The most recent Discussion Forum Topics from AccountancyStudents

First Accountancy Interview!

2012-01-25T09:16:48+00:00

Hi all,

I have my first accountancy pre-interview test for purchase ledger assistant.

Do any of you have any advice on:
-Verbal and Numberical reasoning assessments
-Interview questions
-Questions I should ask
-Anything else I should be concerned about?

Thanks all in advance!

Bad credit history - what jobs can I do?

2012-01-24T10:20:20+00:00

Situation is I’m studying the Northern Ireland equivalent of the British AAT qualification, will finish the academic bit in 2013, the work experience element, I’m hoping to be able to get that organised within the next few weeks and have that completed summer 2014. Back in October I applied for a loan to pay off my 2 storecards but got turned down, as a result of that I got a phone call a few weeks later from Churchwood Finance, initially asked for loan big enough to pay off the Next & Argos cards but didn’t get accepted but the lady I was talking to did say that they could provide me with a debt management plan which would not only take care of the storecards but other unsecured debts as well, impact is it has halved what my husband & I are paying towards paying off debts. A few days after signing all the paperwork, by chance (saw a link on facebook with headline that your status can cost you your job so read it to find out if potential employers could have issues with my facebook, that article had a link with headline about bad credit and working in Accountancy. I’ve spoken to my course tutor and she’s said that once my debts have been paid off, I won’t be able to be a registered acoountant for 12 years because although debts are usually clear after 7, debt management is 12 years. She did say that during the 12 years I can work as an Accounting Technician or a book keeper but I’m wondering if there’s any other jobs I could do? I do know from my tutor that I can do the Chartered Accountants qualification, my plan is that if I decide to go to that level that I’d either do it by asking my employer, if I get a job as Accounting Technician (can apply for trainee Accounting Technician posts while doing my course) or book keeper to contribute or pay the costs of me doing the course or to finance the qualification myself. If I do gain employment and then do the Chartered exams, could I do all the work but then the person with Chartered status double check it and then ‘sign it off’. If I’ve understood the rules correctly, the Chartered status allows you to effectively sign to say that the accounts which have been done are correct and accurate. If this wouldn’t be allowed, then I’d time it so that I gain the Chartered qualification a few months at the most before the 12 years is up. The timescale is that the debts will be paid off end of 2013 or possibly January 2014 so the 12 years before I can be a ‘fit & proper person’ will be end of 2025/January 2026. I have been doing some reading online about this and some people have said that when they’ve been told that they’re going to have their credit history checked, they’ve been…

Career change - what’s the truth?

2012-01-05T17:41:33+00:00

Hi All

I’ll try and be as succinct as possible about this. Basically I am looking at changing my career to accountancy at the age of 32. I have been fortunate enough to secure a couple of offers, including one from one of the Big 4 for Audit which I have accepted (I know opinions are divided on the Big 4). The other offer was from a Top 6 firm which I was attracted to, but for a number of reasons was just not in a position to accept it.

I was successful in getting the offer and accepted it after they let me defer it for a year (for personal family reasons) to start September 2012. I will be relocating to the NW area having lived there before, but don’t currently live in England.

I have spent the last 8.5 years since I left university in the Third Sector and work at what would be called the Senior Management level. I am also not a Maths/Accounting graduate. Salary wise I am comfortable (mid-high 40s) through a combination of hard work and luck, though I am now in my fourth role in that same time period. Working in the Third Sector is continually uncertain (constant issues around funding etc)and around 8 months ago I felt it was time for me to go and get a career as I currently have no profession behind me to back me up. I have probably got as far as I can for the next 5 years or so, and the challenge of trying to progress is what partly motivates. Additionally, to progress in my current field I would more than likely still need to move to England at some point.

What I am unsure about is the potential progression in accountancy. I covered all the questions about job satisfaction and why I am doing it and have answered them to the point where I am happy, but the potential of accountancy as a career is throwing me a bit because of the wide variety of answers that you get. Much of what I have read over the last 8 months is about London and the SE where salaries don’t really relate to the rest of the country, whereas I am interested in primarily the North-West.

People have told me it would be 5 years before I could get back to my current level, which I can live with for the long-term benefit, but from having read a lot of the posts in this forum and others there seems to be people doing much better than this, and people not doing financially as well yet with the same or similar qualifications.

I have chosen accounting as I have an interest in detail and numbers, and have worked alongside accountants for the last 5 years. I also feel it opens up further doors should I qualify, including maybe working for myself. There is no opportunity for me to do it in my current organisation, and…

Which Master’s degree is better for my future career in accountancy?

2011-07-26T17:03:36+00:00

At first, I would like to say ‘hello’ to everyone, because I am quite new to this fantastic forum
I hope I can get a piece of advice from you regarding career in accountancy.

Before I start asking questions, I would like to say a few words about myself. I am 25 years old and I have a bachelor degree(1st) in Finance and Business Information Systems from Oxford Brookes University. I have 1-year work experience as Accounts Assistant in Poland and 3-year experience as Finance Controller in Denmark. In the future I would like to become a chartered accountant since without a professional qualification it will be very hard to develop my career.

Recently, I have decided to apply for a postgraduate course in the UK. I got offers from Stirling (MSc International Accounting and Finance with 6 ACCA exemptions), Dundee (MSc Professional Accountancy, with 9 ACCA exemptions) and York (MSc in Accounting and Financial Management, with no exemptions).

I would like to ask you guys which university in your opinion I should go for? Is it wiser to choose a course at a less prestigious university, but with the higher number of exemptions from ACCA? Or…should I rather opt for a more academic course, for example at the University of York, which is quite a strong institution, but it doesn’t offer any exemptions from ACCA exams?
What looks better in the eyes of the employers? Should I choose a degree which will accelerate my route towards ACCA or a course at a more respected uni?

Thanks for all remarks in advance .

Using Linked-In to find a job

2011-08-23T08:10:15+00:00

Good Morning Folks

Have any of you used linked-in to find a job?

I am out of work at the moment, and thinking of ways of how to send copies of my cv in the hope that someone will take me on!

I was thinking of going on to individual accountancy practices websites and using the general email address ‘enquiries@’ or ‘info@’ to send my cv. Do you think that would be a good idea?

However, while using linked-in, it may be possible to find out personal email addresses of accountants in a particular practice. I could use their email address. What are your thoughts?

I have also found out that if you want to send a message to someone using linked-in, then you have to pay an annual fee!

Taking all this into consideration, what would you do if you were in my position?

Thanks in advance

VOLUNTARY WORK FOR ACCOUNTANCY FIRMS

2009-06-17T12:06:18+00:00

Hello,

I am in the planning to apply to small/medium accounting firms for work voluntary work experience.

A little bit about me
I am currently a UK Graduate, passed 6 ACCA papers, Will be beginning my Sage Line 50 course in July, (possibly begin my Excel/Spreadsheet Intermediate Financial Modelling course). I do not have any accountancy experience only retail.

Hence applying for voluntary jobs for now, until i can get enough experience.

I would like to know about your experiences and tips about approaching them? What do you say to them?

I am thinking of emailing them my cover letter and cv (once this has been prepared, hopefully soon) and then phoning them.

What do you say when you phone them?

Would you recommend me seeing them in person instead of emailing them?

What worked for you?

I look forward to your replies

Advice required

2011-09-23T22:25:24+00:00

Hi,

Firstly thank you for taking the time to read my post.

I am 19 years old and am about to start the ACCA with BPP twice a week in the evening. I expect I will have finisted the FIA awards (equivalent to F1-3) in about February 2012. I have no accounts experience but am currently working in a reasonably varied admin role (customer service and stock control mainly).

I am wondering do many people study these qualifications without being in an accountancy role and then find work? I am thinking that I would have to start with an accounts assistant role? I am not intending to start looking for an accounts role until I have completed FIA so probably around March or so. Is this a feasible plan? I don’t want to spend nearly 2k on a course to find I can’t do anything with it. I would hope to be in a relevant role by the time I have started F4/5. Any advice would be hugely appreciated!! Especially from people who have taken a similar route!

Also, I do not wish to apply for an accountancy role now and benefit from government funding due to the inevitable paycut I will be taking (currently on about 22k with overtime, assistant roles seem to be around 12k-16k mark???).

Many thanks

BUSINESS PLAN REQUIRED

2011-09-26T08:25:04+00:00

HELLO THERE. I AM LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO CAM MEET ME IN A SOUTH LONDON OFFICE (SW17) TO HELP ME PREPARE A BUSINESS PLAN. THE BUDGET IS NOT TOO LARGE BUT THE JOB IS NOT TOO BIG EITHER.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE EMAIL ME TO roi dot mengelgrein at gmail dot com

WE CAN BEGIN THIS ASAP.

THANK YOU!

Opportunities for ACA / ACCA / CIMA qualified candidates in London

2011-08-31T16:06:26+00:00

I am currently seeking strong ACA / ACCA / CIMA candidates for the role below. Candidates should be qualified within the last couple of years or soon to be qualified and should be eligible to work in the UK, resident or tier 1 visa.

FTSE 100 Company seeking a Senior Financial Analyst to join their London office. Being a market leader in their sector and continuously growing the consumer services division of the business are now looking to expand to accommodate for the strategic plans which need to be implemented.

The ideal candidate will be a fully qualified accountant with industry experience, working in a commercial role although the client will also consider people straight from the “Big 4” practice firms. The role involves a lot of analysis and implementation of strategic plans, forecasting and annual contingency plans; in addition to business modelling and evaluations of proposals. Dealing with non finance members of staff is required on a day to day basis.

If interested send your CV to: JasonLloyd at financeprofessionals dot com

I also have a number of other opportunities available in areas such as Financial Services, Internal audit, Industry and commerce and Product control. As a company we have strong relationships with a number of large and exciting London based clients, if you would like to hear about these opportunities then do also forward on your CV.

Graduate Fund Accounting Interview

2011-08-13T11:47:51+00:00

Hi All,

I have recently been called for an interview for a Graduate Fund Accounting interview with a medium to large Fund Administration company and would be very grateful of some advice from those working in the area.

I am an ACCA student and have passed/sat the first three professional exams as well as a 2.1 Accountancy Degree. I am confident that I have the right academics and characteristics for the position however my serious lack of experience coupled with recently failing an interview has me worried about making a mess of this interview forthcoming.

I am hopeful that someone could shed some light on the type of questions that could potentially be asked as well as the preparation work I should do.

Would really appreciate any do’s and don’t's from anybody working in this area as I am really excited about the career prospects on offer.

Thank you to all who assist

Fred