ISC Paris ISC Paris
commissaire aux comptes pointant du doigt des informations sur son ordinateur

Statutory Auditor Career Guide

Statutory auditors examine financial statements to ensure accuracy, compliance, and reliability. They assess internal controls, verify accounting practices, and protect stakeholders’ interests. Here’s what the role involves and how to prepare for it.

More informations about the Bachelor Banking and Finance Contact-Us

The key points

  • Entry requirements Post-baccalaureate level training in Accounting, Finance, or Management
  • Average salary Average annual starting salary (40,000 and 47,000 euros gross per year)
  • Miniature horloge Duties Audit the accounts – Monitor legal compliance – Write reports – Report irregularities
  • Miniature discussion Skills Rigor – Financial analysis – Regulatory knowledge – Proficiency in digital tools
  • Miniature sacoche Career progression Firm Partner – Chief of Staff – Administrative and Financial Director
  • Pictogramme campus ISC Paris courses Bachelor in Banking and Finance - Master’s in Expertise, Audit and Control - MSc in Finance and Risk Management

What does a Statutory Auditor do?

The statutory auditor is responsible for certifying the accuracy of a company’s annual accounts.

This external expert, who is independent of the company, is responsible for its accounting, legal and financial control. He verifies that the company’s accounts:

  • Comply with the legal standards in force;
  • Reflect the financial and accounting reality of the company;
  • Contain accurate data.

To do this, they carry out a statutory audit, based on French and European standards, looking out for the slightest irregularity.

The auditor generally practises as a self-employed professional, sworn in by the High Council of Auditors to be qualified to carry out their legal duties.

Their involvement is either mandatory or optional. Their appointment is mandatory for limited liability companies, public limited companies, simplified joint stock companies and single-member limited liability companies that exceed a turnover threshold set by law.

compliance officer avec tablette numerique

What does the job of Statutory Auditor involve?

How to become a Statutory Auditor?

To practise this profession, you must:

  • Have a minimum of eight years of higher education;
  • Complete a two- or three-year internship with a certified auditor;

Register with the CNCC (National Association of Auditors in France).

Start with a bachelor’s degree

Students can begin their studies with a three-year programme, such as a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a bachelor’s degree in banking and finance, offered as a work-study programme in the third year.

Continue with a five-year degree

Several five-year degree programmes will eventually lead to this profession:

Students must then complete their training with a three-year internship with a certified auditor (or two years if they hold a Diploma in Accounting).

An alternative route for non-specialized profiles

For holders of master’s degrees in other specialties, the State has set up the CPFCAC: the Preparatory Certificate for Statutory Auditor Functions.

Successful completion of this test allows access to a three-year internship. At the end of this internship, candidates take the CAFCAC (Certificate of Aptitude for Auditing Functions), which gives access to official registration on the list of auditors.

Trainings to become a Statutory Auditor proposed by ISC Paris

STUDY AT ISC PARIS…
with a Bachelor in Banking and Finance
STUDY AT ISC PARIS…
with a Master Accounting & Auditing
STUDY AT ISC PARIS…
with a MSc in Finance and Risk Management

The main skills of a Statutory Auditor

1) Ability to read financial statements: financial statements are documents that summarize all of an organization’s financial activities. Balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements… they are in their element when it comes to analysing these documents in minute detail.

2) Knowledge of accounting, legal and tax standards: an essential skill for detecting any irregularities or non-compliance with current standards.

3) Proficiency in digital tools: accounting software, Excel spreadsheets, etc. Auditors are highly proficient in office tools. They use them on a daily basis to process large volumes of data quickly and efficiently.

What soft skills do you need to be a Statutory Auditor ?

  • Rigour and composure
  • Pragmatism
  • Methodological mindset
  • Analytical and synthesis skills
  • Strong sense of ethics
  • Curiosity
  • Interpersonal skills
étudiante ISC lisant un livre dehors

What are the career opportunities for a Statutory Auditor?

If they work in an accounting firm, auditors gradually climb the career ladder (junior, portfolio assistant, senior assistant, etc.). Their skills also enable them to move into various roles in the financial sector, particularly in banks, investment funds and large companies.
Here are a few examples of career paths:

HOW MUCH DOES A STATUTORY AUDITOR EARN?
What is the salary of a junior Statutory Auditor?
At the start of their career, auditors earn an average monthly salary of between €40,000 and €47,000 gross per year. This corresponds to a gross monthly salary of €3,300 to €3,900, or approximately €2,500 to €3,000 net per month.

The salary of a junior auditor varies depending on the quality of their training, but also on their status. In private practice, the assignments entrusted to a novice auditor are rarer than those entrusted to a more experienced auditor.
In a firm, the larger the firm, the higher the salary offered.
There is also a difference between the salaries offered by firms in Paris and elsewhere in France. In the Paris region, salaries can be up to 20% higher than in other French provinces.
HOW MUCH DOES A STATUTORY AUDITOR EARN?
What is the salary of a senior Statutory Auditor?
The salary of a senior auditor with more than five years’ experience ranges from €50,000 to €80,000 gross per year. Their monthly income is therefore between €4,150 and €6,650 gross, or approximately €3,200 to €5,150 net per month.
Those with more than 10 years of professional experience can expect higher salaries, reaching up to €90,000 gross per year. Here too, salaries in Paris and the surrounding area are higher than the national average.
If they set up their own firm, senior auditors can earn over €100,000 gross per year, depending on the size of their client portfolio.