Is chartered accountancy worth it

So I want to go into chartered accountancy but after weighing out the pros and cons and doing some research on chartered accountant salaries in Dubai, I'm not so sure about my decision anymore. On top of that, I wanted to do an apprenticeship with the big 4 or BDO. However, I think most employers in Dubai require their candidates to have a degree. If you can clarify this point or give me any advice on the career, please reply . I think what's putting me off is the salary as it is not as high as I expected it to be, especially in Dubai.

I spent several years working in the near east. I was from the USA, and was hired in the states to work in the near east. My experience was that firms that hired what they termed "locally engaged employees" paid considerably less that what they paid employees hired in the states [or in your case the Uk]. The reason for this i believe is that they can get cheaper help if they hire them locally. Working for a Uk firm, or a firm based in the US or Uk i believe would pay you the best. I would suggest looking at international recruitment sites like "www.indeed.com", "www.monster.com" and others that recruit internationally - not just in the Uk. You might also look at accountancy firms that have contracts with firms operating in Dubai. If the accountancy firm is based in the uK OR usa, they should pay better than a Dubai based firm - the reason being that they would have to 'incentivize' a US or Uk employee to go out to Dubai in the first place. Most ppl wouldn't want to go - so you'd have to 'bribe' them. I would advise getting an agreement in writing as to who will pay, should it be necessary to medevac you from Dubai back to the Uk or europe. This can be extremely expensive, in case of illness or accident. Best of luck!!

Thank you for your reply. Would you say employers prefer apprenticeships or degrees in chartered accountancy and does the fact that they pay less in Dubai apply to all careers or just chartered accountancy?

Do you live in Dubai at present or is it a place you are thinking about living in the future? I'd check the proportion of CAs in Dubai who are from India - I think Dubai is pretty easy to get visas for which can suppress wages a lot.

No I’m in England now doing my a levels. I just want to know whether the salary is worth it in Dubai and whether or not employers prefer graduates OR those who have apprenticeship qualifications.

A big thing to check is the visa requirements - some countries won't let you have a working visa for a professional role without a degree. No-one can tell you whether employers in Dubai expect degrees from British expat accountants. Its pretty recent that there have been any significant numbers of trainee chartered accountants without degrees (at least within the last 35 years) so there are not really any of the new apprentices qualified with enough experience to be normal recruits for expat roles. In most countries all qualified accountants would have an undergrad degree at the very minimum.

So essentially you’re saying that I don’t stand a chance abroad if I don’t have a degree?

No - I'm saying no one can tell you because a) no-one has any experience to base a judgement on and b) it would be guessing what the immigration laws and employment practices might be in 5-10 years time. If I were dead set on an international career (I was when I was 18) I would go to university - but thats just a guess as to what might work best.

No - I'm saying no one can tell you because a) no-one has any experience to base a judgement on and b) it would be guessing what the immigration laws and employment practices might be in 5-10 years time. If I were dead set on an international career (I was when I was 18) I would go to university - but thats just a guess as to what might work best.

Also do you think a degree apprenticeship would be better than going to university alone?

For what purpose? You would probably have a better job with a degree apprenticeship in 5 years time than 3/4 years at university and a year or two of work. 5 years after that? I think loads of other factors come into play.

I want to go into chartered accountancy but it’s salary has made me reconsider my choices. I assumed that I could get a good paying job with an apprenticeship alone but the more research I do, the further away that notion seems to be.

You'll struggle to find a degree apprenticeship as a trainee chartered accountant. What do you consider good pay?

I intend on finding a degree apprenticeship in year 13 ( when it’s time to apply to uni ). Is it still going to be difficult to find one? Also anything over 80k is good pay in my eyes. That might sound too ambitious but I guess these things are relative.

Well - there are plenty of Chartered Accountancy apprenticeships - not hard to find but no easy to get into. They are generally not degree apprenticeships though - you study for professional exams.

PWC have a few. I hope I can get into one of those

Do you have a link? I don't think PWC have degree apprenticeships for trainee accountants in England? Plenty for IT though.

Yh sure. Here it is : https://www.pwc.co.uk/careers/student-careers/school-careers/our-programmes/flying-start-degrees.html