Discovering Higher and Degree Apprenticeships with UWE Bristol, get free advice >>

ATT after A-level

hi, i was wondering if it would be better to get an AAT qualification followed by the ACA after doing A-levels, or is it better off going to uni and then getting an ACA qualification?

Reply 1

Purple

If it is accounting you want to do then I think its best not to go to university and get the work experience whilst doing the AAT and ACA instead, you will also be qualified before someone who goes to university. Theres a lot of threads regarding this in the careers forum.

Reply 2

Econ4m1t

no!
what would you do if they sack you! or somthing doesnt go to plan!

if you have a university degree at least you have something to fall back on and other firms will recruit you after university

Reply 3

brabzzz

hell no.

I know a (small firm) accountancy partner/founder that gave me the 'no point in uni' advice for accountancy. All 3 of his kids are now ACA/CAs...and all went to uni!

For the sake of a few grand debt and year or two of lost earnings, i'd not skip uni! Just look at how many grads are recruited by the big4 every year - thousands. Besides, you've no experice of the work (I assume). It can be VERY dull...you'd be shutting doors on yourself without a degree....

Reply 4

bigbadb1319

yeah i guess ur rite...therez both proz/conz...but ye ur rite in saying dat i don't have any work experience.....n-wayz thanx 4 da help ppl! - its gonna be a tough choice!

Reply 5

Reloaded

brabzzz

Just look at how many grads are recruited by the big4 every year - thousands.

and these grads can come from any degree subject, right??
and not necessarily from a top tier uni?

Reply 6

brabzzz

yep, pretty much any subject and any uni - though they do like top tier (they really dont care about the subject at all), they're never going to fill all their vacancies if they insist on it!.

If you've got you're head screwed on, you'd be unlucky not get a job if you applied for top4 + grant thornton/BDO/other biggies.

Reply 7

The_$_Factory

I know a couple of people on the A-Level School Leaver scheme at KPMG and they have been told that they will certify with ATT & CTA (Charted Tax Associate) within 3 years. Once they are certified, they can expect to start at around £35-40k. Salaries don't increase a great deal initially in accountancy like it can at banks, but £40k at the age of 21 struck me!!! I would take the ATT & CTA option if your going to train with the Big4 firms. Also, as a CTA, you can set up a private firm specialising in taxation, for example, inheritance tax or estate planning....these guys charge upto £800 an hour!!! (Some may not believe this but think about it logically. A guy has £15million to give as inheritance to his kids, if there was no tax planning done, he would automatically have to give 40% (upper rate of income tax) i.e. £6million to the HMRC!!!! Suddenly, £10/20/30k in tax planning advice seems insignificant!!!!

Good luck in whatever you do...but bear in mind, even guys from the most prestigious unis e.g. Oxbridge & LSE find it difficult to get jobs at IBs and Big4...a degree is not as valuable as people perhaps think. However, most graduate jobs require a degree and ACA/CTA is no substitute unfortunately. Often they require both!!!

Reply 8

brabzzz

To get to charging £800/h, you'd need to be a senior partner at a big4. To be able to charge that at your own firm you'd need to have been a s-mgr/partner in order to be able to take the required clientelle with you whe you leave/win it! Not to say it can't be done. As you rightly say, the pay is hardly amazing in the beginning (unlike banking). But stick it out and you'll have a very well paid job without the banking hours. Avg. London big4 parnters pull 500k. Thats by the time you're 40ish. Mind you, lots choose to stay at the level below (senior manager/director) - still very well paid, though not nearly as well - but the hours are shorter.

Do the degree dude. It would suck to relise at 30 that you want job x and despite being the perfect ideal super duper candidate, you can't get it because you don't have a degree!