a foundation degree or degree in a relevant subject, such as:
business management
law
accountancy
finance
public administration
You would 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
College
You could start by doing a higher national diploma in business management or law. Then you could apply to join a company as a trainee company secretary.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You may be able to apply to do an apprenticeship with an organisation. For instance:
Governance Officer Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
Chartered Legal Executive Level 6 Apprenticeship
Solicitor Level 7 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
Other routes
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 or experience, for example in law or finance.
Registration and professional bodies
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.
Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for company secretary. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The work
ONS · ESCO · O*NET
Typical tasks
opens, sorts, distributes and files correspondence (both hard copy and electronic)
uses appropriate software to produce correspondence, memoranda, reports, presentations and other documents from drafts, handwritten copy or by transcribing dictation
deals directly with routine correspondence
files and retrieves documents, sets up and maintains filing systems and reproduces copies of documentation as required
keeps appointments diary, makes travel arrangements and arranges conference and other functions
arranges meetings, circulates agenda and other meeting documents, attends meetings, and takes and prepares minutes
answers, screens, handles and directs telephone requests and enquiries, takes messages and forwards to the appropriate member of staff
undertakes reception responsibilities by greeting visitors and arranging refreshments
ensures office supplies such as stationery and equipment are maintained
Skills
coordinate events
disseminate messages to people
draft corporate emails
fix meetings
liaise with managers
manage personnel agenda
perform business research
process commissioned instructions
use office systems
speak different languages
build business relationships
disseminate internal communications
ensure proper document management
liaise with board members
Knowledge
company policies
transcription methods
database management systems
desktop publishing
editorial standards
Suits people who like
Organising and following procedures
Leading and persuading
Outlook
DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for secretarial and related occupations, a group of 7 jobs that includes company secretaries.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 16%about 105,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 2035243,000including people replacing those who retire or leave
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.
This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.
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