Accountant Jobs

If you are thinking of applying for a trainee accountant job it’s important to know what qualification the position would lead to.

AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) The AAT qualification is very much an entry level course. If you don’t have much accounts experience or are concerned that the other qualifications might be too involved the course might be ideal. The qualifications are based around practical experience, exams and coursework. It’s an ideal candidate for distance or part time learning.

ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) The ACCA qualification typically takes three years to complete while still working in an accounting job. The Syllabus involves 14 examinations though there are a number of exemptions available for people with prior experience or relevant qualifications. They have over 300,000 members who have taken the twice yearly exam.

ATT (Association of Tax Technicians) is a qualification in tax. It’s a specialist accounts qualification for those working in the taxation sector. The association has close ties to the Institute of Taxation who were responsible for the sponsorship of the Association when it was established. The organisation works both as a group for tax professionals organising conferences and publications as well as administering the qualification. Normally the knowledge for the examinations is learnt via a distance learning scheme. The formal exam can be arranged seven months after joining the association though twelve months is the norm.

CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) Far and away one of the most prestigious of the accountancy qualifications. It is focused on the financial management much more than the other accountant qualifications for trainees. Like many of the other qualifications exemptions are available, and many of the people studied CIMA already have other accounts qualifications. It doesn’t tend to be that useful a qualification if you are interested in Tax and Audit.

CIOT (The Chartered Institute of Taxation) Another widely recognised qualification which is useful for people interested in Taxation is CIOT. It’s required if you would like to be known as a ‘Charted Tax Advisor’ it’s assessed both by practical work and examinations. The exams are held in May & November every year and like lots of the other qualifications takes three years.

CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) if you’d like to work as an accountant in the public sector CIPFA would be ideal. While it’s ideal for those working in the NHS & local government it can also be really useful for private sector firms who deal with the public sector. Day release and week block release is normally the best way to build up the knowledge over three and a half years it takes to qualify.