Help. Need advice on accessing accountancy.

heretolearn_2

Audit is also an option with ACCA :-) (but you gotta be a certain type of person to enjoy it, it seems to me).

dizzyrascal

I didn't think you could sign off an audit if you are an ACCA but you can be part of the process?
People have given you good advice here. You need to get some lower level qualifications under your belt because if you intend to apply for training contracts (sponsorship) then you will be up against graduates with good degrees. Although accountancy does not need a degree, it is the most popular graduate destination.
And get some experience ( as suggested above, and it's likely to be voluntary work)

heretolearn_2

Not true, ACCAs can be Registered Auditors. We are an ACCA firm, and we do plenty of audits.

Info from the Register of Statutory Auditors:
"This has been transposed into UK Law by the Companies Act 2006. This Act provides powers to bodies known as Recognised Supervisory Bodies (RSBs) to register and supervise auditors. The RSBs are:

• The Association of Authorised Public Accountants
• The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland"

denla

pleasedelete wrote: »

What gcse and a levels do you have ? Do you have a good degree from a Russell group university?
How old are you? How mobile are you?
What is your salary ambition? What do you think is a good salary for an accountant?

You don't really tell us enough to advise?

GCSEs, A levels and degree from top uni all matters if you're trying to be an Accountant these days. Most employers only hire a high flyer graduate who's a qualified accountant.

dizzyrascal

heretolearn wrote: »

Not true, ACCAs can be Registered Auditors. We are an ACCA firm, and we do plenty of audits.

Info from the Register of Statutory Auditors:
"This has been transposed into UK Law by the Companies Act 2006. This Act provides powers to bodies known as Recognised Supervisory Bodies (RSBs) to register and supervise auditors.

Thanks for that, very interesting. I had not realised that things had changed so much.

dizzyrascal

denla wrote: »

GCSEs, A levels and degree from top uni all matters if you're trying to be an Accountant these days. Most employers only hire a high flyer graduate who's a qualified accountant.

More likely that they would want to train them from graduation.

denla

dizzyrascal wrote: »

More likely that they would want to train them from graduation.

Don't you mean part qualified at least after graduation? It takes a long time training from scratch and the employer would prefer the employee part qualified so able to work immediately.

heretolearn_2

Graduate trainee schemes have all but disappeared in last few years. There still are some running, and also schemes taking on at A Level stage, but they take some hunting out and competition is fierce. Most people fund their own training now.

dizzyrascal

We are over run with the big accountancy firms trying to recruit our graduates at the moment. It is sometimes hard to convince students that there are other companies to work for.
They all offer a full training package with funding for the successful graduates.
Most of the larger local firms that come on to campus also still offer the full package too.

persa

denla wrote: »

Don't you mean part qualified at least after graduation? It takes a long time training from scratch and the employer would prefer the employee part qualified so able to work immediately.

My experiences and those of my peers are that employers prefer people with zero experience, or fully qualified. It's difficult finding a job in between.

You may be a part qualified ACA, but what if the company isn't an authorised training firm and you can't finish your training there? Are you preferred to transfer to ACCA? Does the employer want to pay you to do ACCA? If it's a tax role, maybe they don't care about your accountancy qualification and want you to do ATT from scratch instead.

When you're part qualified, it's difficult finding an organisation where you slot neatly in - many employers have a preferred training route and will expect you to find a way to fit into it.