Over 30 and training

74Dub

Hi,
Is there anyone out there who is over 30 and on a training contract?
I'm considering switching to Accountancy from IT but want to make sure I go in aware of the difficulties I may face...

Thanks

shewasoctober

I'm not over 30, nor do I know anyone who is over 30 and training, but I'm sure they are out there. I think I've seen a few people mention it on other sites, but it's more that they had their occupation listed.

I mean, the accountancy bodies have a mature student route for a reason. Also, many people go back to college in their 30s and 40s. It's possible.

I mean, I'm not in my 30s, but I'm not far off. I'll be about 30 when I finish my training.

You have to be prepared to take a pay cut. Depending on your location and the size of the firm, you'll be making 15k-25k per annum. You will be studying part-time while working full-time. You could also study and take your first set of exams prior to your training, but the starting pay will be about the same. The larger firms have a standard starting salary. The only time you start higher is if you have a masters degree, and the difference is 500-1000 per annum. Also, remember that most firms will pay all your registration, course, and exam fees.

If you are looking to do this now, the deadlines are approaching. The ACA deadline is next month. However, you can register with the ACCA and CPA year round, you just have to be registered with them in order to register to sit exams, and there are deadlines for that too. Also, if you wan to start a training post immediately, it will be in a smaller practice since the larger firms recruit a year in advance. They should be taking applications soon for the Autumn 2009 start.

If you really want to change careers, I say go for it. In the end, it will be worth it.

Good luck! Cheers!

unas

Hi 74Dub, I am in a similar position i.e. I am over 30 and trying to change career and train in practice but have not managed to get a training contract yet. People are definitely open to the idea but they are a little sceptical about whether I'll actually like it and stay the distance, i.e. whether it's worth their while putting the effort into training someone like me in case I drop out six months or a year down the line.

For what it's worth I've now decided to get a couple of the exams first and may try to get some admin work with accounts exposure just so I can show I have some idea what I'm getting into. No idea if this will really help much but if nothing else it will show I'm determined :-)

Hope that gives you some idea what the issues can be - just my experience, but several interviewers have said they had "got burnt" with people trying to change career before, so convincing them you know what you are getting into seems crucial.

HTH

A2fan

I am over 30 and nearing end of contract - it has been very tough - I don't regret it as such but it was much tougher than I thought......

I got all exams 1st time after switching from IT....

It wouldn't be for me to recommend it or to discourage others from doing it - it depends on your reasons for switching in the 1st place.....

One absolutely brilliant lecturer that I had summarised very well the life of a trainee accountant - "Until you qualify, you are a slave"..........There's no point dressing it up or pretending that it is anything different.....

The initial pay cut was very big - and the pressure to pass exams was massive and the humiliation of being dressed down by cynical arrogant people who were often younger than me was very hard to take and I feel very bitter about that and am not likely to forget it anytime soon....

Practice is particularly cynical by its nature....haven't any experience of industry.....partners/managers are always looking for the next fee and they don't mind what they ask you to do or where they send you to help them bring it in........

IT background could be useful - eg an internal audit/IT audit type department in a practice may be interested in you....

Just an observation - some bigger practices will require a significant amount of travelling during busy season - depends on the circumstances of any particular practice and the location of their clients but this is difficult if you have committments - very few people over 30 stay in practice unless they are at a level where they are sending the slaves out on the road on Sunday evenings to be somewhere for the following day, and not actually doing much travelling themselves....

In general partners have a laissez-faire attitude - all that they are interested in is money.....no point pretending anything different there either......and accountants are the best to propagate greed that I have seen to date.....anything else is just window-dressing...

greendevil8

Are all practices this bad? I will be joining a medium sized practice as a trainee in mid september and wonder what to expect? Didnt think trainees would be treated like slaves I assumed we would be treated with the same respect as everyone else in the organisation. Im starting to get a bit scared now as im in my late 20s and have had considerable responsibility in previous jobs, what is the typical age of team leaders/ supervisors? and do they get on your case alot over errors etc.?? any advice appreciated

A2fan

You will be treated as a slave for a certain period of time in all practices I imagine...

There will be several menial repetitive tasks delegated to you - e.g. photocopying/filing/bank letters/backing up files/running errands etc will be some of the obvious ones......the length of time that you will be charged with such tasks will depend on how many trainees/students come on board after you've joined & when............those at the bottom have the privelege of all the cr*p jobs imaginable - even to the extent of running out to the shop for those further up the pecking order!

Not pleasant if you are used to being further up the ladder....

There may be a culture of delegation which can often lead to those further up the chain delegating where it takes longer to explain what they want rather than to do it themselves......and this doesn't necessarily mean that what's being delegated to you will be of any educational / experiental value either.....you are a unit of production and will be treated as such....those further up the pecking order will have varying levels of people skills which may or may not make your life easier but that's of no concern to audit partners - it's only about getting the job done in the fastest time possible and getting the biggest fee that they can....nothing else matters.....

Team leaders/supervisors will typically be mid to late 20's - for many it is their 1st job since college (and it may show) and they will be experiencing having a qualified accountant's salary/new car/holidays/golf outings/weddings/bling etc for the 1st time so they are far more important in the world than you are at that stage and are real big shots of course!

They may have a certain level of responsibility without actually knowing how to handle it and/or behaving in a very immature way inside/outside of work - some may think they know everything.....and that you know nothing - which will be true some of the time but not indefinitely......

The ones that think they know all will be the most difficult to work for as they will not give clear instructions because they actually don't have a clue themselves and will try to blame you when it goes wrong then.....even though it is their fault inevitably you will wind up doing it all again - that is both intensely annoying & humiliating....as stated it is laissez-faire....

Lordan

Hi there

I will be over 40 (but dont look it ahem) by the time I complete my training contract. Am 6 months into it at the minute and every day has been a struggle I just had to dig my heals in and pure stubborness has gotten me thru up ro now.

Alot of what has been said by A2fan is completely true and really you need to grow a very thick skin to work in practice. I think alot has to do with the manager over you. Some are good at what they do and others are not good.

I dont think the treatment of trainees older or younger differs much we are all slaves and all treated the same for the training years. I feel the difference lies in that older trainees usually have gained experience in industry and in how people should be treated and respected whereas those straight out of college have not experienced being treated as a person and therefore know no different.

In saying all that I still feel that to date I learned more in my 6 months so far than in all my 10 years in industry. So if its what you want be prepared for a tough slog but it will be well worth it.

greendevil8

these stories dont sound re-assuring at all, when you say every day has been a struggle what has made it a struggle? what is the first week usually like for a trainee , are you thrown right in the deep end or given time to settle in, i'm starting to think that a certain element of bullying exists , would that be correct? and is treatment worse in aca firms as they know you are tied to them for 3.5 years?

A2fan

I'd say all practices are the same - you won't really be thrown at the deep end - there's an endless amount of cr*p jobs as mentioned earlier to occupy you!
I have seen both over 30's & graduates quit training contracts in practices - bullying was definitely a factor in some of the cases....that may depend on luck.....definitely the supervisors are a factor there.....some become supervisors by process of elimination - ie a lot of qualified people can't wait to get out of the place once the training contract is up! Anybody who hangs around may be promoted depending on how anxious the firm is to keep them - and it may not be that they are much good in reality......

boggerboy

Hi there
I am 31 (looks worse when its written in front of you!!) and am starting a Training contract next Monday. I have been working in IT sales for the last 12 years, had some very good times and have worked my way up to Sales manager level. But i lost the buzz, the enjoyment of it all and have been looking at changing for quite a while now.Looked at all different things and decided on Accountancy-bearing in mind that if you qualify you don't necessarily have to end up just doing "accounts", there are a mulitude of options and if you have a strong background in IT you could do compliance or fraud and such things.

Anyway, there were a lot of things to consider besides just the career change and working for a practice, mortgage, putting off having kids etc. I spoke to various people about whether to work in practice (big or small) or industry.Majority of opinion was to go for a small practice for the focus and exposure you will get, particularly coming from a non financial background.

if you have the option financially etc, i say go for it,its not going to be easy, thats obvious, study etc but then again, nothing worthwhile is ever that easy
PM if you have anymore questions and i can also let you know how i am getting on from next week..

Best of luck what ever you decide!