There are lots of jobs within accountancy, some roles are similar than others but depending on the skills and experience, the salary also reflects that.
The lower end accountancy roles can be considered as any assistant roles, whether it is Accounts / Finance / Tax Assistant. Book-Keepers, Accounts Clerk and Trainee roles would fall into that category too. All roles require some sort of training and there are plenty of accountancy courses to choose from.
If training as an accountant, some employers would include study packages which are, for the candidate be more beneficial as the costs involved can range from a few hundred to thousands.
Below is a list of qualifications that are recognised in the UK:
- ACCA: Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
- CIMA: Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
- AAT: Association of Accounting Technicians
- CIPFA: Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy
- ICAEW: Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
- ACT: Association of Corporate Treasurers
- CF: Corporate Finance Qualification
- CFE: Certified Fraud Examiner
- JIEB/CPI: The Joint Insolvency Examination Board / Certificate of Proficiency in Insolvency
The top two are probably the most widely known and most studied, they are both recognised across the globe. All qualifications would obviously require taking relevant exams; however there are ones which require the practical experience as well as just study. Taking which exam would depend on the individual and it also depends on what employment they are currently in as some companies would need a qualified professional within a certain qualification.
Depending on the type of degree studied, graduates may be exempt from some of the exam papers which will also save the studier tuition and revision class fees, however, you'll still need to pay for exemption which is usually the same price as the exam papers themselves. Some graduates will even automatically be AAT Qualified when completing an Accounting Degree.
Part-qualified accountants can earn between £18,000 - £25,000 and qualified accountants much more, however if you're qualified by experience, you can still earn between those barriers. Obviously, depending on the region you live, salary brackets will also differ, especially in the cities. For example, Bristol accountancy jobs would probably be paid less than the accountancy jobs in London. Not to mention, the size of the organisation must also be taken into consideration as well.
Overall, whichever accountancy route one chooses, there are a lot of different accountancy jobs available to them.
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