61.Chartered Accountant

Chartered Accountant (CA) is the title used by members of certain professional accountancy associations in the British Commonwealth countries and Ireland. The term chartered comes from the Royal Charter granted to the world's first professional body of accountants upon their establishment in 1854.Chartered Accountants work in all fields of business and finance. Some are engaged in public practice work, others work in the private sector and some are employed by government bodies

Each of these bodies admits members only after passing examinations and undergoing a period of relevant work experience. The ICAEW requires that students complete 15 examinations as well as 3240 hours of relevant work experience. Once admitted, members are expected to comply with ethical guidelines and gain appropriate continuing professional development.

Chartered Accountants who engage in public practice work (i.e. selling services to the public rather than acting as an employee) must gain a "practising certificate" by meeting further requirements such as purchasing adequate insurance and undergoing regular inspections.Chartered Accountants holding practising certificates may also become "Registered Auditors", providing they can demonstrate the necessary professional ability in that area.

A Registered Auditor is able to perform statutory financial audits in accordance with the Companies Act 1985.Further restrictions apply to accountants who work as insolvency practitioners.There is another accountancy body called The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), which has similar entitlements and responsibilities. Its members are Chartered Certified Accountants; the former name Certified Accountants is sometimes still used for brevity