Accountancy jobs - what's yours?

MoneySavingUser

ACCA is definitely a step-up from traditional exams - not sure how it compares to AAT

Not necessary at the start but eventually you will need to so you can get your 3 years work experience signed off

geek84

Hi Folks

I am on my last level of the AAT and hoping to go on to do the ACCA. Over the weekend, I bumped in to an old friend of mine and we got chatting over a cup of coffee.

Anyway, when I told him that I was doing the AAT and hoping to go on the ACCA, he was quite adamant in saying that I have definitely made the wrong career choice!

He said there are already plenty of unemployed accountants in the job market and I would most probably add to that list, at my age anyway,- I am approaching my mid 40s. This made me seriously think if I am indeed on the wrong career path and wasting my time & money.

Apparently, his older brother is a chartered accountant who got made redundant a few years ago. After finding it a struggle to gain employment , he decided to start off his own business - something to do with kleenzee. Apparently, he has about 100 people working for him, and making far more money as he would if working as an accountant !!

Anyway, back to my original question - Do you think we really have a lot of unemployed accountants? and if so, are we all wasting our time studying this course?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Any

Few of my friends have changed jobs during the recession... not a single one unemployed.
One of them was made redundant... only to find better paid job within the consultancy period..

What a "friend" you have there!! Now you are nearly finished dishing your hopes and efforts...

rikbar

Hey Geek84

Well, all industries have been affected by the downturn and therefore there will be some unemployed accountants.

A number from my old firm were let go, and many of these would be seen as the weaker of the ones at the firm. All found jobs soon after and I do not know of one of my year group or firm who are currently now looking for work.

Accountancy roles are there for those people who are strong academically and have passed their ACA/ACCA exams well and preferably first time. Age is not a huge factor, and you should find that getting a job will relate mainly to your experience gained whilst doing the qualification.


Stick with the plans, think about where you want the qualification to take you and try to make sure you get as much relevant accounting experience as you train, to increase your future employability in your chosen industry. I started training when I was 27 and many of my friends in my old industry said I was past it, I ended up in the Big 4 and am loving my work.

HTH Rikbar

zildjian

Does anyone know where i can find a list of ACCA approved employers? Ive heard they try and keep it close to their chest but its out there somewhere!

Just to try and help me find relevent places to apply for graduate trainee schemes! Not very many sites listing their vacancies in Scotland (that i have seen).

persa

zildjian wrote: »

Does anyone know where i can find a list of ACCA approved employers? Ive heard they try and keep it close to their chest but its out there somewhere!

Just to try and help me find relevent places to apply for graduate trainee schemes! Not very many sites listing their vacancies in Scotland (that i have seen).

I'm afraid I couldn't find a list of ACCA approved employers, but you could try looking for ACCA jobs through the ACCA Careers website and tracing backwards to see if the firms advertising there also train up ACCAs themselves. See: https://www.accacareers.com/browse-jobs

That said, why not go for the CA qualification instead? It's offered up and down the country, including by some of the Big 4, but it's especially popular in Scotland. I think several ICAS authorised firms also offer ACCA contracts, so if you look for firms offering ICAS training contracts in Scotland, you might spot some ACCA approved employers at the same time, if you're sure that's what you really want to do. See: https://atsv7.wcn.co.uk/search_engine/jobs.cgi?owner=5003743&ownertype=fair

zildjian

Thanks for the response Persa! Very much appreciated!

I have been primarily focussing on applying for ICAS training schemes which seem to be in the realm of things fewer, but yet easier to find. Ideally, i would like to ICAS over ACCA. For the sake of not putting all my eggs in the one basket, im looking to keep my eyes pealed for firms that do ACCA.

It does seem to be that most smaller accountancy firms in Scotland do ICAS (shocker, haha) and more larger corporations do ACCA/CIMA.

Anyway, im just finding icas schemes easy to find but ACCA training schemes outwidth the big 4 and other obvious corps, harder to find.

LadyMissA

this any good?

http://www2.accaglobal.com/archive/employersOLD/approved/

zildjian

Thank you but i cant see a list of employers from the link you have provided?

I hate being the person who just asks tons of questions but, what should i expect from interviews from accountancy firms? (that wasnt meant to sound like im going to get many or anything)

LadyMissA

maybe email the ACCA for a list?

http://www2.accaglobal.com/employers/choose/listing/