what do i need to do to become an accountant?

subway

i am getting a bit older, and am really starting to think about a profesional career that i can settle into.
accountancy was always something i enjoyed (B at honors LC) and maths was something i also enjoyed (A at honors LC)

i never did the "college thing", instead arsing about, followed by getting on with working.

im now in my mid 20's and on more money than most people i know.
im in a management role in a large multi, and doing a good job.
its not for me tho, and i cant see myself doing this forever.

so, the questions starts -
*how do i become an accountant, - theres so much info out there i dont even know where to start (the sticky has around 20 links...)

*do i need to get a degree / diploma / evening course?

* or should i just walk into a firm (small or big) and say "im smart, train me!"?

i fully understand the need to take a monstrous pay cut at some point, so the sooner the better i would think.
ideally i would like to get a job and work my way through the exams to get qualified.
if i need to do a course, then i will, my preference being a short route into work, rather than a long study followed by a shorter apprenticeship / trainee period

help!
a link to a guide that i can read would be so very much appreciated

and apoloigies in advance, i know this has all been asked before, but i just cant seem to get it all into one coherent piece.
if i do decide to go down this route, i will probably use this thread as a bookmark starting point where possible

subway

Entry requirements
We can offer you various entry points on to the ACCA Qualification, depending on your age and previous academic qualifications.


Minimum entry requirements
two A Levels and three GCSEs or equivalent in five separate subjects, including English and Mathematics.
Full information on the minimum entrance criteria for each country is available in the ‘related documents’ section.


Mature Student Entry Route (MSER)
Normally over age 21
no academic qualifications required
must pass the equivalent of Papers F2, Management Accounting and F3, Financial Accounting within two years before further progression to the ACCA exams is permitted.


Graduate-entry route
relevant degree holders from ACCA-accredited institutions may be exempted from all nine exams within the Fundamentals level and register directly at the Professional level. Degrees with some relevance may also qualify for exemptions


Access to ACCA via CAT qualification
no academic qualifications required
sit Certified Accounting Technician
(CAT) qualification first and then transfer to the Skills module of the ACCA Qualification by claiming exemption from the first three papers in the Knowledge module.

so looking at that, it assumes i am going the ACCA route, i presume this is the way to go?

my options are MSER or via CAT
MSER - does this mean i have to become a full time student again?
CAT - is this a worthwile method, and will i still have to go to college?

subway

ok, so CAT looks to be the best method for me -
where should i get my "1 years experience"?

can i do this expereince part time, or will i need to get a full time job?
what job title should i be looking for?
i searched for trainee accountant, but everything seems to want part ACCA qualified with a degree

Climber

I was in a similiar situation to yourself a year ago. i.e. doing a 'non accounting role', getting old and wanting a change.

Now I'm a part qualified accountant with one years experience earning just as much as I was when I left my last job.

ok, so CAT looks to be the best method for me

No it's not. Go straight into ACCA. You can do this part time, 90% of people do it this way i.e. work 9-5 and then go to class from 6-10. It's a hard slog but that's the commitment you have to make.

i fully understand the need to take a monstrous pay cut at some point, so the sooner the better i would think.

Not neccesarily. If you're telling the truth about being a manger in a multi then that means you have something to offer i.e. you're not 17 years old with zero experience in anything. You'd be surprised how much a fund admin company in the IFSC would be willing to pay you, maybe take a 6 month contract. You will take a pay cut for sure, but like myself, within a year I am back to a reasonable level

subway

thanks for the reply, its very helpful.

when you say go straight to acca, do you mean via college?
what college do you recommend and how much will it cost me?
do i need to be working in accounting to get this going?

any suggestions of how to get a job in the IFSC, agency?

subway

reading through the bpp site.
should i simply pick 5 modules, pay the money and get going?
as i understand i need to be in an accountancyh job to start acca, is this correct?

what about the accountancy degree in dbs, would i be better off to do that?

Triple A

subway wrote: »

thanks for the reply, its very helpful.

when you say go straight to acca, do you mean via college?
what college do you recommend and how much will it cost me?
do i need to be working in accounting to get this going?

any suggestions of how to get a job in the IFSC, agency?

I wouldnt take just any job. This is obviously a crossroads in your career and you should choose wisely.

Obviously obtaining your exams is your priority but what do you want to do with the qualification when you have it? Do you want to go further and obtain a practicing certificate? or is it your objective to go back into Industry on completion of your exams?

There are many colleges that do night courses. Dublin Busines School, BPP & Griffith College. I would go straight into ACCA if thats what you choose.

Its not essential to be working in accounting firm to get this going, but it can be handy as most accountancy firms will pay for your college fees and exams as well as giving you time off to study. The ACCA exams sit in June and December and i believe you have till the end of Jan to register for the June sittings, so you dont have too long.

subway

sorry for all the questions, if there is an open evening or detailed instructions online,
id be happy to go off and read them, but i cant seem to find anything

yom 1

You can apply to go and sit the professional exams with ACCA, CPA, and ACA. Personally I got a job in a small practice and started from scratch working during the day and attending Griffith College in the evenings to achieve my qualification as a CPA accountant. As was said its a tough slog but one your just gonna have to make. They also do courses for the ACCA exams. There are plenty of other places that have evening courses for both aswell(in dublin anyway) like Dublin Business School, BPP and others. Have a look at the websites of the different professinal bodies and see which suits. I'm nearly certain they have a list of colleges on them aswell. You seem to have info on ACCA so this is a link to the CPA website www.cpaireland.ie

Hope this helps

subway

Triple A wrote: »

I wouldnt take just any job. This is obviously a crossroads in your career and you should choose wisely.

i understand that its a big step to take, however, my only experience of accoutning is in school, and i didnt think about it seriously as a career so never got any advice on it.
when you say choose wisely, do you have any pointers for me?

Obviously obtaining your exams is your priority but what do you want to do with the qualification when you have it? Do you want to go further and obtain a practicing certificate? or is it your objective to go back into Industry on completion of your exams?

as above, due to lack of knowledge of the field, i dont know much about where i expect it to take me, im tired of the big coporate lifestlye and love the thought of my own practice / partnership so imagine id want to be aiming in that direction, again any pointers are apprecaited.

There are many colleges that do night courses. Dublin Busines School, BPP & Griffith College. I would go straight into ACCA if thats what you choose.

is it as simple as registering with acca? they then explain whcih exams to do and in what order?
i presume i need to do the 9 foundations first, followed by 7 professional, as i see it on the bpp website anyway.

Its not essential to be working in accounting firm to get this going, but it can be handy as most accountancy firms will pay for your college fees and exams as well as giving you time off to study. The ACCA exams sit in June and December and i believe you have till the end of Jan to register for the June sittings, so you dont have too long.

thanks, if i am doing any role in an accountancy firm, will they pay my fees, im looking at irish jobs and all i seem to be able to see are graduate positions


thansk for your reply

subway

yom 1 wrote: »

You can apply to go and sit the professional exams with ACCA, CPA, and ACA.

should i apply directly to them to do the exams, i presume i will need to get some training / studying before i sit any?
is it one or t'other, and is ther guidelines on which one to pick?
i was under the impression that acca is the way to go?

Personally I got a job in a small practice and started from scratch working during the day and attending Griffith College in the evenings to achieve my qualification as a CPA accountant.

im you dont mind me asking, how did you get a job in the practise, what was your job title etc. im a bit lost as to what i should be applying for and so on

As was said its a tough slog but one your just gonna have to make. They also do courses for the ACCA exams. There are plenty of other places that have evening courses for both aswell(in dublin anyway) like Dublin Business School, BPP and others. Have a look at the websites of the different professinal bodies and see which suits. I'm nearly certain they have a list of colleges on them aswell. You seem to have info on ACCA so this is a link to the CPA website www.cpaireland.ie

cheers, im piecing it together from the acca site so far, will read the cpa one now

Hope this helps

very much so, and its very much appreciated.
thanks

yom 1

subway wrote: »

should i apply directly to them to do the exams, i presume i will need to get some training / studying before i sit any?

Yes. Contact them first about training as an ACCA/CPA they will give you all the details you need. Basically you register as a student of theirs and sit exams set by them. When you have this sorted you can look into attending a college for evening courses.

ACCA have classes that run from Feb to June quite intensely and you sit exams in June and then they start up again, Sept to December with exams just before christmas. From others working here it tends to be 2 subjects studied and another 2(effectively 4 a year) and so on until your finals which are 3.

CPA on the other hand start in September and run courses until April with exams in the last week of April. With CPA you sit 4 exams a year, same as ACCA but you sit them all together. Your studying during the year tends to be less intense but possibly makes the exam week much more so, as you have 4 exams a sitting, once a year, rather than 2 exams, twice a year(If you follow me)

im you dont mind me asking, how did you get a job in the practise, what was your job title etc. im a bit lost as to what i should be applying for and so on

My job title would have been a Trainee Accountant. You should be able to find plenty of places looking for them. Wages starting out werent great but they paid my college fees, exam fees, membership subscription and also most places give study leave aswell

subway

thanks again,
so my plan should be to register with ACCA first, start looking for a trainee acountant position, then do night courses to pass my exams?

or am i getting it backwards?

Triple A

subway wrote: »

thanks again,
so my plan should be to register with ACCA first, start looking for a trainee acountant position, then do night courses to pass my exams?

or am i getting it backwards?

That sounds good. As i said previosuly if you want to sit exams in June you'd better get your skates on.

I sent you a PM regarding a current trainee accountant position available.

yom 1

subway wrote: »

thanks again,

No problem. As Triple A says get the finger out to start in February. Good luck with it.

subway

thanks for the PM Triple A, I will be registering with ACCA asap.

animal

all very sound advice being offerred there!

I wouldn't knock the fact that you got a B in the LC in accounting and an A in Maths. You obviously have brains. The first financial accounting paper is very similar to LC standard - just a little more to it. Most people who do a degree are exempt from this. You should have no problem with a little study. All the earlier papers are not that bad but its certainly worth learning the basics well.

You'll prob find the hardest part is getting back into the swing of studying.

With regards a job - there would be plenty of jobs out there to suit you. It's just a matter of finding one. I had done a degree IT and after 2 years of dossing decided to become an Accounting. While job hunting i had started the ACCA exams and I think this was respected as it showed i was serious about pursuing it. People usually do 2/3 exams per sitting. 3 of the earlier one's should be no problem to you - provided you find your able to study after the few years of dossing.
These will prob be Financial Accounting, a Management accounting (incl basic maths) and a bull$hit theory subject for which the exams are really not difficult and you'd probably be wasting your time going to lectures for - especially if you dont have a job that will pay for it in the near future.

Which college is the best? Thats a real can of worms. Completely depends on the lecturers really. I used BPP for most and found the books very well laid out and easy to follow. I'm sure they all are though....
Good luck.

subway

cheers, seems ive missed the deadline for ACCA this half (07/01/08) so im going to hang on and try and get a position as a trainee accountant.

ill see if the company will assist in getting things going for me.
if things dont go well, ill register for the december exams.

does that make sense, or should i just register anyway?

yom 1

Well If you've missed the dealine for June exams and your desperate to get started quickly CPA run their second set of yearly exams the first week of September. This link gives the details of timelines for registering to be allowed sit exams in September.

http://www.cpaireland.ie/displaycontent.aspx?node=98&groupID=98&parentID=3

Speaking from experience if you were registering for Formation 1(1st year exams) now, you could easily pass them in the September sitting. When I was doing them, Formation 1 was done by distance learning only in Griffith College. They then held a revision weekend for each subject just before the exams. I didnt open a book through the year and just attended them. They were more than enough to get me through. Subjects were Business Maths, Economics and Business Law. The maths and economics are no more than LC standard. Business Law was the only one that I was worried about but that was because I've always struggled with Law subjects rather than it being hard.

Either way you may aswell register with ACCA or CPA now as a student. Like you said shows your serious when it comes to looking for a job.

undecided

Op im in similar situation as you except I wouldn't have experience in much of anything! Had my family young in my mid 20s now and want to get my life back!

Have to say this is a great thread - a goldmine of info. I've looking into this for a while and have been finding it very confusing thanks to you all for all the info!

Just one Q

Do you have to be working/training to get qualification and if so does it have to be full time?

Thanks!