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BUSINESS WITH CONFIDENCE icaew.com/careers

HOW TO BECOME AN ICAEW CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTTake your first step towards a highly rewarding career in accountancy, finance and business


© ICAEW 2012

ICAEW is a professional membership organisation, supporting over 138,000 chartered accountants around the world.

© ICAEW 2012.


© ICAEW 2012

What’s an ICAEW

Chartered Accountant

and what do they do?


© ICAEW 2012

ICAEW Chartered Accountants…

• are high achievers in accountancy, finance and business

• are professionally qualified with ‘chartered’ status

• are respected for their valuable business advice


© ICAEW 2012

It’s much more than numbers…

• … lots of people interaction

• … don’t just sit at a desk

• … lots of opportunity to be creative

• … can work in a variety of different sectors and businesses

• … have the opportunity to travel


© ICAEW 2012

Not for profitPracticeIndustryWhere do we work?


© ICAEW 2012

Not for profit / public sector

• Organisations which operate for a charitable, humanitarian, or educational purpose.– Government department– Charity– Not for Profit


© ICAEW 2012

Financial services

• Includes a variety of organisations – not just banks– Banking– Finance– Insurance – Investments– Wealth management– Mergers and acquisitions


© ICAEW 2012

Business

• Work for any business

• Different sizes, different sectors, different countries– Internal Audit– Risk/ Control– Management Accountant– Finance Director


© ICAEW 2012

Practice

• Firms of chartered accountants– Large – Big 4

– Medium – Top 20

– Small – Less than ten partners– Smaller high street firms, one or two partners…


© ICAEW 2012

Whatever your aspirations

A professional qualification

Being challenged and stretched at work

Job security

Joining a student network

Early responsibility

Opportunity for rapid promotion

Client and customer contact from the start

Working with senior managers and executives


© ICAEW 2012


Become an

ICAEW Chartered

Accountant


© ICAEW 2012

HOW TO BECOME AN ICAEW CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTThe ACA Qualification


© ICAEW 2012

HOW TO BECOME AN ICAEW CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTHow it works


© ICAEW 2012

What you actually do


© ICAEW 2012

Professional development

Techn

ical c

ompe

tenc

e

Team

wor

king

Proble

m so

lving

Decisi

on m

aking

Consid

erat

ion

Comm

unica

tion

Adding

value

You’ll develop your ability and performance in seven key

areas:


© ICAEW 2012

Ethics and professional scepticism

Ethics is more than just knowing the rules about confidentiality, integrity, objectivity and independence…

…you’ll learn how to identify an ethical dilemma, understand the implications and behave appropriately.


© ICAEW 2012

3-5 YEARS PRACTICAL WORK EXPERIENCE3-5 years practical work experience

On-the-job training of 450 days puts theory into practice….

…and you gain experience in one, or more, of the following:

Audit and assurance

Financial management

Information technology Insolvency TaxationAccounting


© ICAEW 2012

ADVANCED LEVEL

Case Study

Corporate ReportingStrategic Business

Management

PROFESSIONAL LEVEL

Business Planning:Taxation Business Strategy

Audit and

Assurance

Financial Accounting and

Reporting

Financial Management Tax Compliance

CERTIFICATELEVEL Accounting Assurance

Business and Finance Law

Management Information

Principles of Taxation

15 accountancy, finance and business modules


© ICAEW 2012

You do not need a degreeYou can do the ACA after A-levelsThere is more than one route to the ACAYou can study any A-levels you want41% of our trainees are femaleYou can qualify by the age of 21

You will earn a competitive salary as you train

You don’t need a degree

You can do the ACA after A-levels

There is more than one route to the ACA

You can study any A-levels you want

38% of our ACA students are female

You can qualify by the age of 21

Did you know?


© ICAEW 2012

First or 2:1 degree

2 A2 levels (or equivalent)

3 GCSEs grades A-C including Maths and English

Minimum 300 UCAS points

© ICAEW 2012.

What are the ACAdemic requirements?


© ICAEW 2012

Entry routes to the ACA

• School leaver

• Higher Apprenticeship

• ICAEWs Certificate in Finance Accountancy and Business

• AAT-ACA Fast Track

• Graduate

• Strategic university degree programme


© ICAEW 2012


Do you want to go straight from school?


© ICAEW 2012

School leaver programmes

• Ernst and Young • BDO• Deloitte• PwC• KPMG• and many more……

• Via Higher Apprenticeship or AAT


© ICAEW 2012

Higher Apprenticeship in Assurance/Audit

• Developed in consultation with employers• Combination of on and off the job learning• Develop technical skills, business skills and

wider competencies• Counts as an entry route to the ACA• Earn while you learn


© ICAEW 2012


Do you want to do the AAT?


© ICAEW 2012

About the AAT-ACA Fast Track

• Developed in partnership with the AAT

• AAT can be taken as an accountancy apprenticeship

• Knowledge, skills or experience gained can count towards your ACA training agreement

• An integrated approach

• Can take as little as four years!


© ICAEW 2012

Not working for an ICAEW authorised training employer during the AAT Technician stage

AATDiploma Level 3

Practical work experience year one

How does the AAT-ACA Fast Track work?

Working for an ICAEW authorised training employer during the AAT Technician stage

AATDiploma Level 4

ACA Professional

Level

ACA Advanced

Level

Practical work experience year two

Final year of training

agreement

Practical work experience year three


© ICAEW 2012

ACA exam structure

ADVANCED LEVEL

Case Study

Corporate ReportingStrategic Business

Management

PROFESSIONAL LEVEL

Business Planning:Taxation Business Strategy

Audit and

Assurance

Financial Accounting and

Reporting

Financial Management Tax Compliance

CERTIFICATELEVEL Accounting Assurance

Business and Finance Law

Management Information

Principles of Taxation


© ICAEW 2012

So let’s recap……

• a successful and rewarding career• the qualification for those with ambition• an integrated approach• a range of entry routes


© ICAEW 2012

What do employers want from your application?

The right qualifications relevant to the role

Don’t copy and paste

Do your research

Check your spelling

Use formal language and grammar

Use real-life examples

Attach a relevant and short CV

Quality not quantity

Include external interests


© ICAEW 2012

Next steps…

1 Choose how you are going to get there…

2 Find an authorised training employer…

3 Complete your training for the ACA

qualification…

4 Become an ICAEW Chartered Accountant…


© ICAEW 2012

• Published 3 times per year• Online – full time ACA

vacancies and internships• Upload your CV• Manage your own profile• Receive regular updates• Searched by employers

© ICAEW 2012.

Find a training vacancy

A world leader of the

accountancy and finance profession


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