Choosing Accountancy as a Career

There are a number of professional bodies that provide accountancy training, including ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales) ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants), and AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians). However, almost all trainee accountants at Richardsons are working towards qualification as a Chartered Accountant through the ICAEW.

In order to qualify as a Chartered Accountant, trainees enter into a training contract with a recognised training organisation, either an accountancy practice or certain firms in industry. Contracts are typically three or four years long, and provide trainees with practical experience to supplement their studies.

Throughout the contract, trainees will take a number of professional exams across a range of technical subjects including

• accountancy
• audit and assurance
• taxation
• business finance
• business management
• financial reporting
• company law

This breadth of course content is considered one of the major strengths of the training programme, and provides qualified Chartered Accountants with a broad knowledge and skills base on which to build their future career.

Chartered Accountants work in a wide variety of environments, including:

• practice
• industry
• education
• government
• charities
• banking and finance
• entertainment and media

Chartered Accountants also run their own businesses. The qualification enjoys worldwide recognition, and many Chartered Accountants therefore choose to spend some time working overseas.If you would like more detail about becoming a Chartered Accountant, please visit the ICAEW website.