What is the route to take to be an accountant???
I have decent gcse grades, maths b and everything else c's, do i need to do a levels or is there a course i can do to get me on the path to being an accountant??
Higher Education (University +) - 5 Answers
People Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
The most fiscally prudent route.
Answer 2 :
A levels are a good step, it gives you a bit more experience before going into an accounting role and its quite varied so its good to have a range of skills so you can switch departments or move onto something else if you don't like it. Maths is a good one to have and really any other things you enjoy, i took Maths, I.T, Computing and Business Studies then found a job in an accounts department that offered training to go onto accountancy courses which is a good route, its better than studying it at degree level and if you study ACCA you can even get a degree as part of that anyway. Then once you have a basic accounts role experience you can move onto practice if you like or jump straight there after doing A levels but they usually prefer graduates but your much better off gettign a basic role for a couple of years working and studying part time and get your accoutnancy stuff sorted to jump straight into the role you really want. Plus you get a feel for the different aspects and can follow the one you most like such as Tax or audit etc. The courses for accountancy basics will be the AAT or CAT then move on to ACA ( purely financial accounts), CIMA ( managerial accounts) or ACCA (mix of the two).
Answer 3 :
I agree with agius1520, this is much the same route my son took and he has his CIMA qualification now and all the time still earning money, although much less than most of his friends at first but well worth it in the end. Much good luck to you in your future career.
Answer 4 :
Im doing AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians).. It gives you the basics you need to learn while giving you knowledge in SAGE, computerised accounts etc. and work experience, all in the one course. Next year, i intend to do the level 3 course, and then my options are either apply to University or continue at college to complete a technician status course. Best of all, this course is available at most good colleges! Good Luck.
Answer 5 :
This is a Scottish solution but I'm sure you can do similar in England. Go to local college and work your way through NC Finance/Accounting then HNC and HND before a professional course such as ACCA or CIMA. At least that way you always have relevant qualifications for lower accountancy-related jobs should you find you don't actually want to be qualified accountant. I did this and actually stuck with an HNC because things were getting too hard. Had I gone straight to uni I'd have dropped out with no qualifications. Best of luck mate.
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