Accounting career.

[einbachsystems]

As a mature student who works full time I am considering building my way towards becoming an accountant in some capacity or at least having a strong aptitude in the subject to augment my endeavours for a successful career in senior management.

Now I did dive into the subject at A-level without having studied at a lower level other than the very soft-core management accounts associated with A-level business studies which I did really well at. In short, I did very badly in the first couple of exams and decided not to bother sitting the rest (as I found them too difficult). I do partly pour scorn on my distance learning tutor of the time as she kept praising my work and making out that I had a good understanding of the topics when patently I had not. But overall I realise that it was I who did not grasp the subject sufficiently and perhaps my incompetence stemmed from not starting at a lower academic level.

The episode engendered me with a deep disdain and desire for avoidance of the specialism for a time afterwards but since then I have discovered that I do actually understand accounts a bit better and I now relish the thought of getting to grips with it and perhaps even developing the ability to offer my services to businesses/individuals at some point in the (distant) future.

I now better realise and respect the challenges involved in achieving an accountancy career and know that there will be a huge mountain to climb no matter what route I choose to adopt. But as from memory I can recall that there are ostensibly a few established accountants on this site I wondered if any of you guys would kindly recommend the best route (from the bottom) into the trade. I was thinking about going in for the GCSE before having another bash at the A-level but I notice that there are other organisations and institutions (such as ACCA) that offer courses and qualifications. My own experience of 'institutions' in my capacity as a business studies student has been that their courses tend to be overpriced and overhyped in comparison to the more conventional routes of GCSE, A-level and degree options. Furthermore I feel deterred by the notion that the membership, course and exam fees of institution options are more expensive than those of the state school and university curriculum alternatives because of the need to fund meetings, publications and 'member benefits' - none of which I am interested in.

However, as a college that is local to me offers self study ACCA courses but no GCSE in accounting, I thought I'd ask your advice before looking for another provider that provides GCSE accounting. I'd also welcome any recommendations on distance learning providers for this subject because I will not be using the National Extension College for this after last time. Although I would like to add that they did a sterling job in tutoring me towards my A-level business studies exams.

Thanks for reading,

Martin

[MBS Accountants]

Even if you gain an accountancy degree you would be expected to do a further qualification to work in practice. From a starting at degree perspective the follow on would be CIMA, ACCA or ICAEW.

As an alternative starting point try having a look at the AAT. www.aat.org.uk

It is a good qualification in it's own right. Will gain you exemptions from the chartered qualifications for if you decide to continue. It effectively gives you the same starting point as the degree route but is recognised in the profession in it's own right. It should also be cheaper.

[elainec100@cheapaccounting]

You also need to get on the job experience whatever study route you choose

[Philip Hoyle]

You need to realistically think about what jobs you would want to do during your studying period and afterwards.

You may well be able to study for the AAT or even a chartered qualification entirely theoretically though distance learning, local colleges, etc., but you'd have great trouble finding a job and probably wouldn't be allowed to practice as self employed, without having relevant practicing experience (ie a job!). Very few employers will want to pay you the going rate as a qualified accountant if you don't have the relevant experience to actually "do the job". Theory and practice are poles apart.

I've always regarded the qualifications and experience as being equally important - one without the other doesn't make a good accountant. You may have gained an understanding of accounts through prior studies and your prior work experience, but that doesn't translate to actually being able to make up a set of accounts out of a client's book-keeping, nor does it enable you to quickly grasp salient points in a case and advise on tax planning opportunities.

To be honest, I'd suggest that you do the AAT through a local college first, get a job at the same time, as real life experience will help with the studying and exams. Once qualified as AAT, you'd also have a couple of years relevant experience, and then you can move up to chartered (probably ACCA or CIMA) again through local colleges and would also be able to move up the career ladder at the same time. Within a total of say 5 years you should have a Chartered qualification and a few years of experience and then you'd be much better placed to get a suitable job.

[iridessa]

There is no experience like practical experience. If I were you, having previously had doubts, I would contact some local small accountancy firms and see if they would be willing to let you do a couple of weeks or a month work experience.
This way you would get a small taster of what is involved and it may make it easier for you to decide for sure this is what you want to do.
I can tell you from experience that there is a lot of hard work involved and you don't want to put in effort like this unless you are fully commited from the outset.