In this article
- Your first week as an articled assistant: what the office expects
- Rules 1 to 7: time, people and client data
- Rules 8 to 13: work, mistakes and growth
- A day-by-day plan for week one
- Common first-week mistakes, and the better habit
- ICAI rules that apply to you
- For principals: make the first week work
- Questions people ask
- Sources
- Nobody expects speed in week one. Offices expect care, punctuality and good questions.
- Client information never leaves the office: not on WhatsApp status, not in group chats, not at home.
- Never share a DSC PIN, password or OTP, even with a colleague who asks nicely.
- Report a mistake the moment you see it. Hidden mistakes are the only ones that hurt.
- Before joining any other course or work during articleship, you need ICAI's permission in Form 112.
Your first week as an articled assistant can feel like landing in a foreign country. People speak in short forms, the phone never stops, and everyone is racing a due date you have never heard of. This article writes down the 13 rules most CA offices expect from a new joiner but rarely explain, with a day-by-day plan for week one. It is useful for new staff too, and for the CAs who train them.
The good news: nobody expects you to know much yet. They expect you to be on time, to be careful with client information, and to ask good questions.
Your first week as an articled assistant: what the office expects
Every piece of work in a tax and accounts office has three parts: a client, a due date and a review by someone senior. Almost every rule below protects one of those three things.
In week one, the office is watching for habits, not skill. Do you message before you are late? Do you save files in the right place? Do you say "I am not sure" instead of guessing? Seniors decide very early whom they can trust with real client work, and those early impressions last.
Rules 1 to 7: time, people and client data
1. Be on time, and message before you are late
Arrive a few minutes early. If you will be late, message your senior before start time, not after you arrive: "Sir, I will be 30 minutes late today because of a train delay." Same delay, very different impression.
2. Learn who to ask for what
Find out on day one who gives you work, who checks it, who handles files and DSCs, and when the partner can be disturbed. Asking the right person saves everyone time.
3. Client information stays inside the office
Income, bank balances, family details and business numbers you see at work are not for friends, family, WhatsApp status or group chats. Many offices ask new joiners to sign a confidentiality undertaking. Take it seriously: for the CA you work under, disclosing client information without consent is professional misconduct under the Chartered Accountants Act.
4. Never share a DSC PIN, password or OTP
Not with a colleague, not with a "client" on the phone, not even with a senior over WhatsApp unless that is your office's written process. Take tokens only through the office register and return them the same day.
5. Talk to clients only within your role
You may collect documents and give updates your senior has approved. Do not give advice, quote fees or promise dates on your own. "Let me check with my senior and call you back by 4 pm" is always a good answer.
6. Save every file in the right folder, with the right name
Learn the folder structure and the naming rule on day two. A file saved on the desktop as "final new 2.xlsx" is a file nobody else can find.
7. Use the checklist, every time
Most offices have a checklist for routine work. Use it even when the job looks simple. Checklists exist because simple jobs are where people skip steps.
First 90 Days in a CA Office is 13 short lessons for every new joiner: confidentiality, files, DSCs, talking to clients, checklists and reporting, each with a "Do this today" list.
Rules 8 to 13: work, mistakes and growth
8. Let your work be reviewed before it goes out
Nothing you prepare goes to a client or a portal without a senior's check. This is not distrust. It is how every good office works, at every level.
9. Report a mistake the moment you see it
Wrong file sent, wrong figure typed, token left at a client's office: tell your senior at once, say what happened and what you think should be done. Early mistakes are fixable; hidden ones are not.
10. Try first, then ask well
Spend ten minutes trying, then ask with what you tried: "I checked the folder and the email, but I cannot find the March bank statement. Should I ask the client?" Seniors love this kind of question.
11. Give an end-of-day update
Before you leave, tell your senior in two lines what you finished and what is pending. Never just walk out. In busy months this one habit saves real trouble.
12. Keep your phone and your conduct professional
Phone on silent at your desk, personal calls short, no photos of the office screens. Treat everyone with respect, including front office staff and clients' staff. If anything at work feels wrong or unsafe, tell someone you trust in the office; you do not have to deal with it alone.
13. Keep a learning notebook
Write every new term, portal name and short form. At the end of each day, write three things you learned. Spend some time on Excel basics too; our Excel for Tax Practice course is a practical place to start, and Excel for Chartered Accountants: 15 Formulas You Need lists the formulas offices use most.
- Office hours, attendance method and leave process known
- Confidentiality undertaking signed
- Folder structure and file naming rule learned
- DSC register process understood
- Names of who gives work, who reviews, who handles files
- Notebook started
A day-by-day plan for week one
| Day | What to finish |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Meet the team. Learn office hours. Get your computer and email login. Sign the confidentiality undertaking. |
| Day 2 | Learn the folder structure on the computer or cloud, and where paper files are kept. |
| Day 3 | Watch your senior do one task from start to end. |
| Day 4 | Do the same task yourself, with your senior reviewing. |
| Day 5 | Ask for the office rules on DSCs, client calls and WhatsApp. Make a list of your questions. |
| End of week | Ten minutes with your senior: what went well, what is unclear, what to learn next. |
Busy season changes the pace. During the ITR season or audit months the office may work longer hours, so ask early how your office handles late evenings and Saturdays.
Common first-week mistakes, and the better habit
Every new articled assistant makes a few of these. They are small, but seniors notice them. Here is what to do instead.
| Common mistake | Better habit |
|---|---|
| Saying "yes, I understood" when you did not | Repeat the task back in one line: "So I check the bank statement against the ledger for April to June, and mark the differences?" |
| Downloading client files to your own phone | Work only from the office folder or office email |
| Forwarding a client's message to a friend to ask what it means | Ask your senior; the message is confidential |
| Starting a new task before finishing the last one | Ask your senior which task comes first, and write the order down |
| Staying silent when stuck for an hour | Ask after ten to fifteen minutes, with what you have tried |
| Leaving without telling anyone | Two-line update before you go: done, pending, waiting for |
Notice the pattern: almost every better habit is about saying something out loud a little earlier. Offices run on small, clear messages. If you get into that habit in week one, the next three years of training become much smoother, for you and for the people who train you.
The onboarding course for new joiners in a CA office has a full lesson on mistakes and what to do when you are stuck, and another on your day, your tasks and how to report them.
ICAI rules that apply to you
As a trainee, some rules come from ICAI, not just from your office. Your working hours, leave, stipend and study time follow ICAI's articleship rules and your articleship deed. These change from time to time, so do not rely on what a friend in another office says. Keep a copy of your deed and read ICAI's current FAQs.
For principals: make the first week work
Most new joiners fail quietly in the first month because nobody told them the rules. A short, written onboarding plan fixes that, and it saves the senior from repeating the same answers to every batch.
Our First 90 Days in a CA Office course gives every new joiner 13 short lessons on exactly these rules, and new joiners can read the first lesson free. With the Office Subscription Plan, your own office's rules appear inside the lessons. The Small office plan is Rs. 1,499 + GST a year for you and 5 staff, about Rs. 4 a day, and includes every course.
Data safety is part of day one too; see Data Security for CA Firms: DPDP-Ready 12-Point Checklist. For what to learn after the first 90 days, read Skills Required for CA in 2026, Beyond the Syllabus.
Welcome to the profession. Be on time, be careful, ask well, and the rest of articleship gets much easier. Rules change: check the latest ICAI announcement before you act.
Questions people ask
What does an articled assistant do in the first week?
Mostly observing and small tasks: learning the folder structure, watching a senior complete one piece of work, then doing the same task under review. The first week is about habits, not speed.
What should I wear on my first day of articleship?
Plain formal or smart office clothes are safe in almost every CA office. Ask your senior on day one if there is a dress code for client visits or audits, and follow that.
Can I do graduation or another course during articleship?
ICAI requires students to take permission in Form 112, recommended by the principal, before taking up another course or occupation during articleship. Check ICAI's current articleship FAQs for the time limits and what is permitted.
Who decides my working hours and leave as an articled assistant?
Your hours and leave follow ICAI's articleship rules and your articleship deed, along with your office's own routine. The rules change from time to time, so read ICAI's current FAQs and ask your principal how leave is recorded.
What if I make a mistake in my first week?
Tell your senior immediately, say what you did and what you think went wrong, and ask how to fix it. Offices forgive honest early mistakes; they do not forgive hidden ones.
Sources
- ICAI, FAQs for Articleship forms, Form 112: permission for another course, business or occupation during articleship (ICAI Call Sahayata PDF)
- ICAI Code of Ethics, 13th edition (2026), Volume I: Second Schedule, Part I, Clause (1), confidentiality of client information (ICAI PDF)
- ICAI home page, for the latest announcements for students
On the Office plan, your office's own rules appear inside the First 90 Days lessons, and every staff member gets all the other courses too.
