Trainee Accountant Jobs

Hewhodares

Hi guys,

I've recently finished a postgraduate Diploma in accounting and have all the CAP1 exemptions an I am hoping to do ACA. I have a received a 1st overall in my exams.

I've applied for the milkround last autumn and got 2 interviews but did not get them. I've also done about 4 interviews for trainee jobs so far this summer but haven't gotten any of them. Some have even been re-advertised. I've applied for all of the jobs advertised on the ACA website and also sent CV's to all the other practices that do training which are listed on the website. I've also gone to various recruitment agencies around Dublin with my CV's but they weren't much help. I've also applied to jobs on the various recruitment websites(Irishjobs, recruitireland and monster etc)

I've looked in to the masters courses to get CAP2 exemptions but was I am too late to apply for the UCD Smurfit one. I dont want to go to DCU for various reasons. The only option seems to be DIT which I've heard isn't great for getting in to the Big 4 which i'd hope to do if I had the masters(would ideally like to get sponsored to do it). It may be waste of time and I could be in the same position in 12 months

There seems to be jobs out there but very tough to get in.

Just looking for advice on what I should do and any advice on the job hunting
because I've kind of run out of ideas

Cheers

thefa

How have you felt the 6 interviews you done went? Were there any recurring queries over any weaknesses on your CV?

Hewhodares

Some of them Okay i thought, and others had a small test at the end of them which I wasn't really prepared for and got very confused by some of the questions on the test. They didn't give me any feedback so I'm not really sure what went wrong

Possibly because because of a two year gap between when I finished my degree which is engineering(2.2) and my postgraduate course. Though I did get some experience with my parents business accounts during this time. The two year gap was due to not really wanting to go back to college and not really sure if I should change career path. My college experience wasn't the best. Since I've done the postgraduate course I've realized I really should have chosen commerce/business degree instead but didn't get any career advice in school, and I was never really encouraged to reach my full potential in school.Sorry if it seems like I'm ranting.

Prettyblack

Hewhodares wrote: »

Some of them Okay i thought, and others had a small test at the end of them which I wasn't really prepared for and got very confused by some of the questions on the test. They didn't give me any feedback so I'm not really sure what went wrong

Possibly because because of a two year gap between when I finished my degree which is engineering(2.2) and my postgraduate course. Though I did get some experience with my parents business accounts during this time. The two year gap was due to not really wanting to go back to college and not really sure if I should change career path. My college experience wasn't the best. Since I've done the postgraduate course I've realized I really should have chosen commerce/business degree instead but didn't get any career advice in school, and I was never really encouraged to reach my full potential in school.Sorry if it seems like I'm ranting.

I think if you have an engineering degree you can forget about the Big 4. They only want to take on finance / accountancy graduates.

Your best bet is the ACA elevation programme. You don't need to be in a big 4 company or even a firm when you start and you can start your cap 2s and split them up etc etc which is great cos you can't do that under a contract. I'm doing it this year and I have to say, its the perfect fit for me, as I'm like you - I was getting nowhere for a while and then decided to take the bull by the horns.

I'm doing it through industry - have you thought of that route? good opportunities, certainly in the company I'm in.

Muzi5434

Prettyblack wrote: »

I think if you have an engineering degree you can forget about the Big 4. They only want to take on finance / accountancy graduates.

Your best bet is the ACA elevation programme. You don't need to be in a big 4 company or even a firm when you start and you can start your cap 2s and split them up etc etc which is great cos you can't do that under a contract. I'm doing it this year and I have to say, its the perfect fit for me, as I'm like you - I was getting nowhere for a while and then decided to take the bull by the horns.

I'm doing it through industry - have you thought of that route? good opportunities, certainly in the company I'm in.

Disagree, I work as a trainee in Deloitte and there people here with engineering, science and business courses who were hired in the last milk rounds. They don't have any CAP 1 exemptions and did the exams just there in May/June 2012

Hewhodares

I've spoken to people who say an engineering degree does not restrict you from the Big 4, some even say it can be an advantage. Also my classmates that have gotten in to the Larger firms have come from engineering and science degrees.

I've looked up the Elevation Program website but you need 4 years work experience to do it.

How would I go about getting work experience in Industry. I haven't seen any jobs advertised other than in accounting firms.

statss

There are often "accounts assistants" jobs advertised on jobs.ie & irishjobs.ie

Prettyblack

Hewhodares wrote: »

I've looked up the Elevation Program website but you need 4 years work experience to do it.

Wrong. You don't need 4 years experience. You used to, but they changed it, just as well from my point of view! I need to get 1 year experience done before the FAEs but that's fine as I probably will in the next year anyway.

Hewhodares wrote: »

How would I go about getting work experience in Industry. I haven't seen any jobs advertised other than in accounting firms.

I guess Irish jobs? I know fund companies have trainees as well as banks. So I guess its just like getting any other job! :-)

cson

Prettyblack wrote: »

I think if you have an engineering degree you can forget about the Big 4. They only want to take on finance / accountancy graduates

Quite the opposite in fact. A person with a 1.1 or high 2.1 degree in another discipline stands a great chance of getting in.

Pauvre Con

If you have aptitude for engineering have you thought of going into that? I studied engineering at college but didn't pursue it to uni level because I didn't think I really had the knack for it i.e. I wasn't clever enough. That's why I ended up doing accounting. But a career in engineering would be so much more rewarding...

Hewhodares

If you have aptitude for engineering have you thought of going into that? I studied engineering at college but didn't pursue it to uni level because I didn't think I really had the knack for it i.e. I wasn't clever enough. That's why I ended up doing accounting. But a career in engineering would be so much more rewarding...

No don't want to consider engineering again, I hated it by the end of my degree and the fact that the aren't very many Jobs in it at the moment. Most of my class bar one who got a job went on to do PHD's because of the lack of Jobs and all of them done a masters. The only jobs available are in IT and software engineering which I have no interest in.

If you are getting interviews presumably your CV isn't a problem.

Have you considered following up with those who gave you interviews to ask for feedback or getting some professional interview advice?

Have you considered jobs outside of the big 4? There are some advertised on Gradireland and the likes.

ted2767

pg633 wrote: »

If you are getting interviews presumably your CV isn't a problem.

Have you considered following up with those who gave you interviews to ask for feedback or getting some professional interview advice?

Have you considered jobs outside of the big 4? There are some advertised on Gradireland and the likes.

If you get knocked back at interview stage I would reccomend that you extract the most you csn from it i.e. ask straight out what were the deemed short comings in your cv/work experience.
That way you have something to work on and won't just repeat the exact same process all over again.

bigmc23

Prettyblack wrote: »

I think if you have an engineering degree you can forget about the Big 4. They only want to take on finance / accountancy graduates.

.

wrong - it's common knowledge that the big4 and many more professional services firms encourage graduates with non-business degrees to apply to their schemes.

Hewhodares

Have you considered following up with those who gave you interviews to ask for feedback or getting some professional interview advice?

I am currently waiting on feedback from some of the interviews.

There are some advertised on Gradireland and the likes

I've looked on the gradIreland website and either the jobs are outside Dublin which I don't want, or require experience which I haven't got. I went to their careers fair in June/July in the RDS and they weren't very helpful either.

Most people I know have got work and I am getting very worried that I'm not going to pick anything up.

Wheresmycoffee

Do you have much experience other than working in your parents accounting business?

I have a 2.2 physics degree and got a trainee post in a small audit firm, I left 2yrs later because audit was just not for me and I always wanted to work in industry.

Go onto Irish jobs, dont select a sector, just chose Dublin and enter in Trainee accountant... there are numerous advertisments for both practice and industry.

See if there are any graduate openings in banking and get onto the elevation program if ACA is your preference. If you have some financial experience behind you it can help if youre looking to move into practice. Plus if you start elevation you might be able to move into a finance department within the bank.

Failing that have you considered fund accounting? Accounts payable/recievable. I would not be turning my nose up at jobs that arent Big4..... you have to look at the bigger picture and get your foot on the ladder somewhere.


I agree with the other posters here, I think its really important that you get that feedback from your interviews, clearly your cv is not really an issue, follow up on it if they arent coming back to you.
Never go into a professional interview unprepared. Ive sat in on interviews before and it stands out a mile off. There is nothing more frustrating then someone who has not put in the leg work before hand because its a complete waste of the interviewers time and they'll forget who you are the moment you walk out the door.

Never give up!

Best of luck

barkinkatz

I did my degree in Business Studies and have a Masters in Accounting from LYIT. I have found it extremely hard to get any trainee position and the 1 thing that has let me down constantly is my lack of work experience. I wish now that I had gone for a Hdip for my post grad, because I have exhausted all avenues of funding for that course. If I were you I would get my ass into an accountants office or look for an internship and build up your work experience.

donegal11

barkinkatz wrote: »

I did my degree in Business Studies and have a Masters in Accounting from LYIT. I have found it extremely hard to get any trainee position and the 1 thing that has let me down constantly is my lack of work experience. I wish now that I had gone for a Hdip for my post grad, because I have exhausted all avenues of funding for that course. If I were you I would get my ass into an accountants office or look for an internship and build up your work experience.

If you have a masters you must of had cap1 exemptions to begin with so the hdip would have been pointless. Where are you looking for work, Donegal ? heard the masters had a high dropout rate this year.

Hewhodares

If you have a masters you must of had cap1 exemptions to begin with so the hdip would have been pointless. Where are you looking for work, Donegal ? heard the masters had a high dropout rate this year.

Are masters from IT less accredited by employers than universities? This is what I've heard when I was considering the masters in DIT, that it would be better to do it in UCD, though it is more expensive.

Just a quick update on my own situation, I've gotten feedback from 3 interviews which two of them said I had excellent interviews, I had got down to the final 3 but the other two candidates had accountancy degrees/masters backgrounds, the other interview said the standard was very high, the final interview said I did a poor interview.

I am still waiting to hear back from an interview I did last week. I've applied for some more jobs in the last week or so, so fingers crossed I get something.

I also had a meeting with a recruitment agency, about a position that was almost certainly filled, but if they have more positions, that they would do a pre-interview, which would be a big help.

stephenmc16

Hi, I am looking to change my career path. I have no previous experience in accounts but am looking to get started in an accountants firm. I have a degree in science and am currently doing an online accountants technicians course.
Just wondering if anyone has any tips with regards getting into an accountancy firm. Most jobs i see are looking for someone with a business degree and experience.
Any suggestions would be great
Thanks