Ask AAT - any questions on a career in accountancy and finance

Hi, My name is Luke I’m a representative of AAT and am here to answer any questions you have regarding the qualification and embarking on an exciting career in accountancy and finance.

I am looking to engage with people by joining discussion threads and offering advice and information where possible.

Please feel free to respond to this post, or contact me directly and I will try and give you a hand. I can also introduce you to one of our regional advisors who can give you tailored advice for the area in which you live, and get an information pack sent out to you.

Luke.

(edited 10 years ago)

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Reply 1

gunner4life95

Original post by DanWinterburn

Hi, my name is Dan Winterburn – I’m a representative of AAT and am here to answer any questions you have regarding the qualification and embarking on an exciting career in accountancy and finance.

I am looking to engage with people by joining discussion threads and offering advice and information where possible.

Please feel free to respond to this post, or contact me directly and I will try and give you a hand. I can also introduce you to one of our regional advisors who can give you tailored advice for the area in which you live, and get an information pack sent out to you.

Dan.

Hi Dan, I was wondering if you could give me advice on my current situation after results day.

So I have wanted to do an AAT apprenticeship since the start of the year and have being applying to vacancies and getting interview since July but to no success.. My predicted grades when I was getting interviews were BBC in accounting, business and maths respectively however I know have BCD in business, accounting and maths respectively.

I feel now that it will be much harder to get onto one due to the competition and prospective employees giving vacancies and interviews on the basis of applicants with higher grades. What recommendations can you give to enhance my chances of getting an aat apprenticeship. Many thanks in advance.

Reply 2

AAT Advisor

Official Rep

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear you haven't had any luck with your applications, and that you didn't achieve the grades you were hoping for.

A good CV should maximise your chances - for instance, did you hold down a job while studying for your A-Levels? Have you donated your time through volunteering? These may not seem relevant to accountancy, but they show your influencing skills, conscientiousness and reliability.

If you haven't gained any work experience voluntary or otherwise, I would suggest you try and secure some, as this will potentially give your CV an edge over your competitors.

Have you registered with National Apprenticeship Services? This will give you access a vast range of apprenticeship opportunities, so may therefore potentially increase your chances.

You may wish to take a look at our forum page which covers apprenticeships:

http://forums.aat.org.uk/showthread.php?37498-How-do-I-make-my-AAT-apprenticeship-application-stand-out

I hope you find this useful, let me know if there's anything else you need help with.

Dan.

Reply 3

gunner4life95

Original post by DanWinterburn

How would you recommend the best way to gain work experience in an accountancy related role. Would it be by contacting employees through email or physically visiting location.

Reply 4

AAT Advisor

Official Rep

Original post by gunner4life95

How would you recommend the best way to gain work experience in an accountancy related role. Would it be by contacting employees through email or physically visiting location.

That's exactly right - I would proactively contact employers within your local area and see if they can offer you short-term experience.

If you make a good impression, you never know what it might lead to with that particular company, otherwise it should stand you in good stead for making applications with other employers, as it shows commitment and initiative.

Let me know if there's anything further I can do to help.

Reply 5

Runninground

Dan- I thought I only needed to do level 3 AAT before I could progress to the ACA exams. Someone said that I needed to do level 4 too before I can start ACA. Which is true?

Reply 6

AAT Advisor

Official Rep

Original post by Runninground

Dan- I thought I only needed to do level 3 AAT before I could progress to the ACA exams. Someone said that I needed to do level 4 too before I can start ACA. Which is true?

It is possible to study ACA having only completed Level 3, however you would need to start ACA from the beginning in this instance, as there are no exemptions available for completion of Level 3.

If you complete up to and including Level 4 and then go onto achieve MAAT membership, you can opt into the fast-track route, which will allow you to achieve full membership of ICAEW within 4 years.

You can see more detailed information regarding the fast-track route here:

http://www.icaew.com/en/qualifications-and-programmes/aca/aca-training-in-the-uk/exams/aat-aca-fast-track

Reply 7

TaylorJJJJ

Original post by DanWinterburn

Hi Dan,

I've always been interested in accountancy and this may sound stupid but maths isn't my strong point. I got an A in GCSE Maths and I've decided not to take A level maths. Do you think that will affect my chances of ever forging a successful career in finance? I know some courses like management state that applicants don't need to have A level maths but I have no idea how well courses like management are received?!

Reply 8

AAT Advisor

Official Rep

Original post by TaylorJJJJ

Whilst there are elements of mathematics within accountancy, and therefore a requirement for at least a basic competency, there are many other competencies such as the ability to think logically and follow processes correctly that are encompassed with the profession.

The fact you have achieved GCSE grade in Mathematics suggests that it is not exactly a weakness!

I would therefore not be too concerned about this, however it is worth nothing that ultimately it is a company's prerogative to decide upon what they are looking for with a candidate, so I cannot comment upon the requirements according to individual companies.

Companies can be favourable towards skills-based qualifications such as AAT as they focus the practical skills require to work in accountancy, so this could potentially compensate for a lack of maths based qualifications.

I hope this clarifies matters for you.

Reply 9

Shelleyyyj

Hi.

I currently have a place to study a Foundation year in Accounting at Coventry Uni College and am looking to complete a full degree starting 2014. If I pass, this gets me a Level 3 AAT qualification.
It might sound like a silly question but what's the difference between a degree in Accounting compared to one in Accounting & Finance?

thanks :biggrin:

Reply 10

AAT Advisor

Official Rep

Original post by Shelleyyyj

Hi,

Starting point is ultimatelty determined by the training provider/college, however they typically allow students who have previously completed a degree in a relevant subject such as accountancy to start directly at level 4, therefore effectively exempting the student from levels 3 and 4.

Accounting degrees have a specific focus on accounting, whereas accounting and finance degrees have a broader business application.

I hope this answers your queries.

Dan.

Reply 11

AAT Advisor

Official Rep

Sorry, I made a mistake in my previous response, I meant to say exempt from Levels 2 and 3.

Reply 12

mizzjulie

I completed all 3 AAT levels last year which gave me the equivalent of a degree. I have just enrolled at Wolverhampton Uni to do BA(Hons) Accounting and Finance. As I have completed the AAT I can skip the first year and go straight to 2nd year. My understanding is that this is an undergraduate course in which I will cover all 15 modules required to sit the ACCA professional paper or majority/all to sit the CIMA professional paper.

I have chosen this route as the course if full time and I will get funding, otherwise I would not be able to progress forward in my studies/career. The other alternative would be to go straight into ACCA or CIMA which I believe is a 2 year part time course.

To be honest, I'm not 100% sure of the best way forward. I would have thought the AAT qualification would give me good employment prospects but it does appear that employers are looking for people studying towards a more advanced qualification.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 13

aidenb

Hi Dan, I am a 16 year old school leaver, about to start college. I have a mix of B's and C's in GCSE. (inc B Maths). I am about to start college studying Business, ICT and Maths (all as/a level). Firstly, I was wondering would these subjects be okay to hopefully reach my dream of becoming a chartered accountant. Secondly, once I get my As/A level results, how would I go about enquiring starting my accountancy career, for exampl, applying for AAT?

Thanks
Aidenboucher

Reply 14

AAT Advisor

Official Rep

Original post by aidenb

Hi Aiden,

I would suggest you have chosen good subjects for a career in accountancy.

It terms of becoming a chartered accountant, a foundation level qualification such as AAT offers a good starting point, as it covers the basics very thoroughly, and prepares you to move into more advanced areas.

Once AAT has been completed, you can then opt into one of the chartered accountancy and gain a generous exemptions from the foundation level.

In terms of undertaking AAT, I would suggest you have two options:

- seek an entry level accountancy position or apprenticeship, and complete the qualification whilst working. You can look at more detailed information regarding apprenticeships here:

http://www.aat.org.uk/qualifications/funding

- study the qualification independently using one of the flexible study options such as distance-learning, and then seek employment. There is information regarding different study options here:

http://www.aat.org.uk/qualifications/how-and-where-to-study-aat

I hope this helps.

Dan.

Reply 15

psychopathbabble

Hi Dan

I've just graduated with a BSc Hons Open degree with the OU. I'm not sure what to do next. I am thinking about doing AAT Level 2 to get an idea of accountancy and basic book-keeping with a view to progressing on to Levels 3 and 4. I am also looking at Masters courses, but I assume when I get further into the accounting courses there would be an equivalent?

I am currently employed full-time within the airline industry. If I started going down the accountancy route in my spare time, at what stage do you think I could start looking for and applying for jobs within accounting?

There are so many routes and companies offering accounting courses, it's very difficult to decide which is the best path to take.

Also, someone has recommended Kaplan to me... do you have any further recommendations for course providers in the East of England and Essex area?

Many thanks :smile:

PS When I was looking through the Kaplan site, it didn't make any mention of becoming a member of AAT. Would I automatically be enrolled or is this an additional cost?

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 16

Runninground

Original post by psychopathbabble

PS When I was looking through the Kaplan site, it didn't make any mention of becoming a member of AAT. Would I automatically be enrolled or is this an additional cost?

Maybe you could explain to your employer that you want to get into accountancy and ask them if you can spend some time with the finance team. They may even sponsor you to complete the AAT qualifications.

Reply 17

psychopathbabble

Original post by Runninground

Unforunately they don't offer things like that unless you are on their grad scheme (not open to applications at present) and their head office is not near to where I am based. I had a lot of time off last year due to ear problems (I am cabin crew so flying every day, I was signed off flying by ent specialist) and they wouldn't let me do any thing in the office at my base, for 7 months!

Reply 18

AAT Advisor

Official Rep

Original post by psychopathbabble

PS When I was looking through the Kaplan site, it didn't make any mention of becoming a member of AAT. Would I automatically be enrolled or is this an additional cost?

Hi,

Advanced accountancy study tends to be one of the Chartered Accountancy such as CIMA, ACCA, or ACA, but you will need to start off with a foundation level qualification such as AAT in order to cover the basics. You can then move onto one of the advanced qualifications if you want to specialise and enhance your knowledge in a particular area such as management accounting, in which case you could choose to study CIMA.

To get into the field of accountancy, its advisable to start off with a recgnised foundation level qualification such as AAT as this will give you the skills required to work in an entry level role, and then allow your career to develop, and you can move into more advanced areas.

As suggested previously, what may be a good idea is to try and get some finance related experience at your current company that you can add to your CV and therefore enhance your prospects of employment.

In terms of course providers, we do not recommend any as such, as they are all approved and therefore from our perspective of a good standard. We therefore encourage people to conduct their own research into providers and make a decision.

You can search for providers within your local area using the following link:

https://www.aat.org.uk/qualifications/training-providers/search

This will enable you to contact the provider(s) directly for further information about the package they offer.

I hope you find this helpful, let me know if there's any other queries you have.

Best of luck!

Dan.

Reply 19

amyrichards

Hi Dan!
I've recently completed GCSE's with 9 A*'s and 6 A's and am now studying AS Level Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics and Geography with predicted grades of all A*'s. I'm very interested in becoming an accountant in the future and am hoping to study an Accounting and Finance Degree once I finish my A Levels.

I'm worried however that because I didn't do GCSE's/AS in business, economics or accounting that my chances of being accepted onto an Accounting and Finance course could be low? I've read through entry requirements for the courses and none of them have specifically said that business, economics or accounting is required but it is preferable and I was wondering if you could give me advice on what I should do? Will I find it overwhelmingly difficult to keep up with the course because I have no qualifications in business, economics or accounting?