Accountancy jobs - what's yours?

hur575

http://www.accaglobal.com/join/acca/

suja1983

Hello everyone.

I am after some advice.

I graduated from London Metropolitan University in December 2008 with a 2.1 degree in Accounting and Finance. My view when completing the degree was to sign up with CIMA, as I hated financial accounting. In my final year, I worked in a cash and carry as an accounts assistant/purchase ledger clerk, and hated the work, although the money was good for the amount of work I was doing (£18,000). Gave this up when I became pregnant in April 2008, and have not worked in accounts since.
I've got an interview tomorrow to become a teacher, but having looked at forums on this, I think teaching is not that great a job for the hours put in, and the money you receive afterwards. I know the holidays are great, and with two children, that'd be wise. But I want to work to live, not live to work! Lazy, I know but that's my philosophy.
Would accounting be a better profession, in terms of money? A degree doesn't seem to be enough. Would doing an AAT course help get me a job, or should I continue with my CIMA application?
Please help me decide what I'm doing. My ideal senario would involve me becoming qualified enough to emigrate in a few years time. So I need money and experience!!!
Thanks for reading.
Suja

hur575

suja1983 wrote: »

Hello everyone.

I am after some advice.

I graduated from London Metropolitan University in December 2008 with a 2.1 degree in Accounting and Finance. My view when completing the degree was to sign up with CIMA, as I hated financial accounting. In my final year, I worked in a cash and carry as an accounts assistant/purchase ledger clerk, and hated the work, although the money was good for the amount of work I was doing (£18,000). Gave this up when I became pregnant in April 2008, and have not worked in accounts since.
I've got an interview tomorrow to become a teacher, but having looked at forums on this, I think teaching is not that great a job for the hours put in, and the money you receive afterwards. I know the holidays are great, and with two children, that'd be wise. But I want to work to live, not live to work! Lazy, I know but that's my philosophy.
Would accounting be a better profession, in terms of money? A degree doesn't seem to be enough. Would doing an AAT course help get me a job, or should I continue with my CIMA application?
Please help me decide what I'm doing. My ideal senario would involve me becoming qualified enough to emigrate in a few years time. So I need money and experience!!!
Thanks for reading.
Suja

You story sounds like mine although I have no accounting degree, I am defiantly interested in career which can be used anywhere in the world.
Regarding what you should study, I am sure others will advice you but from my research if you have a degree then you can do ACCA, I think with your degree in accounting you get few papers exemptions. assistant/purchase ledger is the first level before you become fully qualified, hopefully once you are, you would do better jobs.

Any

suja1983 wrote: »

Hello everyone.

I am after some advice.

I graduated from London Metropolitan University in December 2008 with a 2.1 degree in Accounting and Finance. My view when completing the degree was to sign up with CIMA, as I hated financial accounting. In my final year, I worked in a cash and carry as an accounts assistant/purchase ledger clerk, and hated the work, although the money was good for the amount of work I was doing (£18,000). Gave this up when I became pregnant in April 2008, and have not worked in accounts since.
I've got an interview tomorrow to become a teacher, but having looked at forums on this, I think teaching is not that great a job for the hours put in, and the money you receive afterwards. I know the holidays are great, and with two children, that'd be wise. But I want to work to live, not live to work! Lazy, I know but that's my philosophy.
Would accounting be a better profession, in terms of money? A degree doesn't seem to be enough. Would doing an AAT course help get me a job, or should I continue with my CIMA application?
Please help me decide what I'm doing. My ideal senario would involve me becoming qualified enough to emigrate in a few years time. So I need money and experience!!!
Thanks for reading.
Suja

Hmmm....
I have to say that as you said you didn't like (hated) the work of accounts assistant and you think that teacher even with loads of holidays is too much work then I cannot see you liking work in accountancy...

Once you do put a loads of hard work in and move up the ladder the money is good though and ACCA especially is very international...

Maybe we should get to the bottom of why you hated the work in accounts before though.

suja1983

To be fair, I think rather than the actual job, it was the environment I hated. My role was accounts assistant although it was mostly purchase ledger that I did. Although I found it monotonous, I was good at it. So I think that I'm confusing the bad work environment with accounting. I'm not averse to hard work. Just want something I can enjoy. Would you advise acca in preference to cima?
Thanks.

jessicamb

You have to decide really for yourself which qualification is better for you. ACCA probably makes better financial accountants, CIMA better management accountants. They are reasonably interchangeable though so have a look at the syllabuses and see which you prefer. How they are recognised internationally can be checked out too to see if they reciprocal agreements with other countries. CIMA have some in place, I guess ACCA do it.

I would say be sure you are up for the work though before committing to it. Its rarely a pure nine to five job and can be quite pressurised when there are deadlines t hit. Especially if you want to be successful.

lazer

I'm ACA (ICAI) qualified.

I think if your starting off with a degree and are prepared to go into practice - this is really the best starting point.

The big 4 take on a large number of trainees every year (even in these trying times) and the medium firms are also worth trying (espically the likes of BDO and Grant Thortan)

Doing ACA - doesn't mean you exclude the possibility of management accounts (part of the course is Management Accounts). I'm now working as a Management accountant in Industy.
I know my company prefers to employ those with ACA qualifications!

In realtion to the experience, many of the big companies also do summer internships etc so it may be worth applying for these, and just sending your CV out to various small practices asking for experience.

All the qualifications have their own merits and i think the relevant factor the type of study you are prepared to do. Doing ACA in practice usually has more support and study leave etc. CIMA - rules out careers in practice, and ACCA has a similar structure to CIMA but a different set of exams!

sf123

Quiet_Life wrote: »

As an alternative to AAT, the Open University does a Certificate in Accounting, which covers book keeping, financial accounting, management accounting and managing organisations ( wnich consists of economics, law, HR, marketing, management theory.... and a few other bits and bobs)
Was a 0ne year course, may be two now.

It is accredited by CIMA, ACCA, CIPFA, CPA,IFA & AIA and recognised by the IAB

You get slightly more ACCA exemptions with this than with AAT too.

I did the one year course - word of warning, it is quite intense and I think anyone going into it without a bit of prior knowledge may struggle. Though that may have changed if it is now a 2-year course. I already knew a lot as I was already working in accounts and just wanted a qualification to "confirm" what I knew... there were a lot of people dropped out of my course. I think my first tutorial there were 20+ of us... by the end, there were only 6 (and all of us were already in an accounts-type role).

A couple of colleagues of mine did the AAT route at the same time, and basically they seemed to cover things in a lot more detail (lots of workbooks, practice exercices, etc). But the OU course suited me fine.

Depends on your needs really, but I thought it was worth mentioning

skintsaver_2

evening everyone, i would like to study to be an accountant or work in some type of accountancy but at the moment i can not attend college or university so have applied to the open university and am starting an introdution to bookeeping and accountants which is apparently equivelent to IAB level 4. I can then go on to do further coureses with the OU but this is the one they recommened i start with. Will this lead me down the right road into the job i would love
Any advice greatly appreciated
Thanks

geek84

I also want to change career and go into accountancy. I am doing a book keeping course via distance learning and then I have been adviced to do the AAT, since I have limited accounting knowledge, except for work experience in credit control. I to wanted to go into FE teaching like Suja1983, but have been adviced not to, since the new government wil be making cuts. Please see forums on tes.co.uk.
Finally,I know this forum is for accountancy and I do not want to be accussed of highjacking the forum, but one or two of you have suggested going into FE teaching. If you look at tes.co.uk then it will give you more information about the current status of the FE sector.

Thanks