Accountancy
The ACA qualification, from The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), gives you access to many amazing careers in all sectors of business. Louise Mason from the ICAEW explains.
The ACA prepares you as a business leader and provides a solid foundation in essential finance, business, marketing, economics, management and information skills. So, if you’re looking for a qualification that gives you great choice, lots of opportunity and a good salary, then look no further than the ACA.
What’s it all about?
The ACA is recognised worldwide as one of the leading finance-based business qualifications. Newly-qualified ACAs are highly sought after for the quality and breadth of knowledge and experience they have gained during their training.
The ACA is held by senior people who deliver business guidance, influence key strategic decisions, drive economic growth and inspire business confidence throughout the world. Sixty five per cent of FTSE’s 100 qualified accountants acting as finance director or CEOs are ACAs - that’s four times the number holding any other single qualification.
The qualification is recognised by a huge and diverse spread of organisations – from the biggest professional services firms and major multi-nationals, through small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to all kinds of public sector organisations. This diversity of recognition means that the ACA has an unrivalled reputation and will give you the freedom of opportunity to work wherever you choose.
Being ACA qualified also gives you the opportunity to work flexibly and earn a good living.
As an ACA you will have the perfect background for the role of business adviser, routinely making strategic decisions geared to boosting profitability and increasing market share for your clients or employer.
Many ACA trainees can expect to double their salary during their training contract, with salaries for newly qualified ACAs comparing favourably with careers in law, general management and banking.
Achieving the ACA qualification
To achieve an ACA you will need excellent academic abilities, a willingness to learn, and, above all, commitment and motivation to succeed within your chosen career. You will develop your team working, communication skills, problem-solving and commercial awareness as part of your day-to-day learning.
To qualify as an ACA, you will need to complete a training contract with an ICAEW authorised training employer. There are more than 5,000 ACA opportunities available with training employers of all sizes in a variety of sectors.
Training employers will generally expect students to possess:
- At least two A-levels and three GCSE passes including maths and English (most employers will look for A or B grades)
- 240-280 UCAS tariff score (or equivalent)
- In relation to university degrees, we recommend a 2.1 or higher from a UK university (or equivalent qualification), some organisations will accept a 2.2.
You don’t need A-level maths or an accountancy related degree to become an ACA - in fact, only five per cent of our graduate entrants have studied accountancy. ACA students come from a broad range of disciplines, including engineering, law, arts, business, management and science.
To find out more about the ACA qualification and ACA training opportunities go to our website at: www.icaew.com/careers or email your queries to: careers@icaew.com.
Universities
