Lost - started CIMA, but...

MattW

Hi All,
I qualified with the AAT earlier this year and my employer wanted me to go on an do CIMA. As stupid as it might sound I don't really want to do it and don't think it's the right qualification to do for my personal future career goals. I know CIMA is an excellent qualification and probably won't do me any harm in completing it.

I work in a large Charity in London at the moment, but in a couple of years time the wife and I plan on moving away from London to rural Wales (to be nearer family for our own!), where financial circumstances will change and I'll be able to take a pay cut and hope to get a job working in Practice with the view of setting up alone once I'm confident.

I'll be dealing mostly with small businesses, my aspiration is to have them as personal practice clients and my gut feeling is AAT + ATT is the ideal combo rather than AAT + CIMA.

Any views? Syllabus for ATT looks perfect for sole trader/business taxation affairs, which surely should be a large proportion of what clients will want me to sort for them?

Cheers
Matt

Sulew17

Hi, I'm only a lowly level 3 student but am in similar circumstances to you. I live in a rural part of Newcastle (yes there are some pretty rural areas here) since I moved up north from Barnet. I also feel that ATT would be of more use for me as I want to be an MIP and, due to personal circumstances, work from home. Since most of my clients would be local sole traders, partnerships, farmers, etc, tax would seem to be the obvious way to go. Good luck with whatever you decide to do and with the move when it happens.

Su

janwal

I am also doing level 3 and have looked at doing ATT after as I feel it is where I want to aim, but if I was prepared to do ACCA or CIMA it would be part funded by work but ATT I am on my own.

Jan

MattW

Cheers both! Sounds like we're in similar dilemmas with similar post AAT thoughts!

Su - North Barnet, that's where I grew up Well lived in Friern Barnet, but went to School in High Barnet (didn't like School, you can probably work out which one i went to).

Jan - same as you, employer part funds chartered but ATT is nothing to do with my role (management accountant). Due to timings and having to stay for 2 years post qualified or pay back a proportion I realistically need to be left by that point.

Good luck to both of you on completing the AAT, imo it's a great qualification - certainly taught me or pointed me in the right direction for real life accounting.

Miss_HJ

Have you considered ACCA? That would mean your employer should fund? and you would be covering areas that Practice use to ensure you are doing what will benefit you.

Personally I didnt like CIMA, the way they word questions is almost to trick you and noting like AAT, where the example questions help you know whats coming but with different sinarios etc.

Do what benefits you and not purely what the company want!

coojee

It's easier to get a practising certificate from AAT than from ACCA (at least it is at the moment) so if you're sure you want to practice then don't bother doing ACCA as you'll have to relinquish it when you want to practice.

MattW

Cheers 

Thought about ACCA but put off by the practicing certificate being nigh on impossible to get. Didn’t want to do something I couldn’t use in the future, which is also what’s pushing me away from CIMA. AAT taught me how to account, Taxation is a weakness and I think ATT would be a better string to my bow, for my future goals.

However it feels like you have to be Chartered to get anywhere in accountancy (although I’m doing ok myself so far!), perhaps it’s the comments on other forums you get from the Chartereds (AAT =lesser) and my bosses that make it ‘feel’ that way? I personally want and feel proud to be an AAT member and count my continuing CPD and experience as an overriding factor rather than having the right letters after your name.