exemptions during AAT

sib2014

I have a degree in accounting and business & currently work in the finance industry. I want to eventually qualify as an accountant but due to taking a career break after my degree, I wish to complete the AAT before doing the ACA or ACCA.

could you please advise on whether this would be suitable for me or whether I should simply take the short course qualifications that AAT offer as a top up to my degree. I need to know exactly what exemptions I will have from my degree & how long it will take to complete the AAT.

ariadne

I suspect you may have to specifically request this information as each degree will differ as there is no one governing body regulating university accountancy courses. In your position I would go straight into ACCA (you can't do ACA without an employer but there may be a degree of flexibilty in transferring if you find an employer who does ACA later). Have a look at opentuition for ACCA tutorials, while you may gain exemptions from ACCA it may be more helpful to complete all the exams to help recap. If you already understand the basics it won't be too big a leap, many ACCA students start without prior knowledge. It's much faster than doing AAT L3 and 4 and then applying for exemptions, and may cost less too. If you don't feel prepared for ACCA then AAT is a gentle introduction but you could just study the books and not necessarily take the exams, unless getting a qualification very quickly and licence to practice is your priority. If you have the time and already understand the basics you could complete AAT within months, a year easily. Have a go at the AAT skills check and see how you feel about where you would start.