Working in Accountancy
Continued economic growth and future optimism from employers has ensured that the Accountancy profession is buoyant and thriving. Whereas the industry once focused on two main branches- audit and accounting- nowadays it has become a multi-skilled task and involvement includes all aspects of the business from recent performance to future growth strategy and as such career opportunities are endless.
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Accountancy divisions can work across a range of Professional, Commercial and Industry sectors with the opportunity to work with clients are from an array of recognised names, including banking, media, manufacturing and professional services organisations.
You may find yourself specialising in one of the following areas:
- Accounts Assistant
- Accounts Payable (Purchase Ledger)
- Accounts Receivable (Sales Ledger)
- Assistant Accountant
- Cashier
- Credit Control
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- Investment Accounting
- Financial Accounting
- Management Accounting
- Project Accounting
- Payroll Clerks
- Reconciliations
- Regulatory Reporting
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Within each of these areas, we can recruit for all position from junior to senior level, across a range of salaries and in both temporary and permanent positions.
Is it right for me?
Due to the thriving market within Accountancy recruitment, continued high standards and qualifications, such as ACA, CIMA, ACCA and AAT, are often seen as essential to an individual's future career paths. If you would like to excel within Accountancy, training is rigorous but the professional qualification and work experience you acquire will lead to a significant number of outstanding opportunities in all sectors as well as scope for self-employment and consultancy work. As a potential student, you must decide the most appropriate nature of work experience and training you wish to receive as well as the environment in which you wish to work before deciding what qualification would be most suitable.
The ACA qualification is run by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and will lead to a career as a Chartered Accountant. Most students train in a firm of Chartered Accountants but training is also available in industrial, commercial or service organisations and the qualification is a well-established route into a range of financial and business roles, as well as with the top accountancy firms. The training package compromises work experience, in-house training and theoretical study in preparation for the Professional Examinations.
The CIMA qualification will lead to a career as a Chartered Management Accountant and future roles can be found in range of managerial positions in both public and private sector organisations worldwide. Business skills are at the heart of the CIMA qualification, covering business and management accounting subjects, information management and strategy, strategic marketing and management and practical finance management. The CIMA qualification combines exams at four stages with three years of practical experience.
The ACCA qualification will lead to a career as a Chartered Certified Accountant in the corporate sector, public sector or in public accounting/ audit/ consulting practices. ACCA combines the benefits of traditional accounting skills with a wide ranging and forward thinking syllabus, which recognises that financial professionals are increasingly required to demonstrate strategic thinking, excellent communication, people skills and information technology.
Accounting Technicians are employed in a variety of accounting and financial roles and assist professional accountants in a wide range of jobs from accounts clerks to credit control officers to financial managers. The AAT scheme enables you to study whilst working and eventually allows you the opportunity to study a further professional qualification towards Chartered Accountancy. Most people start out after GCSE's or a relevant further education course, such as a GNVQ in Business Studies, although others see it as the perfect vehicle to re-enter the workplace or negotiate a career change. There are no official entry requirements beyond a good standard of English and an interest in Mathematics.
As well as these positions, there are various clerical roles in the industry. Staff may be involved in preparing and sending out invoice statements, cash reconciliations, stock control and purchasing. Such positions include accounting clerks, wages clerks and cashiers. Once you have gained some experience of working within an accounting and finance role and learnt the required skills, it is possible to begin studying AAT and train towards a professional qualification.
People that tend to succeed within the industry have the following characteristics:
- Commercially aware across a range of sectors and interested in how successful organisations are run.
- A good communicator in order to obtain and convey the necessary information, both verbally and in writing, and able to offer advice and confidentiality when dealing with vital information.
- Comfortable and confident with numbers and capable of interpreting figures, ratios etc.
- Imaginative and people-orientated in order to express ideas
- Patient, accurate and enjoy getting things right and prepared for hard work.
Most importantly, you should be energetic and sociable in order to work with a variety of people, from all walks of life.
