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Career advice

  • 10-09-2008 11:38pm
    #1
    shaunybhoy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭


    Hey, first time posting, be gentle.

    Just thought i would ask for a bit of advice. I'm thinking of heading in the accounts direction as a career choice, I'm pretty intrested in it and i reckon i can build on that. But I'm not exactly sure how I could get into it.

    I was thinking of registering with the ACCA and getting into one of their CAT courses (and maybe progress from there to become a professional accountant). From what I have read that would mean I would need a years work placement before I got my qualifications. All I have to my name relevant to accounting experience is a fairly simple Sage course, Manual Accounts and Computerised Payroll course, and 2 months work experience in an office in Canada, would it be realistic for me to hope to get a place as a trainee accountant while I studied? From what I've read here a lot of the trainee accountants are just out of college, I'm not really at that level yet.

    If I'm being unrealistic, what other options/paths do I have?

    Cheers in advance


Comments

  • #2
    shewasoctober
    Closed Accounts Posts: 134 ✭✭shewasoctober


    If you have a Bachelor degree in any area, you shouldn't have a problem finding a trainee position. You are required to train for 3 years. If you are over 21 or 23, you can skip the CAT even if you don't have a degree and start with the first set of exams. I have a degree in literature with no background in accounting and just started my training contract with a BIG 4 at the CAP1 stage for the ACA. They are more interested in what you are capable of.

    Do a search on here (there are loads of posts on this) and talk to someone at the ACCA. Training while studying usually helps becuase you are also performing the tasks you will be learning about in your course.

    Best of luck.


  • #3
    The CCAinsider
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 129 ✭✭The CCAinsider


    All of the big employers will want a degree - but any degree will do really. Smaller practices will take trainees without a degree and train you from scratch while you do evening lectures and take your exams. ACCA is more flexable and if you are really keen, skip CAT and go straight to ACCA. Finish the foundation level and you will get an honours degree, so if you don't make it all the way you have some qualification.

    Type the name of your town into https://www.acca-business.org/pls/ecommerce/edoml001.p_find_firm and it will list most of the accounting practice locally with addresses. Just send CV's and see what happens.

    If you have a degree, think of larger employers and see http://www.accaglobal.com/documents/gradguide08.pdf for employers with graduate training programmes.


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