AAT or CIMA......You decide

*Data Input* officer

Which do employers respect the most (easiest question of the year?)?

Paul24

Im part way through CIMA, having completed AAT some time ago, however without my MAAT status, I would have struggled to get sponsored for my professional qualification.

Paul

*Data Input* officer

Paul24 wrote: »

Im part way through CIMA, having completed AAT some time ago, however without my MAAT status, I would have struggled to get sponsored for my professional qualification.

Paul

Still, it isn't that expensive to buy the books and sit the exams. Being so tight will trip you up in the future.

Paul24

But as you also surely know, without a position providing relevant experience, you would not get ACMA status on completion of the exams

Paul

*Data Input* officer

Paul24 wrote: »

But as you also surely know, without a position providing relevant experience, you would not get ACMA status on completion of the exams

Paul

Fair enough, but wouldn't you agree that in many employers eyes, as a stand alone, the AAT is laughed at behind closed doors?

Paul24

For me to answer that I would be relying purely on conjecture, I would think not based on my experience to date.

Paul

*Data Input* officer

Paul24 wrote: »

For me to answer that I would be relying purely on conjecture, I would think not based on my experience to date.

Paul

But so many *dreamers* have pathetic office jobs, think of a new destiny with AAT, complete it (Okay, minus the morons on the failure thread), try to land something better, but end up back at square 1.

Paul24

*Data Input* officer wrote: »

But so many *dreamers* have pathetic office jobs, think of a new destiny with AAT, complete it (Okay, minus the morons on the failure thread), try to land something better, but end up back at square 1.

I guess Ive missed these people as most of the people I know who completed AAT are on my CIMA course, one or two others didnt continue their studies on completion, or dropped out of CIMA due to other life commitments, hence the reason I am trying to complete it while I am still young, as I can see that the professional qualification demands time, that a working parent may not have.

Paul

*Data Input* officer

Paul24 wrote: »

I guess Ive missed these people as most of the people I know who completed AAT are on my CIMA course, one or two others didnt continue their studies on completion, or dropped out of CIMA due to other life commitments, hence the reason I am trying to complete it while I am still young, as I can see that the professional qualification demands time, that a working parent may not have.

Paul

You have a point on that front, noting the vast majority of clowns on the board that winge repeatedly about being a parent and how hard it is to *study.*

Sonny_L

AAT won't get you very far on it's own. I don't think anyone seriously believes an MAAT is going to open doors to FTSE 100 finance director roles. Most people, myself included use their it as an entry requirement for the CCABs.

I have an ACA,CTA contract due to my being AAT. So my Director didn't laugh at it.

But an AAT chartered accountant will probably be seen as inferior to a graduate chartered accountant.

AdamR

Sonny_L wrote: »

But an AAT chartered accountant will probably be seen as inferior to a graduate chartered accountant.

I hope you're wrong but I fear you're not!:crying: I left school at 16 3 years ago and I'm onto the second level of ACA already - why should I be seen as inferior if I'm qualified at 22 when a graduate wouldn't be chartered until they are 25? Also, I'd have 9 years experiance on them...

Life's not fair lol. Still, I wouldn't have the debt!:001_smile:

Sonny_L

Well, 22 year old ACA is still a hell of a position to be in mate! Will you be studying beyond ACA? CTA perhaps?

AdamR

Fingers crossed for the qualification date, I'll have to work my socks off but it could be done!

Not really sure at the moment - I work for a very small practice in a small market town in a county no-one seems to know exists so unless I change jobs in a few years, I guess there's no need. That said, I do enjoy study and I want to make partner at some point so a change of job might be inevitable.

Jon_1984

Working in a SME in industry and as Financial Controller since halfway through intermediate without anyone else to give the answers I have found the AAT an invaluable grounding in accounting.

Bluewednesday

To put another slant on the AAT bashing that's gone on recently.

My boss will always take an AAT studier over a graduate every time, he said the graduates tend to be picky about what they will and won't do and the AAT guys just get on with it as they have a much more practical background.

Gem7321

The firm I work for tends to employ graduates, but the graduates come in, supposedly equally qualified to AAT, and have a heart attack if you put a bag of bank statements in front of them!

One of our graduates is very realistic about what she can and can't do, and has said her degree consisted of taking a TB and putting into a P&L and BS format. And she still says she wouldn't know where to start with a 'real' set of accounts!

AdamR

Without wanting to offend any graduates out there, I've also heard stories about some being unable to do a Bank Rec. It's all very well having your degree, but if most of your clients bring in a shoebox of receipts, you could come unstuck!

However, as Gem mentioned, some do at least realise that they have missed some of the initial stages of accounts preparation and will admit to this so they can be shown what to do, which deserves credit.

Sonny_L

Top tier uni grads with Big four ACA contracts on the other hand....

Sonny_L

By the way I'm not AAT bashing, I happen to think the big firm's grad only schemes are old fashioned and unjust. Their dismissal of more practical qualifications is their loss as much as ours in my opinion.

I just think, rightly or wrongly if you're a careerist then good A levels, good uni and big 4 ACA is the choice to take.

I wish I'd known this 4 years ago.

Dean

Sonny_L wrote: »

I just think, rightly or wrongly if you're a careerist then good A levels, good uni and big 4 ACA is the choice to take.

I wish I'd known this 4 years ago.

Sonny, I'm not picking on you when I say this but, this sort of comment (in general) amuses me. Whatever route you take, your ACA qualified. If two people go for a job, their latest qualification will be a professional one - who cares what they did in a past life? They are both at the top of the tree.

Regards

Dean

For completeness I should say; I am using 'top of the tree' in the contents of ALL CCAB qualifications, I am merely using ACA as the stated example.

A-Vic

Sonny_L wrote: »

By the way I'm not AAT bashing, I happen to think the big firm's grad only schemes are old fashioned and unjust. Their dismissal of more practical qualifications is their loss as much as ours in my opinion.

I just think, rightly or wrongly if you're a careerist then good A levels, good uni and big 4 ACA is the choice to take.

I wish I'd known this 4 years ago.

Sonny please go to chat and look for the thread Big 4.

I have 5 good GCSE's 3 A Levels in Business and Law (in 18 months) and was set to take a law degree however decieded to attempt the AAT and would definatley stait here and now it was the better decistion (not saying i wouldnt do the law degree) however i see the AAT like a nursing degree as something you can take with you.

Sonny_L

Is your friend in London now ACA qualified in a senior role?

I think people do care about your academic background. I don't think I'd have got my training contract without the A's at A level.

Look at advertisements for senior roles, time and time again you will see

"you must be ACA, ACCA (ACA preferred) with a good degree"

A-Vic

Sonny_L wrote: »

Is your friend in London now ACA qualified in a senior role?

I think people do care about your academic background. I don't think I'd have got my training contract without the A's at A level.

Look at advertisements for senior roles, time and time again you will see

"you must be ACA, ACCA (ACA preferred) with a good degree"

Yes and a lot more, and she didnt apply for the job she was approached.

I agree your acedemic role and background do have a lot to do with getting a job but experience is more important.

The roles you staited when going for the job between someone with ACA and fresh from UNI and someone with ATT and ACA with knowlege in accountancy procedures and accounts who do you think would stand a better chance of getting the placement.

A-Vic

There is also the fact that a lot of people cant aford to go on for higher education due to funding and by completing the AAT (agencies more so) that you can if lucky find a job that will fund your continuing education because you have shown already your commitment by doing the AAT and picked up skills along the way.

Londina

Interesting thread

because I'm always wondering what's the point to do AAT if then you have to do afterwards ACCA, ACA or CIMA in order to be chartered accountant and be accepted by employers for higher position. Why not start to study those ones first so?

Personally I don't care, I don't want to apply for a big role, because even the salary is good, there is lot of stress and responsability involved and I prefer to enjoy my life instead.

But what's the difference between an AAT accountant and a chartered accountant? We do as well business taxation, financial statements, etc....why them are called chartered and we dont?

AdamR

AAT is an entry route into the Chartered qualifications which are a higher level of qualifcation - you can start AAT at 16 with only GCSEs, whearas to do ACA for example, you would need very good A-Level grades or be a graduate to get in if you didn't start with AAT.

It's a good starting point for people working in accounts and it certainly benefits the people that don't want/need to go on to CIMA/ACA etc but still want a profesisonal and recognised qualification relevant to their job. For me it was the only way to get into the job as I myself left school at 16 to start work.