Career advice please

[Vikas]

Good morning,

I would really apprecite some career advice from you guys.

I am from a practice background (4 partner firm - general practice with 50/50 accounts prep and audit split). I recently qualified as an ACA and I'm looking at whether I should look to carry on in practice or move to industry.

Industry is going to be more difficult for me to get into than another local practice. I am currently unemployed so I don't really have the option of waiting to get lucky and landing an industry role.

I would really appreciate if you guys could share some of your experiences after qualifying in practice. Did any of you guys move to industry after qualifying in practice? If so ho long did in take after qualifying and what was the size of the firm you completed your training contract with (i.e. Big 4, Mid-Tier or small)?

Thanks in advance for any iput or advice

 

[kontracta_com]

For me, the economy was far better at qualification time so there wasn't too much of a problem. Without wishing to bore all and sundry I went Big 4 - small practice - contracting in industry - mid tier abroad - contracting in industry - own venture. The options have changed for now but of course they will again in the future and on it goes. Therefore it's always going to be hard to compare PQ routes even before you go into individual preferences.

What I read today though in Accountancy Age (yes - I know!) was a piece on how smaller practices had weathered the current economic storm. It stated that many practices had put recruitment on hold for the past couple of years but now that they were re-hiring and demand for ACAs with 2-4 years of experience was returning as they are the ones needed to do the leg-work. It seems that Big 4 were taking those from Top 10 who were then taking those from the next tier and so on. It also intimated that there would be upward pressure on salaries.

Only one trade journo's view I know but something to consider if you were torn between practice and industry.

 

[Vikas]

Thanks for the feedback.

I read the article yesterday and it certainly rings true to someone like myself who is actively looking.

I have been thinking about this alot over the last couple of days and I think it has been a case of '......grass is greener on the otherside' with regards to industry, particularly in my situation where i actually have no pqe.

Thanks again for the feedback.