How to become an accountant?
I would like to become an accountant!!!! What is the recongnised qualification in the U.K. and where would be the start of the path??????? I am fluent in Sage, Quick books and deal with bank rec's etc its the tax side of things that I have not got a clue about??? What would be a starting salary and would the last part of the course be work based graded?? I was looking at a CIMA I think.......... I have already been told that I could start on the course with the knowledge I have if you are over 25 it goes on life experience.... But I didnt know if this was the way to go, its a part time course up until the final 18 months then I would need a placement somewhere.......................... The salary advised below is less than I am on now so is it worth doing?!?!?!?
Other - Business & Finance - 6 Answers
People Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
I think you need a degree in accounts, then you need to train for several years with an accountancy firm.
Answer 2 :
Hi. I'm a tranee chartered accountant in London. There are 4 recognised qualifiactions in the UK which are recognised by the governement: ACA (from ICAEW), CA (from ICAS), ACCA and CIMA (management accountants). ACA is the more mainstream one and probably the one with the best salaries. Starting salary ranges from £18k to £25k. for ACA you need to pass 9 exams (paid by your office) and work for 3 years. If you do not have a uni degree do an AAT course first. (any uni degree is acceptable). your experience in sage and quickbooks can help you get a job. www.accountancyage.com has a list of the top 50 firms in the UK... start sending applications.
Answer 3 :
Chartered Accountant is the really worthwhile qualification. Damned hard work, especially if you are not already a graduate. http://www.icaew.co.uk/careers/ Good Luck, come back and say hello in twenty years when you are a partner in Touche Deloitte
Answer 4 :
It depends on how you want to train. If you want to train as an ACA (Association of Chartered Accountants) you will need to work for a firm of accountants, and it involves a lot of auditing etc. Usually they are very good at giving you study leave though! If you want to work for a company while you study, then the best qualification is CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants). Most firms only give limited study leave though. An average of 2 weeks per set of exams, unlike the average 6 weeks or more which ACA trainees get. If you want to work in industry I would recommend CIMA, but if you prefer to work for a firm of accountants, and maybe work towards becoming a partner, then go for ACA. Once you decide which one you wish to go for, contact the relevant institute, and find out what preliminary qualifications they recommend. I'm afraid I qualified a few years ago, so I'm not sure what the entry standards are now. ACCA is a kind of half way house between the 2.
Answer 5 :
there are a few job agencies who specialise in accountacy (depends on where you live) and they often come up with low-level jobs for people with no experience, like data input or something where you can get experience of working in an acounts dept. After a while a vacancy will come up (it happened to me quite often, i'd see them all the time) with a company willing to put you on the ACCA or CIMA course and you'll be an accountant in no time! Good Luck!
Answer 6 :
by knowing the basic skill of debit and credit
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Thursday, July 28, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Why would I use a Chartered accountant instead of a regular accountant?
Why would I use a Chartered accountant instead of a regular accountant?
Husband is a Sole trader . Thanks
Small Business - 3 Answers
People Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
A chartered accountant is authorised by law to perform audits and issue audit certificates under their stamp. Even if you hire a regular accountant you still need to get your audit and tax returns authorised by the CA.
Answer 2 :
Hello christma... A chartered accountant is a member of a professional body that thas a royal charter. Such a qualified accountant would be hired by the bigger companies, for thier annual accounts etc., or by auditing companies. No doubt they would command a higher fee. If your business is small you would only require an ordinary accountant, perhaps a specialist in tax accounting. A little thought on the matter now i am sure will put you really in the picture.
Answer 3 :
Hi Depends what you mean by a 'regular' accountant. However so long as you mean someone who has trained and is regulated by a relevant professional body, then if you run a small company the answer is it doesnt usually matter. I run a small accountancy firm and am not Chartered (I am a member of the Institute of Financial Accountants) but I happen to employ Chartered Accountants and Accounting Technicians (and an ex Banker) - all of us do certain types of work and my Chartered employees actually dont do anything different to me (except that I sign off the quality of their work). To be quite honest for small firms the most important thing is whether your accountant is good, whether he explains what he is doing so you understand the pieces of paper you are signing, and that they are 'fighting your corner'. A Chartered Accountant will, of course, tell you they are the best and by employing a non-Chartered you are selling yourself short. In practice this is not necessarily true. Kind regards David Nicoll
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Husband is a Sole trader . Thanks
Small Business - 3 Answers
People Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
A chartered accountant is authorised by law to perform audits and issue audit certificates under their stamp. Even if you hire a regular accountant you still need to get your audit and tax returns authorised by the CA.
Answer 2 :
Hello christma... A chartered accountant is a member of a professional body that thas a royal charter. Such a qualified accountant would be hired by the bigger companies, for thier annual accounts etc., or by auditing companies. No doubt they would command a higher fee. If your business is small you would only require an ordinary accountant, perhaps a specialist in tax accounting. A little thought on the matter now i am sure will put you really in the picture.
Answer 3 :
Hi Depends what you mean by a 'regular' accountant. However so long as you mean someone who has trained and is regulated by a relevant professional body, then if you run a small company the answer is it doesnt usually matter. I run a small accountancy firm and am not Chartered (I am a member of the Institute of Financial Accountants) but I happen to employ Chartered Accountants and Accounting Technicians (and an ex Banker) - all of us do certain types of work and my Chartered employees actually dont do anything different to me (except that I sign off the quality of their work). To be quite honest for small firms the most important thing is whether your accountant is good, whether he explains what he is doing so you understand the pieces of paper you are signing, and that they are 'fighting your corner'. A Chartered Accountant will, of course, tell you they are the best and by employing a non-Chartered you are selling yourself short. In practice this is not necessarily true. Kind regards David Nicoll
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Thursday, July 7, 2011
Where can I find an accountant who can provide me with a set of accounts going back 3 years?
Where can I find an accountant who can provide me with a set of accounts going back 3 years?
I am tendering for a large contract and need to provide proof of turnover, however my book keeping skills leave a lot to be desired, I need a uk based company who will be able to provide a set of accounts to verify my income.
Small Business - 3 Answers
People Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
Just look in yellow pages under accountants...thats what they do...and its not a complicated thing you are asking.....ring up a few and get quotes.
Answer 2 :
all good accountants should provide you with this if you ask for it.
Answer 3 :
If you have been trading for 3 years and not yet produced any accounts, I would be more worried about the tax man than getting a contract. You have at elast 2 years tax returns outstanding, plus the tax, interest and penalties. Speak to 2 or 3 accountants in your area, see which one you get on with best, listen to what they all have to say, get estimates for the work and go with the one you think will work best for you.
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I am tendering for a large contract and need to provide proof of turnover, however my book keeping skills leave a lot to be desired, I need a uk based company who will be able to provide a set of accounts to verify my income.
Small Business - 3 Answers
People Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
Just look in yellow pages under accountants...thats what they do...and its not a complicated thing you are asking.....ring up a few and get quotes.
Answer 2 :
all good accountants should provide you with this if you ask for it.
Answer 3 :
If you have been trading for 3 years and not yet produced any accounts, I would be more worried about the tax man than getting a contract. You have at elast 2 years tax returns outstanding, plus the tax, interest and penalties. Speak to 2 or 3 accountants in your area, see which one you get on with best, listen to what they all have to say, get estimates for the work and go with the one you think will work best for you.
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Friday, July 1, 2011
should i change my job from accountant to sales/marketing?
should i change my job from accountant to sales/marketing?
I am a qualified accountant but now I am tired of seeing other people earning more money than me. I am thinking of changing my job to sales or marketing, do you think it is a good idea?
Careers & Employment - 9 Answers
People Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
well, do you like that field? and do you think you would really like having that job? money is not everything.
Answer 2 :
Don't do it for the money. Do it because you want to. If you don't want to do the new job, stay where you are.
Answer 3 :
That depends on a lot of things - your aptitude for sales or marketing (they are two different fields), your tolerance for risk (many sales jobs are commission-driven), your ability to travel, your creativity level, and so on. Try talking to some friends who are in sales or marketing to find out what they like and don't like about their jobs. Ask them what a typical day looks like for them. Then decide if you want to spend your days that way.
Answer 4 :
if you would like to... yes... but if you truly enjoy accounting... then...no
Answer 5 :
Do whatever you feel the most comfortable doing. There is no point doing a job that you don`t like
Answer 6 :
Starting wages in sales and marketing are usually very low, though they sometimes have commissions, which can be a boost. Sales is very customer-faing, and can be quite stressful, which is why it has a very high turnover. Marketing could be a lot of fun, but you'll need to be the kind of person who enjoys working a lot with people (I imagine an accountant is not very customer-facing). Both jobs have a high earnings ceiling, though sales and marketing are probably more hands on, challenging roles at the executive level, and much harder to get promoted to. If you stick with accounting, and land a good job at a top firm, especiallya big international, you will be on the road to big bucks, but the work will remain quite similar.
Answer 7 :
I know the feeling my father and uncles are accountants and they have told me all about the horrors of scraping through papers all day. However, accounting being the language of business if you do decide to go into sales or marketing I think you will have a distinct advantage over the competition. My Uncle started off as an accountant but moved into business and consulting, and he has told me that accounting has helped him enormously. So I think it's a great idea to move into marketing and sales and use your accounting knowledge to your advantage! Take care and good luck!
Answer 8 :
I would go for it. You've got your qualifications so you can always go back to being an accountant if you want to. Your job is a huge part of your life so you need to enjoy what you do. The extra money is an incentive but you need to like your job also. Good luck.
Answer 9 :
Absolutely not. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to be funny, but if you are in sales, you will have to be a completely different personality. Sales is the only job where you get measured every single minute. You will have to put up with rejection, have eternal optimism and endurance, have sales genes - and honestly, I never came across an accountant who could make a great salesperson. Simply because if you are in accountancy, you are there for a reason. Perhaps the predictable work hours suit you, and the fact that hardly an accountant ever got fired for doing a bad job. Sales people do all the time. I would think VERY carefully about it.
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I am a qualified accountant but now I am tired of seeing other people earning more money than me. I am thinking of changing my job to sales or marketing, do you think it is a good idea?
Careers & Employment - 9 Answers
People Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
well, do you like that field? and do you think you would really like having that job? money is not everything.
Answer 2 :
Don't do it for the money. Do it because you want to. If you don't want to do the new job, stay where you are.
Answer 3 :
That depends on a lot of things - your aptitude for sales or marketing (they are two different fields), your tolerance for risk (many sales jobs are commission-driven), your ability to travel, your creativity level, and so on. Try talking to some friends who are in sales or marketing to find out what they like and don't like about their jobs. Ask them what a typical day looks like for them. Then decide if you want to spend your days that way.
Answer 4 :
if you would like to... yes... but if you truly enjoy accounting... then...no
Answer 5 :
Do whatever you feel the most comfortable doing. There is no point doing a job that you don`t like
Answer 6 :
Starting wages in sales and marketing are usually very low, though they sometimes have commissions, which can be a boost. Sales is very customer-faing, and can be quite stressful, which is why it has a very high turnover. Marketing could be a lot of fun, but you'll need to be the kind of person who enjoys working a lot with people (I imagine an accountant is not very customer-facing). Both jobs have a high earnings ceiling, though sales and marketing are probably more hands on, challenging roles at the executive level, and much harder to get promoted to. If you stick with accounting, and land a good job at a top firm, especiallya big international, you will be on the road to big bucks, but the work will remain quite similar.
Answer 7 :
I know the feeling my father and uncles are accountants and they have told me all about the horrors of scraping through papers all day. However, accounting being the language of business if you do decide to go into sales or marketing I think you will have a distinct advantage over the competition. My Uncle started off as an accountant but moved into business and consulting, and he has told me that accounting has helped him enormously. So I think it's a great idea to move into marketing and sales and use your accounting knowledge to your advantage! Take care and good luck!
Answer 8 :
I would go for it. You've got your qualifications so you can always go back to being an accountant if you want to. Your job is a huge part of your life so you need to enjoy what you do. The extra money is an incentive but you need to like your job also. Good luck.
Answer 9 :
Absolutely not. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to be funny, but if you are in sales, you will have to be a completely different personality. Sales is the only job where you get measured every single minute. You will have to put up with rejection, have eternal optimism and endurance, have sales genes - and honestly, I never came across an accountant who could make a great salesperson. Simply because if you are in accountancy, you are there for a reason. Perhaps the predictable work hours suit you, and the fact that hardly an accountant ever got fired for doing a bad job. Sales people do all the time. I would think VERY carefully about it.
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